Larry Chiang teaches at Stanford University and mints engineering undergrads with a JBA (Jedi in Business Administration). He Obi Wan Kenobi’s by grooming young cs major padawans into acting partners for his VC firm. He further Tom Sawyer’s his homework by getting them to help him collect content at his CNN iReport channel “What They Don’t Teach You at Business School”. He collects tactical morsels engineers can use right away. After Chiang’s Harvard Law keynote, Harvard Business wrote: “What They Don’t Teach You at Stanford Business School“ (it’s the same title as his NY Times bestseller). He is Entrepreneur in Residence at Stanford University because that is what you call a teacher at a college with barely a bachelor’s degree. If you read his hilariously awesome “What a Supermodel Can Teach a Stanford MBA” and “How to Get Man-Charm”, you will like his latest post:
When Mentees Go Anakin Skywalker.
By Larry Chiang
Mentors not-so-secretly worry about mentees hurting them. It is a big reason why a mentor won’t mentor you.
You see, I study mentorship in a method and magnitude that is unmatched.
What they don’t teach you in business school is that the person you mentor will maybe screw you. Hard.
I take a serious topic and make light of it using movie analogies. My method is in the oh-so-shiek Stanford Engineering School (SES) business case study format. Yeah, I know, they have that. They’re like HBS case studies– but updated and relevant. I used these case studies to take you into the brain of a potential mentor. I have some positive articles on this around the web. This article focus on when mentorship goes wrong.
Episode I of Star Wars is getting re-released in 3D. It stars a devilishly talented little kid (that grows up to be the devil).
This little kid named Anakin Skywalker,meets discovered by a legendary Jedi named Obi Wan Kenobi. Obi Wan saves him, develops him and gets screwed over when Anakin becomes becomes Darth Vader.
Anakin Skywalker was a BAD mentee for Obi Wan Kenobi
Mentees screwing over their mentors is a very common pattern I recognize. Anakin Skywalker’s story isnt original — it is copy-paste. Literally. But that’s a different blog post
This blog post is “When Mentees Go Anakin Skywalker” in case study format. It is going to focus on mentees, potential mentees, successful mentees and current mentees. I’m not addressing mentor countermeasures. I am focusing on the mentees.
Disclosure: I’ve never been Anakin Skywalker-ed. You’re learning from OMA (other mentors angst). I also teach at Stanford Engineering school.
#### Case Study #1 ####
Bob Sugar.
Jerry Maguire mentee, Bob Sugar, fires him and then takes all of his mentor’s clients. The mentor can only keep one client: Rod ‘Show Me the Money” Tidwell.
This dynamic of mentee screwing over the mentor is not crazy. It is a cliche pattern. You see, when you mentor someone, you springboard them ahead. If your mentee isn’t getting propelled well past you, you suck as a mentor.
Kidding!
Your mentor doesn’t suck, the mentee sucks. Or both.
But if you’re *both* talented… You sling-shot past your mentor pretty often. Makes sense right?? A talented and more seasoned person mentors you, you will get propelled.
Speaking of “sling shot, engage” — I’m thinking this leads to my next case study. It is from the critically acclaimed movie “Talladaega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby”.
#### Case Study #2 ####
Cal Naughton Jr. in Talladega Nights
Is there a more clear mentor-mentee metaphor than “sling shot engage!”
No.
It pretty much defines that mentor dynamic where mentorship shot your mentee forward. In this case Cal Naughton Jr is Ricky Bobby’s co-hort mentee. (The four categories of mentors are superstar, cohort, junior and default mentor. Ch5 at
http://YouTube.com/larrychiang)
Well Ricky Bobby gets slung shot right out of everything he owns by his cohort mentee. He loses his kids, house, car and even wife. How it ends is a mystery until you buy the DVD
Disclosure: I financially, fund-ly or/and kharmic-ally benefit when you support the Stanford engineering student’s startup that sells movies.
Speaking of kids and selling…, a Disney movies has a mentee ruining his mentor.
#### Case Study #3 ####
Sulley.
He is the #1 lead monster and employee of the month every month in the movie: Monster’s Inc.
He is mentored by Waternoose, the ceo of Monsters Inc. Sulley was helped by mastering the “Waternoose jump and growl”. Sulley ends Waternoose career and takes over the defunct Monsters Inc. He pivots the company from scaring kids to making them laugh.
Genius mentee.
#### Case Study #4 ####
Vince.
Tom Cruise gets mentored by Paul Newman in ‘Color of Money’. Paul Newman shows him the ins and outs of pool sharking.
Guess who Tom Cruise later pool sharks?? Yup, Cool Hand Luke himself: Paul Newman.
END ARTICLE
LPs asked me the new VC to ask you the old VC tough questions. Read this to get inside their annual investor meetings.
This post was drafted in an hour and needs your edits… email me if you see a spelling or grammatical error(s)… larry@larrychiang com
Larry Chiang started his first company UCMS in college. He mimicked his mentor, Mark McCormack, founder of IMG who wrote the book, “What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School”. Chiang is a keynote speaker and bestselling author and spoke at Congress and World Bank.
Text or call him during office hours 11:11am or 11:11pm PST +/-11 minutes at 650-283-8008. Due to the volume of calls, he may place you on hold like a Scottsdale Arizona customer service rep. If you email him, be sure to include your cell number in the subject line. If you want him to email you his new articles…, ask him in an email 
You can read more equally funny, but non-founder-focused-lessons on Larry’s Amazon blog .
What A Super Model Can Teach a Harvard MBA About Credit
Larry speaks on stuff they don't teach in B-school to help you get street smart in doing business. In college, he started a business that helps college students with their FICO score. He loves entrepreneurs, Ben and Jerry's ice cream and after parties. You can reach him at:
