comfortable in that culture,” Lewis says.
“I’ve found that the No. 1 skill most mentees need is socialization. When it comes to being in a social setting, many people are at a loss. Mentors can help them improve those communication skills,” Mercer says.
By starting an employee mentoring program at your company, you help others gain a sense of fulfillment, while also transferring valuable skills from one employee to another. “Most people really do want to give back in the form of mentoring,” Troy-Brooks says. In return, your business and employees may reap profitable benefits.
Statistics also support that mentoring has advanced people’s careers.
“Seven out of 10 women of color who had a mentor in 1998 have since had a promotion,” says Sheila Wellington, president of Catalyst, a nonprofit organization that’s dedicated to expanding opportunities for women in business. “What’s more, Catalyst found that the more mentors a woman has, the faster she moves up the corporate ladder.”
In addition, 75% of executives surveyed by the American Society for Training and Development point to mentoring as playing a key role in their careers.