Our Reverse Mentoring Programme
The aim of our Reverse Mentoring Programme is to equip the “mentors” (less experienced members of staff) with a skillset that supports them to share their knowledge and experience with their “mentees” (senior members of staff), while also supporting mentees to understand how to be effective in their role as a mentee. This approach allows both mentors and mentees to gain the most positive experience from the programme.
The core principles that enable a successful intervention are:
Supporting senior staff to:
- Understand the value and business case for the approach
- Feel engaged and committed to the approach over the long-term
- Identify meaningful topics they would like to experience (be mentored in)
- Understand the attitude and mindset needed to be an effective mentee
- Have a space to unpack, distil and share their learning
Supporting less experienced staff to:
- Understand the value and reason for the approach
- Feel engaged and committed to the approach over the long-term
- Develop skills to be an effective mentee
- Identify their own particularly experience (lived experience of being part of the service) that they can provide mentoring on
- Have a space to unpack, distil and share their learning
Testimonials
“The past 9 months on the reverse mentoring program has been a golden opportunity. A chance to provide meaningful insight to issues identified while working in a mentor mentee relationship. Over the duration of the program a relationship has been built, barriers broken down and a real understanding of each other’s roles and issues faced has been identified and challenged. The program is hugely beneficial to all, letting leaders remain in touch with those delivering service objectives, at all levels and empowering all staff no matter what rank, role or band to have a voice”
“As a Board Director, the reverse mentoring programme has been incredibly powerful and helpful in helping me understand the perspective of what it is really like working for the trust and has resulted in different conversations and actions to inform my decisions at Board level. There was a real bond with the group, a real 'can do' spirit and I am hopeful that many staff will be interested in joining our next cohort with the roll out of this initiative. Joining this group will really help you shape the future of our organisation”
“Being part of the reverse mentoring programme has afforded me the opportunity to build a collaborative working relationship with someone I likely would not have come across. This senior leader has had an invested interest in my working life and has been able to assist me in a few areas. This relationship has also given me the opportunity to see parts of the service that I would not have seen and have a greater understanding of other goings on. Most importantly, this relationship will continue beyond the end of the mentoring programme”