Latest / The Career Mentor Podcast with Fexingo: Finding Mentors, Sponsors, and Career Advisors / The Reverse Mentor How Junior Colleagues Can Teach Senior Leaders
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we have spent over a hundred episodes talking about how to find a mentor — usually someone older, more experienced, higher up the ladder. But I want to flip that assumption today. Luna: You mean the idea that a mentor has to be your senior? Lucas: Exactly. Reverse mentoring — where a junior employee mentors a senior leader — has been around for a while, but it's having a real moment right now. And it's not just about learning how to use TikTok. Luna: Okay, I love this. Give me the origin story — who made this a thing? Lucas: The most famous example is General Electric under Jack Welch. Back in the late 1990s, Welch realized that the internet was going to change everything, and he was personally not digitally fluent. So he ordered five hundred of his top executives to each find a younger mentor — usually someone in their twenties or early thirties — to teach them the web. Luna: That's bold. Imagine being a VP and having to sit down with a new hire to learn how to use a browser. Lucas: Right. And it wasn't optional. Welch himself participated. He was paired with a thirty-something IT manager named Gary Reiner. They would meet regularly, and Welch would ask questions about e-commerce, about how the internet would affect GE's businesses. It was a direct signal that learning was expected at every level. Luna: So the model is about closing a knowledge gap. But what's the gap today? Lucas: Today the gaps are broader. Yes, digital transformation is still a big one — generative AI, social media algorithms, how younger consumers actually behave online. But there's also a gap in diversity and inclusion, in understanding the experience of underrepresented groups, and in cultural trends that shape talent retention. Luna: So a reverse mentor might help a senior leader understand why a certain company policy feels exclusionary, or why a new benefit matters more than a pay raise. Lucas: Exactly. And the research backs this up. A 2024 study from the Journal of Applied Psychology found that executives who participated in reverse mentoring were significantly more likely to implement changes recommended by their mentors — especially around inclusion — compared to those who just attended training sessions. Luna: So it's not just about information. It's about credibility from a real person. Lucas: Right. The personal relationship makes the advice stick. Now, if you're a senior leader listening and thinking, 'I'd like to find a reverse mentor,' the first step is to be explicit about what you want to learn. Is it AI tools? Is it how Gen Z thinks about work? Is it why your company's Glassdoor reviews are what they are? Luna: And you have to be willing to be vulnerable. You can't walk into a reverse mentoring session with your 'I'm the boss' posture. Lucas: That's the whole point. The junior person has to feel safe enough to be honest. If you as a senior leader get defensive when they say something critical, the relationship dies immediately. Luna: So how do you find that person? Do you go through HR? Or do you pick someone you already interact with? Lucas: Both can work. But the best reverse mentoring relationships I've seen start informally. Maybe you're a VP who noticed a sharp junior analyst who always has smart comments in meetings. You ask them for coffee and say, 'I'd like to learn from your perspective. Would you be willing to meet monthly and give me honest feedback?' Luna: That sounds much more organic than a formal program where you're assigned someone you have no connection with. Lucas: Formal programs can work too, but they need structure. Clear goals, a time limit — say six months — and a safe container. Both parties should agree upfront that nothing said in the sessions can be used in performance reviews or held against the junior person. Luna: That trust piece is huge. Because if I'm a junior employee and I tell my mentor, the VP, that her weekly all-hands meeting is a waste of time, I need to know that won't come back to bite me. Lucas: Exactly. And that's where many reverse mentoring programs fail — they don't establish that psychological safety. The other common mistake is that the senior leader dominates the conversation. Remember, the junior person is the mentor here. The senior should be asking questions, not giving advice. Luna: So what's in it for the junior person? Why would I want to mentor my boss's boss? Lucas: Visibility, for one. You get direct exposure to how executive decisions are made. You build a relationship with someone who can advocate for you. And you develop coaching and influencing skills that are valuable at any level. Luna: Plus, you might actually change the company for the better. If you can help a senior leader see a blind spot, that's real impact. Lucas: Exactly. And I want to be clear — reverse mentoring isn't a one-way street. The senior leader can also offer career guidance, networking advice, or just a broader perspective. It can evolve into a mutual mentorship over time. Luna: That's the ideal, right? Two people at different levels teaching each other. Lucas: Yeah. And it's happening more than people realize. A 2025 survey by Deloitte found that forty-three percent of large companies now have some form of reverse mentoring program, up from twenty-eight percent in 2020. Luna: That's a big jump. So the stigma is fading. Lucas: I think so. And it starts with leaders who are willing to say, 'I don't know everything, and I need your help.' That kind of humility is actually a strength. Luna: Before we go deeper, I want to mention something. We've been doing this show for over a hundred episodes, and we deliberately don't run ads. No sponsors, no interruptions. If that kind of independence matters to you, and you want to support it, there's a simple way. Just go to buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's it. No perks, no pressure. Just helps us keep doing what we're doing. Lucas: Appreciate that, Luna. And honestly, knowing that listeners find value in this — that's what keeps us going. Now, back to reverse mentoring. Let's talk about how to be a good reverse mentor if you're the junior person. Luna: Yeah, because that's a role a lot of our listeners might find themselves in. Lucas: First, you have to be prepared. Before each session, think about one or two specific things you've observed that the senior leader might not see. Maybe it's a process that frustrates your team, or a trend among your peers that affects retention. Luna: And you have to deliver it with tact. Not 'Your meeting is boring,' but 'I've noticed that the weekly all-hands has a lot of information that might work better as an email for some people.' Lucas: Exactly. Frame it as a suggestion, not a criticism. And always tie it to outcomes — productivity, morale, innovation. Luna: What if the senior leader pushes back? How do you handle that? Lucas: That's a test of the relationship. If they get defensive, you can gently say, 'I might be wrong about this — I only see my corner of the company. But here's what I'm observing.' That gives them an out. If they still shut you down, the reverse mentoring probably isn't going to work. Luna: So it's not for everyone. But when it works, it can be transformative. Lucas: Absolutely. I want to give a concrete example from outside GE. At a mid-sized tech company I'll call CloudBase, the CEO was struggling to understand why her company was losing young engineers to startups. She started a reverse mentoring circle with four junior engineers. Within three months, she learned that the main issue wasn't salary — it was that the company required five layers of approval for any new technology tool, while startups let engineers pick their own stack. She streamlined the approval process, and attrition dropped by eighteen percent the next quarter. Luna: That's a perfect example. A senior leader wouldn't have known that without direct input from the people experiencing it. Lucas: And the engineers felt heard. That's the other benefit — reverse mentoring boosts engagement among the junior mentors. They feel invested in the company's success because they helped shape it. Luna: So if someone wants to start a reverse mentoring relationship tomorrow, what's the first step? Lucas: For a senior leader: identify your learning gap. Write down one thing you feel you don't understand well enough. Then think of a junior colleague who seems to have insight into that area. Ask them for a thirty-minute chat. Be honest about why you're asking. Luna: And for a junior person who wants to be a reverse mentor but isn't sure how to offer? Lucas: You can be proactive. If you see a senior leader struggling with something you understand, offer to help informally. Say, 'I noticed you mentioned you're trying to learn more about AI. I've been using it in my workflow — would you like me to show you what I've learned?' That's a low-stakes invitation. Luna: That's smart. It puts the offer on the table without making it a formal 'mentor me' request. Lucas: Exactly. And remember, reverse mentoring doesn't have to be a big program. It can be as simple as two people agreeing to learn from each other. The key is that the senior leader has to be ready to listen — really listen — and act on what they hear. Luna: So it's about humility and curiosity on both sides. Lucas: Exactly. And in a world where change is accelerating, that combination might be the most valuable skill a leader can develop. Luna: Great point. And on that note, we'll leave you to think about who in your organization might have something to teach you — regardless of their title. Lucas: Thanks for listening. See you next time.