The leaders in Reverse Mentoring for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Changing organisations one conversation at a time
What is Reverse Mentoring?
In traditional mentoring, a senior person helps and guides a junior person. Reverse mentoring is different.
Reverse mentoring is when the junior person guides and shares their perspectives with a more senior person.
Our founder Stacy Johnson MBE, designed and created the Reverse Mentoring for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ReMEDI) framework through her action research as an Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham.
“This is the most important piece of work I have done in the 30 years I have worked for the NHS”
The ReMEDI approach enhances the cultural humility of leaders and creates a safe space for marginalised individuals within your organisation.
Our Services
We offer a variety of programmes for transformative inclusion.
Read our blogs
Building bridges: Harnessing the power of cultural humility for the development of inclusion and belonging practices
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How we deliver reverse mentoring
Organisational Readiness
- Executive meeting: We begin with an executive meeting to align goals and set the stage for the program.
- Organisational Commitment: Securing commitment from all levels to ensure the success of the mentoring process.
- Scheduling and Planning: Developing a timeline and plan tailored to your organisation’s needs.
- Recruitment and Engagement: Selecting and engaging the right reverse mentors and mentees for effective pairing.
Training and Preparation
- Reverse Mentor Training: Equipping mentors with the skills and knowledge for effective mentoring.
- Our Reverse Mentoring Training Day is CPD UK accredited
- Reverse Mentee Preparation: Preparing senior leaders to be receptive and gain the most from the mentoring experience.
- Mentor and Mentee Pairing: Carefully matching mentors and mentees based on complementary skills and goals.
Delivery
- One-to-One Sessions: Facilitating regular, focused meetings between mentors and mentees for knowledge exchange.
- Peer-Led Support: Providing additional support through peer-led reverse mentoring networks.
- Mentee Reflections: Encouraging mentees to reflect on their learning and growth.
Joint Reflection and Evaluation
- Celebration and Closing Event: Marking the end of the mentoring cycle with a joint celebration to acknowledge progress and achievements.
- Evaluation and Benefits Analysis: Assessing the impact and outcomes of the mentoring program on individuals and the organisation.
Our Impact
- Transformative Reverse Mentoring: We don’t just mentor; we transform organisations through the power of reverse mentoring.
- Organisational Change: Flipping traditional power dynamics to create meaningful organisational change.
- Empowerment: Empowering individuals to drive positive change within their organisation.
Our Impact and Success
“It was truly an honour of my life to participate in such an impactful programme and session.”
Charity Gladstone MBE
Matron for Cardiology and Respiratory, Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
“The Reverse Mentoring Practice have created a really powerful framework for Liberation-focused supervisions – the themes all resonate and their facilitation style is supportive and empowering. The sessions have re-energised me in my Equality, Diversity and Inclusion work.”
Thahmina Begum
Lead Executive, Race Equality, Advance HE UK
“The support provided is thoughtful, flexible and tailored to the organisation, and the expertise and knowledge that the team provide ensures a firm foundation for all those involved.”
Vicky Beckwith
EDI Lead for Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
“Reverse Mentoring is the key to unlocking cultural conversations and connections in a way not achieved by any other intervention in my experience. Professor Stacy Johnson and team have built a credible and sustainable model that has adapted during and beyond Covid.”
Debbie Robinson
D&I Strategic and Operational Partner for Solent NHS Trust
“This is the most important piece of work I have done in the 30 years I have worked for the NHS.”
Sandra Mellors
NHS Deputy CEO
“Stacy and The Remedi Project have been the foundation to building a powerful inclusive relationship between participants and sponsors on our Midlands Developing Aspirant Nursing and Midwifery Leaders programme. They have consistently gone above and beyond to support the programme success. This has had a powerful impact on equality, diversity, and inclusion across the region.”
Tom Warner
Clinical Workforce Equalities Manager, NHS England – Midlands
“We are the first organisation to run the International Nurses model and there is huge learning for us. It is about doing the right thing and learning from colleagues.”
Yvonne Simpson
Corporate Head of Nursing, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS FT
“The programme was transformational. I’ve been wanting to do reverse mentoring probably for two years. It’s been on the list of things that we were going to do as an organisation and for all different reasons. The programme gives you the emotional understanding that classroom training doesn’t. You learn in and outside of the sessions. You start noticing and learning in between the sessions. I would definitely do it again.”
Louise Bainbridge
CEO, Nottingham City Care Partnership
“As a result of the programme I’ve changed my practice. The simplest example was our email signatures. We had some feedback from one colleague around using pronouns and what that meant to the LGBT+ colleagues. We introduced the option to include preferred pro-nouns to all our signatures. This is a very simple practical example of what we can do and we’ve just done it. Some of the programmes real power is holding that awareness. It brings more awareness into every agenda item in a meeting and every conversation and interaction. I’ve heard things that I don’t think I would have noticed if it hadn’t been for the programme”
Louise Bainbridge
CEO, Nottingham City Care Partnership
“Your organisation has provided safe spaces for our mentors to be able to discuss the mentoring, provided insights and understanding, lived experience (- i.e. what is it like to be at the end of racism) and psychological safety. You have helped improve their understanding of mentoring and increased their confidence. You pushed the mentors to have uncomfortable conversations and take them to the next level. We really like that ‘you are the experts by experience’.”
Kathy McLauchlan (she/her)
Lead Consultant Organisational Development, The City of Edinburgh Council
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about our practice?
What is reverse mentoring?
“Reverse mentoring is when a senior staff member is mentored by someone in a more junior position” (Murphy, 2012) . Reverse mentoring gives senior staff and leaders insight into the experiences of staff with protected characteristics at your organisation.
It allows your staff to have honest, open and respectful conversations about the barriers faced by certain groups of staff. The relationship allows staff to explore good practice and generate ideas to improve your organisation’s inclusive culture.
What is the difference between our programmes?
Our programme Reverse mentoring focuses on inclusion. We pair a senior leader with a person in a more junior role but also who has a protected characteristic or exceptionality.
The leaders are likely to be reverse mentored by a colleague who may be:
- black, asian or from any other underrepresented ethnic group
- have a visible or non visible disability
- a member of the LGBTQA+ community
- autistic or have any neurodiversity diagnosis
- experiencing difficulties feeling accepted, supported or progressing within the organisation because of their identity
Anyone facing barriers in fully participating or advancing at work can be a reverse mentor.
What is the purpose of the programme?
To give junior staff the opportunity to offer senior staff and leaders an insight into what it is like to be working at your organisation with a protected characteristic.
It allows leaders, managers, and key role holders to have honest, open and respectful discussions about the difficulties and barriers faced by staff from minority groups or those with any protected characteristics. The relationship lets leaders learn from junior staff about effective practices and brainstorm ideas to improve the organisation’s inclusive culture.
Who can be a reverse mentor?
Anyone can be a reverse mentor. We seek people from diverse backgrounds at all levels of your organisation who are willing to spend time with a senior leader and give them insight into their “real life” social and professional experiences.
We encourage leaders to be reverse mentored by a range of people with protected characteristics and any other personal, social or professional characteristics that can make people feel excluded. This is not an exhaustive list but for example, if you identify as being black or from another minority ethnic group, are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or if you have a disability or a long-term condition you would be an ideal reverse mentor.
What are the benefits of being a reverse mentor?
Being a reverse mentor offers a unique opportunity to influence your managers and leaders, develop skills and raise your profile in the organisation. During this six month, one to one relationship you will be able to give leaders your perspective on how inclusive you are as an organisation and how the organisation can improve in this area.
You will give leaders insight into the issues and barriers faced by people like you. You will also have the chance to highlight to leaders how they can benefit from your talent.
You will develop your communication, influencing and mentoring skills. We recognise reverse mentoring as important leadership work, similar to traditional coaching and mentoring.
Reverse mentors enhance their own visibility in the organisation by accompanying their mentee to meetings, observing interactions, and sharing their opinions on the challenges leaders face. In some organisations, reverse mentors have represented their organisation at conferences, speaking about their reverse mentoring experiences to senior leader audiences.
Who can be a reverse mentee?
Managers and leaders who believe they would benefit from spending time with more junior members of staff with protected characteristics who can sometimes feel excluded.
Senior leaders and managers will gain insight into the “real life” social and professional experiences of a range of staff and have the opportunity to appreciate the value of having access to the different perspectives they bring. Reverse mentors will help leaders to deeply reflect upon and challenge their attitudes to inclusion and how this influences your organisational culture and success.
What are the benefits of being reverse mentored?
Being reverse mentored offers a unique opportunity for leaders to engage in an intentional and sustained manner with staff at different levels of the organisation.
It provides an opportunity for leaders, managers and key role holders to engage in honest, open and respectful dialogue about the barriers, issues and problems that staff from underrepresented groups encounter when working in their organisation. The relationship also provides a space for leaders to explore with more junior staff, areas of good practice and generate ideas and priorities for improving the inclusive culture in their workplace.