A wonderful trend is happening nationwide as the world of marketing forever shifts to predominantly online resources. Specifically, team members with more years of experience are being taught new tricks by junior team members who might be fresh out of school.  In the area of social media, these younger employees are experts in social media — it has always been a part of their daily lives.

As a more experienced member of the advertising and PR agency business (yes, a few gray hairs make us Boomers the old guard now), I have had the privilege of being mentored by several of our younger team members.  And I am not alone.

Google “reverse mentoring in marketing” and you’ll get dozens of great books, blog entries and news articles about this subject tracing stories at companies as large as Time Warner and Proctor & Gamble and marketing agencies like Edelman and our own Bailey Gardiner.  These companies and many others are realizing the enormous talent base of their junior employees, tapping into their knowledge and placing it front and center.

Here’s a cool clip from  BBDO CEO Andrew Robertson on this topic:

Personally, I’ve had training sessions about Twitter, FaceBook and Search Engine Optimization from my junior employees who are far more knowledgeable and talented than I in these areas.  And you know what?  It is really refreshing to NOT KNOW EVERYTHING.  It is such a great feeling to say “please teach me” and to have a 22 year-old step up and show me how to do it.  It makes me feel like there is still more for me to learn about my field, and it helps my junior mentor feel valued and appreciated for what they bring to the table.

My online video production lessons from @jamieortiz (who is an old woman now at 30) helped me use video in social media programs for clients.  The things I have learned about setting up FaceBook pages from @callan_paola could fill a book – or at the least this blog.  And let’s not forget the knowledgeable insights on SEO from @lizzied, our resident expert on all things searchable.

And that is the beauty of social media — it is so, well, social.  The very nature of the media implies that we can all just drop our preconceived notions and accept some help.  And believe me, I’m a quick study.

This doesn’t at all weaken my position as a marketing leader.  I know my marketing strategy better than most. And when I don’t, I’m not afraid to ask for help – even if my teacher is young enough to be my kid.