Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
Today’s workplace brings together five generations, each with distinct training needs — from Baby Boomers, who must adapt to ever-evolving technology and workplace norms, to Gen Z and the emerging Gen Alpha, who are building skills with professional communication, emotional intelligence, and resilience in the face of stress or negative feedback.
Speed mentoring has emerged as a popular and mutually-beneficial approach for bridging these gaps — but what exactly is it, and what are some tips for getting started as both a speed mentor and a speed mentee?
What is Speed Mentoring?
Speed mentoring is a popular networking and mentoring format that often takes place at corporate, nonprofit, and academic events. It first emerged in the early 2000s, and much like speed dating, speed mentoring pairs mentees with a series of mentors for quick, focused conversations (usually 5-15 minutes each) before moving to the next mentor.
Speed mentoring can also be mutual mentoring sessions, in which both parties take turns being the mentor and the mentee, asking questions of the other and delving into their expertise.
No matter the format — whether as part of a formal event or as a casual coffee chat between co-workers at lunchtime — speed mentoring provides tremendous benefit for both participants. For mentees, it provides access to multiple perspectives, exposure to role models, and an instant boost of confidence regarding their goals and vision for their future.
For mentors, it offers a chance to sharpen their leadership skills, gain exposure to fresh perspectives, and witness their guidance spark growth in others.
Speed mentoring works, with a 2018 Yale study finding medical residents who participated were more than twice as likely to produce research. However, it requires people who are willing to step up, make the time, and have the courage to both give and seek guidance.
Without the willingness to share one’s time — or the vulnerability to ask for help — the fantastic outcomes found in Yale’s study wouldn’t exist.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Speed Mentoring at Work
Whether you’re offering advice or looking for it, the following tips can help you make the most of the experience, as both a mentor and a mentee.
- Seek out people, no matter their age, whom you can assist with your knowledge and background, and look for ways that they can assist you, too.
- State your respective goals and what you’re aiming for. Allow for a healthy exchange of new ideas and perspectives, even in your own area of expertise and accomplishment. All of us can get better.
- Outline your goals. Have the other person outline their goals as well. How can you help each other to get where you want to be?
- Share stories, not just information. Everyone has a story. This is information you can’t access online, in a textbook, or in a new-hire orientation or onboarding session.
- Carve out time from your busy schedule. It might be a simple phone call or voice message, a text, or stopping by to see someone spontaneously. Show you care.
- Accept and appreciate that not everyone is like you. Thank goodness!
How Leaders Can Foster Speed Mentoring in the Workplace
As an Executive Coach, I encourage all organizational leaders to foster speed mentoring within their teams.
Not only does it help bridge the generational gap — especially important after a 2024 study found 58% of employees experience intergenerational conflicts at work, mostly due to differing communication styles — but by investing in the growth of others, leaders can spark a ripple effect of success stories throughout their organization.
Leaders should take these three steps to create a culture that supports speed mentoring relationships that can drive measurable results when employees support each other to grow and succeed.
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- Acknowledge that team members are not just cogs in the wheel. Make everyone feel part of the bigger picture. Show them how to use their diverse generational traits to serve a common purpose to help your organization achieve success.
- Create a culture of giving back. Multigenerational workplaces give back to one another. When a person succeeds due to mentoring, they will forever be touched and influenced by that person. It will help shape the mentor they are to become. It becomes one success story after another. Be a memory maker.
- Acknowledge that all leaders started at a lower-level position at one time. This is true of every one of us. Remember, no one succeeds alone. Just as you were guided, mentored, and believed in, pay it forward by encouraging a culture that gives the same opportunity to others.
