A few years ago, to show how much support the Mentor Program would receive at GE, CEO Jack Welch decided to join it -

He asked for help from a mentor.

Mentors and mentees come together from any part of GE Plastics: Jack Welch knew he needed a crash course on the internet, so he asked for help from 37-year-old Pam Wickham who runs GE.com (and whose previous job, incidentally, was for GE Plastics).

To use web terms, mentoring at GEP is a hyperlink. A direct route from one point to another with no hierarchy in between. From those with knowledge to those who want to learn it.

The extent and length of the mentoring relationship is up to the mentor and mentee, who set up guidelines and meeting times. Naturally, there's some oversight to ensure the process is working and both partners are growing.

But mostly, we want to get out of the way and let you succeed.