Multilayered approach

Robert S. Autor, executive vice president and CIO at SLM Corp. (Sallie Mae) in Reston, Va., sees several dimensions to mentoring. He says the right approach includes providing regular feedback as well as informal advice to help employees be more effective. He says it can also mean bringing in outside help, such as executive coaches.

Autor says good mentors lead by example, too. He, for one, takes time at management meetings to discuss talented staff members, a practice he hopes filters down through the organization.

He also believes that good mentors provide protection. "If you're going to help people overcome their weaknesses, you need to put them in positions were their weaknesses are challenged," explains Autor. But those circumstances can cause problems, he adds, so CIOs need to help "smooth out some of the bumps."

Charles Hunsinger, vice president of software engineering at Corporate Express Inc., an Amsterdam-based company with U.S. headquarters in Broomfield, Colo., says his IT workers benefit from the formal training programs run by his department and by human resources.