Across the country, senior managers are influencing young talent by being matched up with junior staffers interested in the opportunity to understand the corporate culture.
The mentor and mentee relationship is one of mutual benefit. The mentor gains the satisfaction of helping develop the talent and mentees get access to "someone who has been there" as knowledge and experience is shared from one generation to another.
Last year, American Axle & Manufacturing (www.AAM.com) received an award for Best Practices in Mentoring in Southeastern Michigan by the Greater Ann Arbor Society for Human Resource Management (www.GAASHRM.org) in partnership with the American Society of Employers (www.ASEonline.org).
The automotive industry supplier began its mentoring program in 1999 with several goals: to retain associates (as they call their employees), train and attract green talent, use mentoring as a recruitment tool, prepare participants for executive roles and to broaden and diversify the executive group. Mentees can develop corporate competencies and assist in greater leadership roles, learn intricacies of working at the company, develop work/life balance, navigate company politics...or...in the words of one mentee, have "a safe and confidential source to talk about problems."
In addition, mentees learn conflict resolution, develop resource networks, acquire skills and training, and even discover the best schools and shopping in the area. The mentors take pride in assisting new staff members and in helping them solve problems, including helping staffers who are having conflicts with their supervisor to transfer to another department instead of leaving the company.
American Axle employs approximately 11,000 worldwide associates and has had 181 mentors and 142 mentees in the history of the program with 84 pairs working together today.
Source: HR News, April 2007, www.SHRM.org