Author: Julie Scardamaglia
Published: 11 February 2025
OK, it’s a bit cheeky to compare mentoring with dating apps. But there are some parallels. In the same way that dating apps use simple algorithms to suggest matches based on superficial characteristics, some mentoring programs rely simply on who is available to pair people up. Finding the right mentor takes more than a quick swipe. A well-designed program goes deeper, looking at the values, goals, strengths, and working styles of mentors and mentees to create connections that go beyond convenience to create relationships that are truly career-changing.
We’re seeing more industry and professional associations recognising the value of mentoring and offering structured programs to their membership. When done right, these programs go beyond traditional networking, providing members with opportunities to build meaningful relationships, to learn and grow with the guidance of experienced professionals. A well-designed industry based mentoring program not only benefits individuals but also strengthens the profession as a whole, making sure that knowledge, best practices, and industry insights are passed down to the next generation of leaders.
Strategic pairing is a critical success factor for a mentoring program. We have seen many internal programs achieve less than they should have, due to the presence of authority issues, cultural restrictions of being in the same firm, and personality mismatches.
Access to mentoring programs outside the mentee’s own firm provides the diversity to avoid these challenges and brings new perspectives. It allows relationship building and networking that can benefit mentees and firms alike. This is especially true for regional members who are often unable to participate in industry initiatives, and smaller firms who don’t have the resources to facilitate a program in-house.
Internal mentoring programs are hampered by availability and the desire to distribute the pairs evenly. Mentees can find themselves paired with someone who is just a little too close to home. That’s why some firms allow mentees to choose their own mentors, but this causes other difficulties. Mentees tend to choose the people they like, rather than those they need and mentoring conversations can become more like social catchups, rather than deep learning.
Most mentoring programs seek to match senior and more junior professionals within the same technical areas of work and think that will be enough. But technical skills provide perhaps the least impactful part of the relationship. After all, you learn those at university, from research, training, and on the job. Far more important are the things we learn through experience – our own or someone else’s. Through mentoring we learn from other people’s achievements and mistakes, we learn the less tangible skills of relationship building with clients and colleagues, and those all-important strategies for success.
It’s also a safe space, well away from those responsible for the mentee’s performance, a place in which to gain a broader perspective, see work, people, and problems through someone else’s (more experienced) and less emotionally-invested eyes. It’s the sort of advice that keeps your career on a strong and true trajectory. How valuable is it when you’re upset about a harsh critique from your boss to be able to gain a second opinion from someone you respect, even (or especially) if it reinforces the boss’s view?
And that’s the key, someone you respect, whose values you share and advice you trust.
A good mentoring program has the tools to find that fit in all its matches and provides both mentors and mentees with the information and support to make the relationship work. In the case of mentors, that may also be training or coaching, because not everyone knows what it takes to be a good mentor in the beginning. Even mentors need some mentoring.
A good program provides a structure as well as support. It makes sure people are signing up for the right reasons, takes personal traits into account in matching, and helps guide expectations, goals and commitments. Sounds like a bother? If it’s not your area of expertise, then it might seem that way. That’s why it can help to bring in people who already know what works and can make it work for you.
Otherwise, you might just swipe left on the person who could make your career.
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Author: Juliie Scardamaglia
Published: 11 February 2025
OK, it’s a bit cheeky to compare mentoring with dating apps. But there are some parallels. In the same way that dating apps use simple algorithms to suggest matches based on superficial characteristics, some mentoring programs rely simply on who is available to pair people up.
Finding the right mentor takes more than a quick swipe. A well-designed program goes deeper, looking at the values, goals, strengths, and working styles of mentors and mentees to create connections that go beyond convenience to create relationships that are truly career-changing.
We’re seeing more industry and professional associations recognising the value of mentoring and offering structured programs to their membership. When done right, these programs go beyond traditional networking, providing members with opportunities to build meaningful relationships, to learn and grow with the guidance of experienced professionals.
A well-designed industry based mentoring program not only benefits individuals but also strengthens the profession as a whole, making sure that knowledge, best practices, and industry insights are passed down to the next generation of leaders.
Strategic pairing is a critical success factor for a mentoring program. We have seen many internal programs achieve less than they should have, due to the presence of authority issues, cultural restrictions of being in the same firm, and personality mismatches.
Access to mentoring programs outside the mentee’s own firm provides the diversity to avoid these challenges and brings new perspectives. It allows relationship building and networking that can benefit mentees and firms alike. This is especially true for regional members who are often unable to participate in industry initiatives, and smaller firms who don’t have the resources to facilitate a program in-house.
Internal mentoring programs are hampered by availability and the desire to distribute the pairs evenly. Mentees can find themselves paired with someone who is just a little too close to home. That’s why some firms allow mentees to choose their own mentors, but this causes other difficulties. Mentees tend to choose the people they like, rather than those they need and mentoring conversations can become more like social catchups, rather than deep learning.
Most mentoring programs seek to match senior and more junior professionals within the same technical areas of work and think that will be enough. But technical skills provide perhaps the least impactful part of the relationship. After all, you learn those at university, from research, training, and on the job. Far more important are the things we learn through experience – our own or someone else’s. Through mentoring we learn from other people’s achievements and mistakes, we learn the less tangible skills of relationship building with clients and colleagues, and those all-important strategies for success.
It’s also a safe space, well away from those responsible for the mentee’s performance, a place in which to gain a broader perspective, see work, people, and problems through someone else’s (more experienced) and less emotionally-invested eyes. It’s the sort of advice that keeps your career on a strong and true trajectory. How valuable is it when you’re upset about a harsh critique from your boss to be able to gain a second opinion from someone you respect, even (or especially) if it reinforces the boss’s view? And that’s the key, someone you respect, whose values you share and advice you trust. A good mentoring program has the tools to find that fit in all its matches and provides both mentors and mentees with the information and support to make the relationship work. In the case of mentors, that may also be training or coaching, because not everyone knows what it takes to be a good mentor in the beginning. Even mentors need some mentoring.
A good program provides a structure as well as support. It makes sure people are signing up for the right reasons, takes personal traits into account in matching, and helps guide expectations, goals and commitments. Sounds like a bother? If it’s not your area of expertise, then it might seem that way. That’s why it can help to bring in people who already know what works and can make it work for you.
Otherwise, you might just swipe left on the person who could make your career.
