They know things you don't. Navigate the humility of learning from someone younger.
Part of
Mentoring the Next Generation →
The eye roll when you offer advice, the reverse mentoring that humbles you, the push that risks the relationship, and the ripple effect you never see. Navigate mentoring across generations.
Skills you'll build
What happens in this story4 scenarios
The twenty-three-year-old intern just explained something about AI that made your decade of expertise feel obsolete. Your ego stings — but underneath it, you realize they might be the teacher and you the student.
What started with the reverse mentor just got more complicated. Now you need to practice reverse mentoring — learning from younger people with genuine openness — and the situation is shifting faster than your first approach can handle.
This is the moment you've been building toward. Pushing a mentee past their comfort zone without breaking the relationship — except now the stakes are real and there's no rehearsal. What you do next matters.
You've faced the hardest part. Now turn what you've learned into something sustainable — a way to practice reverse mentoring — learning from younger people with genuine openness not just today, but every time this situation returns.
More stories in this course
View all →The Eye Roll
You offer wisdom. They roll their eyes. Navigate the gap between your experience and their world.
4 scenarios →The Push
They're comfortable where they are. You see more in them than they see in themselves. Navigate the push that risks the relationship.
4 scenarios →The Ripple
You'll never see most of the impact. Navigate the invisible ripple effect of mentoring well.
4 scenarios →The Reverse Mentor
They know things you don't. Navigate the humility of learning from someone younger.
Start free →4 scenarios · 25 min · No account required to try