Mentoring is a powerful tool that can
\nwork wonders in any
\norganization. It can become even more
\npowerful if you
\n“reverse” it and ask younger
\nemployees to serve as mentors
\nto more seasoned workers—or even
\nManagers.<\/p>\n
What Is Reverse Traditionally, a person with more \nReverse mentoring refreshes learning for Why Reverse Your \nReverse mentoring has some unique Here are 6 Millennial-specific 1. Reverse 2. 3. It empowers emerging and 4. Reverse 5. It begins to close \n6. Reverse mentoring infuses an \n Who Else Reverse mentoring is It can also The \nBefore 1. Purpose<\/p>\n 2. 3. Plan<\/p>\n 4. 5. Performance<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 1. Many companies that implement Before you begin your program, • • • • • • Creating a • • Driving Your purpose is tied • • Professional • • Skill development\n<\/p>\n • Engagement <\/p>\n \n• Customer impact <\/p>\n \n• Succession planning <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In addition to goals, Also consider whether you need the \n2. Partners: To As you match mentors to People who are naturally \n• Demonstrate positive job • Build • Continually develop job • \n• Are willing to try new \n3. Plan the \nTo kick off your program, host a 2- to If possible, give 1. Did your partner commit 2. Did your partner honor time Your kick-off Close the meeting by Follow-up \nAfter the first 2 months, scale back to \nHow can you tell that the \n• People are taking the time to • • Partners are • Research • How • To what degree did the \nMany participants report that the most • • What • What \n• How valuable has the mentoring \n5. Performance: Part of your Your evaluation might • Anecdotal • Participant • Feedback on • Self-reported feedback from the mentors If evaluations indicate that Final \nReverse mentoring can be a winning \n SIDEBARS<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n \n <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n \n Sue, the Vice President of Human \n Rick is a young delivery driver who \n To ensure that your reverse \n 1. Clear boundaries and well-defined \n 2. Agreed-upon rules. Each partner \n 1. Willingness to learn. In a \n 2. Mutual trust. The goal is to push \n 3. Transparency. Both partners must \n During the launch, provide guidance \n • Why reverse mentoring, and \n • Set a level playing field. \n • Set guidelines and personal \n • Address differences in \n • Number of people seeking \n • Number of mentors who \n • Number of people who have \n • Number of development plans \n • Employee or climate survey \n • Number of meetings held with \n • Number of personal and • Number of key employees \n • Self-reported feedback from \n • Feedback on increased \n • Anecdotal information about \n • Critical business projects \n The first meeting between the mentor \n The mentor—that is, the \n The mentor can start the \n Here are some conversation starters \n • What is something that most \n • Discuss strategies to \n • Talk about your work and \n • What mistakes have you made \n • What is the smartest \n • What legacy are you creating \n • What is some of the best \n What makes a conversation Why You Should Turn Mentoring on its Head and Have Millennials Coach Older Workers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":[266],"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[294,21],"class_list":["post-6853","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry","category-training","category-business-managment","author-diane-thielfoldt"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nMentoring?<\/span><\/strong> <\/p>\n
\nexperience will mentor a colleague
\nwith less experience. This method has
\nbeen proven through
\nmaster\/apprentice relationships that
\nhave allowed knowledge to be handed
\ndown over hundreds of years. In reverse
\nmentoring, a more experienced
\nemployee—ideally, a Manager or
\nSupervisor—actively seeks the
\ncounsel of an employee with less overall
\nexperience. This modern twist
\nhas older employees turning to younger
\nstaff for fresh perspectives,
\ntrend spotting, and technology guidance.
\nAs Alan Webber, Cofounder of
\nFast Company, put it, “Reverse
\nmentoring is when the old fogies in
\nthe organization realize that by the
\ntime you’re in your forties
\nand fifties, you’re not in touch
\nwith the future in the same way
\nas the young twenty-somethings. They
\ncome with fresh eyes, open minds,
\nand instant links to the technology of
\nour future.” <\/p>\n
\nveteran employees and Managers,
\nwhile helping to build the leadership
\nskills and experience of newer
\nemployees—who are, of course, also
\nlearning new insights from the
\nrelationship. When you pair a Manager
\nwith a Millennial employee
\n(someone born between 1977 and 1998),
\nthe Millennial mentor gets a
\nglimpse into the world of leadership and
\ntop-level
\nleaders—something that generation
\nparticularly values, which is
\none benefit of reverse mentoring.
\nAnother is that it acknowledges that
\neveryone brings something to the
\ntable—even those who have just
\nstarted their careers. Millennials have
\nskills, knowledge, and
\nexperience that is valuable to tenured
\nemployees. <\/p>\n
\nMentoring? One Word:
\nMillennials<\/span> <\/strong> <\/p>\n
\nbenefits that have to do with attracting
\nand retaining employees in the
\nMillennial generation—an essential
\ndemographic for any
\nforward-thinking organization.
\nMillennials tend to prefer high-touch
\nrelationships, have high exploratory
\ndrives, and appreciate frequent
\nfeedback. In other words, Millennials
\nand mentoring are a perfect match.\n<\/p>\n
\nbenefits to reverse mentoring,
\nwhich are just the tip of the iceberg:\n<\/p>\n\n
\nmentoring helps to retain and promote
\nyounger talent. It creates a 2-way
\nconversation, allowing Supervisors to
\nlearn what workplace conditions
\nyounger employees seek in order to
\nadvance themselves along with the
\ninterests of the company. <\/p>\n
\nReverse mentoring engages younger
\nand newer employees, promoting their
\nloyalty and generating trust. <\/p>\n
\nestablished leaders. <\/p>\n
\nmentoring “shrinks” big
\norganizations by crossing boundaries
\nthat employees would not normally cross.\n<\/p>\n
\nthe knowledge gap between long-time
\nemployees and newer hires. <\/p>\n
\norganization’s leadership with
\ndifferent, fresh, and younger
\nperspectives. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nBenefits? Everyone! <\/strong>
\n<\/span> <\/p>\n
\nideal in situations where you want
\nestablished employees and Managers to
\ngain technical expertise, whether
\nit is in business applications or
\nsmartphone apps. The same is true of
\nlearning about new and emerging trends
\nin marketing, or areas of work
\nand society that might impact your
\nbusiness. <\/p>\n
\nstrengthen the team even as it grows the
\nskills and strengths of the
\nindividuals involved. For example, when
\nyou pair a people-savvy
\nAssociate with a Manager working on
\nwinning over a prospective client,
\neveryone can benefit. <\/p>\n
\n5 Ps of Successful Reverse
\nMentoring<\/strong> <\/span> <\/p>\n
\nyou send a seasoned Executive and an
\nIntern into a conference room and
\nsay “go,” there are a few
\nhigh-level guidelines that you may
\nwant to consider. No matter how simple
\nyou intend the structure of your
\nmentoring program to be, take time to
\nmake a plan. Follow these 5 Ps for
\na successful implementation: <\/p>\n\n
\nPartners<\/p>\n
\nProgress<\/p>\n
\nPurpose:
\nKeep it Real<\/strong> <\/span> <\/p>\n
\nreverse mentoring programs have
\nstraightforward objectives that range
\nfrom simply creating positive work
\nrelationships between older and
\nyounger workers, to more ambitious
\noutcomes such as transferring
\ntechnology savvy, new industry
\nexpertise, trends, or cross- training.
\nThe 3 most frequently cited reasons for
\ninitiating mentoring programs
\nare retention, professional development,
\nand knowledge transfer. <\/p>\n
\nconsider its purpose. That purpose
\nshould be tailored to meet specific
\n(though perhaps broad) needs within
\nyour organization. To determine those
\nneeds, interview a mix of leaders
\nwho are knowledgeable about your
\norganization’s challenges and
\nfuture. What needs do you hear? <\/p>\n\n
\nMaintaining technical relevance <\/p>\n
\nKeeping current with subject matter
\nadvances <\/p>\n
\nProtecting and sharing
\n“tribal” knowledge <\/p>\n
\nConnecting with consumer culture and
\nclients <\/p>\n
\nGrowing future leaders <\/p>\n
\nproductive work climate <\/p>\n
\nKeeping and growing talent <\/p>\n
\nmultigenerational engagement <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nto the results you wish to
\nsee—your Mentoring Return on
\nInvestment (MROI). You will need to
\nmeasure your MROI (see
\n#5—Performance), so set measurable
\ngoals.
\nWhat kinds of actions or behaviors would
\nbe evidence that the mentoring
\nprogram is working? Set out to seek
\nevidence versus proof, with
\nmeasurable results in areas such as:\n<\/p>\n\n
\nRetention <\/p>\n
\ndevelopment <\/p>\n
\nTransfer of scarce knowledge or skill\n<\/p>\n
\nyou should allow space for individual
\ninnovation. List what the reverse
\nmentoring program is to achieve in
\ngeneral, for all participants. Of
\ncourse, each partnership is unique, so
\npartners may also enjoy and
\nbenefit from helping each other in ways
\nnot defined by the program. A
\nyoung mentor might help a C-suite
\nExecutive choose a new smartphone, or
\na CEO might share tips on how a new
\nentrant can advance his or her
\ncareer. Factor in the need for informal
\ngoals to be met as well. <\/p>\n
\nsupport of your senior leadership
\nto help your program succeed. If so,
\nidentify the key stakeholders and
\ndescribe what their involvement will
\nlook like. <\/p>\n
\nSelecting and
\nPairing<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
\na large extent, how you
\ndetermine who will participate, and how
\nyou pair off participants,
\ndepends on your specific goals and the
\nneeds of the individuals and the
\ncompany. When pairing, consider that
\npersonal chemistry is often
\noverrated. The best matches are often
\nmismatches, which broaden the
\nopportunities for growth in both
\nparticipants. Mentoring relationships
\nshould not be restricted to people of
\nthe same gender, or to those who
\nhave similar backgrounds, because we can
\nlearn so much more from people
\nwho are different from ourselves. <\/p>\n
\npartners, consider development and
\nlearning goals, geography, diversity,
\nand (of course) generational
\ndifferences. Are your Managers willing
\nto
\nbe mentored by a younger colleague? <\/p>\n
\ninclined to make the most of a reverse
\nmentoring opportunity have these
\ncharacteristics: <\/p>\n\n
\nperformance <\/p>\n
\neffective relationships easily <\/p>\n
\nknowledge <\/p>\n
\nAppreciate diverse ideas <\/p>\n
\napproaches <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nLaunch <\/span><\/strong> <\/p>\n
\n4-hour orientation meeting with
\nall participants. This meeting should be
\na comfortable, informal forum
\nfor everyone to get grounded and
\norganized. The program’s
\nCoordinator can define reverse
\nmentoring, answer the whys about reverse
\nmentoring, and discuss the benefits.
\nPartners are introduced to each
\nother, and the pairs can begin to
\ndiscuss their own goals and
\nexpectations. <\/p>\n
\neach pair some brief training
\non learning and teaching styles, and
\nprovide a general plan or guide for
\nthe partnership. At a minimum, describe
\na typical first meeting or
\nactivity that partners can use to get
\nstarted (see “The First
\nMeeting” on page 24). As the
\nmentoring relationship progresses,
\nask the following questions to each
\npartner to check the development of
\nthe mentoring program: <\/p>\n\n
\nto making this a relevant and productive
\nrelationship—for example,
\ndid your partner show a genuine
\ninterest—and did you do the same?\n<\/p>\n
\ncommitments—and did you?\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nmeeting should include tips
\nregarding generational differences. For
\nexample: share insights into
\ngenerational differences; discuss
\ndifferences from perceptions to
\nattitudes among the various generations
\nin the workplace; and let
\nparticipants know how their generation
\nand others are perceived. At the
\nsame time, caution everyone about
\nstereotypes and perpetuating stale
\nmessages. Comments like “They
\ndon’t want to pay their
\ndues” from tenured employees, and
\n“They’re stuck in
\nthe past” from newer employees
\nwill shut down reverse mentoring
\nefforts before they get off the ground.\n<\/p>\n
\noutlining any logistics and details
\ninvolved in checking the progress of
\nthe partnerships. <\/p>\n
\n4.
\nProgress: Prioritize and Persist<\/span>
\n<\/strong> <\/p>\n
\nand tracking is crucial to ensure that
\nthe program is effective. For the
\nfirst 2 months of a mentoring
\ninitiative, the program’s
\nCoordinator or Sponsor should plan a
\npulse-check every 2 to 3 weeks to
\nconfirm that your guidelines and ground
\nrules are still in place.
\nEncourage partners to evaluate their
\nmentoring relationship. <\/p>\n
\na monthly check. Ask for
\nparticipants’ feedback, focus on
\ncatching any problems early, and
\nask about successes. Remind each
\nparticipant that you are available for
\nsupport and troubleshooting. <\/p>\n
\nmentoring relationship is working? Look
\nfor the following success
\nindicators: <\/p>\n\n
\nmeet and work together <\/p>\n
\nPartners are satisfied with the
\nprogress <\/p>\n
\nbenefiting from and enjoying the
\npartnership <\/p>\n
\nParticipants have ideas to improve the
\nprogram <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nshows that the biggest dangers
\nto successful mentoring relationship are
\nneglect (from lack of
\ncommitment, time, and energy), breaches
\nof confidence, and the failure
\nto understand culture and generational
\ndifferences. As you implement
\nyour reverse mentoring program, be on
\nthe lookout for these pitfalls.
\nAsking partners questions about the
\nstructure of the mentoring program
\ncan help you calibrate and adjust: <\/p>\n\n
\nwould you rate the time commitment? (Too
\nmuch, too little, just right?)\n<\/p>\n
\nprogram provide the orientation,
\ntools, and ongoing support that you
\nneeded? <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nvaluable part of a mentoring
\npartnership is the opportunity to learn
\nand stretch personally and
\nprofessionally. Publish, share, and
\ncelebrate these successes! Check in
\nwith partners and get their reactions to
\nthe program with the following
\nquestions: <\/p>\n\n
\nWhat do you like best about the
\nmentoring program? <\/p>\n
\ndo you like least about the
\nmentoring program? <\/p>\n
\nwas your goal for
\nparticipating, and to what degree did
\nyou accomplish your goal? <\/p>\n
\nprogram been to your professional
\ncareer? <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nHow Will We Know We Are
\nSucceeding? <\/span><\/strong>
\n <\/strong><\/p>\n
\nplan should include evaluating the
\nsuccess of your program, including
\nmeasuring and quantifying outcomes. The
\nCoordinator of the program
\nshould perform all monitoring of
\nparticipating pairs, though he or she
\nmay need some help with evaluation. <\/p>\n
\ninclude questionnaires or surveys of
\nparticipants, individual
\ninterviews, or observation of their
\nmeetings. You are seeking to measure
\nsome difficult-to-quantify outcomes,
\nincluding individual attitude and
\nbehavior, as well as accomplishments.
\nHere are 4 ways you can gain
\ninformation to gauge success: <\/p>\n\n
\ninformation related to the program goal\n<\/p>\n
\nsurvey (satisfaction\/climate) results\n<\/p>\n
\neffectiveness <\/p>\n
\nand their partners <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nthe program is not meeting its goals, be
\nprepared to make some changes,
\nre-train participants, or otherwise
\nsupport the program to ensure it is
\nsuccessful. <\/p>\n
\nThoughts<\/strong> <\/span> <\/p>\n
\nsituation for everyone involved. You can
\ncement the loyalty, interest,
\nand talents of your Millennial team
\nmembers; and more experienced
\nemployees will realize that access to
\nnew and different ideas can make
\nthem more effective at serving clients
\nand driving earnings. In other
\nwords, when you mix fresh, unbiased
\nperspectives with detailed knowledge
\nand strategic skills, the results are
\ninnovation and increased employee
\nengagement across the board. <\/p>\n
\n Reverse Mentoring
\nExamples<\/strong>
\n <\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nResources, asks Alan, a new 20-something
\nSales Support Representative, to meet
\nwith her monthly to share ideas on how
\n their company can create
\nopportunities that are exciting for
\nMillennials. In return, Alan gains a
\nrare inside view of how the organization
\noperates.\n<\/p>\n
\nlives and breathes social media. Once
\nhis company’s Director of
\nMarketing discovers this interest, she
\nasks him
\n to add a regular meeting to his
\nschedule. He visits her office to
\nprovide her with his personal feedback
\nand his generation’s perspective
\non the
\n company’s social media
\npresence.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mentoring Glue<\/strong>
\n <\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nmentoring program is effective, you need
\nto put some thought behind it. Take some
\ntime to consider the “hard
\nglue”
\n and “soft glue” that can
\nhold a successful program together.\n<\/p>\n
\n Hard Glue:<\/strong>
\n <\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n
\nexpectations. Both partners need to be
\nclear on what they want to accomplish.\n <\/p>\n
\nmust be fully committed to the mentoring
\nrelationship, with
\n
\n regular—at least
\nmonthly—meetings and activities.
\nPartners should agree to be cooperative
\nand
\n
\n respectful.\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n Soft Glue:<\/strong>
\n <\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n
\nreverse mentoring relationship, both
\nparties must genuinely want to learn
\nfrom and share with the other.\n <\/p>\n
\neach other outside of comfort zones and
\ntry new ways of thinking, working, and
\nbeing. Ideally, the partners will
\n create a safe, professional, yet
\nrisk-taking environment, and maintain
\nconfidentiality.\n <\/p>\n
\nbe open with their feelings and with
\nwhat they are thinking. They must be
\nable to overcome differences in
\ncommunication
\n style and be open to seeing
\nsituations from different angles.\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n Your Launch Agenda<\/strong>
\n <\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nand support for participants. Include
\nthese topics:\n<\/p>\n\n
\nwhy now? (Make the business case).\n <\/p>\n
\n(Use a tool such as an experience
\ntimeline.)\n <\/p>\n
\ngoals.\n <\/p>\n
\nlearning styles.\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n “How Will We Know?
\n”<\/strong>
\n <\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\n Quantitative Success Measures<\/u>
\n <\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n
\nmentors\n <\/p>\n
\nvolunteer\n <\/p>\n
\nmentors\n <\/p>\n
\nthat are implemented with mentor support
\nor influenced by mentors\n <\/p>\n
\nresults (questions related to career-
\nfriendly climate)\n <\/p>\n
\nmentors and their partners\n <\/p>\n
\nprofessional goals achieved that are
\nattributed to mentor support\n <\/p>\n
\nretained who have mentors versus
\nretention rates for those without
\nmentors\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n Qualitative Success Measures<\/u>
\n <\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n
\nparticipants regarding the value of the
\nexperience and the personal and business
\nimpact\n <\/p>\n
\nparticipant job effectiveness from
\nparticipants’ Managers\n <\/p>\n
\nidea and best practice transfer across
\ndepartments, functions, or business
\nunits\n <\/p>\n
\nor initiatives that are positively
\nimpacted because key participants
\nbenefited from mentor involvement,
\nsupport, and\/or
\n knowledge transfer\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n The First Meeting<\/strong>
\n <\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nand his or her partner is like sitting
\ndown to write a book and staring at a
\nblank piece of paper. How do you get
\n started? The answer in this case is
\nby getting to know each other.\n<\/p>\n
\nyounger employee—takes the role of
\nteacher. Regardless of who leads the
\nconversation or sets the agenda, it is
\n essential that both partners
\nremember the goal is for the Manager or
\ntenured employee to learn from a younger
\ncounterpart and not take over the
\n
\n mentor’s role.\n<\/p>\n
\nconversation by telling stories and
\nencouraging his or her partner to tell
\nstories, giving specific examples
\nrelated to his or her
\n personal and professional
\nexperiences. Both should share lessons
\nthey have learned from
\nexperience—whether on the job or
\noutside of work. This will
\n increase their credibility and
\nbreathe real life into their
\nrecommendations.\n<\/p>\n
\nto kick off meaningful
\ndiscussions—conversations that
\ncount:\n<\/p>\n\n
\npeople do not know about you?\n <\/p>\n
\nbalance work and personal life. What
\nhave you learned that you could share?
\nWhat compromises have you made? How do
\nyou feel
\n about them?\n <\/p>\n
\nlife experiences. What have you done
\nthat was unusual or controversial? What
\nexperiences do you hope to have in the
\n future?\n <\/p>\n
\nthat you thought would have a negative
\nimpact on your career? How did you learn
\nfrom them? What would you do
\n differently?\n <\/p>\n
\ndecision you ever made, and why? What
\ndid you learn that you would like to
\napply to the future?\n <\/p>\n
\nor building? What kinds of things are
\nyou doing to pass along your expertise?\n <\/p>\n
\ncareer advice you have received? Why?
\nHow have you put it into practice?\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\ncomfortable and candid? The formula is
\nsimple and the results can be
\nextraordinary. A great conversation just
\ntakes curiosity and
\n a willingness to be changed or
\nstretched by another person’s
\nexperience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"