How to Set Up a Reverse Mentoring Program That Works

Learn how to set up a reverse mentoring program that drives real change. Strategic advice, examples, and templates — just what works.

Reverse mentoring can be a powerful tool for bridging generational gaps, improving digital fluency, and driving cultural change - but only if it’s done right. Too many programs fail because they overlook readiness, structure, and psychological safety.

This article offers a practical, best-practice roadmap for designing a reverse mentoring initiative that builds trust, promotes mutual learning, and avoids common pitfalls like tokenism or power imbalance.

TL;DR

Want the short version? Here’s how to set up a reverse mentoring program that actually works:

• Assess organisational readiness and leadership buy-in
• Align the program with a strategic business goal (not HR alone)
• Train both mentors and mentees on feedback, bias, and power dynamics
• Match people based on learning goals, not demographics
• Provide structure, templates, and midpoint check-ins
• Track mindset shifts, not just participation rates

Table of Contents

• What Is a Reverse Mentoring Program?
• Reverse Mentoring vs Traditional Mentoring
• Benefits of a Reverse Mentoring Program
• Common Reasons Reverse Mentoring Programs Fail
• How to Prepare Your Organisation for Reverse Mentoring
• How to Design a Successful Reverse Mentoring Program
• How to Run a Reverse Mentoring Program Effectively
• Reverse Mentoring Program Examples
• How to Make Reverse Mentoring Work For Your Organisation
• Frequently Asked Questions
  
  

What Is a Reverse Mentoring Program?

A reverse mentoring program flips the traditional mentoring model. Instead of senior leaders guiding younger staff, junior employees become mentors — sharing knowledge on technology, culture, identity, and lived experience.

It’s designed to challenge power dynamics and create authentic two-way learning.

Reverse Mentoring vs Traditional Mentoring

Traditional mentoring is top-down: senior leaders share wisdom, junior staff listen.
Reverse mentoring reverses that — giving younger or less-tenured employees the platform to guide conversations and help senior leaders uncover blind spots.

Benefits of a Reverse Mentoring Program

Reverse mentoring can:

• Improve cultural intelligence and psychological safety
• Accelerate digital literacy and social awareness in leadership
• Surface lived experience that rarely gets shared in boardrooms
• Challenge outdated assumptions and power structures
• Strengthen inclusion strategies beyond tick-box diversity

Common Reasons Reverse Mentoring Programs Fail

Most reverse mentoring initiatives die out after a few awkward sessions. Here’s why:

• No structure or guidance
• Senior leaders view it as performative
• Junior staff get overburdened with emotional labour
• Power dynamics go unaddressed
• Lack of support, training, or follow-through

If any of these apply, don’t launch yet.

How to Prepare Your Organisation for Reverse Mentoring

1. Assess Readiness and Culture Fit

Do a needs assessment. Are your leaders ready to listen? Do junior staff feel safe to speak honestly? 

If your culture can’t support vulnerability, reverse mentoring will backfire.

2. Secure Executive Sponsorship

This is non-negotiable. Your executive team must visibly support the program, not just participate. If they’re not role-modelling openness, the rest of the org won’t follow.

3. Tie It to a Strategic Business Goal

Don’t run reverse mentoring in isolation. Align it to your digital transformation, DEI roadmap, or succession planning strategy.

Explore mentoring best practices to assess organisational readiness and build the right foundations

How to Design a Successful Reverse Mentoring Program

1. Make It Voluntary

No one grows from forced mentoring. Let people opt in, and make the purpose clear from the start. Be clear on benefits - what will both mentees and mentors get out of participating?

2. Define Roles and Expectations

Give both mentors and mentees structured guides that cover:

• Conversation themes
• Boundaries and confidentiality
• Frequency and session duration

Formalise the relationship using a mentoring agreement that sets expectations clearly.

3. Train Both Sides

This is essential. Joint training should cover:

• Psychological safety and identity
• Bias and power dynamics
• Active listening, strong rapport and empathy
• Giving and receiving difficult feedback

4. Match Based on Learning Goals, Not Demographics

Don’t assume every Gen Z staff member wants to explain social media. Don’t assume every CALD staff member wants to educate cultural inclusion or represent diversity on behalf of their entire community. Ask both sides to opt in. Match people based on shared learning objectives — and use mentoring software like Brancher to do it fast and fairly.

Use these short-term mentoring goal examples to guide the conversation.

5. Consider whether your reverse mentoring program should be two-way mentoring

While reverse mentoring is powerful, a strictly one-directional format can reinforce power dynamics or place an unfair burden on junior staff - especially those from minority backgrounds. One way to reduce this risk and foster more equitable learning is to evolve your program into two-way mentoring.

What’s two-way mentoring?

It’s a format where both mentor and mentee come into the relationship as learners and contributors. The junior employee might lead on topics like digital trends, cultural fluency, or lived experience - while the senior leader shares their insight on navigating complexity, decision-making, or strategic thinking.

Why this matters:

• It promotes mutual respect and reciprocity — both parties feel valued.
• It avoids the trap of tokenism, where younger or diverse staff are expected to educate others without support.
• It strengthens engagement and retention, especially for underrepresented groups who often feel unheard or overlooked.
• It encourages more authentic relationships, rather than a performative or transactional exchange.

How to do it well:

• Set shared learning goals upfront — what does each person want to learn from the other?
• Position it clearly in training: “You are both mentors and mentees in this relationship.”
• Use tools or conversation guides that rotate ownership of the agenda.
• Frame it as a partnership — not a hierarchy flipped on its head, but a bridge between experiences.

When not to make it two-way:

If your goal is targeted education on a specific leadership blind spot (e.g. race, gender, tech), one-way mentoring can be effective if structured properly with emotional safety in place. Just be aware that the emotional labour needs to be acknowledged and supported.

Done right, two-way mentoring strengthens trust, reduces bias, and fosters a culture where learning flows in every direction — not just up or down.

How to Run a Reverse Mentoring Program Effectively

Step 1: Pilot First: Start with a small group in a department that already has a feedback culture. Learn, iterate, and then scale.

Step 2: Acknowledge and support emotional labour: If the junior mentor is expected to share lived experience (e.g. around identity, exclusion, bias), make sure there is:

• Make it opt-in, not expected: Mentors should choose to share, not feel obligated.
• Access to support structures like peer debriefs or a psychological safety contact
• Recognition that storytelling is powerful — but it’s not their job to fix the system
• Contextualise within broader change - let participants know what else the organisation is doing to address the issues being discussed - so the burden doesn’t sit on one person’s story alone.
• A feedback loop where both parties can flag discomfort, burnout, or boundary issues

Reverse mentoring should never feel extractive. When emotional labour is acknowledged and supported, trust grows - and learning becomes transformational, not transactional.

Step 3: Use Templates and Prompts: Help participants avoid awkward starts. Provide structured templates like:

• “What’s something you wish senior leadership understood better?”
• “Describe a time you felt excluded or unheard at work.”
• “How do you stay connected to emerging trends?”

Step 4: Check In Regularly: Run midpoint check-ins, offer support, and adapt based on feedback.

Help your participants adopt the mindsets that make reverse mentoring effective.

Step 5: Track Impact, Not Just Attendance: Go beyond tracking participation. Measure:

• Behavioural changes in leadership
• Policy updates or program shifts
• Feedback from mentors and mentees

Use this evaluation framework to measure what success really looks like

Reverse Mentoring Program Examples

GE 

GE was one of the early pioneers of reverse mentoring. CEO Jack Welch matched senior execs with junior staff to learn about the internet — and it helped GE stay competitive during the dot-com era. 

“My generation grew up with authority and hierarchy. These young people challenged that — and changed how we lead.” – Jack Welch (via Fortune) 

Mastercard 

Mastercard’s reverse mentoring program focuses on inclusion and leadership accountability. They’ve reported improved retention among diverse talent and better leadership understanding of inclusion issues. 

Source: Harvard Business Review 

BHP (Australia) 

BHP’s internal mentoring pilots have included reverse mentoring around Indigenous perspectives and sustainability. These programs contributed to more culturally aware leadership behaviours and better stakeholder engagement.

[Inference: Based on BHP public reporting and DEI initiatives.]

How to Make Reverse Mentoring Work For Your Organisation

If you want your reverse mentoring program to work, structure it like a strategic initiative. Invest in training. Prioritise trust. Use tools that reduce admin friction. 

Platforms like Brancher make it easy to match participants, deliver training, and measure outcomes - all without spreadsheets or guesswork.

That’s how you set up a reverse mentoring program that actually works with clarity, integrity, structure, and follow-through.

Compare the top mentoring platforms designed for programs like reverse mentoring.

Frequently Asked Questions

What topics should be covered in reverse mentoring sessions?

Inclusive leadership, emerging tech, identity, social impact, and generational expectations are common themes. Use structured prompts to guide conversations.

How long should a reverse mentoring program last?

3–6 months is ideal, longer if it is two-way. Monthly sessions allow time to build trust and show measurable change.

How do you ensure psychological safety?

Start with clear boundaries, mutual confidentiality, and training. Ongoing support and midpoint check-ins help maintain trust.

Should reverse mentoring be anonymous or visible?

Visible programs drive culture change. However, anonymous pilots may be safer in low-trust environments. Choose based on organisational readiness.

Can reverse mentoring be done virtually?

Absolutely. Many programs are virtual using platforms like Brancher. It increases flexibility and cross-location matching.