It's tempting to solve the problem in front of you.
It's faster. It feels generous.
But if I only ever fix your bug,
I've helped your afternoon
and done nothing for your year.
The problem is temporary.
The person is the whole point.
So I try to aim past the ticket.
Not "here's the fix" —
but "here's how I'd think about this
the next time I'm stuck like you are."
The best mentoring I ever got
rarely solved my exact problem.
It changed how I approached the next hundred.
Fix the problem and they come back tomorrow.
Grow the person and one day
they don't need to.
That day is the goal, not the loss.
– Asael Shinder
