How can you make the most of your reverse-mentorship in Agile?

I've found it helpful to observe. Observe your peers as they work and you will encounter someone whose skills in a particular area you will admire and wish to emulate. Approach them candidly and be open about your goals and their skills that you admire. Honest flattery and true respect will help encourage them to work with you to guide you, mentor you, and help you understand and practice that skill which you lack. This approach is valuable as it also allows you to reciprocate in kind -- there is undoubtedly something you can also teach them. Respect is a two-way street. Building alliances and relationships with those who think differently and work differently will give you the experience you need to grow in your career and abilities.

Be open to feedback and accept the negatives in a constructive way. Foster a dynamic feedback ecosystem, where everyone expresses without fear. The reverse mentor is instrumental in driving collaboration and bringing the best in Agile teams.

If senior executives see the benefits of reverse mentoring, they’ll be more receptive to learning from their junior peers. In the case of a senior leader of a tech company, learning new skills and getting used to new technology are direct benefits of reverse mentorship. If you are a senior executive, a reverse mentoring program allows you to gain a window to the world of your younger mentor and help you see things from their perspective. This gives you fresh ideas and new insights that can help inform your business decision-making.

In Agile where collaboration and continuous learning is key, reverse mentorship can be beneficial for both parties so choosing the members that can complement each other's needs is important. The more experienced member can provide their experience and knowledge in different aspects of the project. They can give examples of similar solutions they worked on that can be adapted in current situations. The less experienced member can in return give their insight on newer technologies, trends, or ways of work. So make sure you seek individuals that will collaborate with each other and share their viewpoints and experiences while being open to adapting new practices.

Some ways to get most out of reverse-mentorship in Agile: Build trust/respect between the mentor mentee and come to discussions with specific goals. Be open to listening to new ideas/thoughts. Discuss about challenges that both parties faced and how would the other respond. There might be more creative solutions.

Set the goal and understand your expectations from the activity that you planned to upskill or learn. There are many ways to measure once the goal is decided. You can schedule a quick session like one to one session with your reverse-mentor once decided whom to select and if the person agree to be your mentor. Plan the SMART goal and describe the goal and how you are going to achieve. Present the goal with your mentor and take inputs and suggestions. Feedback plays the major role here during the journey.

I suggest embracing an 'Agile Learning Loop' of short, focused sessions where both mentor and mentee actively share and apply insights. Start with an agreed broad goal, then narrow it down each week as you learn. This keeps your mentorship aligned with real-time progress and agile principles. For example, a 15-minute weekly sync to discuss a new trend can spark innovative ideas and keep your learning agile and engaging, you will create a dynamic, two-way street of knowledge that adapts as you grow. I think working in this way ensures both mentor and mentee get real value and stay aligned with the reverse-mentorship goals.

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Sometimes it's hard to get the SMART goal set up right away. To help you get started, see where you want to be at. Compare that with where you are today. Begin with small tasks and try to achieve them. This will help build confidence to move forward towards the goal. After a while, you can begin building on the SMART goals. Remember you can always refine your goals.

Sometimes, a goal can be solving a problem that you can't measure. Ex: "I don't feel comfortable to work with metrics". Qualitative goals are very common when we are talking about soft skills.

In my experience we can look at the below pointers for maximising the reverse mentorship. 1. Preparation is Key: Before sessions, familiarize yourself with relevant topics or questions. This ensures you come ready to dive into meaningful discussions and make the most of your mentor's expertise. 2. Engage Actively: Participate actively in discussions, ask insightful questions, and share your experiences. Actively engaging creates a dynamic learning environment and encourages your mentor to provide tailored guidance. 3. Apply Learnings: Take what you've learned and apply it in your Agile projects. This hands-on approach not only solidifies your understanding but also demonstrates the practical value of the mentorship.

Before each session, both mentor and mentee should prepare topics or questions to ensure focused discussions. Encourage an environment where both parties feel comfortable to express thoughts and ask questions. Post-session, follow up with a summary of discussions and action points to maintain continuity and track progress.

Come prepared for mentoring sessions with specific questions or topics for discussion. Actively engage in conversations, sharing your challenges and seeking advice. Embrace a learning mindset and be willing to explore new ideas.

Mentorship is much more than studying. For both you will need to be proactive and responsible / accountable for the final result though. Make sure that you have time and energy for being mentee. Your mentor can't do anything more but leading your through their expertise based on your questions, wishes, curiosity. Be prepared for each session - make a list of questions, follow the agreements including any kind of 'homework'. Be respectful to your and their time of each meeting. That means that you have to be focused and concentrated - don't multitask. Enliven the power of the feedback loops - make it clear for your mentor what you feel / what went well / what might be improved.

Prepare and participate actively in reverse mentorship if you want to maximize it. Before each session, take the time to research topics, prepare questions, and engage in relevant activities. It is essential that you actively listen, ask probing questions, share experiences, and apply the lessons learned during the session. You should also express your gratitude, summarize key takeaways, and ask your reverse mentor for additional guidance or resources.

In my experience, if you let your Team follow their ideas and suggestions and come back with outcomes and feedbacks based on their expertise, it will reflect their gains from the mentorship and support you’re having with them in their journey of learning and achieving more skilful path.

Listening with an open mind is an art. Hearing the other person while you are prepping your next follow up question, is not Listening. When a team member raises a point of view, always remember, there is a reason, or a story or an experience behind that view. Giving that chance to hear that view, matters. That's when they understand how respectful you are !

The hardest and most important component of a reverse-mentorship relationship is openness. The core idea is to gain perspective through deliberate, calculated, and intentional exposure. Challenging oneself to evaluate information, rationale, and genesis, helps one to alter perspectives in an active and purposeful way.

Absolutely! Being open-minded and respectful is essential in any mentorship relationship, including reverse-mentorship. Here are some key aspects to keep in mind: -Embrace Different Perspectives: Recognize that your reverse-mentor brings a unique perspective and set of experiences to the table. Be open to learning from their viewpoints, even if they differ from your own. Embrace the opportunity to broaden your horizons and gain new insights.

one of the most important thing is give eqaul opportunity to everyone and appreciation and recognition of the hard work that one did.

In reverse-mentorship, prioritize feedback. Request constructive feedback about your performance and adjust goals accordingly. Provide feedback on teaching, communication, and support to help your reverse-mentor improve. When describing specific scenarios, use the STAR framework to identify both strengths and weaknesses of actions, emphasizing the strengths and weaknesses of the actions.

As an Agile Coach, I always tend to collect feedback from both ends of the spectrum. My customer is my priority and I give equal importance to my team members as well. So collecting feedback from them ensures that I am doing my job efficiently and my critics have always pushed me to become a better version of myself. So yeah, always seek for feedback and never shy away from providing one as well.

1. Seeking Feedback: Actively request feedback on your understanding, progress, and application of mentorship insights. Use it to refine your approach and address any gaps. 2. Providing Constructive Input: Share your observations with the reverse mentor. Offer constructive feedback on their guidance, helping them understand what works well and where adjustments could be beneficial. Example: Suppose you're learning about a new Agile tool. Regularly ask your mentor for feedback on how you're implementing it. Simultaneously, provide input on the mentor's guidance, expressing what aspects were particularly helpful or where more clarification would enhance your learning. This way we can ensure continuous improvement by reverse mentorship.

Feedback in reverse-mentorship is a two-way street. Seek constructive feedback from your mentor, adapting goals based on insights. Offer feedback on their teaching and communication, aiding their growth. Utilize the STAR framework to structure feedback, detailing the Situation, Task, Action, and Result of scenarios. Emphasize strengths and weaknesses for a comprehensive evaluation. This reciprocal feedback loop enhances the learning experience, facilitating continuous improvement for both parties involved.

Regularly seek feedback on the effectiveness of the reverse-mentoring process. Encourage honest and constructive input from both parties. Additionally, provide feedback on how the insights gained have been applied and their impact on your work.

In this line of work, we are continuously looking for smarter ways to work. From a psychological perspective, this can be an intimidating practice as some people naturally go on the defensive. To balance the possible negative experience, sprinkle in some positive activities that will reframe the overall experience in a more positive light. At the end of the day, we need to be intentional about improving the way we work but we also need to be intentional about managing the mental health and well being of our team and celebrate the achievements we have, together, made.

It’s important to improve ways of working but don’t get stuck in trying to create the most optimal organization or way of working. When you make progress, celebrate. When you feel that you have been successful, reflect and use it as best practice and adopt it to your next challenges.

Reflecting is always the right way and you can after that see which are your struggles and which are the steps you need to take to be successful.

Conclude reverse-mentorship by celebrating achievements. Share success stories, express gratitude, and reward both parties. Reflect on goals, outcomes, and feedback. Identify key lessons and skills gained. Evaluate effectiveness and satisfaction. Identify areas for improvement or continuation, ensuring a holistic and impactful closure to the mentorship experience.

Celebrate milestones and successes achieved through reverse-mentorship. Reflect on the lessons learned and consider how the experience has contributed to your professional growth and the improvement of Agile practices within your team.

The first crucial step is to recognize your weaknesses and shortcomings. Secondly, it's essential to have trust in the person or group assisting you in reverse mentorship. This is vital because you'll be discussing your vulnerabilities with them, and you need to feel confident about receiving support. Ultimately, the goal is mutual learning and growth, as both parties benefit from sharing their skills and experiences.

In my opinion, following need to be kept in mind in reverse mentoring: 1. Understand the purpose of mentoring and set clear goals and expectations 2. Know your mentee: rather than pushing mentee into a process, build a level of comfort, trust and rapport. 3. Understand mentee's aspirations. Mentoring is dialogue and not a monologue 4. Respect your reverse mentor's opinions, values and preferences 5. Share feedback 6. Review progress, acknowledge and mutually agree for future connects.

Building a community of practice within the organization to encourage knowledge-sharing and collaboration. Explore opportunities for group discussions, workshops, or forums where reverse-mentoring experiences can be shared among team members.

Emphasize the importance of continuous learning within the Agile team. Encourage team members to view mentorship as a two-way street, where everyone has valuable experiences and insights to contribute, regardless of their level of experience.

Set clear, achievable and small milestones. Agree on the prepared plan. Get it reviewed to see how it aligns with individual and larger organization objectives. Track the progress against the set milestones