Are you searching for future leaders in your organization? Before advertising a new position, look within the office walls first. With attention to mentoring and leadership development, any organization will benefit from leaders that have the knowledge required and the best interests of the company at heart.

The Positive Impact on the Organization

Any growing business must constantly consider the direction of the company, including short-term and long-term goals. It’s important to plan for success and the inevitable changes that will occur over time. Workers will move, retire, or simply seek a position better suiting their personal needs.

Rather than being caught off guard, when the business undergoes change, it’s better to prepare for shifts in the workforce. Such preparation doesn’t have to be a painful experience. Instead, it can ultimately have a positive impact on the organization. By implementing a mentoring program, future leaders are:

• Prepared to fill the shoes of a predecessor

• Dedicated to performance advancement within the company

• Loyal to the company and its goals

• An active participant in the training of subordinates

For a company to grow and prosper, it’s important for every employee, from management down, to see their position as integral part of the total success of the organization. Mentoring is an excellent resource for leadership development and achievement of this goal.

Mentoring Saves on Recruitment and Training

Before dismissing mentoring as a great tool for building future leaders, consider how it saves on recruitment and training. Many companies spend thousands, if not millions, of dollars on educating and training employees. Oftentimes, it means additional travel expenses and lost productivity. In addition, the classes and seminars are not always geared to the specific needs of the organization.

Taking advantage of mentoring in leadership development is beneficial because:

• Experienced Personnel train new employees

• The employee advancing trains replacement

• Loyal, hardworking employees are preparing for advancement

• Valued employees are likely to remain

• Productivity loss is minimized, if an employee is gone

• Mentors know the organization

In short, who better to train a new employee than the person who is preparing to move up in the company? Employees have a vested interest in mentoring, because they are essentially training a future subordinate.

Developing Committed and Seasoned Leaders

Leadership development and mentoring is a constantly ongoing process, within a progressive company. The learning process continues, as all of the employees experience growth. Then, when the time comes for advancement within the organization, the employees have developed into committed and seasoned leaders.

No one is thrust into a new position, without the knowledge and training necessary to perform new duties. The learning curve for current employees is greatly reduced, and the period of adjustment to the practices and goals of an organization is eliminated altogether.

Mentoring growth within the company also fosters employees that are committed to the success of the organization. Not only are they ready to advance as leaders, mentoring employees have invested a lot in professional growth and prosperity. Essentially, it feels like ‘their’ company.

So, why spend a lot of money and lose productivity in outsourcing the search for future leaders? Set up a formal mentoring program, and create the resource from within, while developing long-term loyal workers who desire to see their company succeed.

Copyright, Cecile Peterkin. All rights reserved.