047KNOWLEDGEECONOMYMentorloop is transforming
corporate culture by promoting
learning-based relationshipshelps them to stay connected, even when they are
in different companies, time zones and continents.
Mentoring should be a two-way street that
benefits both individuals: they should learn from
each other, says Allison McWilliams, a mentoring
expert at Wake Forest University, in North Carolina.
“Mentoring relationships are, first and foremost,
relationships. You want to be sure to put the
elements in place that will allow those relation-
ships to form and grow.” Key among these elements
are making time commitments and setting goals
for professional and personal development. With
the growth of technology and global workforces,
she adds, this might mean that both parties will
have to work extra hard to build trust and rapport.
If face-to-face meetings are not possible, video calls
are still better than email or text.
Mentorloop’s platform allows companies to send
employees a link to a customised questionnaire.
Once mentors and protégés have been matched,
they can contact each other directly, share files
and track progress in the portal. And mentoring
goes beyond role-specific competencies and
organisational hierarchy: mentors may want to
tap into a younger generation and brush up their
own technology skills or learn about new industry
trends. The dynamics of mentoring relationships
are changing, and it is no longer uncommon for a
mentor to be younger than the mentee.
Women or ethnic minorities can especially
benefit from such relationships, says Lloyd,
explaining that women often try to do things
themselves and are reluctant to ask senior leaders
for help. “There is a gender imbalance in the tech
community specifically,” she adds. “But equally, we
know that women are great at starting businesses.”
And, she adds, asking for advice is what makes
a successful entrepreneur. “It’s basically a super-
power: to ask for help and press for that bit more
clarification.” Sabrina Weiss mentorloop.comEMPOWERED EMPLOYMENT WORK SMARTER09-19-WSopener.indd 47 19/07/2019 15:21