05-07-2025
Why CEOs are seeking ‘reverse mentoring' from their juniors
A s chief executive of one of the world's largest airlines, Sean Doyle at British Airways can turn to his 34,000 staff for advice, or bring in an outside expert with deep knowledge of even the most niche issues.
But there's one problem: 'As CEO, everybody will laugh at your jokes.'
He wanted a new way to find the 'very uncomfortable insight into the issues you need to fix in your organisation — and the broader issues that are blocking people from being their best'.
So Doyle, who first joined BA as a financial analyst in 1998, launched a reverse mentorship scheme at the airline in 2023.
This fast-growing workplace trend involves a senior leader being mentored by someone several rungs further down the corporate ladder. They might be younger, or of a different gender or ethnicity, or have a disability. BA initially paired 11 top executives with junior staff. The scheme has since expanded to 80 senior leaders. Doyle was mentored by two cabin crew members.
