The Value of Mentorship Programs
Mike Silverstein, Managing Partner & Director of HIT
Direct Recruiters, Inc.

August 2014
There’s a common thread when I speak with Thought Leaders in the Healthcare IT Industry. Most of them
attribute a big part of their success to having a great mentor.

Mentoring is more than simply answering occasional questions or providing ad hoc help to mentees.
Mentoring is about an ongoing personal relationship of learning and having a dialogue with a more
experienced or more knowledgeable person who helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable
person.

I’m a firm believer in mentorship programs and their value. Individuals who have gone down this road before
have a great deal to offer. They help us learn from their experiences, successes and mistakes. They can also
help build a foundation of industry knowledge and skills and help you achieve the level of success you want.

There are four types of mentorship programs that organizations specializing in Healthcare IT offer:

ï‚· Formal Mentoring: Offers employees the opportunity to participate in an organized mentoring
program. Protégés are usually matched with a mentor by a program administrator or a mentoring
committee.

ï‚· Informal Mentoring: Takes place in organizations that develop a culture of mentoring but do not have
formal mentoring program in place. These companies may provide some tools and resources and
encourage managers to accept mentoring requests from members of the organization.

ï‚· New-Hire Mentorships: Set up to help new employees acclimate more quickly into the organization.
Newcomers to the organization are paired with more experienced people in order to obtain
information, good examples, and advice as they advance their careers.


ï‚· High-Potential Mentoring: Used to groom up-and-coming employees deemed to have the potential to
move up into leadership roles. Here the employee is paired with a senior level leader (or leaders) for a
series of career coaching interactions.

While types of mentorship programs differ, they are similar when it comes to the steps needed to create and
develop effective mentorship programs:

-Seek out people who are truly passionate about being a mentor and helping others succeed
-Identify or nominate the mentees for participation in the program
-Match the right mentor with the right mentee
-Schedule meetings for all participants to connect and share their experiences

In a global marketplace that is “on” 24/7, mentorships are very advantageous. Mentors are ready to guide and
advise mentees as well as make their career path smoother and more successful. In fact, a study done by Sun
Microsystems University Mentoring Program followed the career progress of mentees over a 5-year period
and it showed that mentees were 20% more likely to get a raise sooner than other employees and were
promoted 5 times more often than those who did not have a mentor.

Here’s 5 main ways mentors help mentees get ahead faster:

1) Knowledge and contacts: A unique benefit that can only be gained from a good mentor is a
combination of detailed industry knowledge and personal introductions to the mentor's contacts
which may not otherwise be readily available to you.

2) Insight: A good mentor can arrange experiences, such as participation in meetings, events or work
experience, which will enable you to get insight into an organization’s culture and systems.

3) Wisdom and learning from past experiences: You can learn from hearing the lessons that your mentor
has learned along the way…both their successes and failures. Sometimes, hearing about their failures
can be more valuable information than their successes.

4) Improved performance: A good mentor will provide you with valuable feedback or make suggestions
that will enable you to improve your skills or to experience personal growth, ultimately leading to your
improved performance.

5) Talent development: Where a mentor is an expert in a particular field, they'll often be able to spot
your unique talents and make suggestions about how you can further develop and make the most of
your talents and gifts.

While mentees get ahead faster, organizations greatly benefit from establishing mentorship programs as well.
About 70% of Fortune 500 companies have mentoring programs because the results give them a competitive
advantage. Think about it…these businesses are able to develop new leaders, retain valued workers, attract
top talent, improve employee skill sets, and place high potential employees on a fast career track. There’s
definitely a measurable and impressive ROI.

Overall, there’s high value in mentorship programs. The sharing of knowledge and expertise in this way,
benefits all of the participants and helps build and strengthen an organization’s competitive standing.

Feel free to contact me if you want to share your mentorship stories.

Mike Silverstein is a Managing Partner and the Director of DRI’s Healthcare IT Division. He is a seasoned search
professional and trusted business partner to his clients. His goal is to deliver high caliber talent capable of leading
companies in the competitive and fast changing HIT environment. Contact Mike at 440-996-0594 or
msilverstein@directrecruiters.com.