When most people think of mentoring, an older, wiser sage comes to mind. Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s, once told his employees that being a mentee was like looking for “a wing to climb under.” This type of mentoring relationship is one that develops and grows over time, and is generally focused on developing the career of the mentee.

Organizations use this type of mentoring, career mentoring, to develop future leaders, retain their high performers, manage their knowledge bank, and achieve their diversity goals. When training mentors and mentees in career mentoring, it is important to provide a structured process for the mentoring relationship. It is also critical to enhance their communication, learning, and coaching skills so that they have a much better chance of achieving their goals . . . and the goals of the organization.

Peer mentoring is more focused on short-term goals. A newer employee needs to be brought up-to-speed quickly. An IT professional needs to be coached on a new software application. A sales rep needs some quick help in overcoming an unexpected customer objection. Mentoring these employees is provided by their peers, and the process usually ends when the new skill is mastered.

Peer mentoring is usually focused on improving job performance, learning a best practice, or gaining knowledge. Unlike career mentoring, mentor and mentee roles can actually alternate as needs arise. As in career mentoring, the organization can gain a great deal from fostering these mentoring relationships.