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Story about the best mentor ever I had, who I never appreciated until much later. Thread.
I was straight out of uni, and full of confidence. On a project, I was paired with this lead engineer.
Whenever I asked something, they responded with a question. And another. (1/5)
I was straight out of uni, and full of confidence. On a project, I was paired with this lead engineer.
Whenever I asked something, they responded with a question. And another. (1/5)
These questions made me feel stupid. We got to a solution, but painfully slowly. It get like they were toying with me. Why not just tell me, when they already knew?
Even when I got something done *really* well, they asked: “have you considered X? what about Y edge case?” (2/5)
Even when I got something done *really* well, they asked: “have you considered X? what about Y edge case?” (2/5)
Even more odd, they were super patient, never losing their cool, and in the end, always telling me I did a good job. But all I felt was how I was wasting their time.
So I started to ask the questions I knew they’d ask ahead of time. Checked edge cases / constraints. (3/5)
So I started to ask the questions I knew they’d ask ahead of time. Checked edge cases / constraints. (3/5)
I moved to other projects, and forgot about our collaboration. But I took the habit of challenging myself with me.
Years later it CLICKED. I was mentoring a new grad & saw the obvious mistake they made. Should I tell them? Or should I... have them discover it on their own? (4/5)
Years later it CLICKED. I was mentoring a new grad & saw the obvious mistake they made. Should I tell them? Or should I... have them discover it on their own? (4/5)
That senior was mentoring the best way: coaching with questions. It’s the time-consuming for the mentor, but a very efficient way for a mentee to grow.
I never even noticed, or appreciated it at the time.
I’m since aiming to use this approach to help others grow. (5/5)
I never even noticed, or appreciated it at the time.
I’m since aiming to use this approach to help others grow. (5/5)
