To help prepare the millennial generation to become comfortable with the idea of having leadership positions in a company, there is a process called mentoring up, or reverse mentoring. This mentoring process shifts the responsibility from the seasoned professional to the millennial professional, which is an effective way to give the junior employees a look into the higher levels of the organization. This arrangement gives these millennials the opportunity to engage in conversations about moving forward, not in a collaborative or passive capacity, but as an individual leader in charge of guiding a project forward. So when the older professionals retire, the younger generation has a better understanding of the business.
By having the millennial professionals exposed to these activities in a safe and controlled environment, they can become comfortable and begin to see themselves in a leadership role. Reverse mentoring also helps these young professionals gain confidence by proving that becoming a leader is not unattainable and leaders are not “super humans”, they are real people who practice skills that are developed and improved over time.
Senior mentees also benefit from this mentoring style program as well. Instead of being the ones who guide and lead a project, the senior mentee must listen and grow comfortable working with, and being lead by, a younger professional.
The career-altering benefits that can result from a program similar to reverse mentoring are numerous. Leadership is something all younger professionals need to consider sooner rather than later.