Godfrey Launches Mentor Program

Due to an overwhelming desire from our employees, Godfrey recently launched an internal mentoring program to encourage and develop leadership, bridge gaps between departments and areas of expertise, and help foster career growth and development.

The pilot program, which initially interested over half of the company, currently includes 22 employees, and pairs one mentor with one protégé, most of whom are in different departments and have different job titles. The protégés are required to set business and personal goals based on real-world work, and meet with their mentors on a regular basis for six-months, to complete those goals. Participants were matched based on what they hoped to learn or teach, as well as their experience and personality.

“The mentoring program not only helps communicate Godfrey’s core values, but also helps with our company goal of providing a great customer experience for internal as well as external customers,” said Lynne DeMers-Hunt, account group manager at Godfrey, who oversees the program. “Both mentors and protégés are enhancing their skill set by using client work to cross-train, learn more and understand how to provide a better result for their co-workers and their clients.”

Before launching the mentor program, Godfrey conducted a job shadow program in 2015. With an overwhelming positive response to this program, Godfrey looked to expand and enhance the benefits by developing the mentor program in 2016.

Now currently at the midway point in the six-month pilot program, the feedback from those participating helps to determine, optimize and produce a more permanent program as a development and learning tool at Godfrey. “I already see the improvement in our participants,” says Hunt. “And it goes both ways. Each grouping is learning from the other, whether they are the protégé or mentor.”

“These entrepreneurial participants will help shape how the program runs and add value to the offering for future participants,” said Hunt. “The program is strictly voluntary, but could produce some great results in learning for Godfrey employees, as well as transferring great work to our clients.”