I have had a running dialogue with my wife, about how smart kids are these days. I think they are smarter than we were as kids because they have a lot more input. To be more specific, my theory is that our planet is filled with little Einsteins playing in the dirt on playgrounds all around the world. Kids capable of splitting atoms while using finger paint on your walls and carpet. Really, sources of input for kids have increased since I first sat in front of a black and white television to watch the Three Stooges. Then computers, PCs, Laptops, cell phones, the Internet, and PDAs did not exist. It was all books, magazines, newspapers, and the good old television still these sources did support a strong imagination.
(I do remember seeing this skit and I am sure the substance contributed to my intellectual growth)
3 Stooges teach the alphabet
So I did some research on the subject and since the smartest person I know of was Einstein I looked up some facts about him. As far as anyone knows (that I could find on the internet) Albert Einstein never took an IQ test. But some creative folks in the 1920s decided to estimate IQs of notable folks like Mozart, Goethe and Al. It was then estimated in the 1920s that Al’s IQ was between 160 and 180, but this was a rough estimate at best. Why I waste time on Al is because my theory is that we live in a world filled with a couple of generations of Einsteins. It is true that the scale for measuring IQ has moved to keep up with the improvements in the general scores. My thinking about how smart kids are today was actually reinforced when I learned about The Flynn Effect. Since IQ scores improve by several points each generation the scores tests have been “renormed” to keep 100 as the normal rating. The improvement in IQ scores is called the Flynn Effect. If you take the scores and tests we were measured by and match them against our kids we are actually dumber, this is known as the Eman Effect (growing older and dumber). Our kids are vastly smarted than us and that is a fact. They have a capacity for learning and understanding things we could not easily grasp. Yup these kids have now gained about 15 points on us when we were tested back in the 70s.
You may ask, “Eman what will they do with all those smarts?”
or
“Eman what does this mean to a CCIE?”
Be a mentor because we all need more clones of CCIEs and when I say we, I do mean we! There are literally thousands of companies in need of the advanced skills that CCIEs have mastered. I have heard many companies say, “No shake and bake CCIEs”, real world experience of how to push info over IP is critical. I can only draw a similarity to when I was denied computer class in high school because I had poor typing skills! Today we take it for granted that certain skills accompany an IT professional’s abilities, like typing on a keyboard. I think we have reached the point that many critical skills and concepts accompany the next generation of IT professionals. Concepts we had more trouble understanding as we learned to play Pong on a pc, are easily accepted, learned and applied by these kids. The current bunch of kids cut their teeth on technology the way my generation adapted to calculators. Man was I lucky when Texas Instruments lowered the price on those buggers! Kids these days may have a penchant for loud music, tattoos and body piercing but damn their smart. They seem to get it! So helping an upstart as a mentor is a great investment in building the future internet or whatever it will become. With a little help from you they could be focused professionally on the fastest growing and most secure sector in IT today. I am not wrong about this; Network Engineers will continue to be in huge demand for years to come. These kids will be able to figure things out at a speed we can only dream of as we drool over our geriatric cocktails and plan our retirement.
Inspire awe; this is not really a tall order for a CCIE from the 20th century. After all think about all the changes you supported and saw. What we have now is a rapid growth propelled off of the good work done in those early days. Now we have 21st century resources for 21st century challenges let’s get them up to speed. CCIEs are not gods but they are looked up to by many so it is not hard to inspire awe in a mentee.
The biggest challenge?
While I always hear about experience being better than certification, I know that channel partners are still looking for the IE number. These kids your mentees, have a capacity for understanding and visualizing we did not have. The first CCIEs who did not work for Cisco, came from TACs and NOCs for the most part. That experience was crucial for success in obtaining a CCIE. But now, many of the basic concepts learned in these environments are a part of these new kids’ understanding. Hard to believe but those concepts so hard for our generation to learn are almost precognitive now. Sounds loony I know, but some knowledge seems to be a part of the younger generations psyche. Getting that first Network Engineer job is the biggest challenge even so. Where in the past IT professionals were assumed to know everything, you could be a server guy or gal and occasionally have to go tweak a router. Now this function is handled mostly by a specialist, a CCIE in many cases. So getting into that elite group includes some credentials and some journeyman time. Take on a shadow and be a mentor; inspire awe.
Did I see someone raise their hand? “Eman what makes a good mentor?”
I thought you would never ask. I wrote a bit once for IT World on this very subject a while back in December 2007. (http://www.itworld.com/advice-mentor-careers-071214) here are my thoughts from that piece.
December 14, 2007, 03:39 PM — ITworld (3:39? I should have been napping already!) I have been told a happy protégé or mentee is a good indicator. What should a CCIE mentor bring to the table? A good ear is a starting place. Listening skills and the ability to carry on an active dialogue with an upstart is the foundation of a good mentor. A mentor is not expected to know everything but being an active listener is very important and the foundation.
What is an active listener? When you are with good friends or family, and carrying on a conversation, the dialogue is probably easy and flows back and forth building on whatever subject you are chewing over. That is active listening. Responding on a theme and building on the subject involves active listening.
Constructive criticism may be involved when helping an upstart navigate from point A to B. Criticism is not a bad thing if applied properly, but remember avoid being harsh. Helping the recipient of the criticism realize the origins and then understand them is very important. But more important is that the protégé learns from the criticism. So ask questions, lots of questions to more fully understand the critical thinking behind any event or action requiring criticism. Active listening is very important to understand the protégé's thinking.
CCIE Certification is a long challenging process with a lot of personal time devoted to this highly prized goal. A mentor may observe some personal obstacle or pattern of behavior which are not based upon technology. Getting personal might be needed for the mentor to make his or her efforts effective. So be prepared to deliver an example of work/life balance you or a peer employed successfully. Helping the protégé become self aware, independent, realize a purpose and experience success is the goal of any good mentor. Active listening will take the relationship a long way. Expect to make mistakes and expect to grow and mature through mentoring!
A good match is usually found in the less formal pairings. Forced mentoring does not often lead to a lasting mentor relationship. A CCIE who is willing to make the time is important since we always have demands upon our time and it is precious. There is a cycle to mentoring which begins with building a relationship. So don't dive into technology immediately, instead get to know each other. Talk shop after you have established a rapport and know a little bit about each other. Understanding the goal of your relationship is established during this first stage of mentoring.
Direction is a big second step. Make sure that you both understand and establish direction and the mentor's level of support. A motivated protégé is a good protégé, just don't get stuck doing all their work. Research and discovery are not the mentor's job.
Progress towards becoming a CCIE needs to have mile stones and a way to be measured. Make sure to establish some indicators of progress. If you need help establishing indicators then you need to have the dialogue with the protégé.
Be prepared for the end. You may reach the point where CCIE certification has been achieved and there is really nothing left to do. Be ready for this phase. It can be rewarding to realize you have actually helped someone with their future. Always be an active listener. This is a great skill and it does not come easy to all of us. Learning to listen is something a protégé can teach you.
Inspire Awe, be a mentor!
If you have the time to be a mentor or you have a need for a mentor I might be able to help. Let me know and I will open up my network to you.
Get back to work damn it!!