CIO Council Report

Author: Ann Gallaher

January 2008

The recognition and development of talent is one of the most important roles for any executive.  Designing and executing an effective mentoring program to deliver on this imperative was the focus of the CIO Council during its October 2007 meeting, led by Emily Chambers, Damon Woods and Sarah Reinman of Cox Ohio Publishing, a local leader in mentoring willing to share its experiences.

Cox Ohio Publishing employs a couple of mentoring programs to achieve two broad goals: 

• On-site Mentoring - Focused development of a group of high potential and talented employees with growth and leadership potential
• Peer-to-Peer Mentoring - Open communications and the reduction of cross-functional barriers between employees in different departments

On-site mentoring was patterned after a successful program that paired executives across Cox Ohio and  Cox Enterprises.  Applied within Cox Ohio, it pairs a senior-level manager with a carefully selected and screened high potential employee for a twelve month period, using a traditional mentor/mentee relationship model.  All group meetings are held quarterly and weekly or bi-weekly one-on-one meetings are required.  Commitment and feedback are the key elements to achieving the benefits of the program, which include:

• Building a professional network
• Accelerating learning and development
• Enhancing interpersonal skills
• Learn more about rising talent
• Improving coaching skills

Peer-to-Peer Mentoring is designed to reach a much broader audience and match employees from different parts of the organization based on the participants’ needs and desires.   For example, an IT employee that wants to learn more about the sales organization would be paired with a sales person who wants a better understanding of how computers function.  In other cases, a person new to Cox Ohio may want to be paired with a twenty-year veteran that knows the organization’s culture and values.  This program lasts for six months and includes three all-group meetings with a commitment of a minimum of four hours of one-on-one discussions.

For more information on this topic or discuss your IT leadership joining the CIO Council, please contact Ann Gallaher, Chief Operating Officer, at 937.229.9072 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .