Mentoring As A Leadership Tool

“We used to in every class have a Discord. It used to be like a lot of people just asking questions about maybe like, a lab or a homework... I guess everyone’s just Chat-GPT now. Like the new classes that I have now, we still have the Discord, but nobody really talks because most or all the questions are answered by ChatGPT.” —P16, undergraduate computing student If you’ve moderated a class Discord, you’ve probably felt this shift: a once-busy channel that used to hum with “anyone stuck on Q3?” goes quiet. Not because students stopped needing help, but because they started getting it elsewhere. A new study by Hou et al puts language to what many of us have sensed. Based on 17 interviews across seven R1 universities, students described a social rerouting of help-seeking: 13 of 17 said peer requests are now mediated by GenAI (often “ask GPT”), and students noticed community spaces like Discord slowing down. However, when AI becomes the first responder, the “hidden curriculum” stops circulating. Fewer quick questions means fewer micro-mentorships, fewer perspective-shifts, less socially shared regulation — all the good stuff that builds belonging and lifts performance over time. Students save minutes, but communities lose momentum. So what can educators do about this? - Design “peer-first, AI-fast” protocols. Peer interactions build camaraderie and a sense of belonging. Educators need to design experiences that build more peer interactions and support inside classrooms, to compensate for GenAI caused declines.   - Protect mentorship routes. Research also showed that younger students are reaching out less often to senior mentors, missing out on invisible learning that comes from understanding unwritten rules and cultural norms. Educators might need to formalize “office-hours relays” (senior → junior → cohort) so guidance doesn’t vanish.  - Create informal interaction opportunities. Informal opportunities help students build relationships beyond their immediate circle, and provide entry points into additional learning communities. Have you seen AI change the quality of collaboration in your learning or work spaces? How can we preserve the “hidden curriculum” when AI takes over first-line help?  #GenAI #Education #PeerInteraction #HiddenCurriculum

Your next 1-on-1 is either building trust or breaking it. Most managers treat them like status updates. Most employees see them as obligations. After years of leading teams through growth and crisis, I've learned the truth: The best 1-on-1s aren't meetings. They're investments in human potential. When done right, these 30 minutes can transform: • Disengaged employees into champions • Surface problems become solutions • Good performers into great leaders Here's how to make every 1-on-1 count: For Managers: 1/ Start human, not tactical "What's on your mind?" beats "What's your update?" every time. Let them drive the agenda first. 2/ Listen like your success depends on it Because it does. Their challenges are your early warning system. Their wins are your team's momentum. 3/ Ask the question that matters "What support do you need?" Then actually provide it. Trust compounds when promises are kept. For Employees: 1/ Come with intention This is your time. Own it. Bring your real challenges, not just safe updates. 2/ Share what's actually blocking you Your manager can't fix what they can't see. But come with potential solutions too. It shows you're thinking, not just venting. 3/ Talk about tomorrow, not just today Where do you want to grow? What skills are you building? Make your development their priority. Great 1-on-1s don't just review work. They build relationships. They surface insights. They prevent fires instead of fighting them. The game-changer most miss: End every 1-on-1 with absolute clarity: 📌 What are the next steps? 📌 Who owns what? 📌 When will we check progress? Vague endings create frustrated teams. Your people don't need another meeting. They need a moment where someone truly sees them, hears them, and helps them win. Give them that, and watch what happens. What's one thing that transformed your 1-on-1s? ♻️ Repost if this changes how you approach 1-on-1s Follow Desiree Gruber for more insights on storytelling, leadership, and brand building.

If our front line workers are not influencing up, we have a continuous improvement problem. The best ideas and insights come from those who are on the front lines of the business therefore their valuable perspectives MUST be heard. Most companies still have a hierarchal structure which means that front-line workers are tasked with influencing up! Simply put, this means communicating effectively with their managers to gain their support or persuade them to see things from their perspective. In a rigid hierarchical structure, this can be difficult as front line workers can have limited direct access to senior leaders and may have to pass their ideas or concerns through multiple layers of management before they reach the top. All this 'red tape' and associated delays can frustrate people to the point that they just stop trying. We also see (unfortunately) that hierarchies can create power differentials between managers and their direct reports. Managers with unchecked power and ego can create a work environment where employees feel intimidated and fearful. If any of this resonates with you, you may be interested in knowing that there are numerous ways to turn this around. Lean thinking helps a lot here! 💡 If restricted communication is the problem- simply make it a priority to spend more time with people (by going to the Gemba, facilitating daily huddles, holding Kaizen events, organizing regular town hall meetings or hosting Q&A sessions with senior leaders, where employees at all levels can directly voice their ideas and concerns. 💡 If power dynamics is an issues, why not try something like reverse mentoring: Pair senior leaders with junior staff in mentoring relationships where the junior employees share insights and feedback. This can help flatten perceived power imbalances and promote mutual respect. Leadership training is also vital in reducing these issues. 💡 If there are cultural barriers, work on promoting a culture of openness: Actively foster a workplace culture that encourages questioning and exploring ideas. Visual boards can collect people's ideas for further exploration. 💡 If psychological safety seems low, train and coach all leaders to develop psychological safety in their teams. Create team agreements between leaders and teams that clearly conveys behaviours that are out and behaviours that are in (like raising concerns and suggest improvements). 💡 If slow decision-making is an issues, streamline approval processes: simplify the decision-making process by reducing unnecessary steps and empowering more employees to make decisions at their level. Keep trying until you find ways to hear front-line workers voices loud and clear to the point that they are informing continuous change and improvements every day for better decisions and a more inclusive workplace. #lean #leanthinking #continuousimprovement #employeeengagement #inclusion #frontlineworkers #leadership

Toxic cultures rarely start with bad people. They start with well-meaning leaders... who have blind spots. Culture isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s the engine behind performance, retention, and innovation. So about those blind spots? 👇 Let’s call them out—and course-correct fast: 1. Micromanaging Everything ↳ You think you're helping. You’re suffocating trust. ↳ Instead: Set the vision. Clear the path. Step back. 2. Hoarding Credit ↳ When you shine but your team stays in the dark, resentment builds. ↳Instead: Share wins. Celebrate loudly and often. 3. Rewarding Burnout ↳ Praising exhaustion isn’t leadership. It’s exploitation. ↳ Instead: Protect downtime. Normalize rest. 4. Shutting Down Feedback ↳ If no one speaks up, you’re leading blind. ↳ Instead: Ask, “What’s one thing I could do better?” Then listen. 5. Treating People Like Machines ↳ You can’t lead people you don’t care about. ↳ Instead: Know their stories. Connection builds loyalty. 6. Talking More Than Listening ↳ The loudest voice kills the best ideas. Instead: Ask more. Speak less. Make space. 7. Reacting With Emotion ↳ Your team takes cues from your calm—or your chaos. ↳ Instead: Breathe first. Respond with intention, not impulse. 8. Refusing to Evolve ↳ “We’ve always done it this way” kills growth. ↳ Instead: Stay curious. Experiment. Lead the change. Culture isn’t built in a day. It’s built in what you say, do, and tolerate—every day. Which blind spot do you see most often? --- ♻️ Repost to help others. 🔔 Follow me (Shulin Lee) for more!

Finding the right mentor can change the trajectory of your career. But in today’s job market, and especially when nearly a quarter of recent grads are unemployed, traditional mentors alone may not be enough. That’s why Alexis Redding and I wrote a new piece for Fast Company about the overlooked value of peer mentors, or what we call “mirror mentors.” These are the friends and colleagues who know you well, who can keep you accountable, offer encouragement, and share tactical support along the way. Sometimes mirror mentors can even be more helpful than senior mentors. They’re in the trenches with you, they understand your struggles in real time, and they often have the bandwidth to provide the kind of consistent, hands-on support that’s critical during a job search. We shared three key ways mirror mentors can transform your job search: ✔️ Sourcing opportunities, including the hidden job market ✔️ Providing tactical help, from résumés to negotiations ✔️ Offering encouragement and accountability when the process gets tough By building a small mentor pod, you can make the journey less isolating and much more effective: https://lnkd.in/ezJPbFWs Who are your mirror mentors, and how have your peers supported you in your own career journey?

Have you ever been mentored by someone 10 years younger than you? 😲😲 I have. And I highly recommend it.😊✨ During my time at L'Oréal Australia, I had the chance to speak at a leadership event where they had built an entire program around reverse mentoring. Not a buzzword. A real structure where junior talent mentored senior leaders. On everything from how Gen Z thinks, to emerging tech, to what inclusive culture actually looks like in practice. And honestly? It’s one of the smartest things a company can do. 👉🏻👉🏻 Why? Because: – Interns are closer to consumer shifts than the boardroom – New grads know TikTok and AI tools like second nature. – And junior team members often see the cultural blind spots leaders miss. The Times article on British Airways hit the nail on the head. - 80 pairs - Junior staff mentoring the C-suite. - Game-changing insights that are shaping how the airline leads from within. I have first hand seen Reverse mentoring flipping the script. It humbles leadership. It future-proofs decision-making. And it brings in the voices that matter most. At a time when everything’s evolving from platforms, behaviour, expectations, listening isn’t optional. It’s the new superpower. 💪🏻💪🏻 👇🏽 CEOs, here are my 3 actionable ways to start reverse mentoring today: 1. Form intentional pairings: Pair junior talent with leaders and set up dedicated time when these two can connect. 2. Make it safe: Set clear expectations and remove the pressure to impress. Authenticity > polish. 3. Turn insights into action: Don’t let the conversation end at “good point.” Bake learnings into culture, strategy and product. So here’s my question: When’s the last time you learned something from someone just starting out? #ReverseMentoring #Insights #GenZ #AI

Ready to take advice from someone Half Your age? We love the idea of "mentorship" until the mentor is younger than us. Let’s be honest. The thought of a Gen Z professional coaching a seasoned leader on business, innovation, or strategy makes many people uncomfortable. Why? Because we’ve been wired to believe that experience equals authority. That wisdom comes with age. That leadership is earned through tenure, not perspective. But the world doesn’t work that way anymore. Netflix killed Blockbuster not because it had decades of experience, but because it had fresh insight. Airbnb disrupted the hospitality industry not because it was run by seasoned hoteliers, but because it challenged old assumptions. Tesla redefined the auto industry not because it followed tradition, but because it ignored it altogether. Innovation is not about how long you’ve been in the game, it’s about how well you understand where the game is going. And that’s exactly why reverse mentoring is no longer a "nice-to-have." It’s a business survival strategy. Companies like PwC, Unilever, and Cisco are already integrating reverse mentoring programs, where junior employees actively coach senior executives on emerging technology, shifting consumer behaviors, and cultural intelligence. And guess what? They’re outperforming companies that don’t. So, the real question isn’t whether you should be learning from someone younger than you. The question is: Can you afford not to? Nyra Leadership Consulting

Day 8/30 of the Idea to Revenue Mentorship: Something magical happened today. I stopped talking. The group started solving each other's problems. One participant was stuck on their product format. Before I could jump in, three others shared what worked for them. Problem solved in 10 minutes. It made me realise: The best mentorship isn't mentor-to-student. It's student-to-student with a guide on the side. Three powerful shifts emerged: 1. PEER FEEDBACK HITS DIFFERENT When I critique, they listen politely. When a peer who just solved the same problem shares? They take notes furiously. 2. COLLECTIVE WISDOM > INDIVIDUAL EXPERTISE 100 people trying 100 approaches beats one mentor's playbook every time. 3. ACCOUNTABILITY COMPOUNDS Disappointing your peers who are grinding alongside you? That's harder than disappointing a mentor. This is why accelerators work. Why building in public beats building in private. You don't just need a mentor. You need mirrors — people on the same journey. Question: Who are you building alongside? If the answer is "no one" — that might be your biggest bottleneck. Day 8 complete. 22 days to revenue. P.S. The participants helping others the most? They're moving the fastest. Teaching forces clarity.

Why Being a “Mentern” is Essential in the Modern Workplace While it never won any Oscars, the film “The Intern” reminded us that experience never gets old. Robert DeNiro plays a 70-year-old retiree who applies to be the “Senior Intern” to a CEO, Anne Hathaway, who is half his age. She initially doesn’t want to hire him because he’s “a little too observant,” but she does and what we see over the course of the film is that he morphs from intern to mentor. My experience at Airbnb was just the opposite, but shares some parallels. Brian Chesky is almost half my age and hired me to be his in-house leadership and hospitality mentor in early 2013 when most people had never heard of this little tech start-up. Within a few weeks, I realized that I needed to be as much an intern as a mentor because I’d never worked in a tech company and I often felt like both the wisest and dumbest person in the room. The founders ultimately said I was as curious as I was wise which earned me the title, “modern elder.” I coined the term “mentern” in my book “Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder” to capture the fact that with almost half of Americans working for a younger boss and five generations in the workplace for the first time, we need to operate as mutual mentors like never before. The physics of knowledge and wisdom used to flow from old to young, but it now flows in both directions. While I could offer my Airbnb colleagues EQ (Emotional Intelligence), they could offer me DQ (Digital Intelligence) and we were all better off for it. As I spent time exploring the topic of intergenerational collaboration, I got to know the guru on this subject Marc Freedman, who started https://bit.ly/4lSdI57. He’s my modern elder as I’ve learned so much from him about how we can create a society and workplaces that value one of the most important forms of diversity, age diversity. I’m proud that Marc joined me on my podcast (https://bit.ly/47WCbmg) last week and that we’ll be co-leading a Santa Fe workshop November 10-15 called How to be a World-Class “Mentern”: Mastering the Skills of Mutual Mentorship (https://bit.ly/4g473U1) (this week’s episode with Rob Bell goes live this morning). This workshop is perfect for anyone asking the following questions: - How can I feel relevant again in a workplace full of people younger than me? - How can I distill my wisdom and share it in a way that younger folks will value it? - How can I develop a new sense of purpose by feeling like I’m having an impact? - How can I renew my sense of curiosity and openness to learning something new? - What programs exist that foster more intergenerational collaboration? Here’s a recent PBS NewsHour video on Marc Freedman’s organization CoGenerate (https://bit.ly/3HO3kNL), and how it brings the generations together to co-create the future.

Through my Engineering Success Podcast at DevDynamics and working closely with engineering leaders, I’ve had the chance to speak with 200+ Tech leaders and CTOs from growth-stage startups. The way they approach 1:1s is nothing like the “textbook” method, and it’s brilliant. Here’s what I learned about their approach: 1️⃣ The “Look Back, Look Ahead” Format Instead of getting into daily updates, they dedicate time to two specific areas: Look Back: Recap the past month’s challenges, progress, and any learning moments. Look Ahead: Discuss upcoming milestones, skill growth, and their engineer’s long-term goals. 2️⃣ Less Status Updates, More “Personal Growth Talk” They avoid project check-ins here, that’s for team meetings. 1:1s are about the engineer’s growth path. What tools will get them closer to the next level? What’s slowing them down? The focus shifts from “What did you do?” to “Where are you headed?” 3️⃣ Scheduled “Unstructured” Time One of the best hacks? They allocate 10 minutes at the end of each 1:1 for any topic their engineer wants to discuss, work or otherwise. This time often reveals insights that structured agendas miss. 4️⃣ Customized to Personality Type Introverts prefer reflecting on paper, while extroverts benefit from free-flow discussions. They’ve even adjusted frequency based on personality, some engineers have monthly check-ins, others bi-weekly. 5️⃣ Follow-Up Through Actions Set follow-ups in the calendar. If a challenge was discussed, they’ll check in again in two weeks, turning words into measurable steps. Every 1:1 becomes a little system in itself, and it’s working for some of the besting performing teams. Have you tried any of these approaches? P.S. Do check the latest episode of the engineering success podcast with Pranabjyoti Bordoloi from Junglee Games. P.S. 2 - Unrelated photo - someone said photos work better on Linkedin