Reverse mentoring keeps you nimble

Photo by Henrik Hansen on Unsplash
Cheetahs are the fastest land animal. Running at up to 120km/hour, they give the nimble Usain Bolt a run for his money!

Recently, I was reluctantly reverse mentored. You know, by someone younger than me. The reluctance didn’t last long, but I felt it. Keenly!

Yes, I learned some new and valuable information. But it was only after the fact, when a journalist from the ABC’s Radio National Life Matters program called to ask for my two-cents, that I realised it’s true value.

It helps keep you nimble!

You can hear me talk about it here. I’m speaking at about the 13-minute and 16-minute marks.

If you’re going to benefit from anyone trying to help you in any arena, regardless of age, you’ll want to stay curious and keep an open mind. Breathe, listen and get your growth mindset on. Not always easy!

By the way, it aired while I was learning about the board meetings which S is famous for. And, I discovered that journalists are nimble, too. They don’t muck about.

On the initial call with the journalist, we quickly realised I couldn’t come into the studio for a live interview. So I suggested she might want to try someone else. She said no, you’ve got some interesting views, just record yourself and send it in. I’ll email the details. And that was it.

Now, I’m not a media regular, so I was a bit excited and wanted to talk. Not the journalist. She was very polite and professional, but I knew she wanted to go. So, I did a little happy dance by myself after we hung up all too soon.

In the end, I sent in 9 minutes and you get to hear about 20%. I did try to pretend I was sitting talking to someone. Not sure I nailed that. But still, who knew that’s how it can be done?

Over to you!

I’d love to hear what helps you stay nimble. Scroll down to leave a comment.

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