As AI takes over routine work, employees lose valuable opportunities to build judgment through experience. You can restore that development by making mentoring more intentional. Focus on the skills future leaders need—including critical thinking, communication, prioritization, and navigating ambiguity—then build a structure that turns experience into practical learning. Here’s how.
Clarify expectations. Define the competencies the mentee should develop, what progress looks like over 30, 60, and 90 days, and how often meetings will occur. Use a simple agreement to document goals, cadence, and responsibilities.
Reward strong mentors. Include mentoring outcomes in senior leaders’ performance reviews. Evaluate how their mentees improved, recognize effective mentors publicly, and protect time for development conversations.
Offer support. Give mentors tools for providing feedback, asking thoughtful questions, and creating psychological safety. Encourage them to guide mentees toward their own conclusions instead of simply correcting their work.
Match for development needs. Pair employees with mentors who excel in the specific capabilities they need to strengthen, rather than relying on reporting lines or convenience.
Make thinking visible. Encourage mentors to explain their decisions, tradeoffs, and observations with mentees during everyday work. Short, regular conversations can turn hidden experience into practical judgment.
