In celebration of National Mentoring Month this January, we launched our mentoring program with a Mentoring Mixer – a chance to bring colleagues together, break the ice, and support opportunities for professional development. In a world driven by Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), goals, and metrics, mentorship offers a much-needed pause, a space to connect, and a reminder that growth happens at a different pace for everyone.

When I was a teacher in Atlanta, Ga., I had the privilege of working under Mr. Austin, a dean who oversaw the sixth-grade teachers. As a new teacher, I often felt overwhelmed, but Mr. Austin always made time to listen to my concerns, offer constructive feedback and support, and extend grace when I needed it most. His mentorship radically changed how I viewed personal and professional growth. It taught me that progress doesn’t have to be linear and that small victories are just as important as big milestones.

That same philosophy is at the core of DRMP’s mentoring program, a corporate initiative and a key component of our Learning & Development (L&D) program.

In a large firm with over 700 employees across multiple offices offering a multitude of different services, it can be challenging to connect with colleagues and build meaningful relationships. Our mentoring program focuses on bridging that gap.

DRMP’s mentoring program is all about helping people make genuine connections, find someone they can relate to, and build relationships that support their career growth.

Meet Your Match  

At our Orlando, Fla., headquarters, we kicked off the mentoring program application process with a high-energy game night featuring eight fast-paced stations, set up like speed dating. This fun and engaging event set the tone for our 12-month mentoring curriculum designed to support our mentoring pairs.

Our regional offices joined in by hosting their own mentoring mixers – some over breakfast, others over lunch, and a few incorporated games as well. Altogether, we had more than 100 participants across the company.

Employees are paired with each other based on their responses to our mentoring application. We try to get a feel for what people need and are looking for and pair them with a mentor who can provide those things. In some cases, managers assist with matching to ensure each employee is paired thoughtfully and effectively. Once we've made the initial pairing, a review committee looks at each pair to make sure it's the strongest match possible.

After the matches are made, we’ll celebrate with a match day lunch to announce the pairs. A mid-year check-in mixer will follow, giving participants a chance to share their successes, overcome challenges, and ensure everyone is staying on track.

To keep communication open, we’re also introducing a post-meeting feedback form where mentors and mentees can provide feedback to our L&D team and request any additional support they might need.

Our continued goal for this year is to ensure that our employees feel supported. Each mentoring relationship looks different, and our job in L+D is to make sure each pair has what they need to grow, however that may look for them.

Measuring Success

DRMP’s mentoring program’s success shows in the lasting relationships it builds. Many mentors and mentees stay connected even years later. That is a testament to what this program can accomplish.

It can be easy to come to work and sit at your desk, put your hours in, and leave. What employees get from this program is the opportunity and the resources to get to know people they might not normally interact with. It’s creating an ever-growing web of connections that can only serve to promote improved communication, conflict resolution, and a greater understanding of who we are working alongside.

On the flip side of that, employees also gain career knowledge to help them succeed. It’s great to see our 30-year engineers mentoring our interns. Or to see a surveyor paired with someone in design.

The program’s success is shaped by the feedback we receive. While it may not be a concrete metric, hearing participants felt connected, trusted their partner, and experienced personal growth is what signals the program’s success.

Even constructive criticism is valuable. It shows DRMP has created a space where people feel safe sharing their concerns. From there, we can adjust, improve, and build an even better program next year—an evolving program that meets the needs of our participants and DRMP.