Reverse Mentorship: Learning from Your Team as a New Manager
The early days of being a new manager are filled with learning curves, shifting responsibilities, and the pressure to lead effectively. While many focus on developing authority and control, one of the most powerful tools available to new leaders is often overlooked: reverse mentorship.
Reverse mentorship is the practice of learning from junior employees or less experienced team members. This approach flips the traditional mentoring dynamic on its head, encouraging leaders to seek insights from those they manage. It builds trust, nurtures open communication, and keeps managers in touch with the realities of the workplace.
As you step into leadership, formal training can help you pair reverse mentorship with structure and strategy. The CMI Level 3 Principles of Management and Leadership course is perfect for those taking their first steps into team management, while the CMI Level 5 Leadership and Management qualification helps experienced supervisors lead with empathy, insight, and vision.
What is Reverse Mentorship and Why It Matters
Reverse mentorship is not about giving up authority. Instead, it recognises that leadership is a two-way process. Team members, particularly those from younger generations or different backgrounds, often bring fresh perspectives, technical knowledge, and cultural awareness that established leaders may lack.
Originally popularised by companies aiming to improve digital fluency among senior staff, reverse mentorship is now a key component in:
- Improving team communication
- Fostering inclusion and psychological safety
- Keeping leadership grounded in the day-to-day experience
- Adapting quickly to technological or generational change
For new managers, it can offer a fast-track to understanding their team, building credibility, and avoiding leadership blind spots.
How Listening to Junior Staff Builds Stronger Leaders
New managers often feel the need to prove themselves. But the best leaders are those who listen first, act second. Inviting team input demonstrates humility, openness, and emotional intelligence — all essential traits of effective management.
By encouraging feedback and informal mentorship from junior staff, managers can:
- Discover pain points and productivity gaps
- Learn how processes play out on the ground
- Tap into emerging trends or tools younger staff are using
- Avoid top-down decisions that may disengage the team
This collaborative leadership style creates a more responsive, motivated team environment.
What New Managers Can Learn from Their Teams
Junior team members may lack experience, but they often possess valuable knowledge in areas such as:
- New technologies and digital workflows
- Customer experience and frontline service issues
- Workplace culture, communication gaps, or morale trends
- Social and cultural awareness relevant to brand or client work
Reverse mentorship gives managers access to insights they would otherwise miss, helping them make informed, practical decisions that resonate across the team.
Enhancing Inclusivity and Innovation Through Reverse Mentoring
When used intentionally, reverse mentorship can break down hierarchy and foster an inclusive culture where all voices are valued. This not only supports employee engagement but also encourages innovation by bringing diverse ideas into the decision-making process.
For example:
- A junior marketing executive might introduce the team to a new social media tool that improves campaign reach
- An intern could offer honest feedback about onboarding processes that senior leaders never experience
- A younger team member might provide insight into generational preferences in product design or communication style
These contributions, when welcomed by open-minded managers, can lead to real improvements in strategy and performance.
How to Structure Reverse Mentorship in the Workplace
Reverse mentorship can be informal or formal, depending on your organisation’s needs and culture. New managers can try the following approaches:
Informal Check-ins
Invite honest feedback during 1-to-1s or team retrospectives. Ask team members what they think could be improved and listen.
Peer Shadowing
Spend time observing junior staff in their daily workflows. Ask them to walk you through their tools, challenges, and suggestions.
Mentorship Pairing
Create two-way mentorship programmes where junior and senior staff are paired to share insights in both directions.
Feedback Loops
Implement systems where team members can anonymously or directly share feedback on management practices and processes.
Reverse mentorship only works when trust, respect, and follow-through are present. Managers must be open to change and willing to act on what they learn.
Why Formal Training Still Matters
While reverse mentorship can accelerate real-world learning, it does not replace the value of structured leadership education. The most effective managers combine lived experience with proven frameworks, reflective practice, and strategic tools.
The CMI Level 3 Principles of Management and Leadership course is designed for aspiring or new team leaders, giving them a solid foundation in managing people, processes, and communication.
The CMI Level 5 Leadership and Management programme builds on this, helping managers lead through complexity, drive performance, and inspire change, all while cultivating a culture of collaboration and growth.
Leadership Starts with Listening
Great leadership is not about knowing all the answers. It’s about asking the right questions, learning from those around you, and building strong relationships that help everyone thrive.
As a new manager, embracing reverse mentorship shows your team that you value their input, that you’re willing to learn, and that leadership is a shared journey. Combine this mindset with the right training, and you’ll build the confidence and capability to lead with purpose.
Take the Next Step in Your Leadership Journey
At ManagerDegree.com, we help aspiring and emerging managers lead with clarity, confidence, and curiosity. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your leadership approach, our accredited CMI qualifications give you the structure and support to grow.
Explore the CMI Level 3 or CMI Level 5 courses today and become the kind of leader your team will want to mentor.
