A free and voluntary community initiative to "Pay it Forward", March 2026

A free and voluntary community initiative to "Pay it Forward"

KM Peer Mentoring Program

After I retired from the WTO, I wanted to stay connected with the KM Community but I also had to ask myself, “How could I contribute to the community given that I was no longer active in a fulltime KM job?” As a result, I created the KM Peer Mentoring (KMPM) Program.

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

In our large communities of about 2,000 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. During my job as KM Chief, 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 if many women KM experts would 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 rotating screening board. With the help of the mentors, we designed it 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 final mentor-mentee matches, as well as organize the Mid-Year Review, in-between Networking sessions, Wrap-up session and feedback forms. For the matching process, I had to take into account 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.

I created this Mentoring program primarily to support KM professionals and address professional development gaps. I was particularly mindful of new KM practitioners, in the field or transplanted from other sectors or disciplines and who were often expected to perform the role without any prior or formal training. Most especially, I wanted to create a space where peers could understand and discuss the challenges of building a KM career without clear pathways. The values I chose to represent this program are those of “Paying it Forward”, Community, and Peer Support. And to reflect these, the slogan I (and with others’ 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 I am most proud of

What makes me most proud about this initiative is that I created something that is hopefully simple and informal enough to be sustainable and which embodies the collaborative and knowledge-sharing spirit we associate with effective KM practice. The feedback I receive consistently highlights how my KMPM program builds confidence especially for the mentee, provides meaningful connection and valuable peer support. It seems to also 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.

The response for the pilot initiative was overwhelmingly positive that we launched our first full program the next year (2024-2025) with 58 mentors and 82 mentees. This represented a remarkable growth that perhaps made me a victim of my own success! But it was concrete proof that there was significant demand for such a service within the KM Community, a piece of information I didn’t have the year before. The program had been and continues to be incredibly well-received. Mentors appreciated the opportunity to give back. They had found the experience quite enriching and even re-validating their own knowledge from their mentees’ perspectives. Mentees, on the other hand, were 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.

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.

I also had to protect the “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, I was 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.

Now on my 4th year of running of this program, I am continually inspired and deeply humbled by the growth, adaptability, and sense of community that this initiative has fostered. When we first started this in 2023, my motivations were simple: 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 and still are also 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 my own boundaries was also crucial; I leaned on yoga and coaching to keep myself grounded amid constant demands. I had to be very patient and inclusive when “reading the room” during sessions. I’m usually by myself in facilitating sessions and often had to schedule 2 slots in the day to compensate tricky time zones. So, it can be time-consuming. I was also careful not to offend anyone with personal comments or keep myself from dominating the conversation. I made efforts for all participants the chance to be heard.

But given the positive feedback and gratitude I received from participants 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. Hopefully, next generation KM’ers will continue to build on what I’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.