Mentoring and coaching within an organization has grown the development of employees. The need to retain and recruit employees has driven companies to reinvest in the human capital of their organizations. Today's business environment forces companies to revalute the value of career development paths for employees. The focus of employee development has creates a sense of community and loyalty between employee and employer. Relationship building within an organization is a top priority for business success. Generationally changes in the workforce have created multiple variations of employees in today's workforce. The largest generation of employees is the baby boomers. This generation has traditionally been very committed to companies and have high trust and loyalty. Generation millennials have a much different outlook at employment than baby boomers. These two are just a couple examples of generational employees that companies must adapt to retain. Mentoring has been around for quite some time but traditionally was reserved for upper management. Companies realized the benefits of mentoring could be transferred to all employees as a part of development and growth plans. We will look at mentoring to compare the idea that mentoring is an effective and low cost way to develop employees and build that trust and loyalty needed for employees and organizations. We will look at two different articles from authors who have conducted research on the positive effects of employee development through mentoring relationships of the employee/employer. Defining mentoring is a critical step in the process of implementing and continuing a vital program. Greenhaus defines mentoring as a relationship between junior and senior colleagues.
Organizations today have adopted many forms of mentorship and coaching strategies to move their businesses forward in the global environment. Mentoring has been defined many different ways but it's basically a system of semi-structured guidance whereby one person shares their knowledge, skills and experience to assist others to progress in their own lives and careers. Mentors need to be readily accessible and prepared to offer help as the need arises. Mentors very often have their own mentors and in turn their mentees might wish to become mentors themselves - it's a chain for ‘passing on’ good practice so that the benefits can be widely spread. Mentoring can be a short-term arrangement until the original reason for the partnership is fulfilled, or it can last many years. Mentoring is rather more than giving advice or passing on what your experience was in a particular area or situation. It's about motivating and empowering the other person to identify their own issues and goals, and helping them to find ways of resolving or reaching them, but by understanding and respecting different ways of working.
With a better understanding of what we are looking for in an effective mentor programs. We will look at the following articles of effective mentoring and the effects on relationship building. Dr. Linda Phillips wrote an article called Effective Mentoring Relationships. According to her since mentoring relationships exist mainly for your growth and success, it makes sense for you to monitor those relationships and ensure they’re as good as they can be. Based on many years of observing mentoring relationships, The Mentoring Group found that mentoring relationships tend to be more satisfying for both parties when certain elements are in place and when both the mentor and the mentee take active roles. We invite you to take a look at one or two of the mentoring relationships you’re in, especially those that are at least somewhat formalized. You can also look at informal relationships you have; but realize that these are more difficult to assess and more difficult to shape or influence. Then look at a formal mentoring relationship that seems to be succeeding and another that is failing to make a comparison. This relationship is a high priority for both of you. You consider finding mentors and being a responsible mentee as one of the most important growth steps you can take. You and your mentee are clear on why you’re together and the reasons you’re meeting. You’ve discussed and agreed upon what you’ll work on, and you’ll recognize when you’ve met your purpose. You feel good about the focus of your relationship and what you’re doing in it. When you’ve accomplished the goal or goals of your relationship, you’re willing to see the partnership shift focus or perhaps end for the time being.
Additionally Dr Phillips recognized a few steps to effective mentor relationships. They are Communication , Trust, Process, Progress and Feedback.
The second article was written by Pittenger, Khushwant K. S., Heimann, Beverly A. titled Building Effective Mentor Relationships. They make similar comparisons to Dr. Phillips. Today mentoring is a common practice among businesses to nurture the talents of younger subordinates. The word mentoring itself connotes a variety of roles and meanings. A mentor might be a counselor, guru, teacher, coach, or adviser. Organizations have chosen different terms to represent the relationship. Although Merrill Lynch and the Department of Agriculture have used the word mentor, the IRS has preferred coaches, Jewel Companies have called them sponsors, and the Federal Executive Development Program has used senior advisers. Terms for those on the receiving end of the relationship range from protege or mentee to trainee to intern or even candidate.

Regardless of the chosen words to describe the roles, we know that mentoring relationships are believed to play a significant role in career outcomes of younger employees. These relationships may be naturally occurring, arise through informal practices, or be intentionally developed through formal internship programs. Because of its influence on the mentee, the mentor, and the organization as a whole, careful consideration must be given to how effective mentoring evolves.
Lastly we will look at Jeffrey Greenhaus take on mentorship and the relationship. He states The establishment of a relationship with a mentor is thought to be one of the critical events of early stages of ones career. Further he discusses the reasons for such an early establishment of the relationship in the mentees career. helped to set the mentee up for success in the future and career development. The advice and trusted agent relationship built positive outcomes for the mentee. I also feel that that Mentor gained development skills and positive outcomes by helping to develop future leaders.
The biggest question is can one mentor accomplish all the tasks and skills one may need to produce effective career development. The idea of moving away from the traditional mentor to a group or network of mentors has great potential and upside. This approach allows the mentee to tap into multiple professionals from across numerous domains in an organization. Allowing them to be exposed to many approaches that can model and adapt for the career development. The truth is that the Mentor mentee relationship regardless of the number of mentors have to have an effective relationship.
After reading all of these articles and reviewing my experiences with the US air Force mentorship program. I have concluded we need both forms of mentorship to effectively achieve growth and development of our employees. The primary mentor has the strongest relationship with the mentee. Allowing that trust factor to expose the mentee to networks of mentors across the workforce domain. This is where the real growth happens for the development of the mentee. So the final word is that yes positive mentor relationships will produce a better employee that is more likely to be loyal and trusting of the organization.

Bibliography

Greenhaus, J. H., Callanan, G. A., & Godshalk, V. M. (2009, November 11). Career management. Sage.

2 Ragins, B. R., Cotton, J. L., & Miller, J. S. (2000). Marginal mentoring: The effects of type of mentor, quality of relationship, and program design on work and career attitudes. Academy of Management Journal, 43(6), 1177-1194.

3 (2005). Effective Mentoring Relationships: The Mentee's Role (Part ... Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.mentoringgroup.com/html/articles/mentee_41.htm.

4 (2005). Effective Mentoring Relationships: The Mentee's Role (Part ... Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.mentoringgroup.com/html/articles/mentee_41.htm.

5 (2011). Building Effective Mentoring Relationships. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Review-Business/73182588.html.

6 (2011). Building Effective Mentoring Relationships. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Review-Business/73182588.html.
7 (2011). Building Effective Mentoring Relationships. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Review-Business/73182588.html.

8 (2011). Career Management - Google Books. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://books.google.com/books/about/Career_Management.html?id=XchJNXEue3oC.

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[ 1 ]. Greenhaus, J. H., Callanan, G. A., & Godshalk, V. M. (2009, November 11). Career management. Sage.
[ 2 ]. Ragins, B. R., Cotton, J. L., & Miller, J. S. (2000). Marginal mentoring: The effects of type of mentor, quality of relationship, and program design on work and career attitudes. Academy of Management Journal, 43(6), 1177-1194.
[ 3 ]. (2005). Effective Mentoring Relationships: The Mentee's Role (Part ... Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.mentoringgroup.com/html/articles/mentee_41.htm.
[ 4 ]. (2005). Effective Mentoring Relationships: The Mentee's Role (Part ... Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.mentoringgroup.com/html/articles/mentee_41.htm.
[ 5 ]. (2011). Building Effective Mentoring Relationships. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Review-Business/73182588.html.
[ 6 ]. (2011). Building Effective Mentoring Relationships. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Review-Business/73182588.html.
[ 7 ]. (2011). Building Effective Mentoring Relationships. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Review-Business/73182588.html.
[ 8 ]. (2011). Career Management - Google Books. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://books.google.com/books/about/Career_Management.html?id=XchJNXEue3oC.