Building Bridges: 5 Lessons from Launching Mentorship Programs at Amazon

Phillip Turner
Jul 21
8 min read

Updated: Jul 21

TL;DR ------- Launching impactful mentorship programs, especially within a vast organization like Amazon, hinges on several critical factors. There were five key lessons I learned during planning, launch, and maintaining a mentorship program, but my no means are all the lesssons I learned. 1) Securing top-down leadership buy-in is non-negotiable, as it lends credibility and encourages participation. 2) Embracing scale allows for a richer tapestry of connections and a stronger sense of community. 3) The program's true value is realized when participants are empowered to set and achieve clear, SMART goals, which often requires direct instruction and practice. 4) A dedicated volunteer team, amplified by smart technological solutions, is essential for efficient operation and growth. 5) Finally, and perhaps most importantly, continuously collecting and acting on participant feedback ensures the program remains relevant, valuable, and truly serves the needs of its community. By prioritizing these elements, organizations can cultivate vibrant mentorship cultures that foster growth, connection, and success for all. Support to plan and launch your program is at MentorshipConnections.com/Blog.

Five Key Lessons Learned

Launching a successful mentorship program in a company the size of Amazon.com is no small feat. It requires careful planning, dedicated execution, and a willingness to learn and adapt. Having been at the helm of two such initiatives, I've gathered invaluable insights that can help anyone looking to foster a strong mentorship culture within their organization. Here are five key lessons I learned:

Their visible support lent significant credibility and importance to the initiatives, signaling to employees that mentorship was a valued activity.

1. Leadership Buy-In Isn't Just Desired, It's Essential

Without top-down leadership advocacy and participation, your mentorship program will struggle to gain traction. I observed this consistently across both programs I launched: when Directors actively championed and participated in the Customer Service Capacity Planning and Last Mile Rapid and Rural Logistics programs, engagement soared. This wasn't just anecdotal; I provided quarterly updates to VPs and Senior Directors, including the direct correlation between leadership involvement and higher participation rates. Their visible support lent significant credibility and importance to the initiatives, signaling to employees that mentorship was a valued activity.

Program communication and reporting to sponsors and higher-ups will need to tie-back to what is important to the business and your leadership. If you do not know what metrics or outcomes they desire, or the format and forum they prefer updates, then ensure you ask! Also, make sure the program itself has a vision and mission to be your north star. This could be its own article and something all programs need for success.

Reporting for reporting sake is a common exercise and should be avoided. For Customer Service, I provided a bi-monthly 'flash' email to senior management that included all vital information about the program including current outcomes, next steps and why those were the priority. And do not forget to be open to feedback but also see #5 lesson below.

A greater variety of skills, occupations, life experiences, tenure, and levels within the program meant more opportunities for employees to find like-minded individuals or discover unique perspectives they hadn't considered.

2. Size Truly Does Matter for Deeper Connections

It might sound counterintuitive, but the more people in your mentorship program, the more connections are actually made. This isn't just about raw numbers; it's about the increased diversity that comes with a larger pool of participants. A greater variety of skills, occupations, life experiences, tenure, and levels within the program meant more opportunities for employees to find like-minded individuals or discover unique perspectives they hadn't considered.

The program's visibility also increased as more participants engaged with mentorship. This increase lead to positive internal "news" and promotion, which further boosted a sense of belonging and community among participants. Think of it like a professional social network – the more active members there are, the richer the interactions become.

How large do you need? I'd say 100 participants is when I saw connection outcomes increase in satisfaction. For me, the Customer Service Capacity Planning with about 850 employees, and Last Mile Rapid and Rural Logistics with about 2,000 employees, would build over the 100 participant mark with a couple months. Your communications planning around launch and beyond will keep new participants engaging in the program to reach your target numbers.

The ultimate aim is for mentees to define SMART goals that a mentor can agree at the first meeting that they will help the mentee achieve.

3. SMART Goals Drive Positive Mentorship Program Outcomes

A mentorship program is almost always perceived as valuable for participants when the connections work towards or complete meaningful goals. Specifically, SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) are the gold standard. However, a significant challenge I encountered was that most people simply don't know how to create them.

This realization led to a recurring workshops: teaching employees how to craft effective SMART goals and practical instruction on how to reach out to mentors effectively. It's often more difficult than they anticipate, as it requires a specific format and attention to detail. For a workshop to be worth folks time, it's vital to ensure they attempt to write out a few goals and understand what constitutes a SMART goal – and what doesn't.

The ultimate aim is for mentees to define SMART goals that a mentor can agree at the first meeting that they will help the mentee achieve over a 90 to 120-day period. I also noticed a stark difference in mentor satisfaction: mentors with mentees who didn't set SMART goals, or weren't willing to work on them between meetings, reported very low satisfaction. SMART goal progress or completion during a mentorship connection brings overall satisfaction up for both mentees and mentors.

We had the diverse skill sets needed to support program tasks and helped ensure various employee voices across departments, locations, and functions were included.

4. A Volunteer Dream Team is Crucial

You absolutely need a team of dedicated volunteers to make a mentorship program thrive, and not just exist. While a volunteer team is paramount, having a SaaS vendor with launch support can significantly streamline operations. I witnessed firsthand how a non-automated, Excel workbook, even with an AI chat feature, consumed an entire week of a volunteer's time just for setup, QA, and integration with another third party survey app, email, reporting, etc.

Email automations for reminders and promotions, custom fields for matching, and custom matching algorithms based on various data points are game-changers. These technologies save weeks of recurring work hours, before and after launch. My volunteer teams excelled at tasks like posting in Slack channels, hosting webinars, presenting during new hire orientations, scheduling targeted email campaigns to non-participants, reporting results to leadership, improving algorithms, and maintaining data cleanliness.

The greater variety in volunteers, including corporate office and field employees, both tech and non-tech, was also a huge asset. It ensured we had the diverse skill sets needed to support program tasks and helped ensure various employee voices across departments, locations, and functions were included.

When participants see that their input is being actioned, not ignored, they are more likely to provide further feedback and engage more deeply.

5. Participant Feedback Should Be Your Guiding Light

Participant feedback should drive the program's evolution, not top-down opinions. In the CS program, we established multiple feedback mechanisms, and based on their overwhelming success, I then brought Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys to Last Mile Logistics.

Key feedback touchpoints included:

Mid-point and post-connection surveys: These captured satisfaction scores with the program overall and specific mentorship connections.
NPS: Providing a clear measure of participant loyalty and willingness to recommend.
Open-ended written feedback: Allowing for nuanced insights.
Ad hoc surveys: To understand why individuals were opting out. Data from these surveys consistently showed bandwidth issues as the primary reason for non-participation, followed by "already have a mentor outside the program," and "simply does not participate in mentorship."

How you incorporate this feedback into your reporting is vital. When participants see that their input is being actioned, not ignored, they are more likely to provide further feedback and engage more deeply. These feedback-driven improvements become powerful success stories, fostering a continuous cycle of engagement and improvement.

Recap: Building a Thriving Mentorship Culture

Leadership buy-in from the top down is crucial, as teams with directors actively participating see higher engagement. Regular updates are provided for senior leadership to maintain alignment. The size of the program matters; larger participation leads to more connections, fostering a sense of belonging among employees. A diverse range of skills and experiences enhances this effect, and the program's positive promotion aids in its success.

Achieving or working towards SMART goals is essential for the mentorship program's perceived value. Many employees struggle with creating these goals, so education and practice are necessary. Satisfaction is low among mentors whose mentees lack SMART goals or commitment outside face-to-face interactions.

A volunteer team is vital for success, supported by a SaaS vendor to automate processes and save time. Volunteers from various backgrounds, including tech and non-tech, contribute to the program's diversity and effectiveness. Tasks like hosting webinars and maintaining data integrity are shared among volunteers.

Participant feedback is prioritized over top-down directives to guide the program's evolution. Multiple feedback mechanisms, such as NPS surveys, help gauge satisfaction and inform improvements. Understanding non-participation reasons, like bandwidth issues, helps refine the program. Reporting how feedback influences priorities encourages more engagement and creates success stories.

Mentorship Connections Consulting

I believe that mentorship is more than just guidance—it’s a transformative experience that levels the playing field and unlocks new opportunities that seemed unobtainable.

I have a deep passion for results-driven mentorship, with over 20 years of firsthand experience as both a mentee and a mentor. Having personally navigated the challenges of professional and personal growth, I understand the powerful role mentorship plays in bridging gaps in access, privilege, and opportunity. When done right, mentorship is not just a connection—it’s a catalyst for lasting success.

This philosophy has shaped the foundation of my work, leading teams that launched of two large-scale mentorship programs within Amazon Operations. One, a global initiative within Amazon Customer Service, successfully engaged 850 participants across a dozen countries, fostering professional development and meaningful support. The other, within Amazon Logistics, impacted over 2,000 participants across corporate and field operations—including fulfillment centers and delivery stations—driving measurable success in goal achievement, participation rates, and net promoter scores (NPS).

My approach is rooted in data-driven outcomes, strategic growth, and a commitment to mentorship that makes a difference. Whether guiding individuals through career transitions, leadership development, or industry-specific coaching, let's bring the expertise and experience to build programs that not only inspire but deliver measurable results.

Join me in shaping mentorship that truly matters by empowering connections and igniting opportunities. Contact here.

Recommendations

Phill and I had the privilege of working together as a team on the Worldwide Capacity Planning mentorship program within Amazon Customer Service—an initiative that grew to engage over 850 participants. Collaborating closely, we took the program from initial concept and charter to a thriving, scalable model. Phill played a key role in ensuring a smooth launch, surpassing participation and performance goals, and consistently earning outstanding feedback from stakeholders. It was a privilege to work alongside such a dedicated and capable teammate. I highly recommend Phill to any organization looking for strong leadership in designing and scaling high-impact mentoring programs. - AK

I highly recommend Phillip as a mentoring program consultant based on our successful collaboration at Amazon. During our time working together supporting our network's mentoring program, Phillip consistently demonstrated exceptional expertise in both the technical and strategic aspects of program management.

His ability to translate complex technical requirements into practical solutions was invaluable during our platform transition. Phillip has a particular talent for identifying and implementing effective metrics tracking systems, which proved crucial for measuring program success and driving continuous improvement. His data-driven approach helped us optimize participant engagement and program outcomes.

What sets Phillip apart is his combination of technical knowledge and understanding of human-centered program design. He consistently prioritized user experience while ensuring robust backend functionality. His solutions were always scalable, well-documented, and designed with future growth in mind.

Based on our work together, I'm confident Phillip will bring tremendous value to organizations seeking to establish or enhance their mentoring programs. His strategic thinking, technical expertise, and collaborative approach make him an excellent partner for businesses looking to develop successful, sustainable mentoring initiatives. -KH