![Heidi Holmes, founder of Mentorloop: senior leaders are tapping into the pool of Millennial talent.](/content/dam/images/g/l/0/6/5/4/image.related.afrArticleLead.620x350.gt92y3.png/1482316254515.jpg)
Gone are the days when mentoring was a one-way street that involved an older executive sharing pearls of wisdom with a much younger junior employee. Today, we are observing senior executives and business leaders tapping into the ever-growing pool of Millennial talent under their watch, as they begin to realise the invaluable insights and wealth of knowledge these younger mentors bring to the table.
Reverse mentoring, was popularised in 1999 after Jack Welch, the former chief executive of multinational conglomerate General Electric, instructed 500 of his top executives to pair up with junior associates to learn how to use the internet. The core reasoning behind Welch's rather bold move was his belief that the strongest business leaders are those who remain open to the idea that some of their best learnings in the office will come from their more junior colleagues. A local example is how Australian investor and entrepreneur Steve Baxter frequently advocates for seasoned campaigners to stop telling young people what ideas to work on.
It's not just a nice sentiment: the outcomes speak for themselves.
Here are four ways business and enterprise can benefit from embracing reverse mentoring:
Stronger workplace culture: By disrupting the traditional mentoring relationship, business leaders are breaking down the long-standing, hierarchical structures of the workplace. This goes a long way to drastically improving workplace cohesiveness and team solidarity, leading to a more unified and harmonious working environment.
Increased employee engagement: Not only does the reverse mentoring approach create a more unified workplace culture, it also has huge effects on a grassroots level as employee engagement levels improve notably. Every employee – irrespective of their job title– has the opportunity to teach and inspire fellow colleagues with their unique skillsets and abilities.
Improved knowledge sharing: There is no denying that organisations in the digital economy require a new level of understanding when it comes to business operations. Millennial workers for example have much to offer their senior executives in the new, tech landscape, from how to better utilise social media to increase a company's customer base, to thinking outside the box and implementing a more innovative strategy to boost an organisation's bottom line.
Develop future leaders: By 2020, millennials will make up over 50 per cent of the workforce. They are your organisation's future leaders but they need guidance and grooming. Not only can reverse mentoring provide insight into who has the natural talent to progress, it provides an introduction to what could be a long standing relationship.
Executives will gain much from engaging in this dynamic, two-way dialogue with their colleagues; Not only do businesses recognise the benefits on a macro level, but they personally become more adaptable, flexible and better teachers in the long-term.
Heidi Holmes is co-founder of MentorLoop, a platform which manages organisational mentoring programs.