Mentoring, whether it originates within an organization, social network or global workplace, will play an even more important role in the future of an organization and the high-potential employees who are likely to be at the core of its success. Further, learner-driven mentoring can play a significant role in succession as future leaders come to the surface by leveraging their people skills through technology connections, helping to change the face of the organization. While the goal of mentoring may not change, its future will look quite different as learners take more control of their own development and talent managers look to learners to apply learning in innovative ways.

Kevin J. Sensenig is the global vice president of learning and organization development at Dale Carnegie & Associates. He can be reached at editor@talentmgt.com.