Follow The Leaders

Companies stand to gain when managers take it upon themselves to mentor promising younger employees. But why are some managers so much keener to do so than others? A study by Laurent Lapierre and Silvia Bonaccio of the University of Ottawa and Loren Naidoo of the City University of New York has found that leaders with a greater "relational identity"—a confident and contented sense of who they are as individuals that changes little over time—generally provide more career support to subordinates. The researchers also found that managers with a strong sense of self are more likely to support employees who display higher job performance because the managers perceive the relationship will have more benefits than costs. This is useful information for companies looking to promote mentorship. On a practical level, the researchers advise, firms should consider the strength of an individual's relational self-concept when trying to predict that person's propensity to mentor employees and use this information when making decisions about hiring and promotion.