Reverse mentoring: young generations in your boardroom
Listening to a different perspective
Reverse mentoring in the workplace is more than a trend. It is a smart, human way for leaders to learn from younger or less experienced team members. Sometimes the best way to grow is to listen to someone with fresher eyes. It’s not about knowing more, but it’s about seeing things differently. When we think of mentorship, we often picture someone senior or experienced guiding a younger employee. But what if we shifted that? Reverse mentoring does just that: it places a younger team member in the mentor seat and often, offering surprising insights, clarity and direction.
And it’s not just theoretical. Reverse mentoring in the workplace delivers results. BNY Mellon’s Pershing programme, for example, achieved a 96% retention rate among millennial participants in its reverse mentoring initiative, as highlighted by Harvard Business Review.
What does reverse mentoring at the workplace look like?
Reverse mentoring offers a structured way to invite younger people to be involved in strategic conversations. This isn’t tokenism. They are human-to-human conversations and the younger generation can bring a real-time pulse on authenticity, values alignment, and what modern workplaces need to continue to thrive in today’s business environment.
At its best, it gives leaders a tune-in, a mirror or a check-in and a well-timed push forward.
The power of being heard
We very often overlook the impact of being heard. I’ve written about this before, and I’ll say it again: when (young) people are treated as partners (or even better, thinking partners), and not just individuals who are there to learn, then their sense of ownership and engagement grows. Trust will be built. Their ideas start to surface and we will create a culture where new ideas are safe and where leaders stay relevant.
This isn’t a trend but it’s a strategy
This isn’t about being trendy. It’s about staying connected in a world where we are constantly online, but rarely truly heard. Reverse mentoring helps us bridge that gap. It reminds us that relevance doesn’t come from status but from real conversations. It’s about choosing to stay curious.
It’s just a smarter way to lead
We often say that leadership is about learning. We often forget that the best lessons learnt come from unexpected places.
Reverse mentoring isn’t a new ideas. Companies like General Electric have used it to bring digital insight and cultural awareness into board-level conversations. It can give leaders the front-row seat to the future of work. In a hybrid world where connection is king and purpose drives performance, this is more than a nice-to-have. It’s a strategy for staying human, relevant and real. It is a leadership strategy.
Maybe this is the kind of leadership we need right now.
Building a culture where learning flows doesn’t happen by accident but requires thought and strategy. At SurgeAdvisory, we support leaders in designing practical, human strategies that keep people engaged and leadership relevant.
About the author
Maria Bartolo Zahra is Managing Partner and HR & Compensation Specialist at SurgeAdvisory. She has over twenty years of human resources and business advisory experience.