This is Blog Post #5 in my Cohesion Culture™ Talent Retention Model newsletter series. If you haven't already done so, click to read the first, second, third, and fourth in the series.

I hope you have enjoyed learning about the Cohesion Culture™ Talent Retention Model throughout this newsletter series. The model illustrates the elements required to foster a culture enriched with cohesion, where individuals feel a sense of inclusion (belonging), recognize their worth (meaningful work), and engage in mutual collaborations (commitment).

The Cohesion Culture™️ Talent Retention Model is perfectly suited for any corporate hallway, walkway, or gathering space.

In the last blog, we reviewed the three primary components of the relating prong which are mentoring, organizational leadership, and leadership coaching.

Today, let's delve into the global impact of Mentoring in Part 5 of the series.

Component #1: Mentoring

Mentoring is first on the relating prong because in a transformative leadership model that supports Cohesion Culture™ , a leader focuses on the outcomes of the individual first and then on organizational success.

“Mentoring is a relationship building activity between two professionals that allows for an exchange of information for the purpose of development, advancement, or succession. In a mentoring program, there is a mentee—a young professional—and a mentor—a seasoned or experienced leader.” (Blog excerpt 06.12.24)

Mentoring builds from the information an employee already has or the knowledge he is acquiring through social learning, reading, listening or doing. A successful mentoring program should be structured in a way that encourages the mentee to:

• Challenge the status quo
• Rip the information apart (manner of speech)
• Dissect it for greater value

Mentoring with a trusted mentor establishes a safe place in which individuals can discuss complex topics and create practical ways to use the knowledge in the mentee’s continued development. Sometimes the mentee wants to know how to handle his or her supervisor or peer. Having a safe place to ask questions that may seem accusatory or limited in perspective is extremely helpful to long-term success for the mentee.

This type of mentoring includes collaboration and trust. Collaboration occurs when both individuals engaged in the process agree they need each other. Both must have an equal voice and be teachable. Having trust in a relationship gives it substance and offers a strong, grounded foundation for removing any dysfunctions, such as unhealthy conflict, lack of accountability, stifled communication, and inattention to results.

The mentee and mentor roles are defined such that the mentee expresses a personal goal or development opportunity and the mentor helps the mentee achieve it. As this relates to the talent retention model within an organization, the individual’s activity must align with an organizational outcome to fulfill mutual commitment. Otherwise, the fruits of the mentoring activity would be less than optimal.

The mentee and mentor relationship can occur between an employee and a supervisor as well as between individuals from different companies. The role of the mentor is to invest, encourage, and guide the individual mentee to his/her/their mutual and desired outcomes. Goal clarity is extremely important to this process. AND, it is crucial for the mentor to remember the attention of the goal is to benefit the results for the mentee. The mentee not the mentor is responsible for setting the goal. The mentor assists in keeping the mentee accountable to the goal’s outcome.

The Global Impact of Mentoring

Sometimes the mentee and the mentor relationship is cross generational or multicultural, which in today’s global economy brings about many benefits.

While in the Philippines in 2018, I had the pleasure of working with Konstantin Comeros, area director for credit union development at VICTO National. Our work together inspired us to create the Global Leadership Exchange (GLE) Program, which in its inaugural year brought together two leaders from different countries for a fifteen day cultural immersion event.

The primary focus of the GLE Program is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge specific to cultural diversity and inclusion as it relates to talent retention. In addition to the traditional mentoring activities, the two participants met with local HR professionals, corporate business leaders, social activists, and community leadership to discuss real, not theoretical, talent retention issues facing these groups today.

This is the type of action that can be achieved when cohesion is infused in a company’s culture. A Cohesion Culture naturally promotes creative innovation through the individual and collective works of others.

The GLE Program is supported by the Credit Union Development Education Program (CUDE). Also at the time, South Carolina State House Representatives Joe Daning (District 92) and Nancy Mace (District 99) sponsored a House resolution bringing statewide attention to the work of the GLE for credit unions here in the United States and around the globe. The resolution recognized the program and our efforts to support the cooperative financial model with specific attention to leadership development in the areas of cultural diversity and inclusion, and talent retention.

Stay tuned for the next newsletter which will be the final in our series on the Talent Retention Model. For the culmination of the Talent Retention Model series, I will unveil the transformative power of Organizational Internship and Leadership Coaching.

Thank you for being part of this journey!

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To learn more, click here to purchase your very own copy of my book Cohesion Culture: Proven Principles to Retain Your Top Talent.

For more insight on this topic, please refer to these blog posts:

• Paper Airplanes Were Made to Fly
• Two-Prongs are Better than One
• Employee Retention Model... Runway Ready and More
• The Importance of Core Values
• Engagement is Out. Cohesion is In.

Interested in reading more from Dr. Troy Hall? Check out my books available for purchase on Amazon.