Mentoring has been used for many years to mature and develop individuals, and the use of mentoring continues to grow. Mentoring is seen as a way of nurturing talent and also a way to develop the skills of the people who are mentoring others. Here are just a few of the reasons why organizations encourage mentoring:

To develop people in specific areas like leadership, working cross-culturally, commercial expertise, etc.
To support people new to a role or transitioning to a new situation.
To nurture and foster talent by broadening people’s knowledge and understanding, or helping to mature more junior professionals.
To position individuals to succeed key people as part of a succession-planning process.
To help individuals through a challenging period like returning to work after extended absence.
To provide development and learning for individuals in the absence of other coaching or training options.