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Encouraging Employees That Have Outgrown Your Guidance

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Mentoring promising employees is always a rewarding experience for both involved. For you, it’s the chance to mold the future of the company and industry, watching excellent performers grow and fulfill their potential and ambitions. For them, it is an opportunity to learn from one of the best. They can seek guidance, ask for advice, and witness first-hand how they should carry themselves if they expect to be in a similar position later in their career. 

However, there will always come a time where your mentee outgrows your guidance. This moment is bittersweet. It’s what you have both been working towards, but it also means you may no longer have the opportunity to work together. With this in mind, here is how you can encourage employees after they have outgrown your guidance. 

Take The Reins

Depending on your industry, you have likely provided you with detailed lessons on how to lead. However, not all mentees get into such positions because they want to take over your job. They may not even be satisfied with the industry as a whole, but instead, want to take and embrace the experience to further their career elsewhere. 

If this is the case, and you should both be aware of this before beginning any training programs, you can push them towards Franchise opportunities and other business-ownership possibilities once they are ready. 

Your mentee will take everything your day into consideration and apply it to whatever they feel is the next step in their career. With this, they will feel adequately prepared for whatever they want to do, and they will have you to thank. Furthermore, they won’t move to a competitor, so you can keep in touch with them to deliver more advice when needed. 

Offer a Partnership

If they are dedicated to the industry, however, you can always suggest a partnership. There are plenty of options to consider depending on what you feel is best for your careers. Perhaps you want to branch out on your own and start an independent business with the two of you at the helm. Or, you may want to recommend a promotion that puts your mentee at the same seniority level as you. 

Whatever your choice, this partnership should lead to years of success. As you’ve worked closely together for so long, you’re able to understand your strengths and weaknesses. From here, you can focus on what you’re good at and leave the rest for the other. 

With your existing experience, you’re able to legitimize the partnership early on, which could help you make deals with clients or get meetings with connections. 

Lateral Moves

In many cases, moving up in your company will only get you so far. Often, this is because the current senior positions are filled for the long run. This is especially true for Marketing Executives, and this can make your mentee feel like they will never get a fair crack of the whip.

Rather than allow them to feel satisfied with stagnating in a junior role, there is always the option for lateral moves to other companies. Here, they can move into a position where they may get a promotion sooner than they could at their current employer.

There is also the chance to move down to go up, so to speak. Finding senior roles at smaller firms will help them show off what they can do. It could put them in an excellent position to return later on.  

Step Up the Training

Even if you feel they’ve outgrown your training, it might be that you’ve not taken the training and mentoring to a high enough level. Stepping up the training and encouraging them to push for further advancement is a fantastic way to retain top talent while also preparing them for a future senior role. 

You can start by asking them to identify a mentee of their own. This will help you start developing a team of high-potential professionals that could easily be the future of the company or the industry as a whole. 

Not only will this give them leadership training, but it can also help them feel like they are a genuine component of the business, rather than someone merely learning the ropes. 

No More to Teach Them

There is no such thing as having no more to be taught. Successful people in business will always need to learn, learn, and learn some more. This is why, even if you feel your mentee is prepared for their future, you can offer advice and guidance to ensure they can approach the next big stage in their career, feeling confident and ready.

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