I need to know everything
It’s impossible to know *everything*, even if you are a recognised expert in your domain or the CEO.
When we have been rewarded for our expertise with a job, title, salary, status – whatever blows your hair back – we often impose unrealistic expectations our ourselves.
We don’t want anyone to know that there might be something we don’t know. Especially if we have 'imposter syndrome'.
This ‘expert mindset’ prevents us from adopting a beginner’s mindset. And a beginner’s mindset is a much needed attribute to develop a more agile way of thinking and open endless possibilities. But letting go of our preconceived ideas, judgement and knowledge is not easy.
In the beginners mindset there are many possibilities. In the expert's there are few. Zen Monk Shunryu Suzuki
𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 can help us do that. Typically, reverse mentoring is when a senior employee reaches out to a younger or more junior employee to learn about something or gain a fresh perspective, or both!
My first experience with reverse mentoring was when I reached out to a grad to help me get some posts up on our Enterprise Social Network. It became more though – the fresh views on how to engage on social networks were invaluable. It challenged my thinking and helped me let go of preconceived ideas that were holding me back.
It might be time to bring a little 'reverse mentoring' in your life. Some organisations have developed reverse mentoring programs but you don’t need to wait for this to be formalised. You can seek out your mentor now.
Have you dabbled in reverse mentoring?
As the mentor?
Or the mentee?
How did that work out for you?
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