“What Mentors Bring to the Table: The Value of Trust and Vulnerability in a Digital World”, March 2026

A free and voluntary community initiative to "Pay it Forward":
The KM Peer Mentoring Program (KMPM)

March 2026

Good mentoring isn’t just generosity. It’s also a lot about design. And it took me a while to learn to this when we launched the KM Peer Mentoring (KMPM) Program.

After retiring from a 33-year career at the World Trade Organization, where my last role was Chief of the Knowledge Management Section, I set out to stay connected to the KM community. And what I built along the way with the help of other KMers, taught me more about structure, boundaries, and trust than I expected.

When I was still working, I lived through the challenge of building a knowledge management career without proper guidance. After doing “unofficial KM work” which I didn’t realize I was doing then, and spending five years advocating for KM to Senior Management, I was eventually given a formal role as Chief of the KM section. During those earlier years, I had to learn everything from scratch, i.e. informally through YouTube and from the limited number of people I knew in KM. There were no KM courses during my university years. I wish I had the option to study this in university. I had no regular support to ask specific questions and over a period of time. I had to piece together my expertise through conversations and relationships, often feeling like I was imposing on people's time with my endless questions. This bothered me a lot because I didn’t want to abuse of KM colleagues’ generosity and time which they usually get compensated for by the hour. And as most people know, obtaining funds to hire a consultant is a struggle. And my own salary was not enough to afford having my own KM guru at my beck and call.

After retiring in 2022 and now having time to explore the KM space, I noticed a glaring gap. Despite having two vibrant KM communities, KM4Dev and SIKM and with their wealth of experts, I found that there was no formal mechanism for knowledge transfer between generations of practitioners. It was surprising to me that the KM community was not practicing a fundamental principle they preach in Knowledge Management, i.e. Knowledge Transfer. So in 2023, I approached Stan Garfield, Patrick Lambe and other seasoned practitioners, asking if we could create something meaningful to bridge this gap.

The current KMPM Program addresses several critical needs I observed after I retired

In our large KM communities of, I believe, over 1300 people, when someone asks a question, they receive numerous answers from various perspectives. But the replies given back to the one asking the question usually pertained to the repliers’ own case and often lacked the internal context that the specific question asked requires. Also, many practitioners, often the newer ones, feel intimidated asking questions in such large forums. They needed what I always referred to as a "Personal KM Help Desk", i.e. someone who could spend dedicated time understanding their work context and thinking with them through their unique KM challenges.

With time, I also discovered that the issues talked about in the KM communities are diverse. These include but are not limited to translating KM into business language that Senior Managers understand, navigating internal organizational politics, measuring KM effectiveness, managing Communities of Practice, addressing silos, leveraging technology, and perhaps most importantly, career development. In the early stages of leading KM initiatives, I remember desperately needing someone who could take the time (and for free!) in helping me understand how to start KM, create a KM Strategy, build compelling business cases to procure funds, and translate KM concepts into language that my organization’s Senior Management and colleagues would resonate with.

The change I wanted to see

As a result, the spirit I wanted behind my future KM Peer Mentoring Program initiative was to fundamentally be about “Paying it Forward”. I specifically designed it to be a free, voluntary service that was inclusive and accessible across all time zones and languages. I wanted mentoring to be available not just in English, but also in other languages from Europe, Africa, Asia or the Middle East, depending on what is offered or requested. It was meant to be flexible, practical, and mutually beneficial as I eventually learned that mentors equally gain from their mentees’ fresh perspectives.

I also wanted to see how many women KM mentors would put themselves forward. I often only saw or heard about male (and white) known KM experts and not so many women or persons of color. I was curious to see many women KM experts apply and present themselves as possessing substantial expertise in KM. I also wanted to see how many KM experts would show up from the non-Western world. Often, we read and know about KM experts from North America and the UK. I often found it strange that not much exposure was given to KM experts from developing economies.

So, in the end, what I wanted to see was a mentor (and mentee) pool that was diverse in gender, geographic location, industry, language as well as generation. I also believed in the notion of everyone learning something from someone, no matter the age or sector. In particular, I firmly believed that even the seasoned and older practitioners could learn from new generation of KM professionals, particularly given how enabling technologies have rapidly changed the world of work today.

What came about?

So we started with a pilot Mentoring program in 2023, recruiting 8 mentors and 15 mentees. Governance of the program was made simple - a Program Lead, Program Advisor and a Screening board. With the help of the mentors, we designed the Program to be “mentee-centric”. In particular, mentors would share their resources, know-how and contacts. But it was ultimately the mentee who decided whether or how to use what was shared by their mentor. Both mentor and mentee mutually agree on expected scope, pace, format and manner of exchange.

My role as Program Lead was to launch the program for applications, set up initial chemistry calls before matching, make the mentor-mentee matches, as well as organize the Mid-Year Review, in-between Networking sessions, Wrap-up session and feedback forms. Both Program Advisor and Screening Board take a look at the applicants and check for questionable applicants, in terms of credibility and reputation. For the matching process, adequate KM expertise, KM challenge vs offered expertise, as well as additional factors such as time zones, scheduling and connectivity issues, cultural and organizational differences, confidentiality limits and learning language are taken into account. After my initial matching proposals, the Program Advisor takes a 2nd look to see if the proposed matches are sound and practical.

We created this Mentoring program primarily to support KM professionals and address professional development gaps. The program aims to support all KM practitioners, especially those navigating the field through non-traditional paths, by providing a dedicated space for peer learning. Most especially, we wanted to create a space where peers could understand and discuss the challenges of building a KM career without clear pathways. The values we chose to represent this program are those of “Paying it Forward”, Community, and Peer Support. And to reflect these, the slogan we (and the Pilot mentors’ support) finally chose to represent the spirit of this program was “KM Practitioners helping each other’, a contributed idea from another known KM pioneer, Nancy Dixon.

What stands out

What stands out most, looking back, is how sustainable this has proven to be as a community-run initiative. It’s not dependent on one person’s bandwidth indefinitely, and designed from the beginning to be passed on to future generations.

The response for the pilot initiative was overwhelmingly positive. So we launched our first full program the next year (2024–2025) with 58 mentors and 82 mentees. That growth is worth reading carefully rather than simply celebrating. It may reflect real unmet demand, or it may partly reflect that KMPM was the only option available at the time. It would be interesting to see whether demand holds once more alternatives exist. But at the time, this was enough evidence that there was significant demand for such a service within the KM Community, a piece of information we didn’t have the year before.

The feedback I receive consistently highlights how the KMPM program builds confidence especially for the mentee, provides meaningful connection and valuable peer support. They were also very grateful for having that safe space for contextual guidance, proven best practices, having access to personal contacts of their mentors, and especially the emotional support in navigating a career in KM. For the mentors, they particularly appreciated the opportunity to give back. They had found the experience quite enriching and even re-validating their own knowledge from their mentees’ perspectives.

The Program seems to enrich learning from perspectives from both sides to the point of creating reverse mentoring. It expands networks and finally, provides the kind of contextual, relationship-based learning that formal courses often don’t offer.

What I learned from this and why it was important to my understanding

A few lessons I had to patiently learn as I launched and manage this initiative. To earn real buy‑in, I had to respect the community’s “bandwidth”, trust, and diversity. I had to remember that I was working with humans first and not just KM professionals. In particular, mentors were volunteers and not a Helpdesk on call. So I had to allow them some autonomy, flexibility, and emphasizing the importance of clear and agreed boundaries to avoid burnout. For the mentees, I was mindful to always ask if they needed more or safer spaces to express their specific questions to mentors or to each other. For both mentors and mentees, I had to be mindful of the additional extra care factors related to inclusiveness, i.e. considering time zones, patchy internet connectivity, culture and learning style differences and language comfort. I had to make matching feel fair and human, starting with the “chemistry” conversations, then prioritizing mentee goals while respecting mentor preferences and time.

To ensure a safe and supportive environment, we established a 'Pay-it-Forward' ethos. In particular, no selling or self‑promotion from the mentors was allowed so mentees would feel psychologically safe to share unfinished work and honest struggles. I had to remind participants of the importance of creating a simple but mutually-agreed Mentoring Agreement to prevent scope creep and misalignment. Emphasizing and handling confidentiality with care by me (as well as mentors) was also essential, particularly in anonymizing details and ensuring explicit consent for contact information. Finally, overall optics and equity in the Program were also a consideration. In particular, participants were mindfully selected to reflect an inclusive representation of practitioners, avoiding prioritizing “celebrity” mentors, and keeping the governance simple and easily accountable to the community. With these sensitivities in place, we were able to create a Community program which I hope will go on even when I no longer am able to manage it. Taking these considerations into account earns trust from the Community.

Four years in, the growth and adaptability of this program say less about any one person’s effort and more about how much appetite there was, all along, for structured peer support in this field. When we first started this in 2023, my motivations were simple. And it was to bridge the glaring gap in access to knowledge management expertise, mentorship, and career pathway guidance, especially in a field where formal education and clear routes are still rare. Now 4 years later, that mission has not only been validated, but enriched, as we’ve learned so much as a community together.

Another key finding from these years is the sheer hunger for mentorship within our global KM community. Each year, I have to be firm about the application deadline due to overwhelming demand. It became quite difficult to turn away those who missed it for whatever reason. The applicants were not just early-career professionals, but also seasoned practitioners looking for growth, connection, or even a new sense of purpose. This for me showed that learning in KM is truly lifelong, and that both giving and receiving mentorship are formative experiences. Multi-directional learning has become a cornerstone of our Program’s approach. Those who serve as mentors often discover and mention how much they gain from their mentees, whether through fresh perspectives, technology savviness, or insights into regional nuances and organizational cultures.

Our networking sessions and mid-year reviews have also shed light on the importance of safe, intimate spaces for sharing and problem-solving. Mentees frequently report that their confidence grows when they can discuss challenges in smaller, supportive groups. These allay the anxiety many feel about speaking up in large, more formal KM communities. For mentors, their common challenges were on the practical side, i.e. having to run after mentees for the next session, cultural differences, as well as adjusting to their mentees’ learning styles or foundational knowledge. I especially learned that flexibility is key. Fixed rules rarely suit all, and mutual agreements on meeting frequency, expectations, and learning goals were far more effective.

Another key insight I realized was the value of intentional matching. Chemistry and communication styles matter. Successful mentorships thrived when both parties invested time in clarifying their needs, goals, and ways of working. Though both mentor and mentee have the opportunity to specify preferences, the Program’s process is, first and foremost, mentee-centric, i.e. putting the preferences and professional challenges of the mentee at the heart of the matching process, but without neglecting mentor agency.

Diversity and inclusion were both a challenge and an aspiration. As mentioned, a huge motivation for me to create this Program was to show that KM mentors aren’t just men or not just originating from the West, North America and Europe. In the 4 years, I was very pleased and proud to have received a diverse and broadening participation beyond North America and Europe. There has been an increasing percentage each year of mentees, and especially mentors, from Africa, Asia, Middle East and Latin America.

Feedback has been my compass for improvement. Participants appreciate the program's structured flexibility, the additional perks of certificates and badges, and, above all, the sense of belonging it fosters. From our Mid-year reviews, I had been receiving encouraging feedback for KM newcomers by exploring the possibility of co-creating or curating already existing links of introductory materials focused on KM basics.

There were also and still are, challenges

Challenges though still exist. For example, scheduling issues have been the most common for both parties, particularly for those whose mentoring partners live in Asia and Australia. On my side, maintaining engagement from both parties especially in attending the sessions because of these time zones (as well as competing priorities) has been a challenge. As Program Lead, these sessions were my means for obtaining Program feedback as well as finding out about specific challenges between the pairs. Another personal challenge was to be skilled in guiding such a diverse group and making sure that everyone felt supported despite varied backgrounds and possible culture differences.

Balancing boundaries is crucial for the Program Lead. I know it was important for me. I leaned on yoga and coaching to keep myself grounded amid regular demands. I had to be patient and inclusive when “reading the room” during sessions. I’m usually also by myself in facilitating sessions and often had to schedule 2 slots in the day to accomodate tricky time zones. So, it can be time-consuming. Hopefully, a more sustainable solution can be found to address this. The Program Lead also has to be careful not to offend anyone with personal comments or dominate the conversation. The designated person has to make sure all participants have the chance to be heard.

The positive feedback and gratitude I received from participants, however, always reminded me that each Round was worth it. The willingness of the community to keep it going has been heartwarming. What touched me greatly was seeing community experts step up as new or regular mentors, eager to share and be useful to others. Also, watching shy participants find their confidence, and mentors themselves recognizing that they are equally learning from their mentees through their fresh perspectives has reaffirmed my belief in lifelong learning. Many pairs have rallied and shown support for each other that went beyond what was expected. The outpouring of volunteers ready to carry the torch forward gave me faith that this spirit of sharing and mutual support through this Program was worthwhile.

The ultimate goal

My ultimate goal is for this Program to continue in the community. To that end, I had started a Procedural Guide which is meant to be a context tool that describes everything needed to launch, maintain and manage this Mentoring Program. We also made sure to “Practice what we Preach”. In particular, the Program Advisor and I made it a point to also assign a Deputy Program Lead and a Deputy Program Advisor, in the event the need unexpectedly arises.

Hopefully, next generation KM’ers will continue to build on what we’ve learned while always responding to the evolving needs of our diverse KM community. Each cycle is a chance for our communities to practice what we preach about knowledge sharing, adaptive learning, and mutual support.

If you’ve ever tried to build a peer-support structure in a field with no formal training pathway, in KM or elsewhere, I’d be curious what worked, and what you’d design differently the second time around.

Related links:
KM Peer Mentoring (KMPM) Program