Effective mentors are critical to success. Yesterday I was speaking with two professionals who both
highlighted this simple statement. In fact one of the professionals went as far as indicating that within
his company they consider mentorship such an important aspect of transitioning a new employee that they provide each new employee with 3 mentors.

The first is superior to the employee, someone who essentially can be an advocate for the employee, who will be there to provide guidance for the employee at the superior level. Next there is the direct supervisor who will provide support in training and equipping the employee. And lastly there is a buddy mentor who is of peer status and helps with problems at the peer level. This is an outstanding model because it allows the new individual to gain insight and feedback at a variety of levels in order to create an effective transition.
 This made me wonder about the possibilities of adopting this type of model within the PhD program. Most graduate students are entering graduate school for the first time and it would be a blessing to have students who enter the program become integrated by providing them with formalized peer support, a senior PhD student as well as an advisor that may not necessarily be their PI.
Companies that adopt this model are able to increase retention rates in addition to fostering an environment where by there is a smaller learning curve for students.

According to Chronus.com, 71% of Fortune 500 companies have a formalized mentoring program. This tells me that it is an important component
because of all of the benefits associated, including increased career development, leadership development, diversity mentoring, reverse mentoring, and knowledge transfer. Those who get mentored in turn mentor others within the organization which creates an even stronger organization. I am a proponent of mentoring because everyone benefits.

Original article found here: http://chronus.com/how-to-use-mentoring-in-your-workplace