Patrick and Alan share their experience of taking part in our reverse mentoring programme

Our reverse mentoring programme helps support diversity and inclusion at Anchor by giving participants insights into how others work and creating opportunities to share lived experiences with one another.

The programme pairs a member of one of our colleague networks with a member of the Anchor senior leadership team. The mentor (network member) discusses lived experiences to help their mentee consider the real implications of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace and foster some change.

Here, Alan Donlin, a Location Manager, and Patrick Duffy, Director of Land and Regeneration at Anchor, talk about their experience of taking part in the programme. 

Meet Alan and Patrick

Alan Donlin has been working with Anchor for 11 and a half years and is now a Location Manager. He loves the caring aspect of the role and enjoys a great rapport with residents at his location. Patrick Duffy, on the other hand, has been at Anchor for 2 years. He’s the Director of Land and Regeneration, and while Anchor is his first national role, he’s been working in housing in London and the South East for many years. 

Patrick’s motivation to join the programme

I wanted to get involved as a mentee for personal and business reasons. I wanted a greater understanding of how a variety of people work, and I believe that as a leader, it’s important for me to know how to adapt and work flexibly with my team and others. I'm office-based, so it was important for me to hear more about Alan’s long experience of working directly with residents. It’s a way to stay grounded in my job, which can be quite removed from the day-to-day work of most Anchor colleagues.  

I've been able to apply our conversations outside of work and it's been helpful to be offered a new perspective on things.

Highlights from taking part in the reverse mentoring programme

Talking about what he found most rewarding about the programme, Alan said:

I live at my location and enjoyed sharing my pride in my home and neighbours with someone I feels I can trust and communicate with, even though our roles (and football teams) are so different. The logistics have been tricky at times, but as I have an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) diagnosis, meeting in person rather than online has helped me with some of the more sensitive conversations we’ve had.

Patrick added that meeting in person had the added benefit of sharing a good cup of tea while Alan asked really good questions about the way things are done and why. He said:  

Meeting with Alan has helped me think through processes as well as the way they’re communicated through the business, and whether that’s been done in an accessible way.

A more challenging aspect for Patrick has been the temptation to fall into problem-solving mode rather than exploring the root of issues. He said that:

While Anchor doesn’t feel very hierarchical to me, I still need to remind myself that I'm supposed to be a mentee, not a mentor. As it’s the first time I've done reverse mentoring, it’s been a challenge to fall into those roles, but one I've worked through with Alan. 

What they each learnt

One of the key takeaways from the programme for Alan has been the assurance of the organisation’s aims. He said:

It’s reassuring to see that a more senior colleague is a good person and that they’re trying to do the right thing for colleagues and residents. It was good to focus on some positivity too and celebrate moments that have worked well regarding my disability status. 

Patrick said:

The most important part has been learning to give these kinds of conversations time – not just to have, but also to reflect on. I realise that I've often perceived as having a lot of privilege, so it’s given me reassurance that I can be present as an ally in D&I spaces rather than feeling that I'm imposing. 

Plans to build on their mentoring experience

Both Patrick and Alan said that the reverse mentoring programme has prompted wanting to get more involved in D&I initiatives, Patrick said that the reflection this has sparked is already finding its feet in the D&I Strategy that he’s looking at. He’s finding ways to explicitly bring inclusion into conversations, especially areas like recruitment, and he has joined the Inclusive Ambassador network as a result.

Alan Donlin is a Location Manager at Anchor and Patrick Duffy is Anchor's Director of Land and Regeneration.