What I Learned as a Mentor
What I Learned as a Mentor
Context
Throughout this year of 2020, I have participated in over 20 hackathons, both as a mentor and a participant. Being on different sides of this same four-sided coin (mentor, participant, judge, and facilitator) has helped me develop skills in various areas.
Events where I was a mentor:
- NASA - Space Apps Challenge 2020
- UN and Sebrae - Social Hack 2020
- UFSCar - Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge - 2020
- Polinize Hackathon 2020
- Hacka das Manas 2021
1. Mentoring is a Two-Way Street
Mentoring is not just about providing help to others. You will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, learn to teach better, and reinforce the ability to ask good questions. The mentor is not there just to answer questions; it is also important to encourage teams to develop their own paths. This is an opportunity to support people while strengthening your network.
2. Listening is Key
Sometimes mentors confuse hearing with listening. Active listening promotes trust and respect, helps solve problems, and fosters a better understanding of the team’s project development. Take notes during mentoring sessions, and ask questions if something is not clear, because if everything goes well, the team will go through a panel of evaluators. The more understandable the developed solution, the better.
3. Avoid the Dungeon Master Syndrome
Using complex and often difficult language can be tempting because you want to show everything you know. However, this can make life even more difficult for those participating in a hackathon. There is a great quote by James Clear about this:
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“Simplifying before understanding the details is ignorance.
Simplifying after understanding the details is genius.”
Moreover, being present is important to follow the team’s development.
4. Sometimes the Team Just Needs a Hint
When I was an ambassador for Shawee, I developed a repository with Lorena to gather tool tips for use in hackathons. We keep this material updated, and sending it to the teams helps them a lot in “finding what they want but don’t know how to look for.”
To access it, click here