The mentoring methods you need to try

The Times recently highlighted how British Airways has enrolled 80 senior leaders in a reverse mentoring programme. The company argues that reverse mentoring is the best way to eradicate "the learning hierarchy”. 

Marcel de Jonghe CMgr MCMI, head of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging at Birmingham City Council, prefers the term “mutual mentoring”, emphasising how both partners in the dynamic should be benefitting. 

“Reverse mentoring is not widely done from a perspective of genuine reciprocity,” says Marcel. The more junior person “needs to get something tangible back, whether that's an advocate, an ally or access to the more experienced person’s knowledge base”.

When working at Capita, Marcel ran a mutual mentorship programme for 300 BAME colleagues.   

“I saw what this did for people,” says Marcel. “They now had people in high places recommending people to speak to, helping them prepare for interviews and complete application forms or offering to be a reference. It changed their trajectory.” 

Virtual mentoring

Harnessing today’s technology can make mentoring far more accessible and personalised. 

For example, remote mentoring via tools like Zoom or Teams makes it far easier to coordinate diaries and enable people to receive mentorship from a far broader pool of experienced people.