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How reverse mentorship can help create better leaders | The Way We Work, a TED series

Employee diversity and inclusive leadership are goals for most organizations today, but how do we get there? Try a “reverse mentorship” program, which sets up junior team members to guide senior staff. Here are 6 tips to make reverse mentorship work, from executive coach and personal development advocate Patrice Gordon. The Way We Work is…

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Employee diversity and inclusive leadership are goals for most organizations today, but how do we get there? Try a “reverse mentorship” program, which sets up junior team members to guide senior staff. Here are 6 tips to make reverse mentorship work, from executive coach and personal development advocate Patrice Gordon.

The Way We Work is a TED original video series where leaders and thinkers offer practical wisdom and insight into how we can adapt and thrive amid changing workplace conventions. (Made possible with the support of Dropbox)

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39 Comments

39 Comments

  1. Sander

    November 29, 2020 at 12:05 am

    So what is the age aspect for? If the topic is race diversity in the workspace, couldn’t it just be an older person of color mentoring another old person? Also, wouldn’t any HR manager be able to create diversity in the workspace or at least give advice regarding the best approach? I like the idea, but it feels a bit too much like it’s trying to create something new and special, that in reality isn’t.

  2. Joshua Israel

    November 29, 2020 at 12:11 am

    Yeah I tried something like that with my employees, guess what they told me, don’t be strict with people being late (including meetings) we should pay women and minorities more even ones that don’t generate as much money, we shouldn’t value employees by how much money they generate for the company, what grate ideas to run a company into the ground.

    • Matthew Morycinski

      November 29, 2020 at 3:33 am

      No one needs to take the advice and apply it literally. The point is to never stop listening and learning. Best companies encourage, and even require, innovation from the shop floor, and managers are required to at the very least evaluate the ideas submitted.

  3. Terry Wheelock

    November 29, 2020 at 1:00 am

    The problem that screws this whole “theory” is that ANY of these people think they actually know what they are talking about! When you put IDIOTS with IDIOTS ….. you know what you get …… MORE IDIOTS! 🤣

  4. astera

    November 29, 2020 at 1:01 am

    This is actually a really good idea. So many companies have stagnated and died out because they haven’t been able to keep their finger on the pulse in an ever-rapidly changing world. In many spheres of life, when the those at the top stop listening to those at the bottom, stagnation and corruption sets in.

  5. larhule

    November 29, 2020 at 1:43 am

    Saying that the novice should teach the master sounds like some feel-good bullshit.

  6. AcotoTheTraveler

    November 29, 2020 at 2:01 am

    “Reverse mentorship” already exists, it’s called “advising”. This concept isn’t new or news, and it doesn’t really need a new, longer, name either.

    • Miss Regina Erika

      November 29, 2020 at 3:25 pm

      Advising often means somebody from outside coming in to help with a specific problem/project.
      Reverse mentorship is about inclusion. Hearing the perspectives of minorities or people who are very low in the hirarchy (from within the company) to build stronger interpersonal connections, to improve the overall work environment, the work moral and to grow as a leader ultimately strengthening the whole company.

      And yes, this has been around for at least a couple of years too. But this is a channel about education – not a newspaper, isn’t it?

    • Danielle

      November 29, 2020 at 4:20 pm

      @Miss Regina Erika well said! Inclusion is the keyword here. Let those who don’t often have the chance to speak share their thoughts and ideas.

    • Danielle Atangana

      November 29, 2020 at 4:20 pm

      @Miss Regina Erika well said! Inclusion is the keyword here. Let those who don’t often have the chance to speak share their thoughts and ideas.

    • AcotoTheTraveler

      November 29, 2020 at 4:58 pm

      @Miss Regina Erika That still seems to be covered by things that already exist. People are regularly hired into a company or organization to be advisors on specific issues. These roles often have titles like Director of Diversity, Vice-President of E-Commerce, etc. associated with them.

      If the idea is to get somebody specifically who is low on the org chart to give advice to people at the top, that’s called “grass roots”.

      Typically “grass roots” meetings are on a larger scale, at least a couple of people to 1 leader, because most people low on the totem pole really only have specific issues they need addressed from the perspective of their role, but don’t have the big picture mindset to really give organization level advice, and therefore all their advices are taken in aggregate.

    • Miss Regina Erika

      November 29, 2020 at 5:42 pm

      @AcotoTheTraveler It’s specifically not somebody from outside or who only gets hired to advice others. It’s not about just collecting specific problems employees have.
      Reverse mentorship is about inclusion, diversity, different perspectives, learning and expanding your horizon. To e.g. improve the company culture or to create better teams in your division.

    • AcotoTheTraveler

      November 29, 2020 at 6:52 pm

      @Miss Regina Erika Still seems the same to me, but I appreciate you taking the time to explain your perspective.

  7. Christine S

    November 29, 2020 at 3:06 am

    This was an excellent video! I learned a lot, had never heard of “reverse mentoring”, and yet it’s so logical for a forward thinking company/organization.

  8. 1ST FACTS

    November 29, 2020 at 3:14 am

    You talk too much woman 🤫

  9. Tabacchum Taba

    November 29, 2020 at 4:44 am

    Love to learn English?
    Hit the like button

  10. freebrook

    November 29, 2020 at 5:13 am

    this is great

    • Rick Dickson

      November 29, 2020 at 8:39 am

      Ikr she nippin like a mug

  11. D. Brown

    November 29, 2020 at 8:05 am

    Communist/socialist propaganda like EVERY ted talks from the beginning!!!Any respect for ted talks is long lost!! You would have to be among the least intelligent of the human population to listen to anything ted posts!!! Show me a ted from 25 years ago! Did intelligence not exist B4 that? B4 ted? Or the internet?

  12. Iliya Kuryakin

    November 29, 2020 at 8:22 am

    Any real evidence that this improves business performance? No. Thought not.

    • Sol

      November 29, 2020 at 11:23 am

      Marcinkus Murphy, W., 2012. Reverse mentoring at work: Fostering cross‐generational learning and developing millennial leaders. Human Resource Management, 51(4), pp.549-573.

      Chaudhuri, S. and Ghosh, R., 2012. Reverse mentoring: A social exchange tool for keeping the boomers engaged and millennials committed. Human resource development review, 11(1), pp.55-76.

      Chen, Y.C., 2013. Effect of reverse mentoring on traditional mentoring functions. Leadership and Management in Engineering, 13(3), pp.199-208.

      Morris, L.V., 2017. Reverse mentoring: untapped resource in the academy?. Innovative Higher Education, 42(4), pp.285-287.

      Some light reading to start with, admittingly it took me a few seconds to find. Perhaps you will be more inclined to check your assertion for accuracy next time?

  13. lactobacillusprime

    November 29, 2020 at 9:37 am

    As an older person (50) I train and coach a lot of younger people on a daily basis and make it a point to learn a lot from the younger generation as well. It works both ways. Indeed it works best if it’s not a master / apprentice type of situation but often from different parts of the organisation. The more different we are the better I say 🙂

  14. Rafeeky

    November 29, 2020 at 10:16 am

    This video may very well be like 2 thousand years ahead of its time in regards to the general population. And that’s if idiocracy doesn’t happen…

  15. The Pugilist

    November 29, 2020 at 11:13 am

    This already exists, just calling it some other drivel like “reverse mentoring” and all the neophytes of the world rejoice as if it’s something new 🤦🏻‍♂️

    • Miss Regina Erika

      November 29, 2020 at 3:43 pm

      Well, what over name do you know the concept as?
      And just because it’s already around for a while doesn’t mean people aren’t allowed to talk about it. She just explained it, never claimed she came up with it or it got invented last week.

  16. louise scott

    November 29, 2020 at 1:01 pm

    This is about embedding diversity into the organisational culture.

  17. Be with u denser Black

    November 29, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    HP me

  18. Creamslap Fartpie

    November 29, 2020 at 2:59 pm

    nice

  19. Blow Me

    November 29, 2020 at 3:06 pm

    Great, white people get to hear about how racist they are from black people

  20. 擬態

    November 29, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    ooga booga indeed

  21. Shawn Wolfenbarker

    November 29, 2020 at 4:02 pm

    Ploy .

  22. Chris Manzi

    November 29, 2020 at 6:39 pm

    I don’t know but she can be my mentor any day

  23. letyouryesbeyesandnobeno

    November 30, 2020 at 3:47 am

    Caring has to exist…no one cares about mentorship enough for the reverse to matter more

  24. M Brooks

    November 30, 2020 at 5:14 am

    She was acting as a consultant and I hope that she was paid for that work. It seems that it is always incumbent upon the marginalized or the radicalized individual, to teach the elite without being compensated equitably.

  25. Victoria Sarmiento

    November 30, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    I think her eye make UP on the left side is not finished.

  26. billytankx

    December 2, 2020 at 3:55 am

    One word…nipples!

  27. Night Train

    December 2, 2020 at 4:07 am

    Btw love the yellow blue combination

  28. Benedikt Turnbull

    December 3, 2020 at 6:23 pm

    Speaking of mentorship, Nicola Delic has been rock solid behind me for as long as I’ve known.
    If anyone’s considered making some extra cash on the side pending the pandemic, you could try Forex and then check out Nicola Delic on youtube. He’s a renowned forex trader and I actually had him manage my funds some months back where I started out with $1500 and made an extra $750 in a week. That’s 50% of what I invested. Thank me later. 👍

  29. Molly D

    December 4, 2020 at 11:50 pm

    If you think it’s hard to leave a relationship, but you are experiencing any sign of infidelity you need to say to yourself, “I can do better,” and just leave.  I had no choice but to contact a professional tech guy who I got introduced to by my friend, he helped me hack my partners phone and I found out he was cheating , I even got to see his deleted messages, pictures and videos. I had no choice but to confront him and leave the relationship Because it became too toxic for me. I know someday I would find the right man for me. Incase you need the same service from the professional tech guy , you can contact him through Gmail : cyberhackanswers @ gmail. com or Text/WhatsApp: ‪+1 626 578 5544, or send him a dm on instagram @blonde_hacker_ infidelity hurts.
    stating what you want him to do, he’s affordable. No one deserves to be cheated on. i confronted him . At first it hurt so much, but then suddenly, I felt free and good. Trust me, it’ll feel a lot better once you accept that the relationship is over.

    ‘;][.’

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The end of the year is often a time to reflect and spend time with family — activities that may seem joyful or anxiety-inducing, depending on your circumstances. Psychologist Guy Winch offers actionable advice on how to manage your emotions with confidence during the holidays, from setting boundaries to healing heartache — above all reminding you that emotional health is possible, as long as you’re informed and willing to do the work. (This live conversation was hosted by TED’s Whitney Pennington Rodgers. Visit ted.com/membership to support TED today and join more exclusive events like this one.) (Recorded at TED Membership on December 4, 2024)

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