PAL mentorship

The PAL mentorship framework is being rolled out from 2nd January 2025, piloting with our Engineering department.

“Hey, PAL” sounds cool, huh? It’s a bit like being buddies, but we aren’t talking Pals here, we are talking Personal Accountability Links. We call it PAL for short.

This role is predominantly designed for individuals at Level 5 above, as well as advanced Level 4's. The PAL’s main responsibility is to mentor and support less experienced team members, helping them develop personally and professionally while contributing to the success of ongoing projects.

By implementing the PAL system, we aim to create a structured mentorship program that benefits both junior team members and the PAL, fostering growth, collaboration, and stronger project outcomes across the team.

Role and responsibilities of a PAL

The PAL is critical in bridging the gap between experienced and less experienced team members. With the role being focused on mentorship, support, collaboration and feedback

Mentorship and guidance:

As a PAL, you are responsible for offering mentorship to less experienced team members, typically those in L1 and L2 levels. L3 will have their own PALs of L4 and above. They will provide ongoing feedback and help set goals tailored to the individual's growth. Regular check-ins should be held to track progress, address challenges, and celebrate achievements.

Support in projects

In addition to mentorship, as a PAL you offer hands-on guidance within the projects that your mentees are assigned to. The PAL ensures that junior team members are integrated smoothly into project workflows, and provide technical or strategic support throughout. You'll also guide mentees on best practices, project management, and effective collaboration with the rest of the team. Basically, as a PAL you invest your time in seeing your mentee thrive.

Collaborative KPI-setting

PALs work with mentees and Managers to set clear, measurable KPIs that align with individual growth objectives and company expectations. You should also base some of your own KPIs on supporting your mentee's success, thus ensuring accountability on both sides. If you don't already, you should know about Setting your KPIs.

Feedback and continuous improvement

Whilst you guide more junior team members, you also receive feedback on your leadership and mentoring abilities (based on the ABCD principles, as well). Feedback should be used to refine your approach, ensuring you are effectively supporting your mentee(s). You are expected to demonstrate continuous improvement, incorporating what you learn from your mentorship experiences into your own development.

Creating a Positive Impact

PALs are expected to be positive role models, setting accountability, professionalism, and collaboration standards. You should promote a learning and growth culture, helping create a supportive environment where less experienced team members can thrive. Since PALs are expected to be closer to the business aspect of Significa, we expect you to instil a business-minded sense in your mentees.

Eligibility for the PAL Role

Individuals at Level 5 will become PALs, but some Level 4 may, too, if you wish to do so please reach out to Rui (we encourage this!). These individuals have demonstrated strong performance across the ABCD principles and are trusted to take on additional leadership responsibilities.

For Level 4’s, PALs will be selected based on their track record of accountability and leadership and their ability to positively influence and mentor others. The selection will be discussed with the individual, manager, and the leadership team to ensure readiness and alignment with the role’s responsibilities.

How the PAL program works

Less experienced team members are assigned a PAL to guide them through their development. The assignment will be based on project needs, skill set compatibility, and overall team dynamics to ensure a good fit between the PAL and the mentee. It may be a long-term Link or shorter, depending on the needs of the mentee.

Once assigned, as a PAL, you will get onboarded onto the mentee's project and actively participate in offering real-time feedback and helping your mentee overcome challenges as they come up. PALs will be billed as “Creative Director” or “Tech Lead” as part of the project your mentee is assigned to - this is a real deal role here. You’ll work alongside your mentee to ensure quality and timeliness of deliverables

You should hold one-on-one meetings to check in with your mentees to discuss progress, KPI tracking, areas for improvement, etc. Quarterly reviews will assess the mentee’s progress in line with the ABCD performance framework. You’ll also bring the Manager in to get a fair reflection of where to close gaps in growth.

This isn’t one way, though; it’s two-way accountability, hence the Link bit in PAL. It won’t work with one-way, you should also be setting KPI’s related to the development of your mentee, and the project’s success.

Benefits of the PAL Role

We hope this “program” increases knowledge sharing, support, and feedback and further develops a culture of excellence. For the mentees, there are strong advantages as they develop their technical skills, whilst for you, the PAL, this presents an excellent opportunity to develop leadership and mentorship skills, further enhancing your own growth. For Significa, the PAL system connects deeply to our value of Teamwork and Integrity and increases the level of our team.

The cherry on top of the cake is the passing of the torch of Significa’s mentality and culture from a more experienced, trusted person to a less experienced, newer team member.