CP&Y's Mentoring Program Helps Employees Connect, Grow, and Give Back.
CP&Y’s Partners Mentoring Program offers an avenue for growth, opportunity, and an overall meaningful space for mentors and mentees to connect. The program, soon kicking off its seventh season, begins a new season every fall. Employees from different offices and groups are paired together and combine in-person, virtual meetings, and phone calls to help foster connection and growth. Read more below to find out more about the program and hear from some of our employees about their experience!
Mentees are individually paired with a mentor. They also connect with other program participants throughout the company across many different disciplines. A mentoring session might entail a mentor giving a mentee advice and insight needed to balance a busy work schedule with their personal life. It also allows employees to learn things they can apply in their daily lives. Mentee Caroline Hornor in our Dallas office said, “I know 20 more people in the company than I did when I started. I also gained valuable knowledge about leadership, teamwork, and design I can use every day in my job!”
Mentors get the opportunity to pass on their knowledge to their mentee. Although a mentor may have more years of experience than their mentee, they get to see the firm through another set of eyes and realize the value the program brings to both participants. Zach Stone, a Mentor/Mentee and Advisory Council member in our Colorado Springs office, noted the significance of the program: “The program facilitates personal connection between our staff, especially outside of their normal groups. It also provides tools and techniques to improve the way we navigate our challenging profession. Mentoring has been the most impactful non-technical factor in my career. Early on, for my personal and professional development, and later to pass on keys to success.”
The program launched its first season in 2016 through CP&Y’s Women’s Leadership Council when they noticed the need for it. Since then, it has become an important part of our culture and is run by employees in the Mentoring Advisory Council. The program focuses on the non-technical growth opportunities and people development. The intent is for participants to grow personally and professionally. Jacob Roberts, both a former Mentee and Mentor and Advisory Council member in our Dallas office, highlighted the impact of mentoring at CP&Y: “Mentoring isn’t just a part of our culture, it defines our culture. Our founder, Walter Chiang, took mentoring to an entirely new level with the amount of mentoring he provided on a daily basis and that is the exact intent of the program. We felt it was hugely important, and necessary, for our employees to differentiate training and mentoring. The Mentoring Program doesn’t train our employees, it provides an outlet from their day-to-day activities to connect on a personal level and develop meaningful and long-lasting relationships.”
Season seven is about to launch and we are excited for another great season! Seeing the connection growth between a mentor and mentee from kick-off day to the end of the season is a rewarding experience. We are also looking forward to having mentoring partnerships with our STV teammates this season as we continue to collaborate together! Thank you to our employees, including past mentors, mentees, and our Advisory Council, for participating in the program and continuing to pass along knowledge and insights gained from this valuable experience to other employees.
Click on the slideshow below to hear directly from some past Mentors and Mentees about the program!