February 2025 Volume 7

MEMBERS SPEAK

HOW TO START A MENTORING PROGRAM AT YOUR COMPANY By Danielle Smith

A mentoring program is crucial for fostering professional growth and creating a supportive workplace culture. It provides employees with guid ance, knowledge, and encouragement from experienced colleagues, helping them navigate their career paths more effec tively. Mentoring enhances skill develop ment, boosts confidence, and promotes a sense of belonging within the organiza tion. Additionally, it facilitates knowledge transfer, improves employee retention, and cultivates future leaders. By investing in mentoring, companies can create a more engaged, motivated, and high-performing workforce, ultimately driving long-term success and innovation. Interested in a program but don’t know where to start? Here’s a rough step-by-step Begin by identifying the primary objec tives of your mentoring program. Are you aiming to develop leadership skills, improve employee retention, or support career development? Clear goals will guide the structure and focus of your program. 2. Gain Executive Support Securing buy-in from senior leadership is crucial. Present the benefits of a mentoring program, such as increased employee satis faction and improved performance, to gain their support. Executive endorsement can also help in allocating necessary resources. 3. Design the Program Structure Decide on the format of your mentoring program. Will it be one-on-one mentoring, group mentoring, or a combination of both? Determine the duration of the program, frequency of meetings, and any specific themes or topics to be covered. 4. Develop Guidelines and Resources Create clear guidelines for mentors and mentees, outlining their roles and respon guide to help you get started. 1. Define the Program’s Goals

sibilities. Provide resources such as training materials, discussion guides, and goal setting templates to support mentoring relationships. 5. Recruit and Match Participants Invite employees to participate as mentors or mentees. Use surveys or interviews to understand their interests, goals, and preferences. Carefully match mentors and mentees based on their skills, experiences, and aspirations to ensure compatibility. 6. Provide Training and Support Offer training sessions for mentors to develop their coaching and communi cation skills. Provide ongoing support through regular check-ins, workshops, and access to additional resources. Encourage mentors and mentees to set clear goals and track their progress. 7. Promote the Program Communicate the launch of the mentoring program through internal channels such as emails, newsletters, and company meet ings. Highlight success stories and testi monials to generate interest and encourage participation. 8. Monitor and Evaluate Regularly assess the effectiveness of the mentoring program through surveys, feed back sessions, and performance metrics. Use this data to make necessary adjust ments and improvements. Celebrate

achievements and recognize the contribu tions of mentors and mentees. 9. Foster a Culture of Mentorship Encourage a culture where mentorship is valued and integrated into the company’s ethos. Recognize and reward mentors for their contributions, and continuously promote the benefits of mentoring to sustain engagement. Conclusion Starting a mentoring program at your company involves careful planning, clear communication, and ongoing support. By defining goals, gaining executive support, designing a structured program, recruiting and matching participants, providing training, promoting the program, and continuously monitoring its effectiveness, you can create a successful mentoring initiative that benefits both employees and the organization. Embracing mentorship can lead to a more engaged, skilled, and motivated workforce, driving long-term success and growth. Danielle Smith

Director of Continuous Improvement (USA) & Marketing Administration Finkl Steel Phone: 773-975-2232 Email: dsmith@finkl.com

FIERF Women in Forging Mentorship Program The Forging Foundation (FIERF) Women in Forging Mentorship Program’s primary goal is to promote the development of leadership roles for women in the forging industry. This mentorship program taps into the existing knowledge, skills, and experience of successful women in leadership positions who are currently working in the forging industry and transfers that knowledge and skill to the upcoming industry workforce while helping them move towards successful careers in leadership of their own. For more information visit: https://www.fierf.org/industry/wif-mentorship-program or contact Gabby Schultz, Events & Meetings Manager, at gabby@forging.org or call 216-781-6260.

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2025 88