Traditionally, mentoring is a top down process. With a more experienced individual offering support, encouragement & advice to someone less senior to themselves. But is this approach becoming outdated? And limiting? Organisations might be able to reap more benefits if they’re open to reversing this traditional mentoring process. If they source mentors from up and down the ranks.

Regardless of seniority or experience, we all possess different strengths, weaknesses and areas of expertise. No one person can have all the answers or be fully versed in every aspect of the business.

Which is where reverse mentoring comes in. Whether it’s about company strategy, leadership, or how to get the best out of social media and new technologies – there will always be something that we can learn from others, whatever their age or rank.

Reverse mentoring can be used to an organisation’s maximum advantage, as an extra source of help and support, to promote learning and strengthen relationships across all levels within the organisation. It can encourage employee engagement, giving younger and junior staff members the opportunity to educate and inform the more senior. Something that might be especially useful in the areas of social media, new technologies and understanding a younger market demographic.

Reverse mentoring can help build confidence, value and recognition in the younger team members. While giving senior Executives the opportunity to get to know more about the business leaders of the future. The chance to understand what keeps their more junior colleagues motivated and engaged, as well as getting a fresh view of their thoughts about the business, its processes and systems.

Of course, the initiative does require thought, guidance, considered selection and review. Effective communication is essential, to ensure that both mentor and mentee feel comfortable with the process and to create chemistry that’s respectful and engaging so that everyone can get the most from the opportunity.

Reverse mentoring is about making the most of the strengths within the business by assigning the right mentor to the right mentee, regardless of whether they are more senior or junior. Get it right, and without a doubt, everyone will learn something valuable, and keep skills developing and an organisation thriving.

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When faced with such opinions, it’s easy to see your comfort zone as a place that holds you back. To consider the negatives rather than the positives.

However, this isn’t the full picture. There are in fact many positives for staying in your zone.

5 reasons for staying in your comfort zone

• It builds self-confidence and confidence in others
• You develop high levels of experience and knowledge within your existing environment from where you can provide support to others
• It provides personal and professional stability
• You build strong and lasting relationships
• You gain happiness and contentment by being true to yourself

Try asking yourself the following questions.

If you’re comfortable in your comfort zone, how is it perceived by you and by others?

Is your comfort zone a strength, one that reflects your professional stability and loyalty?

Or can your comfort zone be perceived as a weakness, highlighting a lack of ambition and adversity to change and challenge yourself?

Recognise and embrace how a position of comfort might be perceived as a strength. And use this to your maximum advantage.

And if you need to step out a little of your zone, try making your comfort zone a little more uncomfortable, for you to develop and fulfil the potential within you. Rather than leaving it altogether.

By understanding and working it properly, your comfort zone could be the place to provide you with the opportunity to make your greatest contribution.

So, what are you waiting for? Go make yourself comfortable.

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If you want to realise your own potential on the 20th February I’ll be publishing my new book, Potential. To get all the latest publishing news sign up here.

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I was delighted to accept an invitation to present alongside Alex Gregory at a recent event in London hosted by Stanton House. Alex was part of the record-breaking rowing team and won gold at London and Rio in the coxless fours.

The presentation topic was focussed around sustaining peak performance with Alex drawing on his personal experiences and learnings from the world of sport and with myself applying some of my learnings and experiences from a business context.

I was aware that Alex would be bringing along his 2 gold medals to show to the audience which initially made me feel a little anxious about my own successes, especially in the business where successes are invariably less tangible and less impactive.

He explained that  his gold medals represented his immense achievements, his unwavering commitment and his emotional sense of pride. They acted as a permanent recognition and reinforcement of his successes and achievements and a trigger for his associated emotions.

It got me thinking about success and influenced me to stop and reflect on my own achievements  – something that many of us find a challenging task to do.

Success is relative and will mean different things to different people. We all have successes , big and small, personal and professional, that we should be proud of and celebrate,  however not  all of us will have a gold medal or an accolade to show for them and as a result they can be easily forgotten, pushed to the backs of our minds and mentally discarded.

Don’t lose sight of your gold medal moments  –  achievements and successes that mean something to you. Recognise them , embrace them and continually acknowledge them and find ways to tie them into your thinking and to reinforce positive emotions. Success breeds success and can significantly influence a positive mind-set from which personal confidence can grow and lead to  greater success and achievements.

I followed on from Alex’s inspirational story of success and achievement and I began my presentation with my gold medal moments –  highlighting some of my professional and personal achievements and their significance to me.

I then posed the following  questions  to the audience :-

What are your gold medal moments?

What are the future gold medal moments that you are currently working towards?

Coaching, whether sports or business related, helps to build confidence and self -awareness  and aims to support you to recognise and enhance your strengths and successes in order to continually improve personal and business performance.

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