Question 1

Does mentoring only flow from senior to junior colleagues?

Accepted Answer

No, reverse mentoring recognizes that a junior person can genuinely mentor a senior one on an emerging area where they have more current, direct exposure.

Question 2

Why might a senior leader benefit from being mentored by a junior colleague?

Accepted Answer

Because seniority does not automatically translate into the most current knowledge of every specific emerging area, and a junior person may have more direct, recent exposure to it.

Question 3

What kinds of areas does reverse mentoring typically address?

Accepted Answer

Emerging skills, technologies, or perspectives where recent, direct exposure matters more than years of general seniority-based experience.

Question 4

How can I start a reverse mentoring relationship?

Accepted Answer

Identify a specific area where a junior colleague genuinely has more current knowledge, and deliberately seek out their mentoring on it, setting aside seniority-based assumptions.

Reverse Mentoring: Junior Person Mentors Senior