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Bridging Generational Divides: Implementing a Reverse Mentorship Program at Your Firm

Published on Nov 07, 2022
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In last week’s blog, Turning the Tables, we explored the concept and inherent power to be found in the intentional practice of reverse mentorship, which connects younger team members with senior team members and encourages the sharing of generational experiences and understanding. Reverse mentorship programs offer organizations the opportunity to gain insight and new perspectives simply by viewing every team member as a valuable resource and a critical part of the larger vision and mission of the business. Companies that have instituted thoughtful reverse mentorship programs have seen gains in creativity, productivity, problem-solving, and morale.

As with all things organizational, the process of implementing a reverse mentorship program must be done carefully and thoughtfully. While organic generational experience sharing can absolutely happen, if you want to see meaningful and impactful byproducts of this practice, you can’t just sit back and hope it happens. In this week’s blog, we’ll show you how to implement a successful reverse mentorship program at your law firm.

The steps to success

Connecting your generationally diverse team through a reverse mentorship program will allow you to unlock hidden potential, uncover better communication, and introduce powerful new allies. The practice allows your whole team to fully utilize the individual experiences and knowledge each team member possesses.

The process of setting up a reverse mentorship program is similar to the process for other mentorship and coaching programs. Here are the steps you should take in order to implement a productive reverse mentorship program at your firm:

What’s the point:

Before you begin pairing off team members, first take the time to define the ultimate goals of the program and the results you’d like to achieve. Make sure your program starts out with focus. Ask yourself questions like:

  1. What problems do generational differences present at your firm?
  2. How generationally diverse is your firm?
  3. What do you hope to accomplish with a reverse mentoring program?
  4. What achievements will denote success with the program?
  5. What impact do you want the program to have?

Find your leader:

Every program at your organization should have a leader or champion who is responsible, at least in part, for developing, implementing, monitoring, championing, and providing reports to your firm’s leadership team. This reverse mentorship program leader can take responsibility for the program and help to ensure it is well-received and functioning as you intended. They can identify any issues and address them quickly and effectively.

Flesh it out:

You have the skeleton in place, now you need to add some meat! After you’ve identified the point of your firm’s reverse mentoring program, you need to start filling in the details. Define and document the program and review it with all stakeholders (program champion and leadership team) before you roll it out. Take time to think through the various elements like:

  1. Which team members will participate in the program?
  2. How will they opt in to the program?
  3. Will this be invite-only, or are all interested team members invited to participate?
  4. How will you match mentors with mentees?
  5. Will you call them mentors and mentees or develop other language specific to your firm that indicates a deep relationship?
  6. Will you have a defined length of time for the mentorship?
  7. What expectations do you have of the participants in the program?
  8. How will you track the progress of the program?
  9. What are the metrics you’ll use to measure success and monitor progress?
  10. How will you know when you’ve reached a program goal?

Spread the word and create your participant pool:

After you’ve put in the time to define and document your program, your reverse mentoring program leader should start the recruiting process. You could initiate this with a survey sent to team members (either all team members or those you have decided to invite). Garner intel from them regarding common struggles, pain points, and knowledge they’re hungry for. That insight can help you both further mold the program and create your announcement style. You could have a formal announcement via email, a team meeting, or a section in your team newsletter (how you announce will likely depend on who the program is open to at your firm). Attracting participants is critical because, ideally, you want a deep and diverse pool from which to pair mentors and mentees. You want to be clear about the expectations of the participants. Ensure mentors understand that they will be expected to share their personal experiences, knowledge, and insights with their assigned mentees. Likewise, and maybe more importantly, ensure your mentees understand that they are involved in a bidirectional relationship that requires a willingness to learn. All participants should approach the relationship with respect, a good attitude, and an open mind. All parties need to understand that some of the sharing may involve criticism or insight into how they and the firm are seen by other team members. You can create excitement and enthusiasm around the program by highlighting the benefits in your announcement. Think about what’s in it for them. Some organizations even extend incentives and perks to team members who sign up for the program.

Start matchmaking:

When mentorship programs fail, it’s most commonly due to poor pairing of mentors and mentees. Spend time on this step! Look for team members who may have common interests, personality types, and/or communication styles. They need some way in which they can connect and begin to build a relationship that’s open, vulnerable, and candid.

Launch the program:

Once you’ve paired up mentors with mentees, it’s time to kick things off! First, you want to make sure you’ve provided ample guidance to each participant and mentor/mentee pairing. Make sure they understand their role, the goals of the relationship, and provide them with a place to go if they encounter any issues or problems. This act of nurturing both the program as a whole and each pairing will be critical for success. Then, have some fun with the launch. Consider a launch party or event that will get members excited and set the stage for a successful program. These larger events that include all the members of the program can be helpful to bring everyone together to share ideas and “a-ha” moments they’ve gained in their respective pairings and keep the momentum going for the program.

Don’t forget your KPIs:

We wouldn’t be Vista if we didn’t remind you to measure your success! Throughout the program, your champion will receive feedback, gain insight, and identify wins and losses based on the initial goals you identified. Digest that information and, if appropriate, take action. Track your progress and identify areas of organizational improvement and impact. Is it working? What areas have seen the biggest improvements? Are there any deficiencies? This program is a living, breathing thing and should evolve and adapt along with your organization.

I believe strongly in the benefits of mentorship in general, and I have seen reverse mentorship in action. All successful mentorship programs are launched with the understanding that though there is a named mentor and mentee, the communication is bidirectional. It’s incredible to see the professional relationships that can develop as team members learn from and about each other, especially when those team members have different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. I began my career in a mentorship that spanned a 60+ year age difference!

The beauty of that relationship was that as I learned from my mentor, I believe he learned from me as well. One of the bedrock principles my mentor shared with me was the importance of having friends in every generation. He golfed weekly with a group that spanned a large age range. He believed the insight into younger generations helped his business and his communication, and he was open to understanding those perspectives without being dismissive. In fact, he became a pioneer in digital advertising in the early 2000s by listening to the perspectives of his younger team members and allowing them to take a chance on something new. He also built a culture of teamwork, success, and candor.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that this kind of program is best embarked upon once you’ve got some cultural foundations down and feel well tapped into what makes your unique team tick, but by following the steps outlined above, you can absolutely improve your organization through a reverse mentorship program. Happy learning and growing!

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