Patrice Gordon - Reverse Mentoring: Removing Barriers and Building Belonging in the Workplace

Holly Branson

I learned so much from Patrice Gordons wonderful book: Reverse Mentoring: Removing Barriers and Building Belonging in the Workplace . As chief purpose and vision officer of Virgin Group, I am passionate that not only our businesses but all businesses become truly diverse, inclusive, and equitable, and I strive to be as educated and informed as I can be, to help make this a reality.

What I love about Patrices book is that she continually brings us back to the fact that a workplace is made up of peoplenot robots. Yes, many of those people will share the same skill sets, but they will undoubtedly have had different lived experiences and face different challenges. The joy and success of a work culture where everyone feels that they belong, have a shared purpose, and are respected and valued equally to their colleagues, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, neurodiversity, disabilities, or socioeconomic background, should never be underestimated.

A business that works hard to foster a sense of true belonging and inclusion for all of its people has been shown to be substantially more successful than those businesses that simply pay lip service to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Im continually shouting from the rooftops that: Purpose and profit go hand in handbecause I absolutely believe that they do! To be a truly purpose-led business (and therefore a successful one!), your people and their well-being should be at the heart of everything you do. The issue comes when leaders dont actually know who their people are.

Leadership teams everywhere will learn much from Patrices book. As she so brilliantly puts it:

Change does not happen with a one-off diversity training or listening session. It does not happen because your organization hires more people of color or promotes more women to leadership positions. It does not happen because of an anti-discrimination policy codified by lawyers and printed in the employee handbook. It happens when peoplereal people with all their flaws and attributeschange from the inside out. If we want to promote this kind of change, we need a tool that promotes dialogue, connection, empathy, and vulnerability between multiple parties that allows people from disparate backgrounds to truly engage with and understand one another. Enter reverse mentoring.

Without taking the time to get to know your colleagues lived experiences, the challenges they face, their personal and family journeys, their fears, their skills, and their passions, you will never bring out the best in your people. And, crucially, you will never break down those barriers, conscious or unconscious, that prevent even the most well-intentioned businesses from becoming 100 percent diverse, inclusive, and equitable. Breaking down these barriers, at all levels of your organization, will shine a light on a richer, more engaged talent pool; it will encourage creative, lively debate that often leads to accelerated innovation; and youll become an organization that encourages, values, respects, and promotes all the amazing skills already available to youwithin your own people. People whom you have taken the time to get to know. As an added bonus you, as a leader, will also get to understand better what makes you tick and how you can grow as an employer and as a personopening up so many more opportunities to thrive, in both work and life.

Reverse Mentoring: Removing Barriers and Building Belonging in the Workplace is an inspiring how-to when it comes to all aspects of introducing a successful reverse mentoring program. Patrice takes you through every element, step by step, in such a warm and human way that I forgot at times I was reading a business book. Reading the last chapter, you cant help but get excited about what the future will look like if all businesses embrace Patrices passion for reverse mentorship; her passion for a world in which all businesses are 100 percent diverse, inclusive, and equitable shines through on every page.

Its only right to give the wonderful Patrice the last word:

By using our own stories to bring more humanity into our organizations, reverse mentoring allows us to see one another and ourselves in a radically new light. Only when we look at the world differently can we decide to make changechange that, in this case, is long overdue and sorely needed. Lets begin.