New Generation Gap - Strategic Mentoring

The concept of "reverse mentoring" gained widespread attention when Jack Welch, then-chairman of GE, instructed several hundred of his top managers to work with younger employees to learn about the Internet. These days, it doesn't matter whether it's a Generation Xer helping a baby boomer learn a new technology or a 62-year-old manager passing on leadership tips to a 26-year-old colleague—mentoring is valuable at any age.

Although most organizations recognize how crucial strategic mentoring, peer coaching and networking activities are to employee development, many have not committed the necessary resources to creating these relationships and sustainable in-house programs. Leadership for a mentoring culture must come from the CEO and the management team.

The goal of mentoring programs is to:

A mentoring relationship is most likely to flourish if the participants understand what's important to different generations. For some people—most often, those born between 1925 and 1942 (the Silent Generation)—sharing their vast knowledge and learning new things are vital. Others—such as many baby boomers, who have dominated the workplace for many years—may view change as painful but inevitable. (Boomers, however, known for redefining themselves and their careers, often make ideal candidates for mentoring.) And some employees—think Gen Xers, born between 1965 and 1976—are quite adaptive, even if they often work independently. They don't like to be micromanaged, but they do appreciate giving and getting feedback. A good way to begin a mentoring relationship with these folks is to set expectations and guidelines for measuring progress. They like to handle challenges with minimal supervision but appreciate support and suggestions.

Strategic Mentoring: Developing the Shareholders, Directors, and Officers of Your Career (90-120mins)
This workshop assist participants in developing and implementing mentoring programs and relationships , highlighting best practice models, and examines issues such as: planning for knowledge transfer, clarifying roles for peer mentors, setting expectations, and establishing channels of communications. Whether you are a mentor or mentee, a certain set of skills is needed to have the most successful partnership. Activities and discussions will provide learners with an overview of the mentoring process, how they fit into this process, an introduction to critical required skills, and access to tools and resources for future reference.

Cross-Company Mentoring Program - designed for organizations looking to assist employees to participate in mentorship programs. Participants complete a one-month, three-month or six-month program that features a custom 1 to 1 mentoring match, individual coaching to create a leadership plan, peer forums/learning events, peer communities, networking, online resources and on-track coaching support.