Proof of Concept - Mentorship
There are great examples of mentorship history in both the fiction and real world. In ancient Greece, Socrates mentored Plato, passing down his philosophical ideas and methods of inquiry. Plato, in turn, founded the Academy and became one of the most influential philosophers in Western thought. Plato then mentored Aristotle to pay it forward to his mentor. At the age of twelve, legendary guitarist Steve Vai started guitar lessons with Joe Satriani. Rocky Balboa had Mick to show him the ropes (pun intended) to become a champion. In recent years, I’ve been critical of mentorship in software and tech. At times, it feels flawed and optimized for the wrong reasons. Mentorship isn’t something you scale. It’s a 1-to-1 and deep relationship. It feels performative and in service of the mentor over the protégée. My point of view doesn’t generalize everyone. There are great mentors out there who are of service to the next generation of builders. The intention of this post is to assist you with identifying what criteria and expectation to look for in a mentor. The mentor is not a role you search for on LinkedIn. They could be a recruiter, designer, or entrepreneur. What’s core at the foundation is mentors are people providing useful guidance for your situation. They are invested in your success and what you can become, not who are today. What your mentor is not is a babysitter or responsible for bailing you out of desperation or despair. In any relationship between the mentor and protégée, it is the latter who is responsible for driving. It’s important to be vulnerable and talk about challenging topics with the mentor, but they aren’t therapists. Every second with a mentor is an opportunity to fast track insights and should not go to waste. More importantly than what a mentor is not, let’s look at what to expect from a good mentor. I’ll use my personal examples in hope the experiences provide resonance for what you seek. They ask powerful questions for your reflection They get you to think bigger They give you access When mentors grant you this access, they are putting their credibility on the line for you to show up. Don’t be the person who is constantly asking for connections as it can damage the relationship. They will open the doors for you without you asking. They give onset critiques I entrust my mentors to be the biggest critic on what I need to work on in order to achieve my goals. One mentor worked with me rigorously on executive presence and gave me hard feedback on how I conducted myself. I was younger at the time and it was hard to hear, but what I needed to know. They have conviction in what you can become On the flip side of the relationship, let’s consider the expectations of the protégée. The first expectation is the seeker of help should be the driver of the relationship. Though it’s not a one-way street, it’s up to the protégée to reach out when they need help. They find the time and the mentor makes the time. Make it be known what you want to cover and how your mentor can help. The second expectation is to practice discretion in order to maintain trust. Your mentor might share information or access that is rare. Do not broadcast it without their consent. I’m sharing you examples of my experiences with my mentors but not sharing the details (or even telling you who they are). The importance of this is not because of things being made public but focuses the conversations with you and them. Finally, mentors come and go. There is no obligation to have the same mentor for your entire life. This is why I believe it’s important to make most of the time as circumstances could change in the future. There are a lot of people who may seem like mentors, but they may not be. Reflect and ask yourself:
I’m grateful for multiple mentors who invested me. Make the most of what you gained from them and commit yourself in helping someone else in their journey. That’s how you pay them back. Hyperlinks + notesA collection of references for this post, updates, and weekly reads.
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Driving stick shift
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Issue 216: The importance of manual driving in a world of copilots ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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Issue 215: How watercolor painting is like work ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
The office is a productivity tool
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Issue 214: Coming to the office as leverage, not attendance ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Patrol Boats and Carriers
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Issue 213: Playing Battleship at work ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Operator Mode
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Issue 212: Doing work as a non-founder and non professional management class ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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