Mentoring Transforms Cultures By Dr. Liz Selzer

Yes, mentoring transforms cultures!

By Dr. Liz Selzer

You have an organizational culture. It began the day your organization did. Whether you have carefully cultivated it or you have passively allowed it to develop, you have an existing culture. You and the people in your organization all bring perceptions, attitudes, values, learned behaviors, dreams and goals to the work environment. Choices are made. Actions are modeled and copied. Attitudes are caught.

The Mentoring Connection

Through my work across six continents and numerous industries, I have found that one of the most influential things you can do to create an empowering culture is to encourage mentoring, both in structured initiatives and in unstructured support for learning from others. Mentoring does not need to be a complicated process or program. In fact, within certain parameters and given good preparation, it is one of the most basic, organic forms of learning available. Mentoring can be a great way to connect, encourage and motivate your workforce to support a desired culture through proactive relationships. Mentoring raises the levels of engagement, loyalty, retention, leadership succession success, personal and professional development, and overall ministry effectiveness.

In fact, when peer mentoring is done effectively, the “average engagement capital” can increase by 66 percent. People are 77 percent more likely to stay in a job if they are in a mentoring relationship — particularly younger generations (“Corporate Leadership Council, The Power of Peers: Building Engagement Capital through Peer Interaction, 2011”). Further, 35 percent of employees who do not receive regular mentoring look for another job within 12 months (Emerging Workforce Study by Spherion, 2012).

Mentoring that becomes a part of the culture raises engagement levels, increases productivity and can help you strengthen the aspects of culture that your ministry needs to move forward.

Mentoring Empowers Leaders

Leadership, especially for the younger generations, looks different today. With less focus on hierarchy and more focus on what is working, new models of empowerment are emerging. Consider what the effect would be of having all of your staff involved in supportive and accountability-filled relationships that stretch them to maximize their skills and gifting and to be active participants in integrating best practices into your ministry culture.

Everyone in your organization has to own the job of continuing to make your culture strong. Through actively engaging in mentoring and empowering all of your staff to live out the influence God has uniquely given each person, you will be taking the first step in creating a healthy ministry culture. One that is sustainable, vibrant and effective in the years to come.

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Dr. Liz Selzer is the vice president of mentor education for the Uncommon Individual Foundation and founder of the Mentoring Leadership Team. This post is an excerpt from her article in the 2016 summer edition of Outcomes Magazine.

Be sure to check Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes Mentoring Network. There you will find the opportunity to become a mentor or a mentee. Six-month relationship matches are established based on a systematical profile fit and an interview process. Unlock the power of this life-on-life experience.

Visit www.OutcomsMentoring.org

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