When the intern mentors the CEO: What reverse mentoring can teach us about inclusion

This article was first published in the June edition of People Matters Perspectives.

Picture this: a CEO, decades into their career, being mentored by a 26-year-old who just learned to expense coffee.

Awkward?

Not if you're serious about inclusion.

Because in 2025, one of the boldest moves a leader can make is to stop talking—and start listening. Especially to those with far less power, and often, far more perspective.

That’s what reverse mentoring is about. And if you think it’s just a feel-good HR experiment, think again. It’s one of the few tools that can actually shift how inclusion is understood, led, and lived.

Let’s be clear—this isn’t about social media tutorials

The term “reverse mentoring” often gets diluted. No, it’s not about teaching a CXO how to use Slack emojis. It’s about perspective transfer, not skill transfer.

It works like this: A senior leader is paired with a junior employee—often someone from a marginalised background. Their mission? To talk, regularly and honestly, about how the workplace really works. Or doesn’t.

Topics range from casual bias to career ceilings. From being misgendered in meetings to being left out of after-hours bonding. It’s not scripted. It’s not always comfortable. But that’s the point.

It puts a mirror in front of leadership—and gives them the courage to look.

Why is this taking off now?

Because traditional DEI efforts have hit a wall.

Leaders attend the workshops. The posters go up. Pronouns get added. But when attrition data shows that diverse talent still isn’t staying or rising—it’s clear: something’s missing.

That something is empathy rooted in experience. Reverse mentoring delivers it in spades.

It doesn’t preach. It reveals.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in the UK ran a reverse mentoring programme where Black and brown employees mentored white senior leaders. One executive admitted it was the first time he truly understood what exclusion looked like at his own institution.

At Macfarlanes, a law firm, reverse mentoring focused on intersectional diversity—race, mental health, neurodivergence. Senior partners reported that the programme exposed unconscious biases they didn’t know they carried.

Compass Group made reverse mentoring part of its inclusion roadmap. Leaders walked away not just with insight—but with changed behaviour. One said, “My mentor helped me see the ripple effect of my language choices. That stays with you.”

This isn’t theory. It’s leadership in practice.

What changes when a leader listens differently?

You stop assuming. You start asking.

You stop defending. You start reflecting.

You stop issuing statements. You start making space.

Reverse mentoring helps leaders:

• Recognise how small actions shape psychological safety
• Rethink what “professionalism” looks and sounds like
• Understand that inclusion isn’t one big initiative—it’s 10,000 small decisions

And let’s be honest: it’s easier to tweak a policy when someone has just explained—gently but honestly—why it made them feel like they didn’t belong.

But it’s not all roses

Reverse mentoring can flop if:

✖ It becomes a checkbox exercise ✖ Mentees show up to defend, not listen ✖ Mentors feel exposed without support ✖ No structural change follows the conversation

Remember: vulnerability goes both ways. You’re asking junior employees to speak candidly to someone who signs off on budgets. That takes trust—and design.

Done poorly, it’s emotional labour. Done well, it’s cultural rewiring.

What makes it work?

✔ Intentional matching: Don’t just pair for optics—pair for perspective gaps ✔ Training both sides: Leaders need to learn how to listen without ego; mentors need space and guidance ✔ Consistency: A one-time chat won’t shift deeply held narratives ✔ Leadership sponsorship: When it’s optional, it’s ignorable ✔ Follow-through: The best insight means little if it doesn’t influence policy, culture, or metrics

And no—this doesn’t need a huge budget. It needs commitment. And a little courage.

So what’s in it for leaders?

Plenty.

• Sharper cultural intelligence
• More inclusive decision-making
• Trust from teams who finally feel heard
• The ability to lead across generations, identities, and realities

Most of all, reverse mentoring expands your leadership lens.

Because in 2025, leading without listening is like driving with your mirrors folded in. You might still move. But you’ll miss a lot—and eventually, you’ll hit something.

What kind of leader do you want to be?

The kind who hires a DEI lead and hopes it trickles?

Or the kind who sits across from someone 20 years younger, with a completely different lived experience—and asks, sincerely, “What do I need to understand better?”

Reverse mentoring won’t fix everything. But it will make sure that when you speak about inclusion, you’re not just echoing a policy. You’re echoing a conversation you chose to have.

And sometimes, that’s where real change begins.

Did you find this article insightful? People Matters Perspectives is the official LinkedIn newsletter of People Matters, bringing you exclusive insights from the People and Work space across four regions and more. Read the previous editions here, and keep an eye out for the upcoming July edition rolling-out soon.