1) The document discusses how the author, a new HR director, turned to Google as a mentor when he lacked experience in his new role and did not have a mentor within his organization to guide him. 2) As a young professional just out of college in his first HR job, the author was overwhelmed by the responsibilities of the role and felt he did not have the expertise or experience required. 3) With no experienced mentor available to advise him, the author turned to Google which provided him countless resources, examples, and connections to other professionals to help further his education and guide him as his makeshift mentor.

1. WhenGoogle Became myMentor – Jesse Sites
Imagine this! You’re a youngprofessional andalittle overayearout of college. It’saperiodinyourlife
whenyou’re navigatingyourwaythroughprofessionalwaters. A positionopensupasthe HR Director
for a local organization. Throughoutyourcollege careeryouwere toldhow youwere meantfora
positioninHR. You take a chance and apply. Congratulations! YoulandyourfirstjobinHR inan
industryyou know nothingabout! Nowyouhave the privilegeof servingasthe HR Directorfor 150+
people asa departmentof one. Nowwhat?
That was the firstquestionIaskedmyself asIsteppedintomynew office. AsI thoughtaboutwhatI
knewinthe worldof HR, I quicklydiscoveredmyknowledge wasverybasic. Iknew whatchallenges
were aheadof me and couldfeel the learningcurve loomingoverme. Ihad booksuponbooks
introducingconceptsthatI have heardabout,butnever had the opportunitytoutilize. Ihadthe
supportof my colleagues,butatthe same time I wasexpectedtobe theirgo-to-guy. Iwasswimmingin
an oceanof self-doubt!
In the midstof my struggle,IwaswishingthatI had a personclose bythat I couldapproach wheneverI
neededadvisementordirection;a superiorthatcontainedawealthof knowledge regardingHR
conceptsand bestpractices. A guru if you will. A mentor! Ihad my answer,orso I thought.
I was surroundedby intelligentpeople;expertsof theirfield. However,theywere expectingme tobe
the HR expert. Iwasall that theyhad; I wasall thatI had. I surroundedmyself withHRbooksthat were
sentto me by supportive familymemberswantingme tosucceed. Althoughgreat,those booksdidnot
provide experiencesfromveteranswithinthe field. Experiencesare the world’sbestlessons,andall of
the bookknowledge wasblackandwhite. Isuppose partsof HR are black andwhite,butpeople are
much more complex. If youaskany HR professional,theywill tellyou the same. There isnota ‘one size
fitsall’classificationforpeople,andthere isn’t anythingbetterthanexperiencesfeaturingcomplexity.
Since I didn’thave amentorto share theirmyriadof experienceswith,Ihadtocome upwitha quick
solution. Isoon thoughtabouta colleague thatImetduringmyyears of study. One clickand a few
minuteslater,Google agreedtobe mymentor. Inno time, Google introducedme tocountless
concepts, providedme withnumerousexamples,andlinkedme withotherprofessionalsthroughoutthe
world. Google providedresourcestohelpme furthermyeducationanddirectedme toprofessional
organizationsthatwouldcompletelychange how Ioperate inmyfield. AnyquestionIhad, Google was
almostcertainto have the answeror connectme to someone thatdid. I couldcall on Google 24/7.
I share thisstory to make lightof the deathof the traditional mentor. There are organizations thathave
lostsightof the importance of the workplace mentor. Thatexperiencedpersonthatcanguide another’s
individualdevelopmentinordertohelpnurture andgrow that personwithintheirorganization. An
employeethatfeelsthatanorganizationgenuinelybelievesintheirdevelopment, andare settingthem
up forsuccess,are more likelytospendmanyyears withthatorganization. Mentoringcreatesasolid
planof succession,andwithsuccessioncomessustainability. Anorganizationthat createssustainable
resources,whichincludesknowledge,willeasilyoutlasttheircompetition.
One of the greatestopportunitiesorganizationshave isthe influx of Millennial talent. Millennialsare
dominatingthe workforce. Theyare comingintoyourorganizationhungryforknowledgeand
experiences. Thisgenerationisdriventobe successful and they are passionate abouttheirgoals. With
one of theirgreatestattributesbeingthe desiretobe connected, thisgroupismore interestedinhaving
a mentorin the workplace thanothersbefore them. Due toMillennials’affinityfortechnology, multiple
mentorsisnot outof the question. Ijoke aboutGoogle becomingmymentor,butinall reality,

2. WhenGoogle Became myMentor – Jesse Sites
technologyhasopenedthe doorformentorsacrossmultiple organizations. However,itisnota
replacementmechanismforhavingsomeone within. WhenMillennialsdon’thave the resourcesthey
feel they needtobe successful,theywillsearchforthose resources. Whenthatstartsto happen,
retentionof thattalent becomesapriority. AccordingtoDan Schawbel atFutureWorkplace, Millennials
have a current tenure of twoyearsand cost approximately$20,000 to replace. Organizationscannot
expecttosurvive whenexperiencing thatkindof monetaryloss andthe knowledgedrain thatfollows.
In orderfor organizationstobe sustainable,theyneedtosupporttheirtalent. One of the easiestways
to supportyourtalentisthrough mentoringprograms. Mentoringprogramsprovide countlessbenefits
to the organizationasa whole. Itfostersinternal talentwhichisthe foundation of successionplanning.
By connectingyouremployees,you’re buildingengagement;whichiscrucial tothe healthof your
organization. Notonlywill the employee gainsomethingfromtheirmentor,the partnership youcreate
can be mutuallybeneficial tobothparties. Youare developingnotonlythe talentof the mentee,but
alsoof the mentor. Most importantly,mentorprogramscreate alearningculture. Itallowsan
organizationtorecordtheirknowledgeassetsinordertosafeguardthatknowledge. Ultimately,
mentoringwill create atalentbase thatiscommittedandcreate emotional attachmenttothe
organization.
An organizationisinvestinginitself whenitstrivestodevelopthe talent withininsteadof relyingon
whatcomesnextthroughthe revolvingdoor. Don’tletGoogle be the onlythingyourtalentdependson.
Developandbuildthe bridge betweengenerations. A worldclassorganizationisasustainable one,and
the road to sustainabilitybeginswithmentoring.