Many Canadian Executives Missing Out on Benefits of Being a Mentor

Survey Shows Despite Rewards, Most CFOs Haven't Been a Mentor

TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2018 /CNW/ - Canadian executives may be missing the chance to help others, and grow their careers in the process. In a Robert Half Management Resources survey, 61% of CFOs reported they've never served as a mentor. However, those who have been a mentor said it provides the internal satisfaction of helping others (32%) and the opportunity to improve their leadership skills (27%), among other benefits.

CFOs were asked, "Have you, at any point in your career, served as a mentor, either formally or informally?" Their responses:

Yes	33%
No	61%
Don't know/no answer	6%
	100%

CFOs who said yes also were asked, "Which one of the following do you think is the greatest benefit of being a mentor?" Their responses*:

Provides the internal satisfaction of helping someone else	32%
Offers you the opportunity to improve your leadership skills	27%
Helps you build your professional network	23%
Allows you to stay current on industry trends	17%
	99%

*Responses do not total 100 per cent due to rounding.

"For tenured professionals, serving as mentor can be an opportunity to sharpen their leadership and networking skills, while gaining fresh insight into their industry or company," said David King, Canadian president of Robert Half Management Resources. "In helping others navigate their careers, managers remain engaged with evolving market trends, and stay on top of new innovations that help keep their business competitive."

Robert Half Management Resources offers tips for those interested in becoming a mentor.

• Determine your value. Specify the type of advice and assistance you can provide.
• Research your options. If you're hoping to mentor a colleague, look into programs available through your company. There may be processes in place to match you with a potential mentee.
• Go outside the office. Many groups actively seek mentors for their members, including university and high school alumni groups, community and philanthropic organizations, and professional and business associations.
• Look for a rising star. Start by determining the type of person you want to mentor, such as a student entering your field or a manager looking to become an executive. Update your network on your goal.

About the Research

The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on telephone interviews with more than 270 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies in Canada.

About Robert Half Management Resources

Robert Half Management Resources is the premier provider of senior-level finance, accounting and business systems professionals for companies' project and interim staffing needs. Customizing its approach for each organization, Robert Half Management Resources can provide a single consultant, a financial team or full-service consulting services, delivered through Protiviti, a Robert Half subsidiary. With more than 140 locations worldwide, Robert Half Management Resources works with companies of all sizes, including more than half of the top 100 companies from the FORTUNE 500^®. Visit roberthalf.ca/management-resources for more information and roberthalf.com for Robert Half's Corporate Citizenship Report.

SOURCE Robert Half Management Resources

Natasha Ferraro, 416.350.2330 ex. 62160, [email protected]