Business Mentoring Matters

Topping the charts of Fortune Magazine's list of 100 Best Companies To Work For is NetApp.  NetApp, an IT storage/data management company, was founded in 1992 by James Lau and Dave Hitz.  Providing great customer service, beating the competition, and reaching out to employees was just the beginning of their success.  Following the initial success of product development, they realized that they needed to look for someone to help them grow the organization. Dan Warmenhoven was brought in as CEO to do just that.  Together, they created priorities that would complement the current culture.  They added some new priorities to increase revenue and create an effective management team.  In order to create this team, they implemented different types of programs and among them is a mentoring program that gives employees the opportunity to learn, be challenged and to take risks with new ventures and ideas.  NetApp involves their leaders as mentors in management development programs.  They expect employees to take the initiative to enroll in various programs to aid them in corporate advancement and self improvement.  Their vision is to provide these resources so that each employee has an equal opportunity to succeed.

What resources have you provided your employees so they can grow and remain invested in your organization?  Please share what works for your organization.