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The first time I pictured a fifty-year-old CEO hunched over a notebook while a twenty-five-year-old colleague explained TikTok to him, the image felt almost comical.

And yet, it really happens. This is reverse mentoring: a model in which young employees become mentors to senior leaders, sharing not only technical skills but perspectives, lived experiences, and cultural awareness. It is not satire. It is not science fiction.

It is a quiet but powerful shift taking place in more and more companies.  

The idea is not new. Back in 1999, Jack Welch, then CEO of General Electric, paired senior executives with younger colleagues to teach them how to use the Internet.

Think about that: there was a time when managers had to learn how to send an email. Today, email is the least of their worries.

The focus is no longer just on technology. It is on listening, diversity, and representation.

These programmes give a voice to those who are usually unheard and challenge those in power to learn from those at the very start of their careers.

It is an act of humility, and it is not easy. It is no surprise that this model is growing in the UK. Companies such as PwC, Linklaters, and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office have all launched reverse mentoring programmes.

And I keep asking myself: why now? Perhaps because companies no longer have a choice.

Why now?

For the first time, up to five generations are working in the same office.

This isn’t a family dinner: it’s a collision of languages, expectations, visions. Boomers and Gen Z don’t always understand each other.

Millennials and Gen Z are everywhere now, and more than 50% of them say that feeling heard is the main reason they stay in a company.

So yes, reverse mentoring becomes a microphone. A chance to say: I see you, I hear you, your voice matters too. And when that happens, the talent drain slows.

Then there is the question of diversity and inclusion.

We know it: 85% of senior leaders claim that diversity of thought is crucial. But saying it isn’t enough. You have to live it. And when a senior leader is paired with a young person from a different background, windows open that were once shut. It’s not comfortable. Sometimes it hurts.

But that is how biases are dragged onto the table. It’s no coincidence that many British companies have launched reverse mentoring programs during Black History Month, to make space for voices that have been silent for far too long.

And then there’s innovation. The truth is that technological change is too fast. Digital natives know things leaders don’t. It’s not just TikTok. It’s a new language. A new mindset.

Reverse mentoring becomes a bridge: knowledge flows upward, innovation spreads, ideas renew themselves. It’s not just useful. It’s necessary.

The stories that matter

At the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, employees from ethnic minority backgrounds guided senior managers through conversations they might never have dared to have otherwise: discussions about unconscious bias, institutional racism, and invisible barriers. In the rigid world of diplomacy, this was once unimaginable.

And yet it happened. At PwC, young Black employees mentored senior executives, sharing their everyday experiences of exclusion and microaggressions. The leaders listened. The company later revised its recruitment policies. It did not solve everything, but it marked a beginning.

Then there is Linklaters. In 2018, the law firm launched its “Diverse Voices” programme. Young lawyers from BAME, LGBT+, and working-class backgrounds were paired with senior partners.

One of them, Claire Geraghty, a lawyer with visual impairment, told the Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion that the elevators in the building only displayed floor numbers visually. A small detail for most. A daily obstacle for her.

After that conversation, the firm installed voice announcements. A minor change that transformed accessibility for many.

Last but not least is Patrice Gordon at Virgin Atlantic, a young Black manager, mentored then CEO Craig Kreeger. The impact was so significant that Richard Branson later publicly recognised the value of the experience.

At Unilever, young sustainability advocates brought forward concrete ideas for greener products, influencing the direction of an entire multinational.

These stories are not isolated. They show that reverse mentoring is not theory. It is lived practice. It is change in motion.

And in practice, how do you do it?

At this point, the question becomes inevitable: how can companies introduce reverse mentoring without turning it into a marketing exercise?

First, it must be part of a wider strategy. Not a symbolic gesture. When a CEO joins as a mentee, the message becomes tangble: learning is everyone’s responsibility.

Second, it is better to start small. Many companies begin with pilot programmes involving a limited number of participants.

For example, PwC initially launched its programme with a selected group of senior leaders and junior mentors, defining clear objectives and a six-month structure before expanding it across the organisation.

Third, training is crucial. Mentors need support to feel confident and not burdened with the responsibility of “representing” all diversity.

Leaders must be trained to listen without interrupting, defending, or justifying. Several organisations run preparatory workshops on active listening and psychological safety before starting the matching process.

Monitoring and flexibility are essential. Pairings may not always work, and re-matching is not a failure but part of the learning journey.

Finally, results must be measured. Not only through retention rates or engagement scores, but through stories, behavioural shifts, and cultural changes. What truly matters is whether mentalities evolve.

The silent revolution

Reversing roles isn’t natural. Not for those who have always commanded. It demands humility, openness, and the willingness to feel vulnerable.

But the benefits are enormous. More empathetic leaders, more motivated teams, more agile organizations.

For me, the beauty of reverse mentoring is this: it is not a loud revolution. It doesn’t need slogans. It’s quiet. It grows from the bottom up. And yet it changes the culture of a company.

We live in a time when listening and inclusion are not optional. They are survival. Reverse mentoring is a way to remind those at the top. I, for one, am ready to make space for the young. To listen. To be guided.

The silent revolution of reverse mentoring has already begun.

The real question is: will you have the courage to be part of it?

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