Reverse mentorship: when leaders listen to their employees | Patrice Gordon | TEDxShoreditch Women

Summary

In 2018, Patrice, a People Experience Officer at Virgin Atlantic, was asked to be a mentor in a reverse mentoring program, where CEO Craig would be the mentee. Reverse mentoring involves a senior leader learning from someone with different experiences, often from underrepresented groups. Patrice, a black woman, shared her viewpoints to help Craig become a more inclusive leader. The talk highlights the importance of reverse mentoring for fostering empathy, challenging biases, and driving inclusion in organizations. It also discusses the need for psychological safety and voluntary participation in such programs.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Reverse mentoring is a process where a senior leader is mentored by a junior or someone from a different demographic group to gain new perspectives and foster inclusivity.
• 👤 The CEO of Virgin Atlantic, Craig, was willing to be a mentee to understand the experiences of a black woman in the workplace, highlighting the importance of leadership's role in promoting diversity.
• 💼 The speaker's experience in various organizations showed her commitment to driving inclusion, emphasizing the need for leaders to use their power to effect change.
• 🔄 The concept of similarity bias was discussed, explaining why leaders often surround themselves with people like themselves, which can limit diversity in decision-making.
• 📊 Statistics revealed the underrepresentation of women, particularly women of color, in top leadership positions, such as CEOs in the Fortune 500 companies.
• 🤝 Reverse mentoring is not just about learning from difference but also about building empathy and understanding through genuine human connection.
• 🚀 The speaker's personal journey with reverse mentoring involved a mutual curiosity between her and Craig, which led to a transformative experience for both.
• 🌐 The script touched on global trends like the digital revolution, demographic shifts, urbanization, and climate change, emphasizing the need for diverse perspectives in leadership.
• 🤔 The importance of psychological safety in reverse mentoring was highlighted, suggesting that organizations must create an environment where underrepresented individuals feel secure sharing their experiences.
• 📈 The script suggested steps for successful reverse mentoring programs, including clear objectives, voluntary participation, and a focus on action and learning from experiences.

Q & A

What is reverse mentoring?

Reverse mentoring is a program where a senior leader, often lacking diversity in their inner circle, is mentored by someone from a different demographic or with different experiences, typically to gain insights and perspectives that can help them become more inclusive leaders.

Why did Patrice agree to be a reverse mentor?

Patrice agreed to be a reverse mentor because she had a history of driving inclusion in organizations she worked for and saw this as an opportunity to use her power to drive change, challenge assumptions, and help leaders understand different viewpoints.

What was Patrice's role at Virgin Atlantic before becoming a reverse mentor?

Before becoming a reverse mentor, Patrice was the Head of Commercial Finance at Virgin Atlantic.

What initiatives did Patrice establish at Virgin Atlantic to promote inclusion?

Patrice established the first Finance graduate Apprentice program at Virgin Atlantic and became the first non-HR person to facilitate their women's development program.

Why is it important for leaders to have a diverse inner circle?

Having a diverse inner circle is important for leaders because it helps them understand different viewpoints and experiences, which can lead to more inclusive decision-making and leadership.

What percentage of Fortune 500 CEOs were women in 2022 according to the script?

In 2022, only 3.7% of Fortune 500 CEOs were women.

What is similarity bias and how does it affect leadership teams?

Similarity bias is the tendency to be more comfortable with people who are like us. In leadership teams, this can lead to a lack of diversity and a narrower range of perspectives, as leaders may be more inclined to select and promote individuals who are similar to them.

How does reverse mentoring help develop empathy in leaders?

Reverse mentoring helps develop empathy by forcing leaders to build relationships with individuals who are different from them, which in turn allows them to understand and appreciate those differences.

What are some challenges Patrice faced as a reverse mentor?

Patrice faced the challenge of being seen primarily as a black female rather than for her professional accomplishments, which was a new experience for her.

What steps should organizations take to ensure a successful reverse mentoring program?

To ensure a successful reverse mentoring program, organizations should clarify the program's objectives, ensure leaders understand their responsibilities, avoid forced participation, and establish a process to support the well-being of participants, with a focus on psychological safety and action-oriented outcomes.

How can reverse mentoring be used to improve inclusivity in the workplace?

Reverse mentoring can be used to improve inclusivity by encouraging leaders to engage with and understand the experiences of underrepresented individuals, fostering a more connected and empathetic workplace.

Outlines

00:00

🔄 Reverse Mentoring for Inclusive Leadership

The speaker begins by recounting a 2018 conversation with Virgin Atlantic's CEO, Craig, about a reverse mentoring program. Reverse mentoring involves a senior leader being mentored by someone from a different demographic to broaden their perspective and foster inclusivity. The speaker, who had been advocating for diversity and inclusion at various companies, agreed to mentor Craig. Despite her success, she was often seen for her achievements rather than her identity as a black woman. The program aimed to help Craig understand different experiences to become a more inclusive leader. The speaker highlights the lack of diversity in leadership positions, with only a small percentage of Fortune 500 CEOs being women, and even fewer being women of color. She emphasizes the importance of challenging assumptions and biases to create a more inclusive environment.

05:02

🤝 The Power of Reverse Mentoring in Building Empathy

The speaker discusses the concept of reverse mentoring as a tool for developing relationships with individuals who are different from oneself, which in turn fosters empathy and understanding. She shares her personal experience as a mentor to Craig, where he sought to understand her 'lived experience' as a black woman. The speaker found it revolutionary to be seen and valued for her identity. Through their interactions, Craig became more curious and open to learning about different experiences, which helped him become a more inclusive leader. The speaker challenges the audience to lean into discomfort and engage with people who have different perspectives, as this is essential for being better global citizens. She also touches on current global trends, such as digital revolution, demographic shifts, and urbanization, and how these factors influence the need for more connected and inclusive workplaces.

10:06

🌟 Implementing Successful Reverse Mentoring Programs

The speaker provides insights from her research on how to implement effective reverse mentoring programs within organizations. She emphasizes the importance of psychological safety, especially for underrepresented individuals, and the need for organizations to be clear about their goals for such programs. Leaders must understand their role and responsibilities in these mentoring relationships, stepping out of their comfort zones to grow. The speaker advises against forced participation, as it can lead to increased burden and discomfort for the participants. Instead, she suggests starting with a small, voluntary group to test and learn from the experience, then expanding the program. The speaker concludes by encouraging individuals to seek out and engage with people who are different from themselves, both in personal and professional settings, to build more connected and inclusive environments.

Keywords

💡Reverse Mentoring

Reverse mentoring is a leadership development strategy where a senior leader is mentored by a junior employee, often from a different demographic background. In the context of the video, reverse mentoring is used to foster inclusivity and broaden perspectives. The CEO of Virgin Atlantic, Craig, becomes the mentee to understand the viewpoints and experiences of a black woman, which he lacks in his inner circle, aiming to become a more inclusive leader.

💡Inclusion

Inclusion refers to the act of involving and empowering all individuals within an organization, regardless of their background. The video emphasizes the importance of inclusion in leadership, highlighting how the speaker has made it her mission to drive inclusion within organizations she's worked for, such as Virgin Atlantic. Inclusion is seen as a key factor in creating a diverse and effective leadership team.

💡Protected Characteristics

Protected characteristics are attributes that are protected under anti-discrimination laws, such as age, gender, ethnicity, disability, and sexual orientation. The video discusses how reverse mentoring can be particularly beneficial in addressing biases related to these characteristics, ensuring that diverse viewpoints are represented in leadership.

💡Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. In the video, empathy is linked to the development of relationships with individuals who are different from oneself. It is argued that spending time to understand differences can lead to the development of empathy, which in turn fosters a more inclusive and connected workplace.

💡Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is a concept where individuals feel accepted and safe to express their ideas, opinions, and emotions without fear of negative consequences. The video stresses the importance of creating a psychologically safe environment for reverse mentoring, particularly for underrepresented individuals, to ensure the success of such programs.

💡Leadership Styles

Leadership styles refer to the methods and approaches used by leaders to guide and direct others. The video suggests that traditional, authoritative leadership styles are evolving to more adaptive and inclusive styles that value diverse perspectives. Reverse mentoring is presented as a tool to help leaders adopt these new styles.

💡Underrepresented Individuals

Underrepresented individuals are those who belong to groups that are not adequately or proportionally represented in a particular context, such as women or people of color in leadership positions. The video discusses the challenges faced by these individuals and how reverse mentoring can help to empower them and ensure their voices are heard.

💡Curiosity

Curiosity is the desire to learn or know more about something. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of leaders having a curiosity to learn from their mentees in reverse mentoring relationships. This curiosity is seen as a driving force for personal and organizational growth.

💡Growth Zone

The growth zone refers to the area of development where individuals are challenged but capable of growth. The video discusses how leaders should be willing to step into their growth zones by engaging in reverse mentoring, which involves stepping out of their comfort zones to learn from others.

💡Connection

Connection refers to the sense of belonging and rapport that individuals feel with others. The video argues that building connections is crucial for a more inclusive and effective workplace. Reverse mentoring is presented as a tool to foster these connections by encouraging leaders to engage with individuals who are different from themselves.

💡Active Listening

Active listening is the process of fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and then remembering what is being said. The video suggests that active listening is a key component of successful reverse mentoring relationships, allowing leaders to deeply understand the experiences and perspectives of their mentees.

Highlights

Introduction to the concept of reverse mentoring and its significance for leadership development.

The personal experience of being asked to mentor a CEO and the impact on organizational culture.

The importance of having diverse viewpoints in leadership to foster inclusivity.

The speaker's background in driving inclusion within organizations.

The speaker's initiative in setting up the first Finance graduate Apprentice program at Virgin Atlantic.

The role of reverse mentoring in challenging assumptions and biases in leadership.

Statistics on the underrepresentation of women in CEO positions and the need for change.

The natural human tendency towards similarity bias and its implications for leadership teams.

The benefits of reverse mentoring in developing empathy and understanding through relationship building.

The speaker's personal journey with reverse mentoring and the transformative impact on their identity.

The importance of curiosity in the reverse mentoring process for both mentor and mentee.

The speaker's research into reverse mentoring and its potential for driving organizational change.

The current global trends affecting organizations and the workplace.

The disconnection felt by many employees and the need for more connectedness at work.

The evolving role of leadership and the necessity for a more adaptive leadership style.

The steps to ensure a psychologically safe experience in reverse mentoring programs.

The importance of voluntary participation in reverse mentoring and avoiding forced involvement.

Advice on starting reverse mentoring programs with a small group for testing and learning.

Encouragement for individuals to engage with difference in their personal and professional lives.

The potential of reverse mentoring as a transformative tool for building a more inclusive world.

Transcripts

thank you so it's

2018 and the people experience officer

at Virgin Atlantic says to me Patrice

we're thinking about launching a reverse

mentoring program Craig the CEO wants to

be the mentee would you mind being the

mentor first of all what is reverse

mentoring I had no idea what it was when

she explained it to me I come to

understood that Craig didn't have any

black women in his inner circle or in

his work Circle and he wanted to

understand my viewpoints my lived

experience so that he could be a more

inclusive leader so first of all what

did I say the Clear answer for me was

yes but why was it yes you see it wasn't

my first rodeo of speaking truth to the

powers at B I had kind of made it my

business to drive inclusion around the

organizations that I'd worked for from

British Airways to Royal Mail and now to

Virgin

Atlantic I sat around the leadership

team table I had power and I recognized

that I needed to use that power to drive

change I became a manager at 25 I became

a finance director at 29 but what that

meant was I had people in my circle who

were almost at the coldfront these are

the people that did the day-to-day work

but the meetings that I sat with there

was a massive disconnect between what we

talked about at lunchtime versus some of

the conversations I was having in these

leadership rooms and that always drove

me to have the conversations with senior

leaders to challenge them about some of

their viewpoints and opinions when I

came to Virgin Atlantic it was pretty

clear that I'd stepped into my inclusion

Journey fully I came in I said look I'm

an exec coach I really love to drive

inclusion and I'm really good at my job

at that point I was head of commercial

Finance so when I joined you know I got

involved in a few extracurricular

activities the first thing was I set up

the first Finance graduate Apprentice

program can you believe it a brand like

Virgin Atlantic with no graduate program

how are we going to feed the pipeline

the second thing I did was I was the

first non-hr person to become a

facilitator for our women's development

program apparently Role Models only

existed within HR before and

I came along to challenge that status

quo and now facilitators are only not

from HR so finally when it came to me

being a reverse Mentor it was natural

for me to step into that position to

really challenge some of the assumptions

that were held so first of all kudos to

Craig who was really Brave about

acknowledging where his gaps were he was

ready to step into that growth com

growth Zone and really step out of his

own comfort zone so first of all does

anyone know what reverse mentoring is

for those of you who don't know reverse

mentoring is where you get somewhat of

difference and in my definition I look

at it in regards to the protected

characteristics so that may be age

gender ethnicity disability sexuality

veteran status just to name a few my

intention with reverse mentoring is to

make sure those senior leaders around

that table have an alternative Viewpoint

a Viewpoint that they may not have in

their personal Circle or their inner

Circle as Craig acknowledged why is this

a

problem did you know that in

2022 only 6% of the foot C 350 were

women it's 19 19 women out of 350 as

CEOs whilst the board composition has

improved the people that actually hold

the pen and hold the power those CEOs is

only 19 of them the Fortune 500 guess

how

many 37

37 female CEOs and you know I am a woman

and I'm a woman of color I'm not going

to labor on that point too much but

ultimately those are some of the stats

that we are the most comfortable in

talking about we know that similarity

bias exists around the senior leadership

team table and why is that we're really

comfortable with people who are like us

right like you go to an event you see

someone who's like you you naturally

gravitate towards them because that is

innate in us you know it's daismachine

us now what happens when someone's like

us we think oh well if I have a new

opportunity maybe I'll ask them to do it

because I think because they're like me

they're going to they're going to

perform at a really high level right who

who thinks that who thinks that right

but then if I only select people who are

like me to do the things that I want

them to do what happens to those

individuals who are unlike me so around

the senior leadership team table we have

these individuals who are alike they

maybe went to the same University or the

same standard of University live in the

same area maybe called

John but ultimately you know it's a

natural Human Experience to want to

gravitate towards someone like you so

one of the reasons why I'm a particular

fan of reverse mentoring it because it's

forces you to develop a relationship

with someone of difference and we know

that empathy is developed when we spend

the time to get to know and understand

of difference so using reverse mentoring

as a tool back to my story Craig was

really clear that he wanted to like

really understand my lived experience

and did I find that

uncomfortable it was the first time that

I was

seen as a black female now you might

find that strange but ultimately I was

known for going in doing an amazing job

and getting results so I didn't identify

as a black female first I identify as

someone who does a really great job so

someone wanted to see me and see me that

was revolutionary for me and as we

progressed through the relationship one

of the things that we both agreed on was

the reason that this transformative tool

was so helpful was because Craig had a

curiosity to learn I had a curiosity to

help him learn and then between the two

of us we got to a point where he could

understand some of the experiences that

I had and how it could lead him to be a

better more inclusive leader and when

you think about it in your organizations

or in your day life how much do you

really lean into people of difference

how much do you have an insatiable drive

for

curiosity to understand an alternative

point of view you know many of us want

an easy life we lean into like people

who think like us so that we can kind of

agree and have discussions but not too

much on the edge because that makes us a

bit

uncomfortable I think we'll all agree

that the recent events across the world

over the past 3 years have given us

almost no option but to lean into this

discomfort if we are to be almost

Citizens of

Humanity reverse mentoring with the Crux

of it being curiosity Craig took away

that ultimately around the senior table

they needed to really be more curious

ious about people who are different to

them so we launched a program at Virgin

Atlantic I was the lead Mentor but there

was still something inside me which made

me feel deeply uncomfortable that this

tool wasn't used more widely I'm a child

accountant first I'm also an exec coach

and an emotional intelligence expert so

this F fit really nicely in my

wheelhouse and ultimately since

2019 I have devoted a great amount of my

time and energy to researching this

topic to understanding not only how I

felt nice and warm and fuzzy inside

because I was seen and valued but how

could we use it to really Drive change

within organizations so I'll give you a

bit more of a bigger picture there are

several Mega Trends happening at the

moment the first is obviously a digital

Revolution

right we have an absolute great change

in terms of the demographic makeup that

we've got globally which means that

there are up to five Generations in the

workforce at the

moment we

have intense urbanization which means

that the GDP almost in some cities is

greater than some country

gdps and finally we of course have

climate change amongst all this within

organizations we have

69% of individuals saying they feel

disconnected at work 58% of us want want

to feel more connected at

work 38% of us don't actually trust our

co-workers now we all have a role to

play right and ultimately to drive

inclusion within the workplace we need

to be able to drive connectedness and

that means we need to seek people of

difference and understand people a

little bit more but on top of that we

have this thing where in the old days a

leader would have a leadership St

and what he said or she said would

go so everybody in the team had to kind

of assume the position and

and respond and reply to the leader in

that way now leaders have no choice now

but to really lean into different

leadership team Styles the recent deoy

human insights report has told us that

94% of individuals believe that a

different style a more adaptive style of

leadersh ship is now

required unfortunately only 23% of those

actually believe their leaders have

those skills to do

it so how are we going to fix this enter

reverse

mentoring now we know as we said that

empathy drives connection and we want

more

connection and ultimately with reverse

mentoring there are a few steps that we

need to take to ensure that it is a

psychologically safe experience through

my research and through the pandemic it

was really clear that organizations were

a little bit responsive not necessarily

proactive in regards to what they needed

to do to drive engagement which meant

that on the whole there were lots of

listening exercises lots of reverse

mentoring occurring but actually what

they really failed to do was Center The

Experience around psychological safety

particularly for the underrepresented

individual and you've got to remember

that an underrepresented individual

going in front of a senior leader

they're already entering into the

situation with a really um Keen aspect

of where that Power Balance lies so my

research showed me there were a few

things that we needed to make sure the

organization had in place in order to

ensure a successful reverse mentoring

program the first thing is that they

needed to be clear as to what exactly

were they trying to use reverse

mentoring to fix the second thing was

making sure the leaders understood the

responsibility that was on them as they

entered into this relationship so really

tapping into stepping out of your

comfort zone and leaning into that

growth Zone which we can talk about so

easily when it comes to sales or when it

comes to operations but when it comes to

developing deeper relationships we have

a problem with that the third thing is

just really making sure that individuals

aren't forced to participate forced

participation in Reverse mentoring is

Rule 101 please do not do it ultimately

the research showed that those

individuals felt almost put upon to

participate in these these programs and

the burden only increased of being an

underrepresented individual so the

programs that we run are really around

ensuring that there's an application

process so you can understand what a

person can give and what a person needs

in this whole Learning

Journey making sure that there is a

process where HR or the program lead is

delegated and responsible for the

well-being of those individuals there's

checkings that we go through the program

to make sure we're we're matching

towards the objectives and most

importantly that there is a bias for

Action so a lot of the questions that I

get challenged with and asked is like

can you force a leader who definitely

needs reverse mentoring to

participate I would advise not no um we

all know that bad news travels more

quickly than good news and ultimately in

these situations what you do see is not

only the effect on the individual the

the impact on the group and also an

impact throughout the wider organization

so it's particularly important that

those individuals come to the table

because they really want to and then

finally I advise starting in a small

group test and learn and then expand it

too because you want to make sure that

it's useful for the organization and it

will mean that some things will go wrong

when you enter into the Learning Zone

and in the grow growth Zone you all know

that things can go wrong and that's fine

we'll use it as a learning opportunity

but ultimately tap into it to make sure

that it gets better with time so how can

can you use this in your life as well I

mean we are here today please tap in and

speak to someone that you might not

normally speak to as we enter into the

socializing part later but ultimately in

order for us to be great citizens of the

world we really need to tap into

difference so really look at your circle

of friends identify where you might have

a gap and lean into that Gap and and

really understand and lean into the fact

that actually difference brings more

connection

in your workplace you might not want to

do it as a formal Arrangement but really

those individuals that may not speak up

in meetings those individuals that you

may not have had a conversation with tap

into that difference and really lean

into building more inclusive

environments and so the listening the

active listening the empathetic ear the

understanding that ultimately we need to

build more connectedness as opposed to

lead into a lot of the negativity in the

polarization that is happening in the

world is one of the key reasons that I

believe reverse mentoring is one of

those transformative tools that is

really going to change the world so

thank you