by Bernadette Pieters

National Director of Diversity, Director of Human Resources, Northeast Region
BDO USA, LLP

For many, mentoring involves a person with more experience coaching a person with less experience. This method has been proven through master/apprentice relationships that have allowed knowledge to be handed down over hundreds of years, and we know that it still works today.

“Experienced employees will realize that opening up to new and different ideas will more effectively serve their clients and drive earnings.”

For the first time in our nation’s history, however, there are four generations (Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers and Millennials) in the workforce, and we must take advantage of distinctions between how these different groups think, act and feel at work. One way to do this is through reverse mentoring, a form of employee development in which a more experienced employee actively seeks the council of an employee with less overall experience but fresh perspectives.

Reverse Mentoring Guidelines

As action-oriented as we all are, before you throw a seasoned executive and an intern into a conference room and say “go” there are a few high level guidelines that you may want to follow with reverse mentoring:

Pre-work is essential.

For reverse mentoring to be truly effective, research and training must take place before a match is ever made. Identify individuals with knowledge and skills that can be of value to a more experienced employee, and then train both mentor and mentee on the role they should play in the relationship before they meet for the first time in order to set them up for success.

Differences in experience don’t have to be extreme.

Look for opportunities to match individuals based on their strengths and not their levels of experience. For example, pairing a people-savvy senior associate with a manager working to win over a client prospect could be a fantastic match, as the mentor’s fresh and different perspectives could trigger the mentee to improve on something they could do to win their prospect’s business. In the process, the mentor would learn about business development in preparation for a proposal or other opportunity.

Meet regularly, but keep it informal.

Depending on the experience level of the mentor, they may feel too much pressure to ‘perform’ if a more senior employee formally requests mentoring meetings with them. Reverse mentoring interactions should be relaxed and focused on strengths, much like brainstorming sessions. However, they should be fairly regular to keep the relationship strong.

Reverse mentoring can be a winning situation for all involved. When less experienced employees’ opinions are heard they will feel more valued by the company. Experienced employees will realize that opening up to new and different ideas will more effectively serve their clients and drive earnings. When fresh, unbiased perspectives are combined with detailed knowledge and strategic skills, innovation and increased employee engagement will result.

This article has been sponsored by:
BDO USA, LLP

Bernadette Pieters

Bernadette Pieters

National Director of Diversity, Director of Human Resources, Northeast Region
BDO USA, LLP

Has more than 14 years of strategic human resources management experience. As part of her dual role, she partners with leaders in the firm to ensure that diversity and inclusion are an integral part of BDO’s culture and values.