Both internal and external mentoring can be valuable. Which is better depends entirely on the organisation’s and the individual’s needs. It is often the candidate’s needs which dictate the choice. It can be wise to use a combination of internal and external mentoring to achieve optimal results.

Why mentor internally?

The case for internal mentoring is strong when the candidate requires an organisational history source in order to foster a sense of belonging within the enterprise’s (change enterprise to organisation or company in all cases) culture. Not only that, but it is important that the mentoring your enterprises  undertakes shows a return on investment. Of course, the mentoring is for the individual’s personal development, but the organisation needs to see benefits too, and ultimately, it is about that candidate growing into and with the company. So while the candidate is being mentored, he or she is strengthening networks within the business.  The advantage of internal mentoring if positioned correctly is that individuals are learning from people who have been in their shoes , they also understand the dynamics and if any politics in the business.

It is also a wonderful way to show that the company is committed to emerging talent. This makes the enterprise an attractive employer for strong candidates.

Meanwhile, the mentor learns through the process. It is said that the best way to learn is to teach, so this is a wonderful way for senior employees and executives to refresh their knowledge. The mentor should feel valued by the enterprise for this vote of confidence in their ability.

What are the pitfalls?

While the internal mentoring system can be a huge plus for employer and employee, mentor and mentee, there are pitfalls that can taint the experience. Obviously personalities need to be carefully considered as a clash would be disastrous. The mentor would have to be a caring, generous person who has the ‘abundance mentality’ (a business concept in which a person believes there are enough resources and success to share with others). But not a walk over who could be “abused” or used as a scape goat if things go wrong and they mentee is not committed to the program. An error organisations often make is appointing mentors who are not able or skilled to mentor, so it can become a “skinner” session about what should be happening in a business. An internal mentor should be someone who has gone through the ranks who is able to understand what challenges an individual faces in their growth, who can advise and remain independent and objective.

It is crucial that rival mentees do not share a mentor. It isn’t difficult to imagine the chaos that could cause. Mentors must be people who are super-successful because a failure of theirs can cause the mentee to be perceived in that negative light.

The best internal mentoring comes from people who are not threatened by other people’s growth but see others growth as a means of developing themselves and their standing in the business. Don’t just appoint someone as a mentor because they manage staff. The most important element of external or internal mentoring is trust.

The advantage of an external mentor is that they are not impacted by any internal politics and challenges and see them in a new lights so can offer a new perspective and view on situations, these individuals i.e coaches have usually done the training and have the experience to know when boundaries are being overstepped and are able to be more direct without impacts of the mentee turning on them in the workplace.

For more information about business coaching and business consulting services, contact me:
083 256-0378   |   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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