The Student Becomes the Teacher: Your Role as Reverse Mentor. So you know what a mentor does… because you have probably developed relationships with mentors to advance your career or to help at school. Perhaps though, you’ve never heard of a “reverse mentor”? Many re familiar with the concept of a mentor as an older, more experienced, (often gray-haired) person who teaches a younger mentee; a seasoned business executive who teaches a young intern, for example. A reverse mentor switches the roles. The younger person with more advanced skills in a specific subject imparts their knowledge to the older, and perhaps otherwise “wiser”.
More than any generation before them, members of Gen Y enter their careers with substantial knowledge in some subjects than their Boomer or Gen X co-workers, who often have decades of business experience. This is especially true regarding technology and social media – staples of Gen Y’s existence. “When I left you I was but the learner. Be Humble and Patient Don’t be that guy. Be Confident A Word of Caution There a. Schools MBAs and Undergrads to Mentor Senior Citi Executives on Digital Strategies : University of Miami School of Business. Reverse mentoring: Students teach executives about social media, tech and more - Cindy Krischer Goodman. My 12-year-old son has taught me that his generation participates in social networking entirely on their phones.
He showed me how to post a photo on Instagram, follow others, tag people and spark conversations on the small screen in my hand. Over the last few years, I have become smart enough to realize that the younger generation is way ahead in adapting to the newest ways of communicating and connecting and that there’s no shame in asking them to teach me how to keep up. Many in my generation do fabulous in their career paths and soar to the top of businesses or organizations. Then they hit a wall — keeping up with technology and a new mindset.
The wave of 20-somethings heading into the working world know how to amass Twitter followers. They know how to text-message with their eyes closed. And they know how to digitally connect with influencers who can send business their way. In a trend called reverse mentoring, companies are pairing grizzled veterans with young up-and-comers.