Let’s be honest: the old way isn’t working. Trainees struggle to find supervisors. Supervisors fear giving away too much. Meanwhile, the shrinking bench of appraisers continues. We can’t backfill the next generation with hope alone.
Janice Omadeke’s Mentor Method challenges the old assumption that mentorship is just shadowing. Her framework is structured, inclusive and designed to build belonging, not hierarchy. A technology-driven, human-approved solution to help you structure, scale and sustain your mentorship programs on a realistic budget.
Compare that with the valuation industry. We’ve historically relied on a supervisor-trainee model that, on paper, makes sense until you realize the mentor often sees the trainee as future competition. That mindset, compounded by an aging workforce, leaves our pipeline dry.
That’s why studying Dr. Randy Flowers’ RSDS approach is valuable. He has developed two successful models: the supervisor-trainee and the practicum. Today, we’ll concentrate on the supervisor-trainee model.
It’s straightforward: cover training and licensing costs with one clear requirement, to stay with the firm for three years. This shifts the story from competition to collaboration.
Here’s a framework to reshape valuation mentoring:
1. Invest Upfront – Cover education, licensing and tech costs. Think of it as a business development expense, not a sunk cost.
2. Secure Commitment – Require a two- to three-year stay. Like a medical residency, this ensures the firm benefits from its investment.
3. Codify Knowledge – Move beyond “watch me work.” Build valuation playbooks, asynchronous training videos and provide one-on-one virtual weekly meetings.
4. Shift Mindset – Train supervisors to see trainees as force multipliers, not replacements. Every hour spent mentoring returns in long-term capacity.
5. Measure Outcomes – Track progression EOS metric style with KPIs. Measure how quickly trainees handle assignments, track mistakes on a dashboard performance that shows capability over time. Tie it to incentives.
The valuation industry doesn’t have to cling to scarcity. Omadeke’s work shows that when mentorship is designed with intent, it creates belonging and longevity. Flowers shows us the economics can work.
What we need now is courage: to build a system where the next generation isn’t a threat, but the proof we did our job right.
[Big thanks for input from Dr. Randy Flowers for this blog.]