eMentoring and Mentoring Software Programs

We get many questions on eMentoring and, as the second largest provider of Mentoring Software to the Fortune 1,000, we give many demonstrations of WisdomShare®, our mentoring software program.   We continue to be surprised by the ideas people have about eMentoring and mentoring software programs. People in Talent Management describe the market leader as Match.com for the workplace – which unfortunately describes the blind-date feeling of our competitors.

At Mentor Resources, software remains just a tool for connecting real, flesh and blood individuals.  The world may be enamored with technology and software, but all mentoring software programs should have the connections between humans, and the success of the program, as the software's goal. At the end of the day, what differentiates great mentoring programs from mediocre or unsuccessful ones are two things:

1. The Connection between the Mentor/Mentee
2. The Structure of the Mentoring Program

The structure is the part that is easily programed. 

With WisdomShare®, emails are automatically sent out after the pair is matched, at regular intervals.  These emails include useful information about the mentoring process and act as reminders of the mentoring program’s goals and the mentor’s and mentee’s agreements to participate and follow through.  These reminders are fully customizable by the mentor program administrator.  If necessary, these notifications can be modified to reflect the corporate culture, or changed to include videos and podcasts.  Think of this as an effective, thoughtful eMentor program.

The more difficult part to program into mentoring software, and the part of a successful mentoring program, that is most often overlooked when the eMentor software is purchased is the matching algorithm which connects specific individuals with each other.   That connection is the start of a human relationship and cannot be displaced by an eMentor. 

The match is the key.  Again, done poorly, the result feels like a blind date – with similar relationship outcomes. 

Since WisdomShare® has the best mentor-pair matching algorithm on the market, by an order of magnitude, we feel strongly that the software is just a tool for creating the human connection. 

Mentor Program Administrators who have seen our demonstrations say, “Ah, the market leader is Match.com and WisdomShare® is eHarmony.”   The more experience Mentor Program Administrators have managing mentoring systems, the more often they say, “This is the system I would have created.”

Much as we like eHarmony and repeat the phrase, WisdomShare® is eHarmony for the workplace, it actually sells WisdomShare® short.  eHarmony is based on the Myers-Briggs personality assessment system.  WisdomShare is based on a number of systems that Kim Wise, the founder of Mentor Resources, studied and used in hand-matching people.

We encourage you to talk to us about your firm's strategic objectives, and how mentoring can help your people get there faster. Schedule an appointment today!