All organizations benefit from having a mentorship program. But these kind of initiatives tend to fall through the cracks in smaller organizations. Traditionally, smaller organizations benefit from having a more intimate experience, but because relationships tend to be more personal, there is less confidence when bringing up feedback. Basically because if there are fewer people, the stakes naturally become higher. So with that being said, individuals are less likely to be vocal all for the fear of disrupting rapport. Because of that, culture and the long-term vision of the organization suffer.

 

In my 15+ years of team leadership experience, I have observed that this is because there is still no perceivable differentiation between the leader and the organizational goals. So bringing up pain points feels like a direct comment on the leader/owner and the hard decisions they've made to help the company get to where it is. Regardless of the level of respect, shared values, and trust communicated. 

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Having a neutral but committed buffer in the form of a coach/mentor serves as a way for people to have a sounding board through times of uncertainty and have support when overcoming their self-doubt. Whether it's how to initiate more 1:1s, asking for better feedback, addressing performance concerns strategically with empathy while covering all the bases, and much much more - having a neutral strategic buffer in the form of a coach/mentor will help level up an entire organization.

 

Just imagine not stressing about this stuff in a vacuum and being able to, instead, think about greater organizational and individual growth that everyone can benefit from.

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