Name: Why reverse mentoring is good for you, your employees and your business
Uploaded: 2023-11-02T13:46:02.789Z
Duration: 327.12

Rebecca Early v3mp4.mp4

Rebecca Early v3mp4.vtt

English

{{00:00:00}}
I think what reverse mentoring does
is it really actually challenges

{{00:00:02}}
the concept that there is such a
thing as more or less experienced.

{{00:00:07}}
It's about being differently experienced,
and that's really what our mentors

{{00:00:11}}
are actually like driving home.

{{00:00:15}}
Traditionally, when we think of mentoring
in businesses and corporations, we think

{{00:00:27}}
of a senior leader or an industry expert
mentoring a less Senior employee to help

{{00:00:33}}
them with their career development and
or advancement with reverse mentoring.

{{00:00:37}}
What we've decided to do is flip
the narrative and give the role of

{{00:00:41}}
mentor to the less senior employee
to mentor their senior leader or

{{00:00:46}}
business expert in what it's like to
be part of the industry in their shoes.

{{00:00:51}}
If we're thinking specifically about
the industries and companies that could

{{00:00:55}}
really benefit from running reverse
mentoring, it's particularly with the

{{00:00:59}}
companies where we maybe see a lack of
diversity, especially at leadership level.

{{00:01:04}}
We see a lot of echo chambers taking
place in boardrooms, which means

{{00:01:08}}
that we might end up not actually
seeing the solutions where that are

{{00:01:11}}
readily available to those of us that
see things through a different lens

{{00:01:14}}
different perspective.

{{00:01:15}}
So this is really giving an opportunity
for our employees to have a direct

{{00:01:18}}
line into those leadership rooms,
giving them an opportunity to speak

{{00:01:23}}
in a way that they've never yet
had the privilege to speak before.

{{00:01:31}}
Benefits of reverse mentoring to a mentor.

{{00:01:34}}
I have to say that's definitely what
actually keeps me going with these

{{00:01:38}}
programs because it's incredibly
empowering to be able to tell somebody

{{00:01:43}}
that they have story, a perspective
that is really worth listening to

{{00:01:48}}
and incorporating into the way that
the business it's shaping itself.

{{00:01:52}}
The benefits are for the mentee
as well are incredibly humanizing.

{{00:01:57}}
We're actually showing our employees
that our leaders do actually have

{{00:02:01}}
human aspects that they need to start
incorporating into what they're doing,

{{00:02:06}}
addressing their vulnerabilities and
actually helping them shape the business

{{00:02:10}}
decisions for the better for it.

{{00:02:17}}
So the subject we find usually come
up during the conversations between

{{00:02:21}}
mentors and mentees really don't do.

{{00:02:24}}
They very completely dependent
on the mentor and the story that

{{00:02:28}}
they're bringing to the table.

{{00:02:29}}
Some reverse mentoring programs
like to steer towards like

{{00:02:32}}
upskilling on more hard skills.

{{00:02:34}}
such as maybe developing more digital
tech skills in our perhaps more older

{{00:02:39}}
and more senior leadership teams.

{{00:02:41}}
However, what I like to do with our
adverse mentoring is really kind of

{{00:02:45}}
empower our mentors to be talking
through a way of showing people how to

{{00:02:49}}
be more empathetic as leaders, showing
them how to really take accountability

{{00:02:54}}
when they maybe put a foot wrong and
Say or do something that could be quite

{{00:02:58}}
offensive instead of taking the more
defensive route to try and prove that

{{00:03:01}}
they're not a bad person, for instance.

{{00:03:04}}
And it really helps also establish how
important setting healthy boundaries is

{{00:03:08}}
to our leaders to be able to demonstrate
why we need to actually role model

{{00:03:13}}
these behaviors to help employees see
themselves in the leadership teams

{{00:03:16}}
that they don't yet see themselves in.

{{00:03:24}}
We often find that a lot of.

{{00:03:25}}
Feedback is collected from employees
through surveys through polls, and

{{00:03:30}}
we're losing a lot of really honest
and qualitative feedback that could

{{00:03:34}}
actually be shown by building a really
trusting, honest relationship between

{{00:03:38}}
an employee and their senior leader.

{{00:03:41}}
So this actually gives those employees
an opportunity to feel like they're

{{00:03:45}}
Thoughts and perspectives are being
incorporated and giving an equitable

{{00:03:49}}
share in driving the business forward.

{{00:03:52}}
So this really means that we're
improving the inclusivity of the

{{00:03:55}}
workforce, which in turn really mean
that we're improving the diversity

{{00:03:59}}
itself, because I don't believe that.

{{00:04:02}}
Constantly just hiring
lots of diverse people will

{{00:04:04}}
necessarily be all we need to do.

{{00:04:06}}
We need to make sure those
people feel a real sense of

{{00:04:08}}
belonging while they're there.

{{00:04:10}}
So if we can actually work on
retaining those diverse,  people

{{00:04:13}}
in our teams, we're also going to
start attracting more just as much.

{{00:04:26}}
I think there's a lot of difficulties
we kind of experience, with

{{00:04:29}}
mantaining the dinamic of whose
is the mentor and whose is mentee.

{{00:04:33}}
We've got a lot of mentors that are
used to being mentees and a lot of

{{00:04:37}}
mentees that are used to being mentors.

{{00:04:39}}
So it's really important that we really
work on the empowerment piece for

{{00:04:43}}
the mentors, make sure that they feel
really well equipped with conversation

{{00:04:46}}
starters, maybe do some workshops and
group discussions with their peers,

{{00:04:51}}
where they can talk about these different
subjects, such as accountability

{{00:04:54}}
and setting boundaries and empathy.

{{00:04:57}}
And with the mentees, It's really
important to make it clear that

{{00:05:00}}
this is not about problem solving.

{{00:05:02}}
This is about really
building that connection.

{{00:05:04}}
And that's why we like to
use a lot of content from Dr.

{{00:05:06}}
Brené Brown, who's an amazing
American psychologist.

{{00:05:09}}
Who, like, I think I'm
going to paraphrase here.

{{00:05:12}}
But she says that rarely can a
response make something better.

{{00:05:16}}
What makes something better is connection.

{{00:05:18}}
And that is what underpins
reverse mentoring.

I think what reverse mentoring does
is it really actually challenges

the concept that there is such a
thing as more or less experienced.

It's about being differently experienced,
and that's really what our mentors

Traditionally, when we think of mentoring
in businesses and corporations, we think

of a senior leader or an industry expert
mentoring a less Senior employee to help

them with their career development and
or advancement with reverse mentoring.

What we've decided to do is flip
the narrative and give the role of

mentor to the less senior employee
to mentor their senior leader or

business expert in what it's like to
be part of the industry in their shoes.

If we're thinking specifically about
the industries and companies that could

really benefit from running reverse
mentoring, it's particularly with the

companies where we maybe see a lack of
diversity, especially at leadership level.

We see a lot of echo chambers taking
place in boardrooms, which means

that we might end up not actually
seeing the solutions where that are

readily available to those of us that
see things through a different lens

So this is really giving an opportunity
for our employees to have a direct

line into those leadership rooms,
giving them an opportunity to speak

in a way that they've never yet
had the privilege to speak before.

Benefits of reverse mentoring to a mentor.

I have to say that's definitely what
actually keeps me going with these

programs because it's incredibly
empowering to be able to tell somebody

that they have story, a perspective
that is really worth listening to

and incorporating into the way that
the business it's shaping itself.

The benefits are for the mentee
as well are incredibly humanizing.

We're actually showing our employees
that our leaders do actually have

human aspects that they need to start
incorporating into what they're doing,

addressing their vulnerabilities and
actually helping them shape the business

So the subject we find usually come
up during the conversations between

They very completely dependent
on the mentor and the story that

Some reverse mentoring programs
like to steer towards like

such as maybe developing more digital
tech skills in our perhaps more older

However, what I like to do with our
adverse mentoring is really kind of

empower our mentors to be talking
through a way of showing people how to

be more empathetic as leaders, showing
them how to really take accountability

when they maybe put a foot wrong and
Say or do something that could be quite

offensive instead of taking the more
defensive route to try and prove that

And it really helps also establish how
important setting healthy boundaries is

to our leaders to be able to demonstrate
why we need to actually role model

these behaviors to help employees see
themselves in the leadership teams

Feedback is collected from employees
through surveys through polls, and

we're losing a lot of really honest
and qualitative feedback that could

actually be shown by building a really
trusting, honest relationship between

So this actually gives those employees
an opportunity to feel like they're

Thoughts and perspectives are being
incorporated and giving an equitable

So this really means that we're
improving the inclusivity of the

workforce, which in turn really mean
that we're improving the diversity

Constantly just hiring
lots of diverse people will

We need to make sure those
people feel a real sense of

So if we can actually work on
retaining those diverse,  people

in our teams, we're also going to
start attracting more just as much.

I think there's a lot of difficulties
we kind of experience, with

mantaining the dinamic of whose
is the mentor and whose is mentee.

We've got a lot of mentors that are
used to being mentees and a lot of

So it's really important that we really
work on the empowerment piece for

the mentors, make sure that they feel
really well equipped with conversation

starters, maybe do some workshops and
group discussions with their peers,

where they can talk about these different
subjects, such as accountability

And with the mentees, It's really
important to make it clear that

This is about really
building that connection.

And that's why we like to
use a lot of content from Dr.

Brené Brown, who's an amazing
American psychologist.

Who, like, I think I'm
going to paraphrase here.

But she says that rarely can a
response make something better.

What makes something better is connection.

And that is what underpins
reverse mentoring.

Expert Insight

Many people have a mentor at some point in their career - someone to learn from and to help guide them. Usually that person is older, more experienced, more senior in the company. But it doesn't have to be that way.
HR Advisor and Reverse Mentor Consultant, Rebecca Early, talked to Streamly about the benefits - and the challenges - of reverse mentoring. Find out how flipping the relationship can benefit you and your company.

Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity, Equality & Inclusion

Inclusivity

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Becca Early

Reverse Mentoring Consultant

Discover the concept of reverse mentoring, where junior employees mentor senior leaders, and how this approach fosters inclusivity, fresh insights, and improved communication.

What is a reverse mentoring ?

According to Early, reverse mentoring offers multifaceted benefits, including empowering leaders with empathy, accountability, and boundary setting while giving junior staff a bigger voice in the company.

 Benefits of reverse mentoring

Early shares some of the most common themes for reverse mentoring.

What happens in a session?

Early emphasises that establishing trust-based relationships between employees and senior leaders serves as a platform for open communication, giving employees a sense of their thoughts being valued and contributing to the business.

Benefits for the organisation

For Early, balancing mentor and mentee roles in reverse mentoring can be tricky when roles are reversed but empowering mentors with conversation skills is key.