Reverse mentoring

We have a cool programme at my workplace, called "reverse mentoring" where we pair up with one of our 20-something year-old colleagues, so that we can be mentored on how millenials think and what's important to them, with a specific focus on their digital lifestyle.

My mentor B has been infectiously enthusiastic - in the last couple of weeks, I have already crossed several apparently critical milestones. 

Example 1 - I set up a Whatsapp chat group for my unit.  B was absolutely aghast when I confessed that I didn't already have one.

"What??  No Whatsapp group?  Then how do you communicate with them?!?" She hyperventilated.

"uh...  I kind of just pick up the phone or um, walk over?" I responded nervously.

"Nooooo. *facepalm*"

Example 2 - I set up Paylah!  Even my own team was aghast ("you mean you pay with... *shudder*... cash?") when I went to them after my first reverse mentoring session and asked for their help to set that up.  D even gave me a coupon code for $5.  I was well chuffed to get a free $5 credit just for downloading the app.  Hey, a penny earned is a penny saved.  It was admittedly a whole fortnight later that I figured out what the "verification code" was, but I'm proud to announce that I am now open for electronic commerce.

Example 3 - I set up Instagram - woot!  Apparently only old people use Facebook.  I even managed to link my minty fresh Instagram account to my mouldy old Facebook account.  The friend acquisition rate on Instagram is going slow though.  It's waaaaay too much effort (and terribly confusing - everyone uses some cool nickname on Instagram instead of their actual name) to rebuild my social media network on a completely different platform!

Apparently my next lesson with B is going to be Carousell.  Will this mean that I will finally be able to complete my Transformers 1st generation collection!?  Or maybe even that Panini Dinosaur sticker album???  My excitement knows no bounds, as you can see from my liberal use of high-energy punctuation marks!!!! #excited #apparently #areyounotenetertained?!?

It's not all about social media stuff of course.  I asked B if she could bring along a couple more millenials for me to further accelerate my learning, and E and M were kind enough to oblige.  My impressions of millenials?  I think that they are much more forthright than I remember being at that age.  They are less deferential to age and seniority, and more willing to push their ideas.  This is great, actually.  We need fresh, bright ideas, and energetic people to champion them.

I think millenials might also be slightly less patient with their careers.  I suspect this is because, for their entire working careers, which is post-08/09 financial crisis, the economy has been on the rise, and unemployment has been near nil.  Opportunities abound, and so employers have to work harder to earn their loyalty.

This is quite unlike the start of my own working life, what with the Asian financial crisis, then September 11, then SARS, and then the GFC... I always felt I was on the edge of disaster, so the privilege of having whatever my current job was always seemed to be something of tremendous value.  And my habits built from those earlier years of uncertainty have carried on even when times turned better. 

This potent mix of energy, restlessness and impatience certainly has its benefits.  But as a word of caution "Desire without knowledge is not good - how much more will hasty feet miss the way!"  Proverbs 19:2

Millenials are sometimes accused of being easily bruised too - the so-called "strawberry generation" - unable to take scoldings, needing positive affirmation all the time, having to go off on "sabbaticals" to "find themselves" or "take a break" when they've barely started their careers, etc. 

Maybe there's some truth to this - but I suppose... that's what our predecessors slogged for, so that we could have a better life?  I'm pretty sure my parents' generation was a harder lot than mine, and if I do my job right, my children might have it easier than me?  Any generation where the kids have it worse off than their parents... well I think we might need to take a good hard look at where we went wrong.  The Europeans certainly went through that, and perhaps now the Americans are too.

All in all, I'm garnering a useful education from my reverse mentor(s).  I look forward to repaying the debt once I've graduated from Millenial High :)

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity" 1 Timothy 4:12

 "Mockers resent correction, so they avoid the wise." Proverbs 15:12 

Comments

Sophia Morell said…
Reverse mentoring—where older executives are mentored by younger employees— is still a new concept. If done well, it can make the leader and the organization more effective.

Here are a few of the benefits of implementing reverse mentoring:

> It empowers newer employees and makes them feel trusted.
> The young mentors can gain important leadership skills if they’re able to navigate the situation well.
> It can provide insights. This time can be used to train more experienced employees on what the younger generation values and needs from the employer.
> Both sides can learn more about the viewpoint of the other person, who may be of a different generation.
> The mentoring relationship can easily be customized to focus on the needs of the individual participants.
> Both sides can gain self-confidence.
> Mentoring relationships can foster better communication and collaboration in everyday interactions.
24 July 2019 at 12:09
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