Mentorship That Actually Works: How to Build a Program People Thrive In

Let’s be honest. Most mentorship programs in professional services firms are well-intentioned, loosely organized and ultimately, underwhelming.

You launch with excitement, pair people up, and hope the magic happens. But it doesn’t. Mentors get busy. Mentees don’t know what to ask. Six months later, the match is forgotten. What’s left? War stories on one side, a desire to be heard on the other. The result: a “nice, but forgettable” relationship.

That’s most mentoring programs—big intentions, weak execution, no follow-through.

It doesn’t have to be that way. With structure—and real training for both mentors and mentees—mentorship can become a growth engine for your firm. It deepens connections, strengthens your pipeline, and builds the culture people want to stay in.

From Good Intentions to Great Outcomes

So, how do you move past the coffee chats and crickets? By designing mentorship with intention and accountability. Here’s how to build something that truly works:

1. Start With Why (And Be Ruthless About It)

You can’t do it all in one program. Pick your focus and design around it. Before you start matching people up, pause and ask: What’s the real goal here? Are you trying to:

• Help new hires get oriented?
• Build your next generation of leaders?
• Increase diversity in leadership roles?
• Create true advocacy for employees that isn’t happening organically?
• Transfer firm-specific knowledge before senior partners retire?

Pro tip: If your answer is “retention,” dig deeper. Retention of whom? And why are they leaving in the first place? Look inward—people don’t quit firms where they’re thriving. 

2. Stop Hoping. Start Training.

This is where most firms miss the mark. We assume people know how to mentor because they’re experienced. Not every high performer makes a good mentor. Forcing a bad match helps no one. Normalize saying, “This isn’t a fit.” Choose wisely.

First, train your mentors. Give them tools and show them how to:

• Ask open-ended, non-directive questions
• Share stories instead of advice
• Dig for the real challenges, not just the surface ones
• Hold space instead of always solving
• Encourage growth, not dependency
• Manage mentee expectations (is it coaching, advocacy, consulting?)

Then, train your mentees. Yes, they need training too. Recognize that not every mentee will ask the right questions simply because they’re ambitious. Spoiler: They won’t. If you want empowered employees, you have to teach them how to show up powerfully in mentoring relationships. Full stop. Teach them to:

• Clarify what they want from the relationship
• Prepare for meetings with intention
• Set agendas and own their growth
• Ask better questions (not just “So… how did you get here?”)
• Give feedback and request help when stuck

3. Expectations Are Everything

Structure doesn’t kill spontaneity—it fuels it. When people know the framework they’re working within, they actually have more freedom to bring their best selves into the relationship. Set some simple requirements:

• Suggest a cadence (biweekly or monthly works)
• Provide a first-meeting template (get goals on the table early)
• Share sample questions and themes
• Set a timeline—90 days, 6 months, or 1 year

4. Beyond Coffee Chats

Mentorship isn’t just about bonding. It’s about growth. Mentors need clarity on their role in guiding. Mentees need to know how to get the most out of the experience. When both sides show up with a shared objectives, the relationship flows more naturally. This isn’t just lunch-and-learn fluff. It’s real-world, career-shaping work. Encourage pairs to dig into:

• Navigating firm politics and power dynamics
• Building client relationships
• Developing leadership presence
• Practicing business development conversations
• Planning long-term career moves

5. Measure What Matters

If you don’t track it, you won’t know if it’s working. Period. You don’t need to micromanage. But you do need visibility. Surveys help: ask participants about impact, then communicate what you heard and what you’ll change as a result. Keep it simple:

• Who’s meeting regularly?
• What are they working on?
• Are there promotions, stretch roles, or retention improvements?
• Who isn’t engaging—and why?

6. Make Mentorship Cultural, Not a Side Project

If mentorship lives in HR and shows up once a year on a slide, it won’t stick. It needs to move from “initiative” to “identity.” Instead:

• Talk about it in partner meetings
• Recognize mentors publicly
• Celebrate mentee wins in town halls
• Weave mentorship into performance reviews and promotion criteria

The Bottom Line: Mentorship Is a Skillset

Great mentorship doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when firms create a culture where people are taught how to grow—and how to grow others.

If you want a mentorship program that works, focus on three things:

1. Get clear on your why
2. Train both mentors and mentees
3. Build structure that creates space for real growth

Accountability Is the Real Differentiator

The ultimate test of any mentorship program isn’t how enthusiastically it launches. It’s whether it lasts, evolves, and delivers measurable impact. That only happens when accountability is built in. Someone has to own the program’s success—not just HR, not just the mentors, not just the mentees. Accountability should sit at every level:

• Mentors commit to showing up consistently and developing the next generation.
• Mentees commit to driving their own growth and engaging with intention.
• Firm leadership commits to resourcing, measuring, and visibly supporting the program.

When everyone owns a piece of the outcome, mentorship shifts from “nice-to-have” to “non-negotiable.” It becomes a visible expression of your firm’s values and a strategic driver of growth. A mentorship program without accountability is just another initiative. A mentorship program with accountability is a culture shift. And culture—the way people feel, grow, and show up every day—is what keeps talent thriving and firms advancing.

It’s not about perfect pairings. It’s about building relationships that stretch people, challenge assumptions, and move careers forward. Because when people feel seen, supported, and developed—they stay. They lead. And they make your firm better.