Lesson In Mentorship: Don't Abuse Access

Don't take access for granted. The greatest gift you can get from any man is access. Don't fritter it away through over-familiarity. Treasure that access. Nurture it. Never do 'see-finish'.

When you do 'see-finish', you'll soon be finished.

I learnt this lesson early during my undergraduate days. We had a very amiable lecturer, Professor Emmanuel Babajide Lucas. Everyone loved him. He was chummy with the students. We flocked around him. He was a father figure- still is to many of us.

He would sit in his office, eating biscuits and we would all join when he invited us. If he invites you and you don't join, there'll be issues. I was in his office one day with a group of students and he was eating biscuits.

He didn't invite anyone. Suddenly, one of us stretched his hand to take a biscuit. I'd never seen Prof Lucas so livid before. He was so angry he was vibrating. All of us prostrated and begged him. He taught us a big lesson that day.

Having access to someone does not mean you should barge into their homes anytime you like. You shouldn't call people late in the night except it's an emergency or there was a prior schedule.

You shouldn't take their things without their consent. Even when you eat at their table with them, watch how you eat.

I like the way the Bible put this in Proverbs 23:1-3 (Easy to Read Version), "When you sit and eat with an important person, remember who you are with. Never eat too much, even if you are very hungry.Don’t eat too much of his fine food. It might be a trick".

Over-familiarity will hurt you. It will shut the door against you. And when that door is shut, it may never be opened again. When you knock, the response will be- access denied.

© Bayo Adeyinka
@threadreaderapp
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