Learning Through Mistakes: A Mentoring Journey
Being nominated as a mentor was an unexpected turn in my professional path, one that left me somewhat at a loss on how to navigate the responsibility. My initial approach was a hands-on one: I would allocate tasks to my mentee, guide him through the process, and when necessary, step in to finish the task myself.
I also tended to hoard the tickets, uneasy with entrusting them, particularly to the newly minted graduates who had recently joined our team. However, over the months, it dawned on me that such an approach was not only unsustainable but could potentially damage the team’s dynamic.
Strengthening the Team
Upon identifying my mistake, I was driven to find solutions to two key questions:
- How could I impart knowledge about the system that I had built (almost single-handedly and with minimal documentation) and make it comprehensible to them?
- What would be my strategy if they made errors?
I tackled the second question first, deciding to adopt a “trial by fire” method. Confident in my understanding of our system, I allowed them the freedom to err, reasoning that they could learn valuable lessons from their mistakes. Of course, I made sure these errors wouldn’t cause irrevocable damage to the system, and guided them in rectifying their mistakes.
To answer the first question, I broke down the system into its basic components – business logic, distributed transaction, code quality, system design, data fix script, and database binlog consumer. My idea was to have each newcomer handle at least one ticket related to each component in their initial three months. This way, they could explore diverse aspects of the application and gain insight into our problem-solving methods.
Cultivating Independence
Gradually, I began to encourage team members to manage meetings with external stakeholders independently. I found that this bolstered their confidence and sense of ownership over their projects, which in turn improved the quality of our deliverables. There were occasions when they made critical decisions that were not optimal. To manage this, I would send them live messages during meetings to clarify issues, ensuring to do so in a way that preserved their dignity.
The Result
Approximately two years into my mentoring journey, I felt comfortable enough to allow my team to operate with minimal supervision. The increased autonomy had significantly improved our output. We managed to deliver more projects, and of greater complexity, than any other sub-team. However, our success resulted in our team being restructured to distribute our efficiency more evenly.
There were mixed feelings about this; a part of me felt unfairly treated – as if our exceptional performance had been penalized. But taking a broader view, I saw that members of my team were proving to be valuable assets to other teams. I was also given an opportunity to mentor new members.
In the end, I remain hopeful that this shift will ultimately be beneficial to all involved.