Respect Me Project: The Three Essentials of Mentorship

The United States workforce is currently experiencing the largest generational workplace gap in its entire labor history. For the first time, cohorts ranging from Generation Z to Baby Boomers are working side by side. 

This generational gap has the potential to create an enriching workplace culture. 

The problem is that those differing values, skills, and viewpoints can just as easily collide. And to compound the challenge, they still have to align with an organization's mission, values, and goals.

Having a space to acknowledge, recognize, and share our unique perspectives and experiences is intrinsically connected to our sense of wellbeing. And that matters enormously if we're seeking healthy, skilled workers. 

The recognition that each of us brings a distinct vantage point — and that together we can help one another grow — is the starting point for bridging these gaps.

This is where mentorship enters. 

What is mentorship, and what are the top three things to consider when building a mentoring program in your organization? In simple terms, mentorship is an agreement in which, traditionally, two individuals — one more experienced, a mentor — guides the less experienced person, a mentee, to achieve a goal over a period of time.

When considering building a mentoring program in your organization consider these three essentials: communication, inclusivity, and accountability. 

Communication. Ensure that your mentoring program has an effective and adaptable communication framework that serves as a roadmap for meaningful connections, and most importantly that is in alignment with your organization’s values, mission, and goals. 

Inclusivity. In order to reap the benefits of the unique skills, expertise and experiences that each generational cohort brings to an organization, a mentorship program must be inclusive to all. This inclusivity should extend to making mentorship available to individuals with unique information-processing needs as well. And it should be promoted as such ensuring that pairings create mutually beneficial and rewarding experiences.  

Accountability. An organizational mentorship should be an agreement with established goals and milestones, with a timeline that includes a beginning date, appointed meeting times, and a projected ending date. 

A mentorship program is only as strong as the roadmap behind it — one that serves the mentor, the mentee, and the organization hosting them all.

Build that, and the generational gap stops being friction. It becomes leverage.