How reverse mentorship can help create better leaders
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0:00 - 0:02We've always thought of mentoring
-
0:02 - 0:05as the older generation
passing down wisdom to the young, -
0:05 - 0:07but there's a huge benefit
to flipping that around -
0:07 - 0:09and allowing the novice
to teach the master. -
0:09 - 0:11[The Way We Work]
-
0:12 - 0:14[Made possible
with the support of Dropbox] -
0:14 - 0:17The workforce currently consists
of up to five generations -
0:17 - 0:18and it's becoming more diverse
-
0:18 - 0:21across all spectrums
of underrepresented groups. -
0:21 - 0:24But that change
is not arriving nearly as fast -
0:24 - 0:25in C-suites and in boardrooms.
-
0:25 - 0:27Which means there's a growing gap
-
0:27 - 0:28between leaders and their people
-
0:28 - 0:31in regards to their
perspectives and experiences. -
0:31 - 0:34Our organizations can fall
right through that gap -
0:34 - 0:37into the trap of stale
thinking, blind spots -
0:37 - 0:39and having policies that could alienate
-
0:39 - 0:40these underrepresented groups,
-
0:40 - 0:42not only in regards to age,
-
0:42 - 0:43race or gender,
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0:43 - 0:45but all different kinds of viewpoints.
-
0:45 - 0:48Reverse mentoring could be an antidote
to that tunnel vision. -
0:48 - 0:50But making reverse mentoring work,
-
0:50 - 0:52isn't as simple as finding a mentor
-
0:52 - 0:53and pressing go.
-
0:53 - 0:55You have to be genuinely curious
-
0:55 - 0:56about learning from that individual.
-
0:56 - 0:59And you have to be intentional
about the relationship -
0:59 - 1:00in order to make it valuable.
-
1:00 - 1:02I know this because I was asked
-
1:02 - 1:05just a year into my career
at Virgin Atlantic -
1:05 - 1:07to be the first ever reverse mentor
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1:07 - 1:09to mentor CEO Craig Kreeger.
-
1:09 - 1:10I'd met Craig a few times
-
1:10 - 1:12and presented to him in meetings,
-
1:12 - 1:14but this, it was a whole
different ball game. -
1:14 - 1:16Craig had revealed
that he had no black women -
1:16 - 1:17in his inner circle
-
1:17 - 1:19and he was keen
to understand my perspective -
1:20 - 1:22on how to build a more inclusive
culture at Virgin Atlantic. -
1:22 - 1:24No pressure.
-
1:24 - 1:25Here's what I learned
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1:25 - 1:27about how to make reverse mentoring work.
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1:27 - 1:29Lesson one, make your match thoughtfully.
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1:29 - 1:30Find someone who has a pulse
-
1:30 - 1:32on the key spokespeople
in the organization -
1:32 - 1:34to help you make your match.
-
1:34 - 1:36This doesn't have to be
someone in human resources, -
1:36 - 1:39just someone who knows you
and your teams well, -
1:39 - 1:40because chemistry really matters.
-
1:40 - 1:42The VP of people experience chose me
-
1:42 - 1:44because I was open to sharing my ideas
-
1:44 - 1:47and also my enthusiasm
for leadership development. -
1:47 - 1:48Also make sure
-
1:48 - 1:51that your mentor isn't a direct report
or part of your team, -
1:51 - 1:54because it will be really difficult
to elicit honest feedback -
1:54 - 1:56from someone who you also have to review
-
1:56 - 1:57at the end of the year.
-
1:57 - 1:58If you're in finance,
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1:59 - 2:00find someone creative in marketing,
-
2:00 - 2:03or if you're in engineering,
find someone in customer service. -
2:03 - 2:05This will ensure
that you develop perspectives -
2:05 - 2:07from outside of your immediate team
-
2:07 - 2:09and different perspectives
make better leaders. -
2:09 - 2:10Lesson two,
-
2:10 - 2:13to make things simple,
set some ground rules. -
2:13 - 2:15The first meeting should be offsite
in a neutral location. -
2:15 - 2:18If you're the mentee,
you should set the agenda. -
2:18 - 2:20What is it that you really want to learn?
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2:20 - 2:21Maybe you'd like to understand
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2:21 - 2:23your mentor's career journey
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2:23 - 2:25or perhaps whether
they've had any major obstacles -
2:25 - 2:26they've had to overcome,
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2:26 - 2:28or maybe you'd like to understand
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2:28 - 2:30how specific company policies impact them
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2:30 - 2:33either directly or indirectly.
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2:33 - 2:34Agree that your conversations together
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2:34 - 2:36will be confidential
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2:36 - 2:38and whether there are any topics
which are off limits, -
2:38 - 2:39such as family life
-
2:39 - 2:41or specific feedback on individuals.
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2:41 - 2:43Lesson three, start with an icebreaker.
-
2:43 - 2:44I like to think of this
-
2:44 - 2:47as a long elevator pitch
of your life stories. -
2:47 - 2:48Who are you?
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2:48 - 2:49Poignant moments in your life.
-
2:49 - 2:51What are your hopes and dreams?
-
2:51 - 2:54Pivot to seek differences
and not similarities -
2:54 - 2:56because that's the real power
of reverse mentoring. -
2:56 - 2:57Craig and I found
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2:57 - 2:59that we had formative
experiences in common. -
2:59 - 3:01Both of us immigrants,
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3:01 - 3:03him a second generation
growing up in the US -
3:03 - 3:05and myself first generation
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3:05 - 3:07arriving in the UK from Jamaica
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3:07 - 3:08at the age of three.
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3:08 - 3:09But from there,
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3:09 - 3:11our stories are quite different.
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3:11 - 3:13Lesson four, beware of role reversion.
-
3:13 - 3:15There were a few times in our conversation
-
3:15 - 3:17where Craig slipped
into giving me career advice. -
3:17 - 3:20And I had to say,
"Craig this is really interesting -
3:20 - 3:22and I'd love to come back to this later,
-
3:22 - 3:23but in our limited time together,
-
3:23 - 3:26is there anything else you'd
like to understand from me?" -
3:26 - 3:27Now this was quite hard,
-
3:27 - 3:29but you have to remember that as a mentor
-
3:29 - 3:31for this very short period of time,
-
3:31 - 3:34your insights are actually more valuable
to the organization. -
3:34 - 3:36Lesson five, make time for reflection.
-
3:36 - 3:39Agree the key takeaways
from each of the sessions, -
3:39 - 3:42either at the end
or through follow-up email -
3:42 - 3:43and schedule your sessions
-
3:43 - 3:45to allow time between for reflection.
-
3:45 - 3:48We found that three to four weeks
provided a great rhythm. -
3:48 - 3:49And finally,
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3:49 - 3:51give credit where credit's due.
-
3:51 - 3:53In the traditional mentoring relationship
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3:53 - 3:55the mentor isn't expected
to be given credit. -
3:55 - 3:57However, in reverse mentoring
-
3:57 - 4:00where the mentee actually
holds a lot of the power -
4:00 - 4:02accurate credit really counts.
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4:02 - 4:04Forward-thinking organizations
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4:04 - 4:06use reverse mentoring as one of the tools
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4:06 - 4:08to help them build
a more inclusive environment. -
4:08 - 4:09And studies have shown
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4:09 - 4:12that when organizations
embrace reverse mentoring -
4:12 - 4:14members of those underrepresented groups
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4:14 - 4:17feel more confident
in sharing their perspectives. -
4:17 - 4:19And when accompanied
by a comprehensive diversity -
4:19 - 4:21and inclusion strategy,
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4:21 - 4:24it leads to higher retention
amongst these groups. -
4:24 - 4:25Personally, I found
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4:25 - 4:28that my reverse mentoring
relationship with Craig -
4:28 - 4:31enabled me to have a sense
of ownership and leadership -
4:31 - 4:33in building an inclusive
culture at Virgin. -
4:33 - 4:34And for Craig, it showed
-
4:34 - 4:37that even when you're
at the pinnacle of your career, -
4:37 - 4:38there's still more you can learn.
- Title:
- How reverse mentorship can help create better leaders
- Speaker:
- Patrice Gordon
- Description:
-
Employee diversity and inclusive leadership are goals for most organizations today, but how do we get there? Try a "reverse mentorship" program, which sets up junior team members to guide senior staff. Here are 6 tips to make reverse mentorship work, from executive coach and personal development advocate Patrice Gordon.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 04:38
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Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for How reverse mentorship can help create better leaders | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for How reverse mentorship can help create better leaders | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for How reverse mentorship can help create better leaders |