Faculty development initiatives often teach communication, leadership, and mentoring as isolated competencies rather than within authentic professional relationships where those skills matter most. This workshop addresses that gap by positioning reverse mentoring as a faculty development strategy that intentionally pairs junior and senior faculty in reciprocal learning relationships.

Rather than replacing traditional mentoring, reverse mentoring complements it by recognizing that faculty at every career stage possess valuable expertise. Senior faculty contribute institutional knowledge, leadership experience, and scholarly wisdom, while junior faculty bring emerging pedagogy, AI and digital fluency, and new perspectives on student engagement. This reciprocal exchange strengthens collegial relationships while promoting continuous learning across academic ranks.

Aligned with the Educational/Faculty Development and Administration track, this session supports faculty mentoring, leadership development, and organizational culture by equipping participants with practical communication tools they can immediately apply within mentoring relationships. Institutions committed to faculty success can use this approach to strengthen retention, collaboration, innovation, and organizational resilience.

Participants will experience a communication framework grounded in Crucial Conversations, Growth Mindset, and Emotional Intelligence. Through realistic faculty scenarios, they will practice navigating discussions about AI integration, balancing innovation with tradition, giving and receiving feedback across career stages, and addressing resistance to change.

Interactive activities include scenario-based role-play, co-creating mentoring and communication norms, a strength-spotting exercise that reframes differences as organizational assets, and AI-supported reflection prompts that encourage feedback, accountability, and professional growth.

Participants will engage in paired discussions, collaborative exercises, and