Age inclusion

We have resources to help employers to challenge the stereotypes around age. Understanding and managing a multigenerational workforce will help us to have more innovative, engaged and productive teams.

Managing age diversity well in our workplaces offers us huge potential.

People from different generations working together can grow and learn from each other, gain new perspectives, new ideas and new ways of working. However, often we have different expectations about loyalty, the ability to respond to change, career commitment and aspirations, competence with technology and relationships with colleagues according to the age of who we’re dealing with.

We have resources to help employers to challenge the stereotypes around age and understanding and managing a multigenerational workforce will help us to have more innovative, engaged and productive teams.

Resources

Reverse mentoring at Kingston Council

In our two short films Ian Thomas (the Chief Executive) and his mentors, Chloe Clay (Urban Design Lead) and Nathalie Wilson (Service Development Officer), tell us about their experience of taking part in reverse mentoring at Kingston Council.

Reverse mentoring pairs younger or more junior employees with executive team members to think differently about strategic issues, leadership, culture change and the mindset with which they approach their work.

Reverse mentoring schemes can increase retention, help senior executives drive culture change, and promote diversity.

Ian Thomas, Chief Executive, Kingston Council talks about reverse mentoring

Transcript - Ian Thomas, Chief Executive, Kingston Council

Talking about reverse mentoring

(00:04/04:05)

I wanted to play an active role in Kingston Council’s reverse mentoring scheme because I have some amazing colleagues that have been working on this for the past year, and I put my hand up as a volunteer for the first tranche, so yeah really excited about it.

(00:24/04:05)

I have two people who mentor me, two individuals who are both amazing colleagues and I’ve learnt a great deal from both of them. And they work from different departments, its fair to say a few grades below the Chief Executive and its so powerful that what I knew would happen has happened in that I just to continue to learn every time we have a session I learn multiple things that are new. So its really helping me in terms of my own growth and development and hopefully they are getting something out of it as well.

(01:09/04:05)

What’s been really satisfying is how my mentors in reverse mentoring have grown in their own confidence. Another thing I would say that’s incredibly positive is that we’ve discussed and identified solutions together to some of the challenges that we face in the organisation. We’ve tackled issues together in a kind of action learning set style, but clearly in that particular role I’ve been the mentee. And what’s really good is that the power dynamics have shifted so that they are kind of calling the shots on what they think aught to be done and I’ve been facilitative in role, and I think the key thing is that we’ve seen some improvements already as a result of the different roles that we’ve played. So if through any intervention, services to our residents and the people that visit Kingston improves or support for staff improves, then that can only be a good thing.

(02:33/04:05)

Both coaching and mentoring places the responsibility on the individual around their personal and professional growth, in a way that formal academic qualifications doesn’t and for that reason I would recommend both coaching and mentoring to my peers and not just within the sector but across sectors too.

(03:05/04:05)

So, I would say even though for us, we are in the infancy generally speaking, we’ve been running it for a few months now, I would welcome visits from anyone with regards to the scheme and I would be more than receptive to people speaking to the reverse mentors that we have. Just to triangulate what I’ve said here because it’s easy for me to engage in this conversation from a very positive perspective and it bare nothing to reality. So I would invite you to speak to the mentors, who I’m not paying extra to say nice things, but you know it would be really interesting to see how it feels from their perspective and whether or not they’ve derived similar benefit in terms of their own growth.

Nathalie Wilson and Chloe Clay talk about their experience of mentoring Ian Thomas, Chief Executive of Kingston Council

Transcript - Nathalie Wilson and Chloe Clay talk about their experience of mentoring Ian Thomas, Chief Executive

Why did you want to take part in Kingston’s reverse mentoring programme?

Chloe Clay, Urban Design Lead: I’ve been at the Council for eight years and I thought ‘this is great, I’ve got a lot to give and I’ve got a lot of knowledge, local knowledge that I could share with a senior manager’. And I also wanted to be challenged and stretched myself so that I could learn. So that was why I got involved in it in the first place.

Nathalie Wilson, Service Development Officer: The reason I wanted to take part was really to have a say or have the opportunity to have a say with someone senior in the organisation and have a say about the things I’m passionate about and want to make a difference. I also thought it would be useful being with someone or hearing someone senior’s point of view as well, so to have that different perspective on things.

What’s been the best thing for you about taking part?

Nathalie: It’s actually increased my confidence in lots of different ways. So first of all, to be paired with a chief executive, I was like oh my goodness, I’m a bit nervous I have to say, which I think everyone would be, anyone would be. And actually, it was realising that I can have a say, I can have a valid point of view. I don’t know, it supported me to speak up really about things and also because our sessions were very much on a coaching premise. So Ian is great at listening and facilitating the conversation and not giving advice as such. And I felt very supported to find my own solutions.

Chloe: Its important for the mentee to put things forward as well because I don’t think that happened as much. I was very forthcoming with what we should talk about in terms of the agenda. And whilst it was fluid and it changed and that was a two-way thing, actually having the mentee sort of say ‘this is what I want to develop and this is the conversation I want to have’ would be a good thing as well.

Nathalie: I think also what I learned was if the chief executive can make time for a reverse mentoring session, then I could see where colleagues are not prioritising things, including myself, you know, that its just about prioritising and making things important.

Did you know you’d be mentoring the chief executive and how has that been?

Nathalie: Possibly if I’d known beforehand, I may have not done it, just because it felt really daunting. When I saw the email, I was like ‘oh’, my heart sank more because it just felt like a big responsibility and actually at the same time because it was the Chief Executive I think that’s probably why I got so much out of it.

Chloe: The thing about a CEO is they’re just a person at the end of the day. There’s nothing special about them. They’ve climbed a ladder. That’s the only difference.

Nathalie: He was actually also very humble, he put me at ease and was very acknowledging, so I think that helped as well because I did have some uncertainty about ‘is he getting anything from this? I know I am, but he’s the Chief Exec’.

Chloe: Just treating him like a normal person and being honest with him I think is what he valued, and that’s what I valued from him too. He’s 100 per cent authentic in who he is and what he does and that really resonated with me.

Nathalie: Very grateful for the opportunity if I’m honest and just very humbling, but also a great opportunity to say what’s working well in Kingston because there are a lot of things, you know the Uncomfortable Truths conversations. And its been great for the bits that I’ve felt passionate about to say thank you or well done or that’s been amazing. I feel like I can be heard and appreciative as well as saying what I think could be better.

Chloe: Yes, it’s so good. I’d love to do another one, and I’d love to be mentored by someone that’s brand new into the organisation. Just to sort of say I understand how any of this works as a real reflection of coming into a new organisation, finding your feet, and knowing what you can do as a middle manager to support better integration between juniors and seniors.