Reverse Mentoring. What is it? Is it Worth Considering?

Everyone has heard of mentoring. It is a technique of learning that has been around since time began. But what of Reverse Mentoring?

This technique is fairly new. It has been developed to deal with issues brought about by the differences between generations. In short, while Mentoring is someone older teaching someone younger, Reverse Mentoring is a younger one teaching someone older.

This type of mentoring brings about its own challenges, but also its own rewards. Here is everything you need to know about Reverse Mentoring.

What Would a Reverse Mentor, Mentor?

In this day and age technology moves faster than we do. Hands up if you remember to dial up internet. What about phones that you had to plug into a wall? Some people would say remembering such things shows your age, but that was only the 1990s. Anyone born in that time period would only be in their early 30s. How many things have changed? 

This is why Reverse Mentoring has become so important. While technology has moved on, the younger generation has grown up with this speed of technology and they are keeping up. They know and understand social media, smartphones, tablets, voice-activated software, wifi printers, all these things that someone older might have a harder time comprehending.

While a reverse mentor can teach many things (like how to communicate with their generation) they are most often needed with help understanding the scope of technology in today’s world.

Where are Reverse Mentors Most Commonly Seen?

Reverse Mentors are most commonly seen in two major places. 

1. Businesses transitioning into the age of technology.

These businesses often do not want to be replacing all their staff. The staff has understood the company and the job, but they struggle with all the new technology that they have to get used to. In this situation, a company might consider getting in some younger ones to act as reverse mentors. These ones can help the well-established staff come to grips with the new tools that they have at their disposal.

For example, imagine a marketer who tells the world about the great products this company makes. How many people would that person reach using newspapers and online ads? How many more would they reach if a reverse mentor taught them everything they needed to know about Social Media?

2. The online community.

Ever seen an older YouTuber try to get an audience? How about new gamers arriving on a server? An older generation decides to start streaming and needs help. These are all scenarios where Reverse Mentors thrive. 

New generations know more than the older generations ever could about the online world. and they are willing to teach. Most of them love to be asked how things work online and they enjoy helping others achieve something through it. They may not always realize it, but when they take someone on to help them build the skills they have already learned. They are reverse mentoring.

Is It Worth Getting a Reverse Mentor?

While the benefits of being reverse mentored are many, there are also common issues that you want to look out for, especially if you are thinking about bringing a reverse mentor onto your team to help some older staff.

On the one hand, a reverse mentor will know their topic as completely as a senior electrician knows his. 

On the other hand, one needs to be aware of the mental pitfalls of bringing someone younger in to teach someone older. The benefits may be made known, but for someone with pride, this can be a hard pill to swallow. One must always be aware of the feelings involved. You may need to pitch such an idea differently from such ones. 

For example, let’s look again at the marketer. This person might have been doing the same job for 30+ years, making the company known far and wide. They have learned every trick in the book and know how to talk to people. Then their boss tells them that they are bringing in someone in their 20s to show them how it’s done. Ouch. That is going to cause issues, it will stifle the relationship before it begins. 

Back up.

Try it like this. 

Tell that person that you are bringing in someone with a modern set of skills that can complement what the marketer knows. Assign the Reverse Mentor as the Mentee to that person. Now both sides will benefit. The Mentee will learn everything there is to know about marketing and communication and the Mentor will enjoy learning new skills that will help them appeal to the Modern Day audience.

Bottom line. It is always worth getting a reverse mentor if they know something well that you wish to learn. But be aware you do not offend anyone in the process. 

Benefits of Becoming a Reverse Mentor?

One of the benefits we have already mentioned. That of the chance to be mentored while you are mentoring. This will not only ease relations between you and the one who is learning but also give you the chance to learn a new skill. A skill that might be life-changing or set you down a career path you’ve never considered before but found you enjoy. 

Other benefits include:

• Friendships. People tend to hang around with and develop relationships with others their age, it is only natural as it is what we have been taught to do in schools. Divided by years and classes. Reverse Mentoring allows you to make friendships with all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds, in a whole range of ages. This can lead to some of the most rewarding relationships you will ever have.
• Learning Leadership skills. This is a skill commonly associated with the older generation, people who have had experience leading. Teaching is a leadership skill. By Reverse Mentoring you are getting a head start on some of the most essential skills for career advancement. 
• Communication Skills. Mentoring requires conversation, body language, good use of questions, feedback, criticism, and more. These communication skills will be used in every aspect of your life as you develop your career. 
• Building a Network. Knowing people from all walks of life also gives you a network. These networks can help you with something as simple as finding a job or promoting a gig. Depending on who you are and what you do, having a host of people who you can call upon for advice or help is always going to be useful.
• That feeling of goodness. There is no doubt about it. Helping someone makes you feel good. The same is true of reverse mentoring. You are helping someone to do something they couldn’t do before, this leads to you feeling good about yourself and the help you have given. You can be proud of what others have accomplished with your help.