You always hear about corporate training programs for sales, administrative, and general management staff, but you seldom hear about these programs for IT personnel. How do IT professionals acquire management and supervisory skills in the typical IT department? Usually by the seat of their pants. If a person has the technical skills and is lucky enough to do well in the eyes of management, he or she gets promoted to project leader or operations manager.
Sometimes these battlefield promotions work out, and sometimes they don’t. How can your organization avoid promoting people into a situation where they will not succeed? A mentor program can train people to become key employees who will be able train and lead others toward achieving the company goals.
What is a mentor program? It is a formalized training program that utilizes key, experienced personnel to coach other employees and advance their abilities. A mentor program is generally used across department lines, although you could set up an IT-specific mentor program as well. Through mentoring programs, companies try to develop managers. Protégés, in turn, try to gain the skills needed to advance within the company.
Viking Office Products, a division of Office Depot, started its mentor program in
1997. The company has so far had more than 100 graduates companywide, according to Ann Burkle, senior manager of systems development. According to Burkle, who is one of Viking’s mentors in its New Manager Discovery Program, 50 percent of the mentor program graduates have been promoted and 10 percent have made lateral moves. Due to the success of the program at Viking, its parent company is looking to start its own mentor program.
Viking’s mentor program matches a mentor with a protégé who may not work directly for that mentor and who, in some cases, is located at a different office. The program takes place over four Saturdays, spread out over four months. The program requires a voluntary commitment on the part of mentor and protégé, as they are not paid for their additional time. Protégés understand that completion of the mentor program in no way guarantees any type of promotion.
Viking has developed a series of workbooks for the protégés to complete. These workbooks cover topics such as communications with other employees, handling obstacles to getting work done, planning the steps to accomplish major tasks, goal-setting, and self- talk or motivation. Many of the topics require the protégés to use their own real situations in the workplace that play on their personal strengths and weaknesses.
The benefits of a formalized mentor program are numerous. It helps to build relationships between people, between the mentors and the protégés, as well as between the protégés and all the people they work with. The program provides a nonthreatening learning opportunity. The mentor program is also a good way for everyone involved to learn about the other parts of the company. Mentors are able to share technical and ethical knowledge gained from years of professional experience. A mentor may become a part of a protégé’s permanent network group when he or she needs a respected opinion. It is a great recruitment tool. People want to work for companies that put an emphasis on personal and professional growth.
Can there be a downside to a mentor program? “Yes,” says Burkle. “Some companies pay for being in the program, so some participants will do it just for the extra money.” Burkle notes that the program can backfire if a protégé has expectations that are unrealistic. According to Burkle, the key to success is honesty with each of the participants.
At the completion of the program at Viking, the participants enjoy a graduation ceremony, which includes a special luncheon with the mentors and key
executives—including the company president or chairman of the board.
Developing and maintaining a mentor program requires commitment and work from everyone involved, but it can be more than worth the investment. If your company already has a mentor program, get your IT department involved in it. If it doesn’t yet have a program, and you really care about your people and your company, maybe you can get the ball rolling.
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