How can you create a mentoring culture that transcends generations?

The first important question is what are you looking for? What are your goals and objectives? What is the solution or answer is the mentoring program for? Whether its employee engagement, development of certain skills , succession planning and so on. Once this question has been answered, one should go ahead with how to implement the same.

Age means nothing when it comes to mentoring. It is all about the relationship building and acquisition of knowledge and experiences to make life better for all. Let's not be narrow minded in thinking that just because somebody is much younger or just out of school they don't offer much to the conversation with somebody much older than themselves. Each person walks a unique journey through life and it is not uncommon for even the youngest amongst us to have a robust experiential journey whereby they have much to offer to the older generations.

If building a mentoring program, selecting a wide selection of mentors from different age groups, cultures, and business backgrounds with a coaching mindset will give you a solid foundation from which to build. You can also consider reverse mentoring as part of the program where the roles are reversed - when less experienced employees have the opportunity to teach senior employees new skills.

Create a 'Mentoring Matrix' to envision your mentoring programs. Picture each goal of your program as a piece of the model, each distinct yet part of a larger picture. This approach involves creating a vivid, visual representation of the program's objectives, blending them into an integrated whole. Each represents a specific aim, like enhancing engagement, fostering innovation, or cultivating leadership skills. By aligning the elements with the organizational ethos and strategy, you create a framework that not only encapsulates your vision but also serves as a dynamic blueprint. This transforms abstract goals into tangible, interrelated elements, providing a clear, compelling roadmap for the program's journey.

I like to begin with the end in mind that is to visualize your life, career, or a specific project the way that you want it to end up being before you actually begin pursuing it. In short, that is your dream. Now, set goals for acheving the dream. Because the dream without goals is just a dream.

Selection of the right mentor is the most critical step. This might be excessive but each mentor should be vetted on behavioral and psychometric traits before being assigned any mentee. Knowingly or Unknowingly, while guiding a mentee these traits (along with the knowledge imparted) get passed on for good or otherwise. Here, not all mentee's are able to distinguish between the "good" or "otherwise" trait. And there lies the deeper concern.

What I would like to emphasize here is compatibility. From the experience of both having and being a mentor, I learned that differences in perspectives and even personalities is something that really helps. We do not want someone to tell us what we want to hear or agree with us. We want someone to reveal different perceptions, another way of looking at things. In the same time my goal as a mentor, apart from the shared experience was to help people become more of who they already were.

Create constellations for participant selection and matching in mentoring programs. This approach views each potential mentor and mentee as a node in a broader system, with their experience, interests, and aspirations forming unique constellations. The matching process becomes an exercise in celestial navigation, using a blend of self-selection and algorithmic guidance to align people. This method not only considers traditional criteria like expertise and availability but also dives deeper into the nuances of personality, learning styles, and career aspirations. By creating these mentoring constellations, the program ensures effective pairing, fostering relationships that are as much about personal chemistry as professional growth.

Beyond matching mentors and mentees by topic you can design a programme for different generations/age groups. Reverse mentoring ie intentionally match young and experienced talent is a possible solution. For those early in their career, navigating the decision making matrix, stakeholder management and company culture are new, helpful topics which experienced talented understands. Conversely, they can be mentored by young talent on emerging consumer trends, social media platforms and content, technologies (think about generative AI), etc.

A mi me ha resultado muy útil combinar los programas de mentoring con programas de reverse mentoring. De esta forma cuento con un Pool de participantes de diferentes edades y generaciones, lo cual me asegura la permanencia activa del programa durante años dentro de la organización

I find it’s crucial to set expectations early, even before the first meeting. Like filling out a form really keep them realistic. Also be open to discussing and adjusting along the way

Execute different mentorship models, like converse coaching (more youthful people tutoring more established ones) and friend tutoring, to separate generational hindrances. Permit people to pick their mentors and mentees in light of abilities, aptitude, and shared objectives as opposed to mature.

The organization, mentor, and mentee must be open to feedback, hungry, wanting to develop, and willing to pivot to take the shot! Consistently assessing the program and using the feedback is a great tool to measure efficiency and deficiencies. One effective approach is to stay informed about current trends and tools that can benefit both mentors and mentees within the program. In instances where organizations rely on internal assessments, there may be challenges in obtaining candid feedback from the internal team, possibly due to concerns about stepping on toes. Nicely poke the bear! Third parties often bring a broader research sample size and utilize innovative technologies, unafraid to challenge the status quo to yield optimal results.

Center around matching people in light of explicit abilities or capabilities as opposed to mature. This guarantees that mentorship connections are based on aptitude and information move as opposed to generational contrasts. Give preparing to the two mentors and mentees on successful correspondence, social responsiveness, and generational contrasts.

Design an instrument to evaluate the viability of your mentoring programs. Urge members to give feedback on their encounters and utilize that data to refine and work on the program.

It’s always a good after achieving a goal or completing a big task, to take time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and really take a moment to note of what you learned. Also I’ve found helpful to use this reflection time to consider what you’d do the same or differently next time.

Celebrate diversity in the workplace, including generational diversity. Recognize the unique strengths and contributions of individuals from different age groups.