Mentor

Attracting and retaining the next generation executives is a priority for all businesses!

Hiring and retaining talented young professionals is a real challenge. An even bigger challenge is to create an environment in which these individuals can develop both professionally and personally.

While competitive employee benefits are obviously important, it is increasingly not enough. This new generation seek purpose and want to contribute with impact and meaning. They want to feel connected to the organisation. Company culture needs to be co-created. As a result, leadership is expected to open up to the ideas of the new generation and allow them to influence in areas such as change, diversity and inclusion.

Creating an environment of opportunity

Many corporations struggle with creating a business environment that offers continuous professional and personal development for their best talent. One simple but effective solution is to connect your young professionals to an experienced, external mentor whose mission is to both support and challenge the employee.

Open and candid feedback is key to achieving personal growth. With the dedicated help of the mentor, competencies can be developed to make the employee more self-aware, more agile and better equipped to manage change and disruption.

Working with the mentor, the outcome for the individual is a feeling of control over their own life and career. The outcome for the company investing in external mentoring expertise, is an engaged, highly motivated and more effective talent pool. A winning combination!

About Henk

For many years, Henk has successfully provided mentor support for various young professionals across Europe and Asia. He knows how to build the foundation for talent to perform and to keep them highly motivated and personally effective.

Henk is known for his respectful communication, integrity and trust. His style is best described as results-driven, pragmatic, honest and direct.

Mentor Services and Approach

By invitation from CEOs, CHROs and divisional business leaders, Henk’s mentoring sessions challenge the employee to search for core values and motivational drivers. Using the Dual Strategy concept, he looks at both achieving short-term goals as well as creating focus to be ready to attack tomorrow’s requirements, innovation and long-term aspirations.

In a number of sessions, young talented executives learn to answer fundamental questions, such as:

  • What truly motivates you?
  • What does it take to stay true to yourself?
  • What is needed to take your career to the next level?
  • How can you clearly articulate your aspirations and needs to the organisation?
  • How do you create balance between executing today’s company objectives, while at the same time developing tomorrow’s value propositions?

 

The involvement of the company’s leadership with the work of the mentor is critical. Therefore a regular check-in is useful to make sure the work of the mentor is aligned with your business strategy and People and Culture priorities.

Discussions between the mentor and employee remain confidential at all times and privacy rules will be fully respected.

Are you looking for new ways to develop your pool of young professionals and new-generation executives? Please get in contact to discuss the benefits of external mentor support.

Henk was my mentor for six years and travelled to China. Here, his name is 傅瀚恪 (Han Ke Fu). ‘Han’ refers to limitless knowledge and wisdom. ‘Ke’ means humble and respectful. ‘Fu’ is teacher, mentor. With his guidance and encouragement, I grew into a senior leadership role. His Chinese name really fits!
Dallas Zhang
VP, Regional Director of East China, Prologis

Guest lecturer and keynote speaker at leading universities, business schools and conferences

Adviser to B-to-B companies on Customer Centricity, Client Relationship Management and Customer Experience strategies