Mentoring Mowgli???
Yes, I am quite certain that the source I am using in this article is going to raise quite a few eyebrows (as it has done already). However, "Jungle Book," the age-old favorite cartoon movie, is in fact an excellent tool for portraying the subliminal intricacies of mentoring to an audience just being introduced to the concepts of mentoring.
Assuming that you have watched that immortal movie "The Jungle Book" by Walt Disney, I shall proceed to draw parallels and insights into mentoring from Bagheera the panther, sorry, Bagheera the mentor.
In the early stages of the movie, one can see Bagheera’s hesitation to take the abandoned baby. He actually turns away before bowing to his dextro-cerebral impulses (do panthers’ brains work in the same way as ours???) and taking Mowgli under his care. This is typical of any mentor-mentee relationship dynamics. The very magnitude of responsibility often acts as a deterrent to the whole process. But, once the initial biasing voltage is there, life is beautiful (now, where have I heard that??).
The next scene shows Bagheera placing little Mowgli outside the cave of Rama’s family (the wolf’s family!). This illustrates two important aspects. One is that of the mentor understanding his own limitations. Bagheera, with his nomadic lifestyle, couldn’t have taken care of the baby. Adapting himself to the realities and accepting limitations on Bagheera’s part gives Mowgli a chance to live. The other aspect is that of cross-departmental mentoring (as is often the case in many organizations). A mentor need not be from the same department as the mentee. Often this may work to the advantage of the protégé, given the fact that he will have a champion at the level of his boss, yet not his boss.
The scene where the wolves meet to decide that Mowgli’s got to leave the jungle, considering that SherKhan has returned, has Bagheera intervening and speaking up for Mowgli. Mentor during performance appraisal time?? Bagheera later takes responsibility for Mowgli’s safe passage into the "Man Village." A good portrait of a mentor taking responsibility for his (troublesome??!!) mentee.
After a long walk, Mowgli eventually is told the truth that he would have to leave the jungle. Mowgli is naturally shocked. The poise and firmness with which Bagheera handles the situation is fascinating to watch. There are times when the mentor has to decide what is good for the mentee, with the mentee protesting ferociously, of course!
The next scene is one that is very profound. It merges word and action. Mowgli fails to climb a tree. The girth of the trunk is just too big for him, symbolic of the enormity of situations being just too much for the mentee to handle. Bagheera helps him climb the tree. The emotions and body language have to be seen to be understood and cognitively enjoyed. Just as one would expect a mentor to help the mentee climb and overcome challenges, we see Bagheera pushing Mowgli up, often with Mowgli’s foot in his face! Now that’s mentoring through the rough and tough of career growth for you!
Censure is a part of life
Mowgli’s rather bumbling encounter with Haathi, sorry, "Colonel" Haathi portrays the rather brave and foolhardy ignorance of a mentee regarding organizational culture and conventions. Bagheera’s censure of Mowgli after this episode is something worth noting.
This shows the mentor and the mentee having differences of opinion. Yes, it’s healthy.
Can you bear a Bear for a coach ???
Who else but Baloo the bear to teach Mowgli life skills (come on, in a forest, it means cracking a coconut with your head / being able to accept a few ants as a culinary marvel / eating prickly pear without hurting oneself). The song that Baloo sings at this juncture about being able to eat the prickly pear without pricking one's fingers is a kohinoor of a lesson in being able to achieve one’s objectives given organizational bottlenecks such as politics, procedures, and egos (ouch!) without hurting oneself.
A Chimp of a distraction.
Often in the IT sector, given the fat compensation, it is not unusual to see youngsters getting easily pulled away from their objectives into frivolous and wasteful pastimes. The abduction of Mowgli is symbolic of the same. The coach and the mentor may have to dance a jig (if you watch the movie, you will understand what I am saying) to rescue the mentee.
The audience is often well-meaning but either incapable or unwilling.
The vultures play the part of a well-meaning but incapable audience that might be present when there is trouble for the mentee. They are no doubt useful in a small way, but the mentor has a larger role to play.
The final act
A willful end to the mentor-mentee relationship is often the better way out when it is in the best interests of either. Mowgli venturing into the man village and Bagheera signaling him to go on symbolizes this.
Further research.
Using the clip in any of your mentoring programs and getting feedback from the audience in an interactive session with them is a good way to explore finer nuances that might be unmined as yet. DO let me know if you wish to do so. I am really interested in the emotions and reactions that would be evoked.
Regards, Naga Siddharth
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Yes, I am quite certain that the source I am using in this article is going to raise quite a few eyebrows (as it has done already). However, "Jungle Book," the age-old favorite cartoon movie, is in fact an excellent tool for portraying the subliminal intricacies of mentoring to an audience just being introduced to the concepts of mentoring.
Assuming that you have watched that immortal movie "The Jungle Book" by Walt Disney, I shall proceed to draw parallels and insights into mentoring from Bagheera the panther, sorry, Bagheera the mentor.
In the early stages of the movie, one can see Bagheera’s hesitation to take the abandoned baby. He actually turns away before bowing to his dextro-cerebral impulses (do panthers’ brains work in the same way as ours???) and taking Mowgli under his care. This is typical of any mentor-mentee relationship dynamics. The very magnitude of responsibility often acts as a deterrent to the whole process. But, once the initial biasing voltage is there, life is beautiful (now, where have I heard that??).
The next scene shows Bagheera placing little Mowgli outside the cave of Rama’s family (the wolf’s family!). This illustrates two important aspects. One is that of the mentor understanding his own limitations. Bagheera, with his nomadic lifestyle, couldn’t have taken care of the baby. Adapting himself to the realities and accepting limitations on Bagheera’s part gives Mowgli a chance to live. The other aspect is that of cross-departmental mentoring (as is often the case in many organizations). A mentor need not be from the same department as the mentee. Often this may work to the advantage of the protégé, given the fact that he will have a champion at the level of his boss, yet not his boss.
The scene where the wolves meet to decide that Mowgli’s got to leave the jungle, considering that SherKhan has returned, has Bagheera intervening and speaking up for Mowgli. Mentor during performance appraisal time?? Bagheera later takes responsibility for Mowgli’s safe passage into the "Man Village." A good portrait of a mentor taking responsibility for his (troublesome??!!) mentee.
After a long walk, Mowgli eventually is told the truth that he would have to leave the jungle. Mowgli is naturally shocked. The poise and firmness with which Bagheera handles the situation is fascinating to watch. There are times when the mentor has to decide what is good for the mentee, with the mentee protesting ferociously, of course!
The next scene is one that is very profound. It merges word and action. Mowgli fails to climb a tree. The girth of the trunk is just too big for him, symbolic of the enormity of situations being just too much for the mentee to handle. Bagheera helps him climb the tree. The emotions and body language have to be seen to be understood and cognitively enjoyed. Just as one would expect a mentor to help the mentee climb and overcome challenges, we see Bagheera pushing Mowgli up, often with Mowgli’s foot in his face! Now that’s mentoring through the rough and tough of career growth for you!
Censure is a part of life
Mowgli’s rather bumbling encounter with Haathi, sorry, "Colonel" Haathi portrays the rather brave and foolhardy ignorance of a mentee regarding organizational culture and conventions. Bagheera’s censure of Mowgli after this episode is something worth noting.
This shows the mentor and the mentee having differences of opinion. Yes, it’s healthy.
Can you bear a Bear for a coach ???
Who else but Baloo the bear to teach Mowgli life skills (come on, in a forest, it means cracking a coconut with your head / being able to accept a few ants as a culinary marvel / eating prickly pear without hurting oneself). The song that Baloo sings at this juncture about being able to eat the prickly pear without pricking one's fingers is a kohinoor of a lesson in being able to achieve one’s objectives given organizational bottlenecks such as politics, procedures, and egos (ouch!) without hurting oneself.
A Chimp of a distraction.
Often in the IT sector, given the fat compensation, it is not unusual to see youngsters getting easily pulled away from their objectives into frivolous and wasteful pastimes. The abduction of Mowgli is symbolic of the same. The coach and the mentor may have to dance a jig (if you watch the movie, you will understand what I am saying) to rescue the mentee.
The audience is often well-meaning but either incapable or unwilling.
The vultures play the part of a well-meaning but incapable audience that might be present when there is trouble for the mentee. They are no doubt useful in a small way, but the mentor has a larger role to play.
The final act
A willful end to the mentor-mentee relationship is often the better way out when it is in the best interests of either. Mowgli venturing into the man village and Bagheera signaling him to go on symbolizes this.
Further research.
Using the clip in any of your mentoring programs and getting feedback from the audience in an interactive session with them is a good way to explore finer nuances that might be unmined as yet. DO let me know if you wish to do so. I am really interested in the emotions and reactions that would be evoked.
Regards, Naga Siddharth
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]
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I signed up very recently but often used to come to read articles herein. But man, your jungle book thing is so fascinatingly good that I could not stop myself from signing up to thank you for an awesome piece. I am surely going to accommodate this whenever I get an opportunity to handle the mentoring thing. That was awesome. Mind-blowing. Can we have some more refreshing stuff like this? Promise I will get back with something to pay for such a great idea.
From India, Mumbai
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From India, Mumbai
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