Reverse mentoring: When young minds lead from behind

As digital transformation accelerates and employee expectations evolve, many organisations find themselves out of step. While senior leaders set direction, it’s often younger team members who understand emerging technologies, consumer shifts, and workplace values. This generational mismatch has led to the rise of reverse mentoring, where the newest employees help guide the most experienced.

At RMIT Vietnam, Dr Erhan Atay and Dr Divya Juneja, lecturers in Human Resources Management, believe reverse mentoring is not only a tactical tool but a strategic imperative. “Reverse mentoring is a formal means of bridging the workplace generations,” said Dr Atay. “It builds mutual respect and trust, while injecting fresh thinking into leadership.” Dr Juneja added that reverse mentoring is a powerful mechanism for developing leadership early. “It creates room for different ways of thinking to interact. That’s where learning happens for everyone involved,” she said.

The two-way power of reverse mentoring

Originally popularised by former GE CEO Jack Welch in the late 1990s, reverse mentoring pairs junior employees, often from Gen Z or the Millennial generation, with senior executives, with the explicit goal of knowledge exchange. But unlike traditional mentoring, where guidance flows top-down, reverse mentoring flips the script.

“Younger employees should be viewed not as challenges to authority, but as strategic assets,” Dr Atay said. “They offer perspectives that older leaders can no longer afford to overlook, especially in areas like digital transformation and consumer trends.”

And this isn’t just theory. According to Deloitte’s 2024 Private Company Survey, reverse mentoring was named the number one talent development strategy implemented by mid-sized US businesses, with 69 per cent adopting the practice in the past year and 72 per cent planning to expand mentoring and apprenticeship programs in the year ahead.

In Vietnam, however, reverse mentoring is rare. Cultural norms that prioritise age and hierarchy often prevent young voices from rising. Yet both lecturers argue that this shift is necessary for long-term competitiveness. 

This reluctance to challenge seniority isn’t new in Vietnam’s workplace culture. A 2006 study on the country’s economic transition found that local managers often helped foreign experts navigate unspoken norms and cultural cues - an example of reverse knowledge flow, long before the concept became widely discussed. These locally rooted insights were found to be critical for effective cross-cultural collaboration. 

So what exactly do young professionals offer that senior leaders may lack? 

According to Dr Atay, it starts with digital fluency. “Millennial and Gen Z workers have grown up with smartphones, apps, and social media. They’re naturally attuned to new platforms and technologies, which helps them innovate faster and spot trends earlier.”

Younger workers also understand modern consumer behaviour. “They are the target market themselves. They intuitively grasp what resonates in branding, UX, or corporate social responsibility.”

Their values, too, are shaping the future of work. Dr Atay noted that young employees prioritise transparency, diversity, and work-life balance and aren’t afraid to question outdated corporate assumptions.

“Instead of pushing back against these values, senior managers can learn to evolve. That evolution is exactly what reverse mentoring facilitates,” he said.

Dr Juneja highlighted the importance of structure in making reverse mentoring work. “When the goals are clear, and the environment encourages openness on both sides, reverse mentoring becomes a genuine two-way learning opportunity,” she said. “It’s not about correcting one side - it’s about connecting different perspectives to move forward.” 

A 2025 study on workplace learning found that reverse mentoring can strengthen inclusive leadership and foster a greater sense of belonging, when both junior and senior participants are supported. The research highlights how structured, reciprocal exchanges help younger mentors build confidence while broadening the mindset of senior leaders.

What young mentors gain in return

Dr Juneja believes that reverse mentoring is valuable for younger employees, especially those keen to step into leadership roles. “For Gen Z and Millennial employees, reverse mentoring is a win-win,” she said. “It offers them a chance to learn how leadership works from the inside, gain visibility, and build confidence - all while being recognised as contributors, not just executors.”

She points to a compelling example from BNY Mellon Pershing, where 77 millennials joined a three-year reverse mentoring program. The company reported a 96 per cent retention rate among participants, with many citing their mentorship experience as a major reason for staying.

“Young mentors are not merely tech guides,” Dr Juneja said. “They contribute to shaping the thinking of senior leaders - and sharpen their own strategic and interpersonal skills.”

She also acknowledged that this can be daunting at first. “Many young mentors worry about how to challenge authority respectfully. But learning to lead through empathy, listening, and influence, rather than authority, is a critical skill. Reverse mentoring accelerates that growth.”

A 2021 study found that reverse mentoring supports young mentors in four keyways: it exposes them to strategic thinking, encourages engagement with innovation and big-picture ideas, gives them influence as their input is recognised, and develops early leadership skills like empathy and adaptive communication. These experiences help prepare young professionals for more senior roles. 

Dr Atay agreed that these relationships offer more than knowledge transfer. “Reverse mentoring reveals what younger employees are capable of when given the space to lead,” he said. “It builds a sense of ownership and engagement that many organisations struggle to foster through traditional top-down systems.”

Redefining leadership in the Vietnamese workplace

Despite the promise, both lecturers agree that Vietnam has yet to fully embrace reverse mentoring. Cultural reverence for hierarchy and age continues to dominate the workplace, limiting opportunities for genuine intergenerational exchange.

“Vietnamese businesses have yet to fully tap into the untapped potential of their young employees,” said Dr Atay. “There must be a cultural shift to hear young voices not as threats but as strategic resources.”

As Vietnam’s organisations navigate digital transformation and generational change, adopting a similar mindset - one that values difference as a strategic advantage - may be the next crucial step.

Dr Juneja said the urgency is growing. “Vietnam is undergoing rapid digital and economic transformation. It needs agile, inclusive leadership and reverse mentoring is a powerful way to build that.”

This perspective is echoed in recent research. A 2024 study on the Vietnamese higher education sector concluded that organisations must adopt “more inclusive, future-focused approaches to talent development,” particularly through intergenerational collaboration and international exposure.

Ultimately, reverse mentoring is a redefinition of what leadership means in today’s workplace. It positions learning as a shared responsibility and creates space for younger voices to shape the organisations they work in.

“Everyone has something to teach and everyone has something to learn,” said Dr Juneja.

For Vietnamese organisations seeking to future-proof their workforce, reverse mentoring is a ready-made solution - one that leverages what they already have: ambitious young talent and experienced leadership.

“It’s time to move past top-down thinking and tap into the genius at the bottom of the organisational chart,” Dr Atay said.

Story: Quan Dinh H.

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