The benefit of mentors - transfer of knowledge with an eye on the future

When the goal is to prepare fresh talent for work in the company, the concept of mentoring is a vital tool. The benefits of mentoring are obvious: Placing an "old hand" at the side of new and unexperienced team members facilitates a transfer of knowledge based on trust, communication and the exchange of ideas. The same applies to the mentoring employees who have been in the company for some time and change positions or departments. Mentors, protégés, and, ultimately, the entire company come out ahead. We have sumamrised the benefits mentors offer.

A mentor significantly increases his protégé's orientation in the company. He passes on techniques and company knowedge and teaches the new employee work methods that he can immediately apply. As a fixed contact person, the mentor gives feedback and facilitates self-assessment on the part of the protégé. Another decisive benefit of mentoring is the network. The protégé is able to profit from contacts and simultaneously play an active role in networking without having to tediously establish contacts. Thus, the mentor is a key figure that accompanies the employee in his first steps in the company.

Mentoring - when done correctly - is not a one-sided affair. Ideally the mentor also profits from his protégé. For example, the employee provides his mentor with fresh research knowledge directly from the university and brings the mentor up to speed on the newest trends and developments in the field. Alternatively, the protégé offers insight into the processes and work methods of other departments. Another important benefit: the mentor can also train his social competence day in and day out and deepens his knowledge. In terms of coaching and offering support, he trains an employee who can one day enrich his team. Often mentoring also results in the establishment of a network with connections to other mentors. Thus, the mentor profits from his important task in a variety of ways.

Mentoring provides a series of benefits to the company that are noticeable over the long term. First, it is a cost-effective way to mould a young talent into a trained employee. Mentors pass on company knowledge from their own perspective, as well as the company's behaviour patterns, habits, and traditions. The goal of a mentor is thus a well-connected, motivated employee who is closely bound to the company and see his future with the company. An employee who already works for the company but previously worked within other structures in other departments quickly gains decisive insisght into the new processes. Choosing this method of integrating employees is profitable in a variety of contexts. You appoint a specific person to show the new team member a way into the company and can thus delegate part of the induction process. The result is an employee who is trained internally and rooted in the company. The big additional bonus: a new talent functions as a means of further education for your experienced employees. New research developments and fresh ideas get experienced employees to think and improve the mentor's qualifications.