Mentorship Isn’t Dead—You’re Just Doing It Wrong
Let’s clear the air: corporate mentoring gets a bad rap—and most of it is deserved.
Too often, companies launch mentorship programs with great intentions and the platform then fails with zero follow-through. There’s a kickoff email, a fancy logo, maybe even a Slack channel—and then… nothing. Just another ghost town of forgotten initiatives.
But here’s the thing: mentorship isn’t broken. We are.
We forgot what it’s supposed to be.
We turned something deeply human—guidance, connection, learning—into a checkbox. And in the process, we lost the plot.
It’s time to bring mentorship back—but do it in a way that actually works.
What We Get Wrong About Mentorship
First, let’s talk about the myths. Somewhere along the way, mentoring started to feel like a one-size-fits-all, top-down, corporate ritual. Junior employees get “assigned” a senior leader who has five minutes of free time every third Thursday and zero clue who the mentee is.
That’s not mentorship. That’s speed dating in a cubicle.
Real mentorship is not about matching resumes. It’s about shared goals, mutual respect, and chemistry. It’s a working relationship, not a corporate game of buddy-up.
Mentoring should not feel like an obligation—for either side.
The Real Value (Hint: It’s Not Just Career Advice)
When mentorship works, it doesn’t just help someone climb the ladder. It helps them figure out which ladder is even worth climbing.
That’s a massive shift.
Because most employees don’t just want promotions—they want purpose. They want to understand how to navigate messy decisions, stay resilient, and grow in ways that aren’t measured on a spreadsheet.
Mentors can help with that. Not by handing over answers, but by asking better questions. By saying, “You know, I hit that wall once too. Here’s what I did.” Or, “You’re not crazy—this is hard. Let’s talk it through.”
No job description tells you how to handle being the youngest person in the room, how to advocate for yourself without sounding aggressive, or how to bounce back after a major screw-up. But a mentor can.
That’s the real value—and it’s priceless.
Why Now, of All Times?
You might be thinking, “Do we really have time for mentoring right now?” Between market uncertainty, rapid tech changes, and hybrid work chaos, the answer is:
Absolutely yes.
Right now, employees are craving connection. Burnout’s on the rise. Career paths are blurrier than ever. The workplace has never been more fragmented—and that’s exactly why mentoring matters.
In times of instability, people look for anchors. A good mentor becomes that anchor.
Plus, companies that foster mentorship gain a strategic edge. You can train skills, but you can’t manufacture culture. And mentorship is one of the few ways to build culture that’s authentic, bottom-up, and sustainable.
Mentors Aren’t Superheroes—and They Don’t Need to Be
Another reason companies shy away from mentorship? They think it has to be formal. Structured. Polished. But some of the best mentoring moments happen casually—a DM, a phone call, a comment in a meeting that sticks.
You don’t need to be a 20-year industry veteran to mentor someone. Sometimes, being just two years ahead is enough. You remember the challenges. You haven’t forgotten what it’s like to feel new, lost, or stuck.
Mentoring isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about being willing to share the real ones.
The Mentee Has a Job, Too
Let’s flip the script for a second. Mentorship isn’t just about what the mentor gives—mentees need to pull their weight too.
Good mentees:
- Come prepared with questions
- Take initiative in setting meetings
- Ask for feedback and take it seriously
- Respect boundaries and time
- Apply the advice, or at least reflect on it
The best mentoring relationships are collaborative, not dependent. The mentee isn’t there to sponge up wisdom—they’re there to engage in a back-and-forth that helps both people grow.
Because here’s a secret: mentees help mentors grow, too. They challenge old thinking. They ask why. They bring fresh perspectives. That’s powerful.
Ditch the Formal “Program”—Go Human Instead
Here’s the truth: if you want mentoring to work, stop trying to control every part of it.
Forget fancy portals and long onboarding sessions. Forget assigned pairings that ignore personal connection. Trust people to find each other.
Here are better ways to encourage mentorship without turning it into homework:
- Create opt-in mentorship pools, not forced pairings
- Encourage informal connections (e.g., mentoring coffees or “ask me anything” hours)
- Celebrate mentor-mentee stories internally—culture is contagious
- Build time into schedules and workloads for it—don’t make it “extra”
When you remove the pressure and let mentoring breathe, it becomes more natural. And that’s when it sticks.
Real Talk: What Does Success Look Like?
You won’t always get a perfect mentorship story with a tidy moral. Sometimes, it’ll just be a few good conversations that help someone through a tough quarter. Sometimes, it sparks a promotion. Sometimes, it fizzles out—and that’s okay.
Not every match will be magical.
But success in mentoring isn’t about perfection. It’s about movement. If someone leaves a session with more clarity, more confidence, or even just one new idea, it’s a win.
Over time, those small wins add up. They create better employees, stronger teams, and a company that’s more than just a place to collect a paycheck.
Final Words: Mentorship Is a Culture, Not a Checklist
If your company only talks about mentorship once a year during performance reviews, you’ve missed the point.
Mentorship should be baked into how you lead, how you collaborate, and how you grow. It should be part of the unofficial operating system of your business.
Because mentorship isn’t a trend. It’s not a Gen Z thing. It’s not a leadership initiative. It’s human nature.
And the companies that get that—really get it—are the ones people don’t just work for. They stay for. They grow with. They talk about.
So if you’re looking for the next big idea in talent development, here it is: make mentoring real again.
