Mentor : Friend, guide, philospher and organisation builder

Ask the CEOs of IT / ITeS organisations what issues are giving them sleepless nights, and unanimously, on top of the list, would be the industry's high levels of attrition, given their mandate for expansion. Human resources is the essence of the knowledge economy. With the ever-increasing demand of highly skilled manpower, the HR department in an IT organisation faces never-ending pressure to attract, retain and motivate the very best talents in the industry.

Any organisation's books would typically show big numbers in training and schooling their employees. But the real challenge is their inability to retain performing stars. In the typical IT / ITeS organisation, an employee who is in the age band of 18 to 26 years is bright, restless, eager to grow, and attracted by higher pay rather than career building opportunities. In today's ever-busy concerns that revolve around balancing the often-conflicting requirements of high productivity, big expansion plans, ever increasing salaries, attrition rate management as well as employee motivation and retention, it's easy to forget that one's employees are the real brand image of the company.

A company may spend huge amounts of money in branding exercises to attract the best talent, but it takes years and years of putting in money and effort to build a critical core of effective, highly skilled, talented, productive and satisfied employees. Satisfied employees are true 'brand ambassadors' of the company. It is they who shape its brand image among the potential candidates in the job market. Employee reference not only draws high quality employees towards your company, but also reduces the expenditure for employee searches and helps lower attrition rates.

The art of mentoring

Mentoring traces back its origin to very ancient times. In the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna enlightens Arjuna about his duties, displaying the true virtues of a guru, which combines the qualities of friend, guide and philosopher. The term 'mentor' has its roots in Greek mythology, when Odysseus entrusted his son's education to a counsellor and good friend named Mentor.

The name is synonymous with a person who guides another toward the path of education, growth, maturity, development, progress and prosperity. An organisation can use the art of mentoring as a tool to help bring out the best in their younger employees, leveraging the synergy for individual and organisational growth and success.

The protégé's dilemma
Today's professionals, who need to keep pace and get ahead in a fast-paced, competitive economy, need proper direction coupled with coaching and advice from their more experienced peers. They face constant performance pressures, coupled with difficult demands from their superiors. This can lead to frustration and, ultimately, disillusionment with the organisation and its work culture.

Not getting the right advice can compounds this challenge, prompting them to either start doubting their own capabilities or making them want to move on to a 'more encouraging' work culture. A mentor, who can help them find their personal vision and individual path to development, can help enhance their skills and accelerate learning and career growth.