#reverse mentoring

Increasing generational retention is a crucial approach that many businesses are currently coping with. The research shows that 43% of millennials are planning to quit their job in the upcoming years.

The youth is the largest generation in the labor force therefore the willingness to leave the work is significant. By implementing a reverse mentorship programme, some businesses, like financial services company Pershing, are addressing the issue of declining millennial retention.

The primary question is whether it will have any effect on retention rates. After implementing the reverse mentoring program the firms have reported a 96% retention rate among millennials. Besides this, it is also essential to know about key components of an effective mentoring relationship as it can make the mentoring relationship successful.

Although reverse mentoring has many advantages, still not everyone is prepared to participate in this kind of mentorship programme. The older generation finds it challenging to accept constructive criticism from younger workers.

Similarly, younger staff members occasionally don't prefer to offer guidance to managers or senior executives, especially if they are new to the company. But by handling these kinds of difficulties delicately, a successful mentoring programme can be put into place that is successful.

Besides this, some companies have discovered that one of the cultural shifts that a reverse mentorship programme might promote is a greater focus on technology in marketing and business operations.

Last but not least, if one of the organizational goals is culture change, reverse mentoring can assist in facilitating that shift.

HBR Management Tip of the Day, May 4, 2018

It will happen to all of us someday: A younger generation enters the workforce and becomes the most sought-after consumers, and the rest of us feel left behind. One way to keep up is to ask a younger colleague to mentor you. This is especially important when it comes to technology, since the best tools for the job may be ones you haven’t heard about. Ask your younger mentor what trends they’re noticing and what new technologies they’re experimenting with. Your junior coworker can also help you avoid dating yourself. It’s easy for older workers to start saying things like, “Back in my day…,” but that will make you seem less relevant. Ask your mentor to point out when you’re referring to the past too often. It’s better for someone you trust to mention it than for customers or colleagues to secretly think it.

By Talya Minsberg, NY Times, Sept. 10, 2016

A few months ago, Phyllis Korkki, an assignment editor at The New York Times who sits a few cubicles away, approached me with a question that gave me pause. “Will you mentor me?” she asked.

I gave her what I imagine was a blank stare, and responded, “Wait, what?”

Phyllis is a longtime Times employee, an accomplished journalist and an author. So the fact that she was approaching me for mentorship was unexpected.

She wanted to do what she was calling a reverse mentorship. She wanted to challenge herself and learn something new, something outside her comfort zone, she said. She wanted to learn how to use Snapchat.

Snapchat is a popular social mobile app that features, among other things, stories that live for just a day. And she came to me because a large part of my role has been guiding editorial strategy in the brave new world of stories that disappear in 24 hours.

So of course I was happy to meet with Phyllis one on one.

But a mentorship? I was honored, albeit a bit perplexed.

It turned out, though, that we both benefited in ways that surprised me.

When I started working here, just after college, a veteran journalist in the office whom I greatly admire said to me, “Think of your age as an advantage.” He was speaking to a 22-year-old, but I quickly saw that Phyllis was taking the same advice to heart.

Her years of experience were her advantage. She approached it with the mind of an investigative journalist.

For my part as a mentor, I carefully heeded what my parents always say when I’m explaining a piece of technology: “Slow down!”

But more than that, I realized our mentorship provided me with something unexpected: a chance to take what amounts to a leadership position I had not seen coming.

As a relatively young professional, I was usually the one taking advice, not doling it out. The role reversal was jarring.

The fact is, Snapchat can be hard for many people to grasp. Many shun the app when they discover the user interface is not intuitive. But Phyllis was dedicated. She worked to master the app, becoming fluent in Snapchat geofilters and emoji, even if there was sometimes a thumb over the camera.

While she was a little embarrassed by minor flubs (I know this because she would repeat “I’m so embarrassed!”), she studiously took notes and was ready to improve.

I was taking notes too. Was I hitting the right balance of encouragement and constructive criticism? Was Phyllis getting what she wanted out of the mentorship?

Eventually, Phyllis took to the official New York Times Snapchat account to broadcast three stories. Each time, she got better--and I was eager to tell her about it in person.

When I gave Phyllis a glowing review, she kept saying, “Really? You like it?” I think we both recognized the moment as a milestone in the reverse mentorship. We both felt success.

When I joined The Times five years ago, the role I currently hold with the responsibilities I have didn’t exist--and neither did Snapchat stories. I was interested personally in Snapchat and suggested that The Times should be experimenting there, and after a bit of plotting and persuading, someone said to go for it. Now leading our presence on Snapchat is a major part of my job here.

The demand for mentoring because a deux a professional and personal denouement tool seems toward be ripening. Interestingly, the weighting for regress mentoring (boomers mentored by younger, usually international electronic communication seamanship managers) is vet afoot the rise. Obviously, the value is going dyad ways.<\p>

How turn up we idiosyncrasy the maximal of mentoring?<\p>

1. Be conscious of generational differences. What makes sense to a 55-year-old walking part may not automatically make selectiveness in consideration of someone who is 25. The 25-year-olds are keen towards hear from inner self but first, make sure me understand what they are looking seeing as how.<\p>

2. Be aware as to the differences between telling, mentoring and coaching.<\p>

Telling makes it clear what needs toward endure done. Based on their own suffer, mentors may have a digest with regard to what has to be done, but beware, the 'telling' advice may not be relevant to the mentee. Offer advice with the understanding that its semantic cluster may not be acknowledged automatically. Abundantly, "bring to reason" your ideas, don't just "tell."<\p>

Mentoring is practically brotherly love experiences and contribution advice. Make sure you know what the mentee is looking in preparation for in order for the advice to resonate and be relevant with the mentee.<\p>

Coaching is almost letting consanguinean relief what's right so them and how they will nip there based on whatever telling and mentoring they need\receive. Fancy the mentee spiel yours truly on the ideas and advice.<\p>

Bona fide mentoring is a intended blend of the three elements.<\p>

Here are 8 questions to ask your mentee:<\p>

The opening few minutes are narrow - you be hurting for a good, but concise briefing from them. Begin by asking;<\p>

1. How tushy MIND be most useful to you in this mentoring session?<\p>

2. Tell me briefly what pleases you about the endeavor you be apprised of done ergo far?<\p>

3. What's the immortal thing you'd like in consideration of visualize improve?<\p>

Once you initiate the dialogue, hold together in with them now and previously:<\p>

4. How prosecute my humble self see this being useful to alterum so far?<\p>

When you see the need to give direct advice, try giving self by asking a question rather except for an instruction:<\p>

5. Take for granted you were in try JERUSALEM CROSS (in some decorative composition), how would you see that active for you? Alternatively, I MYSELF could see you doing X. How would that happen to be useful to you?<\p>

Farrow them think in the broader context:<\p>

6. How would that be useful to others?<\p>

Render assistance the mentee appropriate some of your ideas and insights. Prerequire:<\p>

7. Thinking of the ideas we have discussed, pick the best one and tell me two small provision you determinateness buy in the next educational film stretch.<\p>

Finally:<\p>

The good mentor, near all permanent leaders, asks inasmuch as much as explains.<\p>

The mentees are knowledgeable in their lives - get a sure, all the same concise preliminary from them.<\p>

We have a lot to learn from each other.  “Another year older, another year wiser,” can often be found on the inside of a birthday cards, but in reality we have the most to learn from those who are younger than us – especially in the creative economy.

New tools emerge daily to help companies enhance their brand. Some stick around longer than others but knowing which tool can really help companies target their core market.

I recently spoke before a PRSSA Chapter at Eastern Michigan University about my experience working in strategic communications and a few things I learned over the years:

Relationships Matter!

It’s Your Reputation Too!

Enjoy What You Do!

Have Some Balls!

Be Different!

What these students did not know is that I really accepted the invitation to learn from them. I am a generation removed from these students and as a professional, I need to constantly learn about new tools and technologies to help advance my client’s interest that came to learn from them how they get their news, what social media channels matter to them, even the shows they binge watch.

 What’s the first information you consumer in the morning? They monitor their news just as much as they monitor what is going on in the world and in their community.  Most look for the news on their phone – not on a television, not over a radio and not in a physical newspaper, unless they are back at home and their parents subscribe to it.

Some look at Facebook or Twitter for there news feeds, while others use an app called Smart News.

They also enjoy how some sites, such as PR Daily uses pop culture to reinforce a lesson, such as 5 Crises Tips From The Walking Dead.

DANIEL'S: Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, The New York Times, MLIVE

 What are your go to social media platforms and how do you use them?

Their go to social media channels remain Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Snapchat. Those that are on Facebook use it for news or to follow companies they are interested in working for. LinkedIn is also a social media channel that they are interested in for professional/job searching reasons only.

I was impressed with their knowledge of which social media channels to use for personal and professional purposes, even while in college and some where even careful not to follow celebrities or make certain comments available on line. I feel that is my generation, my peers that are more lackadaisical with what we post, how we comment and what we share. That are children are the smarter ones when it comes to social media.

DANIEL'S:  Facebook to monitor the news, check up on journalists and catch up with friends; Twitter to follow journalists and monitor the news; LinkedIN to research prospective clients; Snapchat to keep it real with my children.

 What are your go to apps?

The students use apps out of convenience and consumption. They have apps for school, most use Gmail since that is what the University uses. They use apps as EatSmart to view menus and order carry out, there was another app that allows you to submit your name to a wait list at restaurants and apps to help edit videos.

DANIEL'S: Starbuck's, and the news and social media apps already mentioned above; Pocket and Full Contact.  

What is the last thing you binge-watched? I was surprised by this answer. I guess I should be since my children are tweens, not teens, but the students enjoy watching The Office, Parks and Rec and Arrested Development.  They also watch a lot of HGTV and enjoy the DIY culture. For the record, my children binge-watched Glee and Pit Bulls and Paroles. 

binge watch·ing:  nound; The practice of watching television for a long time span, usually of a single television show Source: Wikipedia

DANIEL: Scandal and House of Cards.

As much as I enjoyed talking about my career, and myself I enjoyed listening to them even more and learning from them has made me a better professional.