Mentoring - How to Be a Good Mentee
| Category: | Leadership |
|---|---|
| Notes: | For newer Scouts, or for any Scout working with a mentor, troop guide, or merit badge counselor. Pairs well with mentoring-how-to-teach-a-skill, given to the older Scouts at the same meeting. Part of a series - see also followership-the-other-half-of-leadership and followership-disagreeing-the-right-way. |
We talk a lot about older Scouts mentoring younger ones. But there are two people in every mentoring relationship, and being the one who's learning is a skill too.
So how do you get the most out of a mentor?
Ask questions. Lots of them. Nobody expects you to know everything. That's the whole point. The only bad question is the one you were too embarrassed to ask, and then you got it wrong on the campout.
Try it yourself. Watching someone tie a knot ten times won't teach you as much as tying it badly once. When your mentor hands you the rope, take it.
Take feedback without getting defensive. When somebody says, "Not quite, try it this way," they aren't saying you're bad at it. They're saying you're almost there. Say "thanks" and try again.
Practice when nobody's watching. Your mentor can show you how, but only you can make it stick. Ten minutes with a rope at home is worth more than an hour of watching.
And say thank you. Your mentor didn't have to spend that time on you. They chose to.
Here's the best part. Someday, sooner than you think, a younger Scout is going to ask you for help with the same skill. When that happens, remember how it felt to be the one learning, and pass it on.