| 1. Have a title. It is most helpful to have some authority, even if completely superficial. This will empower you to set the direction for the learning and prevent the learner arm wrestling you when things get tough or when or defy popularity. 2. Be a leader. Listen to their concerns (really listen). Simultaneously be firm, direct, and honest. Don't let their insecurity drive the train. If you are in charge then be in charge, because you are trying to help improve them. 3. Set left and right limits. This is best done with automation, because the automation will either be without bias or at least equivalent to everybody. Automation can be test automation, compile checks, lint checks, and even vanity checks. Vanity (code style) is highly subjective and should only be applied via static analysis. 4. Document. Write down the learner's current learning and progress at each mentoring. That documentation will be used as positive evidence of their growth and progress for their manager evaluations. 5. Keep them accountable. Impose some minor amount of ownership and liability onto the learner. This will impose the need for the learned material. Simultaneously reassure the learner that this is a friendly environment with minor tolerance for failure. If it really is a safe environment then you as a manager have taken additional steps to increase internal automation to mitigate away as much risk as possible. --- If after a good training structure the material is not sinking in one of two things are happening: 1) You are a bad teacher, probably due to your own biases. You have likely redefined reality in a way that reaffirms your own strength and fail to see the difference. 2) The current work is either not of interest to the junior or the junior is not intelligent enough. That is why you document at each mentoring for trajectory. In my experience most of these training failures occur from the trainer not seriously taking ownership of the training (absence of leadership) and a complete failure to identify internal risks. When internal risk is high nobody cares about what you care about. |