Mentorship is a professional relationship where a more experienced individual (the mentor) supports the growth and development of a less experienced colleague (the mentee). For mentees, the benefits are clear: improved confidence, exposure to new opportunities, and faster professional growth. For mentors, the act of guiding others strengthens their leadership skills, reinforces their own knowledge, and opens their worldview to inputs from the next generation of public-sector leaders. A focus on mentoring relationships can be transformative — both for individuals and for the agencies they serve.
Agencies with a focus on mentorship can see higher employee retention and engagement. A study from the Wharton School found that retention rates were much higher for mentees (72%) and mentors (69%) than for employees who did not participate in a mentoring program (49%). In addition to helping retain employees, mentorship programs can also make employees more engaged and successful. According to a Harvard Business Review study, people who served as mentors experienced lower levels of anxiety and described their job as more meaningful than those who did not mentor.
These results can be achieved through formal programs or an informal approach.
Designing a Formal Mentorship Program
In addition to helping with retention, an agency-sponsored mentorship program can help facilitate knowledge transfer from older employees to the next generation, aiding in continuity and providing more context for decision making. This knowledge transfer is critical, as older employees will retire, and roles continue to shift, with the re-imagining of agency staffing. A mentorship program, new or existing, should include:
- Defined Goals — Whether you want to improve retention, develop leadership pipelines, or onboard new hires more effectively, clarity on the “why” will shape the rest of the program.
- Matching Process — Consider a structured application and pairing process based on skills, interests, and goals. Utilize surveys and AI to make connections between employees.
- Resources — Create an onboarding toolkit for mentors and mentees, suggest a meeting cadence (e.g., monthly), and offer conversation guides or goal-setting templates. Set expectations but leave room for flexibility. Include periodic check-ins to ensure the program is meeting participants’ needs.
- Celebration — Share stories of mentorship wins, whether it’s a mentee getting a promotion or a mentor learning something new. Recognition helps build momentum and encourages participation.
Seek Out Mentorship
Even without a formal program, anyone can participate in mentorship with the right motivation. Identify someone whose career path or leadership style you admire or reach out to a new employee whose attitude and skills have impressed you. Professional associations are also excellent places to find mentors, especially those outside your everyday work environment. Suggest a low-stakes conversation over coffee or a virtual meeting. Be clear about your goals but also be open to evolving the relationship. You do not necessarily have to lead with a mentor request or with the offer to provide mentorship. In a 2019 study conducted by Olivet Nazarene University, only 14% of mentor relationships started with a request for mentorship; 61% of those relationships developed naturally.
Navigating the complex, hierarchical environments of government jobs can be made easier with a focus on mentorship. For government agencies facing evolving missions and workforce challenges, investing in mentorship programs and relationships is a strategic way to retain talent, transfer knowledge, and build a resilient public service for the future.
As the founder of GovEvents and GovWhitePapers, Kerry is on a mission to help businesses interact with, evolve, and serve the government. With 25+ years of experience in the information technology and government industries, Kerry drives the overall strategy and oversees operations for both companies. She has also served in executive marketing roles at a number of government IT providers.
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