Mentoring: Creating Effective Mentorship Programs
How to craft effective mentorship programs for your organization.
This has been a wild week as I am preparing for a very busy May and June. I’ve been working ahead a bit to prepare some newsletter content and podcasts in advance. Not my usual procrastination method!
This week I am preparing for Boise Code Camp where I’m giving a talk on deep diving into Chrome’s Devtools! Are you going to be at BCC? Let’s hang out!
This Week's Highlights
Things I've been doing on the internet
Here are some things I've made on the internet this week!
Podcast: Overcommitted Ep. 4 | How we use AI as software engineers
Illustration:
Things I've enjoyed on the internet this week
I have been front-loading quite a bit of newsletter content because I know I’m going to have a crazy May and June, so I have been doing a lot of learning for the upcoming May topic: Artificial Intelligence! I’ve also been looking into Devtools tips and videos to learn it a bit better for my upcoming talk.
Got something you want me to read/watch/listen to and feature in this newsletter? Send it to me at brittany@balancedengineer.com!
Podcast: The Pragmatic Engineer Podcast | Building Reddit’s iOS and Android App
This is quickly becoming my favorite interview-focused tech podcast, and I really enjoyed this discussion!
Video: Devtools Deep Dive by Jack Franklin at Performance.now() 2024
I chose my Boise Code Camp talk title before seeing this one and realized I’m not the only sucker for alliteration
Onto the content!
As software organizations grow, formal mentorship programs become essential for scaling knowledge transfer and building engineering culture across disparate departments. But many programs fail to deliver real value because they lack structure and clear objectives.
I have been working on the Engineering Mentorship Program at GitHub for a few months, and I’ve learned a few things since I started working on it. Let's explore how to build mentorship programs that actually work!
April Theme: Mentoring
This month we're diving into mentoring, and today we're taking a step back to look at how organizations can create effective mentorship programs that benefit both mentors and mentees.
Start with Clear Goals
Before launching a mentorship program, define what success looks like. Are you trying to:
Accelerate onboarding for new hires?
Develop future technical leaders?
Improve cross-team collaboration?
Support underrepresented groups?
Your goals will shape everything from participant selection to program structure. For example, an onboarding-focused program might pair new hires with peers who joined 6-12 months ago, while a leadership development program might connect mid-level engineers with staff+ engineers.
Design for Structure, Allow for Flexibility
The best mentorship programs provide enough structure to guide participants without being overly prescriptive:
Structured Elements:
Clear program duration (e.g., 1-2 months)
Suggested meeting cadence (bi-weekly or monthly)
Kickoff materials and pairing guidelines
Check-in points and feedback mechanisms
Flexible Elements:
Meeting agendas based on mentee needs
Communication methods (in-person, virtual, chat)
Focus areas that evolve over time
Match with Purpose
Random pairing rarely works. Consider multiple factors when matching:
Skills and knowledge gaps
Career goals and interests
Working styles and personalities
Location and timezone compatibility
Diversity and inclusion objectives
Create a lightweight application process that captures these factors without becoming burdensome. Some programs use algorithms for matching, while others rely on program coordinators who understand the organization well.
We found that relying on program coordinators became too cumbersome at our scale, so we wrote a little mentorship matcher program to help facilitate the matching progress. It has been very helpful so far! I’m hoping to open source it soon.
Support Your Mentors
Mentors often feel unprepared or unsupported. Address this by:
Providing mentor training on coaching techniques
Creating resource libraries with conversation starters and frameworks
Establishing mentor communities for sharing experiences
Recognizing mentoring contributions in performance reviews
Remember: good mentoring is a skill that can be taught, not an innate talent.
Measure What Matters
Track outcomes that align with your goals:
Retention rates for program participants
Career progression of mentees
Skill development assessments
Satisfaction surveys from both mentors and mentees
Network expansion (new cross-team connections)
Use this data to iterate and improve the program over time.
Scale Thoughtfully
Start small with a pilot program before expanding organization-wide. This allows you to:
Work out operational kinks
Gather feedback for improvements
Build success stories that encourage participation
Develop program champions who can help scale
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Mandatory participation: Forcing people into mentoring relationships rarely works
No executive support: Programs need visible leadership backing to succeed
One-size-fits-all approach: Different groups need different types of mentoring
Lack of accountability: Without check-ins, relationships often fizzle out
Undefined expectations: Both parties need clarity on time commitment and goals
Have comments or questions about this newsletter? Or just want to be internet friends? Send me an email at brittany@balancedengineer.com or reach out on Bluesky or LinkedIn.
Thank you for subscribing. It would be incredibly helpful if you tell your friends about this newsletter if you like it! :)