Employees today don’t just want workplaces; they want employers that are willing to invest in their long-term success. One way companies are meeting this demand is by using their employees to mentor and coach one another to help with career development.
As of 2022, 84% of Fortune 500 companies in America have mentoring programs. Workplace mentorship programs are growing in popularity for two reasons: it’s cost-effective, and it works.
And it’s not just for corporations. Small- and medium-sized businesses also see the benefits by implementing mentoring programs. But the only way to see positive results is if your mentors and mentees set realistic mentoring goals. Without such goals, employees may not realize any benefits from the program, and could even come to view it as a waste of time
What are good mentoring goals?
A mentoring goal is an objective a mentee or mentor sets to achieve personal or professional growth. It helps establish a clear direction for the mentoring relationship and provides a framework for tracking progress and success.
These goals should be specific, measurable, and achievable. Not only does this make them more attainable, but also makes it easier to track the effectiveness of your mentorship program over time.
For example, a mentee may want to improve their productivity by 30% within the next quarter, which is a good goal. A bad mentoring goal would be “to become a better leader.” It’s a good idea, but it isn’t a good goal because it doesn’t define what being a better leader means. It’s not measurable because there are no clear metrics to track progress. And it’s not achievable because it’s too broad and vague.
Importance of having mentoring goals
Encouraging mentor-mentee relationships in your business sets it up for success. According to an American Express study, 92% of small businesses agree mentors directly impact company growth and survival. And another report shows 68% agree coaching improves organizational performance.
It does this by:
- Establishing accountability: Goals determine who needs to do what and when, so everyone’s doing their part to achieve the desired result.
- Boosting motivation: Having clear goals helps mentors and mentees stay on track and focused on their progress.
- Increasing success rates: Goals set the path for mentees and mentors to steer their progress in the right direction.
When a mentorship program is centered around clear goals, it increases the likelihood that employees — both mentor and mentee — will realize benefits from the program. This, in turn, increases the likelihood that other employees will want to enroll in the program. The more employees who use it, the more benefits they receive.
In turn, it can also reduce employee turnover and increase worker engagement.
Unfortunately, goal setting isn’t a cookie-cutter approach. Each mentee-mentor relationship is unique and will need goals specific to their situation.
Tips for setting and sticking to mentoring goals
Seeing a mentorship through to the end and generating desired results requires two things: proper goal setting and commitment.
To begin, you need to create SMART goals, which are:
Specific
Goals should be clear and specific, leaving no room for ambiguity or confusion.
The mentee should identify a specific area they want to improve in, such as public speaking skills. Instead of setting a vague goal like “get better at public speaking,” they could set a specific goal like “deliver a 10-minute presentation without notes or hesitation.”
Measurable
Goals should be quantifiable so that progress can be tracked and measured.
The mentee should identify how they’ll measure progress toward their goal. For example, they could measure their progress by tracking the number of filler words (like “um” and “uh”) used during practice presentations.
Achievable
Goals should be realistic and attainable given the available resources and time frame.
The mentee or mentor should ensure that their goal is realistic and attainable given their current skill level and resources. For example, if the mentee has never given a presentation before, it may not be realistic to expect them to deliver a flawless 30-minute speech without notes.
Relevant
Goals should align with broader objectives and priorities.
The mentee should ensure that their goal aligns with their broader objectives and priorities. For example, if the mentee is interested in pursuing a career in sales, improving their public speaking skills would be highly relevant. If they are interested in an internal-facing role with little-to-no presentation responsibilities, however, it may not make sense for them.
Time-bound
Goals should have a deadline or time frame for completion.
The mentee should set a deadline for achieving their goal. For example, they could aim to deliver their 10-minute presentation within the next month.
Putting it all together, here’s an example of a SMART goal for a mentee looking to improve their public speaking skills:
- Specific: Deliver a 10-minute presentation without notes or hesitation.
- Measurable: Use no more than three filler words during the presentation.
- Achievable: Practice delivering shorter speeches first and gradually work up to longer ones.
- Relevant: Improving public speaking skills will help prepare for future career opportunities.
- Time-bound: Deliver the presentation within the next month.
Mentoring goals examples
Both mentors and mentees should set SMART goals to improve their experience and results. Here’s an overview of examples of what these goals may look like.
Example goals for mentees
- Developing new skills: Professional development helps workers improve and sets them up for success. One report shows 91% of mentees say they improved competency in one or more of the areas they worked on in their mentoring relationship.
- Growing their professional network: Sometimes, it’s about who you know that makes you successful. Mentorship with the right people can expand your professional network and opportunities for future growth.
- Increasing chances of a promotion: Acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to advance in a role is possible when pairing with a mentor with the right experience.
- Enhancing problem-solving skills: Working with teams, complex projects, and tasks requiring fast decision-making require problem-solving skills. A mentor with years of experience can help mentees hone these skills.
- Planning career path: Understanding how to progress through the organization and the skills needed for future roles will help you create a plan for future advancement.
- Improving work-life balance: Burnout is a common challenge for workers managing families and work life. A mentee can coach workers how to balance the two and create healthy boundaries.
- Gaining a new perspective: Working with a mentor can help employees understand the point of view of someone from another generation, industry, or culture.
- Improving work performance: Not all advancements have to be to another role — mentors can help employees enhance their abilities to perform their jobs more effectively.
- Building confidence: Becoming a leader, public speaker, or more comfortable in a current role sometimes requires a boost of confidence. A mentor can aid in this process by helping mentees find their strengths and how to use them.
- Understanding the workplace’s culture: New employees may need help adapting to the organization’s culture and customs. A mentor who’s been there a while can offer insight and tips to help them assimilate easier.
- Taking criticism: Taking advice from someone is key to improvement, but it’s not always easy to swallow. A mentor can coach employees by changing their perspective of feedback and how to turn it into action items instead.
Example goals for mentors
Mentees aren’t the only ones with goals. Here are several examples of goals mentors may have:
- Improving leadership skills: By improving leadership skills, mentors can enhance their ability to lead others.
- Becoming a better mentor: An ideal goal for new mentors who desire to enhance their ability to train and inspire team members.
- Improving empathy and emotional intelligence: Having empathy allows mentors to put themselves in others’ shoes and understand their perspectives. In turn, this empowers them to come up with solutions that work for their particular situation.
- Learning a new perspective: Having different perspectives can open your mind to new possibilities and methods to overcome obstacles.
- Advancing in their career: Being a mentor opens doors to leadership opportunities, so the more they do it (and the more successful they are while doing it), the higher the odds of advancing.
- Making professional connections: Mentoring others in different departments and levels allows mentors to rub shoulders with people they might not have interacted with otherwise.
- Improving communication skills: Mentoring requires a lot of communication in person and virtually, which sharpens their ability to communicate.
Example goals for mentorship programs in the workplace
Workplaces also benefit from having mentorship programs. For example, 83% of mentors and mentees claim that mentoring increased their desire to stay with their organization.
Here’s a look at the goals some companies may have when adopting a mentorship program:
- Increase employee retention
- Enhance workplace culture
- Improve diversity and inclusion
- Attract top talent
- Teach skills to a successor
- Create tomorrow’s leaders
- Improve workplace productivity
When implemented successfully, mentorship programs can improve engagement. In the same report, nearly 90% of mentors and mentees agree productivity or effectiveness increased during the mentoring program.
Real-world example of mentoring in the workplace
Companies of all sizes use mentoring to improve the workplace. For example, Avison Young, a Canadian commercial real estate company, used a workplace mentoring program for a unique goal: to drive diversity and inclusivity, especially among leadership roles.
The goal was to connect seasoned employees and leaders with employee resource group (ERG) members to help create a more diverse workplace for women. The program guided women in the organization to prepare them for leadership positions.
This shows workplace and mentorship goals can and can align with the company’s vision and goals, while also helping employees thrive in their roles.
Consider how mentors and mentees can benefit personally and professionally when designing a mentoring program. And if it can benefit your business’s bottom line — even better.
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