WHY TRY REVERSE MENTORING

Mrs Dada had just gotten the call from work that there would be a virtual board meeting by that afternoon, she had no idea on what to do. She was ruminating on this when her son Wole, entered and saw her looking worried. After she told him what the problem was, Wole helped her set up her meeting and guided her on what to do.

Most times, when people think of mentoring, their brain automatically conjures an elderly individual and a younger person, with the former being the mentor. While this is not inaccurate, it is not always the case. Apart from the conventional mentor-mentee, there are other ways knowledge and information can be transferred from one individual to another. One of such methods is through reverse mentoring.

The world is moving at the speed of light, and innovation is springing up on a daily. This leaves a vacuum of learning. Here is where reverse mentoring comes in. Reverse mentoring is a form of mentoring where a junior individual shares their knowledge with a senior person. It turns the hierarchy of conventional mentoring on its head. It is also known as upward mentoring.

See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven that their angels always see the face of their Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 18:10 ESV

Reverse mentoring further reinforces the claim that knowledge can be gotten from anywhere. No man has a monopoly on knowledge or Wisdom. As younger people learn from older and more experienced people, so also do younger people have a thing to each the older generation. Reverse mentoring plays a vital role in bridging the gap between generations, especially in the same workforce. For instance, when it comes to technology and social media, the so-called millennials are in the know-how, and organizations and individuals can leverage on them to help the older generation understand how to go about it. The goal of reverse mentoring is to take advantage of the fresh perspective a newcomer offers.

In whatever position you find yourself, whether as the head of an organization or as an individual who is looking to progress in all ramifications, you should take advantage of reverse mentoring for your self and the progress of your organizations. It makes the junior members feel appreciated and valued, and bring the senior colleagues up to date and in-the-know.

Thank you for reading. Do you think reverse mentoring is ideal? And have you taken advantage of it?