Latest / The Career Mentor Podcast with Fexingo: Finding Mentors, Sponsors, and Career Advisors / How to Find a Mentor Who Is Younger Than You
Transcript
- Lucas: So you're a senior director, maybe 20 years into your career. You know your industry inside out. But the algorithm on TikTok just changed how your brand reaches Gen Z, and you have no idea what it means. Who do you ask? Luna: If you're like most people, your instinct is to find someone with gray hair and a corner office. But the right answer might be the 26-year-old social media specialist two floors down. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the subject of today's show: finding a mentor who is younger than you. It sounds counterintuitive, but reverse mentoring is one of the fastest-growing career strategies I've seen. Let's start with a real case. Luna: Love a good case. Who's our example? Lucas: A marketing director at Procter & Gamble—we'll call her Maria. She's 48, been at P&G for 18 years, runs a team of 30. She's brilliant at brand strategy, but when the company shifted to short-form video for its skincare line, she realized she was out of her depth. Luna: She couldn't tell a good TikTok from a bad one? Lucas: Worse—she couldn't even explain why the algorithm served one video over another. So she did something uncomfortable. She asked a 26-year-old social media coordinator named James to mentor her. Not formally, not through HR. She just said, 'I need you to teach me how you think about content.' Luna: How did James react? I'd imagine a mix of flattery and terror. Lucas: According to Maria, he was nervous at first. But she set the tone by being explicit: 'You're the expert here, not me.' That's the key. She didn't pretend she knew anything about TikTok. She deferred to his judgment. Within three months, she could audit her team's content briefs and give feedback that actually made sense. Luna: So the power dynamic flipped. And that's the hurdle, isn't it? Ego. Lucas: Ego is enemy number one. There's this unspoken rule that mentors must be older, more experienced, more accomplished. But that rule is from a time when skills changed slowly. Today, a 25-year-old who grew up on Discord and Notion can have expertise that a 50-year-old simply doesn't have. Luna: I love that you said 'expertise' not 'potential.' They have actual knowledge you lack. Lucas: Right. And the data backs this up. A 2025 Deloitte survey found that 63% of Fortune 500 companies now have formal reverse mentoring programs, up from 38% in 2022. That's a huge jump. Companies are institutionalizing this because it works. Luna: What do they typically focus on? Is it mostly digital skills? Lucas: Digital is the biggest category—social media, AI tools, workplace tech. But it's also cultural fluency. How do Gen Z employees think about work-life balance, diversity, or corporate purpose? If you're a senior leader trying to retain young talent, having a younger mentor is like having a translator. Luna: I remember a story from my own office—a junior analyst noticed our reporting dashboard was pulling data from the wrong source. He was 24. The senior VP had been looking at bad numbers for weeks. The VP could have been defensive. Instead, she asked him to teach her how to audit the data pipeline. Lucas: That's a perfect example of reverse mentoring in action. And notice what didn't happen: the VP didn't lose credibility. If anything, she gained respect by being open to learning. So let's talk about the practical steps. How do you actually find a younger mentor without it being awkward? Luna: The first step is acceptance: you have to admit you don't know something. That's harder for senior people because they're used to being the smartest person in the room. Lucas: So start with self-awareness. Identify a specific gap. Not 'I need to understand young people'—that's too vague. Be concrete: 'I need to understand how to use generative AI for drafting client emails' or 'I need to know why our Instagram engagement dropped 40%.' That specificity makes the ask less awkward. Luna: Then who do you approach? Your own team? Someone else's team? Lucas: I'd avoid your direct reports if possible. The power dynamic is too confusing. Better to find someone in a different department or even a different function. You can ask your HR business partner or a trusted colleague: 'Who's the sharpest 25-year-old in the building when it comes to X?' Then reach out directly. Luna: And what do you say in that first conversation? You can't just say 'be my mentor'—that's too formal. Lucas: Exactly. I'd frame it as a learning swap. Something like: 'I've been working on our digital strategy, and I realize I have a blind spot in how younger audiences actually use the product. Would you be open to grabbing coffee twice a month and sharing your perspective? In return, I can help you think through navigating the company or building your brand.' Luna: That's smart—it makes it reciprocal. They're not just giving; they're getting something valuable too. Lucas: And it signals that you see them as a peer in that domain, not a subordinate. Now, the actual mentoring sessions should be structured. You don't just chat. Come with questions. 'What's one trend you're watching? How do you approach this task? What was the last thing that surprised you at work?' Luna: So you're treating it almost like a research interview. That makes it feel less awkward. Lucas: Exactly. And here's a counterintuitive tip: don't just focus on their technical skills. Ask about their frustrations. A younger mentor can give you brutally honest feedback about company culture that no one else will say to your face. That's gold. Luna: I want to loop back to that Deloitte data—63% of Fortune 500 companies have formal programs. What do those programs look like? Lucas: Typically, they pair a senior leader with a junior employee for six to twelve months. The junior employee is often from an underrepresented group, so it's also a diversity and inclusion tool. The structure varies, but the best ones have clear goals: learn a new skill, complete a project together, or just have monthly conversations. Luna: If your company doesn't have a formal program, you can still do it informally. I think the hardest part is overcoming the internal voice that says 'I should already know this.' Lucas: That voice is the enemy. You know what Maria from P&G told me? She said the moment she admitted she didn't understand TikTok, two things happened: James relaxed, and she felt a weight lift. She realized her value wasn't in knowing everything—it was in knowing how to learn. Luna: That's a great reframe. Your value is in your curiosity, not your expertise. Lucas: And that's the mindset shift. So let's talk about some common mistakes. Number one: treating the younger mentor like a junior employee. You can't assign them tasks or evaluate their performance. They're your teacher, not your assistant. Luna: Number two: only talking about work. Part of the value is understanding their world—what music they listen to, how they communicate with friends, what they think about current events. That context helps you lead better. Lucas: Great point. Number three: not following through. If they teach you a tool, use it. If they recommend a book, read it. Show that you take their input seriously. That builds trust. Luna: I'd add one more: don't make it a one-way street. You have wisdom too. Share your own mistakes, your career decisions, your network. A younger mentor can benefit enormously from your experience. Lucas: Absolutely. It's a true partnership. And you know, this is the kind of conversation we love to have on this show—practical, honest, and a little uncomfortable. It's also the reason we keep this podcast ad-free. Luna: Yeah, we don't run ads because we want the advice to be direct and unvarnished. No sponsor telling us what to say. Lucas: If you find value in that—if this episode or any other has helped you think differently about your career—you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but it helps us stay independent. Luna: And it means we can keep tackling topics that matter, like reverse mentoring, without worrying about ad read time. So back to that—what's the one actionable takeaway for someone ready to try this? Lucas: Here it is: this week, identify one skill you're weak on—something a person under 30 likely excels at. Find that person. Make the ask this week. Frame it as a learning exchange. And report back. I promise you'll be surprised. Luna: I'm going to do it myself. I've been meaning to learn how to use AI for editing. I know exactly who to ask. Lucas: Great. That's the spirit. For The Career Mentor Podcast, I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna. See you next time.