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Benjamin Cane @madflojo

Mentoring Engineers Through One-on-One Sessions And Daily Interactions

Reserve dedicated time for one-to-ones & let mentee steer conversation, being objective is key. Also, seize day-to-day interactions as opportunities to teach & share 'why' behind suggestions.

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I wanted to take a few moments to share my approach to mentoring and how I make it a priority.
I have two primary ways to approach mentoring: dedicated one-to-ones and everyday interactions.

  
  
  🗓️ Reserving time for one-to-ones:

For dedicated one-on-ones, I reserve buckets of time from my calendar (e.g., 2:30–5 on Tuesdays, 7–8 on Wednesdays, etc.).
I have recurring and ad-hoc mentoring sessions during these times and am open to mentoring anyone. I meet with Engineers at all levels, from Interns to Principal Engineers.
And during these sessions, I have a few rules...