Mentoring and peer networks

 Colleagues,
 
Today we’ll look at mentoring and peer networks.
 
Mentoring occurs when someone with more knowledge/skill/experience intentionally helps another person grow in the area of the mentor’s expertise. Mentoring is most typically done by peers as the mentoring relationship requires high trust. A leader could mentor someone in a lower hierarchical position, but when the mentor also evaluates the mentee it probably won’t work well.
 
Too often mentoring is left to chance or is too informal and unstructured to provide adequate value. Asking Cynthia to help the new person isn’t mentoring. Good mentoring programs should:

1. Include formal acknowledgement and support from the organization
2. Use selection criteria to match mentors and mentees
3. Include specific outcomes
4. Reward the mentor in some way

Peer networks feature groups of people learning together. Peer networks are especially powerful when the network has a common focus but includes people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Typically, a peer network is set up with a specific objective in mind. Peers observe and learn from each other so that knowledge and skills that exist in different places within the network can be defused throughout the network. 
 
Topics for a peer network might include:

1. Communication skills
2. Sales processes
3. Teaching techniques
4. Patient interactions

 Peer networks are similar in their need to mentor networks.
 
It is imperative that in either of these forms, leaders are invested and supportive. Establishing mentoring or peer networks requires follow through. Leaders who invest time supporting them will see them flourish, resulting in increased organizational capacity, strengthened working relationships, and a better organizational culture.
 
If you’d like to learn more about setting up a mentoring program, let me know.
 
Do good and be well,
 
Frederick