Mentorship: The Importance of Growing Both Personally and Professionally
When looking for the right employment match, many people are seeking agencies committed to employee development, strength building opportunities and professional growth.
These are some of the reasons why in 2019, Wellpoint Care Network created and launched a Mentor Program.
“The Mentor Program pairs together a mentee and mentor for nine months,” said Maria Andrade, program chair. “The mentor is a leader within the agency and the mentee is often a person less experienced in their career. The mentee has areas and skills that they have identified where they would like to grow, and they’re matched with a mentor who says, ‘this is my strength and I want to help develop somebody in this area.’”
What makes the program unique is that it’s not just focused on climbing the professional ladder.
“If you’re a case manager, that doesn’t mean that your mentor would be a case management supervisor,” added Andrade. “That’s not what this is about. This is about developing personal skills. Maybe you want to work on critical thinking, time management or public speaking. Those are skills that would elevate you in any field you may pursue. Our goal is to develop the person, the true person, not just the person in their current role.”
“The mentor program is an opportunity to grow professionally and personally,” said Jackie Luther, a recent participant. “Being part of the mentor program was as transparent and genuine an experience as an employee can have in a workplace.”
Though the program lasts for nine months, many mentors and mentees report maintaining the relationships made for years to come.
“What we often hear from participants is that they would have likely never talked to or developed a relationship with that other person,” said Andrade. “This is why we do try to match folks in some different ways, including across departments and disciplines.”
“The Mentor Program has allowed me opportunities to build relationships with individuals that I may not have connected with otherwise,” said Amanda Avila, a recent participant. “This program has connected with me amazing people who have helped me be a better person and employee by giving me new insights and perspectives.”
Now in its sixth year, Wellpoint Care Network’s Mentor Program has proven to be valuable to both mentees and mentors.
“Through this program, mentees have been able to be exposed to attending some different types of meetings and shadowing opportunities, attending networking events, being able to role play for an interview or practice a crucial conversation,” added Andrade. “Meanwhile, mentors have spoken about perspective shift. Sometimes, depending on the role, mentors may be a little further removed from the day-to-day work. Being able to have that perspective shift and see from frontline staff what their day-to-day struggles, challenges or successes are, has been very helpful.”
At Wellpoint Care Network, our employees are the most important part of our ability to serve the community and to help children and families thrive. To learn about available job opportunities and to join our team, click here.
