Organizations like Cisco, Intel, Sun Microsystems and DHL have seen outstanding results with Mentoring Programs in terms of higher engagement, increased retention and faster growth of both the Mentors and the Mentees. It’s time organizations embrace Mentoring in order to stay ahead and stay relevant.

1. Why Do We Need Mentoring?
This is a question I am often asked while talking with professionals about the importance of Mentoring in
organizations. So I decided to write about it, in the backdrop of a few transformations that we are witnessing
around us.
Millennials (persons born between early 1980s to early 2000s) have become a majority of the workforce. Yet
organizations have a difficult time hiring members of the youngest professional generation. In a survey
commissioned by Elance oDesk, the world’s largest online workplace, 53% of the Hiring Managers said, it’s
difficult to find and retain the Millennials in their organizations.
Since Millennials were raised by their parents with a lot of praise and recognition, they have a lot of
confidence, which some call it as entitlement. They want to step into the leadership roles right away. For
these people to assume leadership roles and do well, they need to understand what are the challenges of
leadership and what it takes to demonstrate leadership in tough times. Mentoring can be a great tool to
develop their leadership competencies wherein senior people in the organization share their insights into
leadership with the Millennials.
The survey by Elance oDesk also revealed that Millennials appreciate good Mentoring at the workplace, over
money. Hence, a culture of Mentoring will go a long way in keeping them engaged at the workplace and retain
them in the organization.
Of late, a few organizations have started doing away with the Bell Curve or the Annual Appraisal Process for
multiple reasons. It is expected that Managers will engage with their team members on a more regular basis
as a result of this change. It has been observed that Millennials prefer coaching over supervising and this shift
from the Annual Appraisal Process can make that cultural change happen.
Mentoring can be a strong catalyst to this cultural change. Mentoring can create an environment of sharing
knowledge and skills with people who need them the most and can foster a more collaborative culture in the
workplace.
NxtSpark’s Mentoring System allows Mentor-Mentee matching through skill-based criteria. The system allows
a structured approach to Mentoring in terms of creating goals and related activities, scheduling sessions and
draw from a mutually curated library of resources. The Management and the HR Team can view a dashboard

2. with all relevant metrics to monitor the health of the Mentoring Program and take necessary course
correction if required.
Organizations like Cisco, Intel, Sun Microsystems and DHL have seen outstanding results with Mentoring
Programs in terms of higher engagement, increased retention and faster growth of both the Mentors and the
Mentees. It’s time organizations embrace Mentoring in order to stay ahead and stay relevant.