Looking for new HR ideas? Try Reverse Mentoring
In a reverse twist of events in the world of management, the majority of companies are fast discovering the need for reverse mentorship; that is the ‘young’ mentoring the ‘old’. With the world moving at such a relentless pace, it is no surprise that most HR departments this new year will capitalize on their ‘network intelligence’ and give mentorship a new face by tapping into its multigenerational workforce.
83% of professionals would like to be involved in a mentoring program, yet only 29% are in workplaces that offer them. (Robert Walters Recruiting)
Generation Y is entering the world of business as a digitally literate group, craving feedback and prepared to challenge traditional ways. As the landscape begins to shift, baby boomers are harnessing the fresh perspective of tomorrow’s business leaders. This trend has become known as “reverse mentoring,” in which a younger individual mentors an older one in areas such as emerging technology and social media trends, offering valuable business insight. Gen Z, on the other hand, are also building upon this. Described as being ‘more self-starting, more self-aware and more realistic’, it’s no surprise that 37 percent of respondents cited professional growth and learning opportunities as their main priority when looking for a job.
In multigenerational workforce companies, reverse mentoring is seen as a way to bring older employees up to speed in areas that are often second nature to 20-something employees, whose lives have been more deeply integrated with computers and the Web. But this goes beyond just transferring tech knowledge. As we discussed earlier, your employees hold incredible amounts of pieces of info & knowledge and can be instrumental in helping you achieve business & HR goals. All this combined with the knowledge possessed by the networks they interact with online, IS PURE GOLD! that you should be mining. Generations also possess different attitudes, values & behaviors that could prove helpful to you.
This approach divides the responsibility for organizing mentoring to junior employees, who grow from senior executives by mentoring them & vice versa. A younger staff is matched to an executive and assigned to teach him or her how to, say, use social media to connect with customers. It’s also an effective way to transfer knowledge within the company or team so that when the mentees retire, the younger generation has a better understanding of the business. Workplace mentors used to be older and higher up the ranks than their mentees. Not anymore, as social media skills and other digital skills become increasingly valuable in the future of work.
The idea is that managers can learn a thing or two about life outside their corner office. But companies say another outcome is reduced turnover among younger employees, who not only gain a sense of purpose but also a rare glimpse into the world of management and access to top-level brass.
Reverse mentoring was championed by Jack Welch when he was chief executive of General Electric Co. He ordered 500 top-level executives to reach out to people below them to learn how to use the Internet. Mr. Welch himself was matched with an employee in her 20s who taught him how to surf the Web. The younger mentors “got visibility,” he says.
Andrew Graff, CEO of Allen & Gerritsen, a Watertown, Mass., ad agency, says he was one of the first to volunteer when his company launched a reverse mentoring program last year. Under the program, mentors and mentees meet every three weeks for 90 minutes over lunch or coffee.
The 47-year-old has since come to lean on his mentor, 23-year-old Eric Leist, for guidance on everything from the latest smartphone apps to the layout of a new office. Mr. Graff says the most important lesson he has learned is how to be flexible, including allowing employees to work unconventional hours and to check in from home or a coffee shop.
“There’s an assumption that if you’re senior, you have a lot to teach, and if you’re junior, you have a lot to learn, and I’m saying let’s challenge the status quo,” he says. Mr. Leist says he was surprised when Mr. Graff began sharing management tips during their lunch sessions. “This allows me to take a step back and see what he sees,” says Mr. Leist.
When Cisco Systems Inc. started its Gen Y Reverse Mentoring Program nearly two years ago, “it became a badge of honor,” says Jeanette Gibson, director of social and digital marketing. “When the word got out that a few execs had a [junior] mentor, others wanted one, too,” she says.
Still, it’s not all smooth sailing. Many older workers bristle at the idea of being mentored by someone younger, especially since they usually have many more years of career experience, says Sanghamitra Chaudhuri, a senior lecturer at Ohio State University who recently co-wrote a research report on the topic.
When Vancouver entrepreneur Deborah Richardson started her fashion-retail business, Velvet Room Boutique, which operated in Kerrisdale for six years, she had no idea how social media could leverage a business. A younger intern, Vanessa Lewis, had a strong background in digital tools and walked Ms. Richardson through the ins and outs of using Twitter and Facebook, completely changing the entrepreneur’s perspective on marketing her business.
“If not for Vanessa my business would have probably been three years behind,” Ms. Richardson says. “I’ve since moved on to open a new business, Think Partner Coaching, but the guidance and direction I had received from her — and continue to receive to this day — is what keeps my business current and is why I believe I am able to really relate with my clients. It’s not just about being tech savvy but also valuing the change in perspective and working with a wider base of knowledge.”
Young employees are also actually the best at solving problems. Since they have more time than the senior executive, giving them a complex or simple issue to think about will send them spiraling down the web trying to find an answer. Most of the work I did during my internships was aided by the internet and curiosity.
The idea that senior executives could stand to learn a thing or two from new employees goes against traditional workplace practices, where most more experienced workers often provide the most input, make decisions, and provide mentorship to newer employees with less experience. However, the fast-moving developments in technology and work trends have reversed this logic in some offices, where older workers may have experience and insight, but lack strong skills in other areas.
Also, while some older executives are insulted by the notion of being mentored by a new employee, many see it as an opportunity for giving and taking, where new and experienced employees share their knowledge, boosting both groups’ understanding and improving overall communication and collaboration in the workplace.
There are many benefits of reverse mentoring programs:
- Closing the knowledge gap for both parties: For example, older employees learn social media from the younger person and the younger person learns business terminology and industry practices from the older employee.
- Empowers emerging and established leaders by giving them access to new knowledge & networks
- Brings different employee generations closer together: As Alexa Scordato, a reverse mentoring devotee states, “We need to think about reverse mentorship and pairing young people with seasoned executives. We need to stop thinking about it as an ‘us versus them’ conversation. It’s a two-way street.”
- Can serve as a recruiting & retention strategy for Millenials and Gen Z, who as we had discussed earlier, are looking for opportunities to grow & contribute relevant work as highlighted in this 2017 Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report. Research proves that companies that provide growth & learning such as Google & IBM are attracting more Gen Z for new jobs using this.
“ In many instances, employees themselves are pushing for continuous skill development and dynamic careers. Glassdoor data reveal that among Millennials, the “ability to learn and progress” is now the principal driver of a company’s employment brand. Yet only one-third of Millennials believe their organizations are using their skills well, and 42 percent say they are likely to leave because they are not learning fast enough.”-The 100 Year Life
The good news is that reverse or reciprocal mentoring can take place within existing company mentoring programs. It doesn’t require a lot in the way of new processes, just the ability to match up employees of different generations and then encourage each team to meet regularly to exchange ideas and challenge each other. Mentoring relationships shouldn’t be restricted to people of the same gender or who have similar backgrounds — because there’s much we can learn from people who are different from ourselves.
Ultimately, whether the relationship begins as reverse mentoring or traditional mentoring, mentorship is a two-way street where both parties can learn from one another.
Need extra tips on your mentorship program, check this out or our earlier piece based on the book Alliance-Managing-Talent-Networked-Age and this guide on how to set up a corporate mentorship program.
