Paul Enright(@pmje73):This is actually a really important point. I think part of the apprenticeship that comes from mentoring a junior is to model for them clarity of thought and precision of word. Everyone will have their own way of teaching that but the goal is to chip away at the hubris to figure out if they dont know what they are talking about or if they just dont know how to communicate their ideas. Very few juniors are going to be able to synthesize their thoughts and communicate succinctly. Most arrogance in this realm is based on an insecure belief thats how you demonstrate conviction. A very candid dismantling of that superficial view is required for them to begin to learn to do it properly.

2026.10.06 23:15

This is actually a really important point. I think part of the apprenticeship that comes from mentoring a junior is to model for them clarity of thought and precision of word. Everyone will have their own way of teaching that but the goal is to chip away at the hubris to figure out if they dont know what they are talking about or if they just dont know how to communicate their ideas. Very few juniors are going to be able to synthesize their thoughts and communicate succinctly. Most arrogance in this realm is based on an insecure belief thats how you demonstrate conviction. A very candid dismantling of that superficial view is required for them to begin to learn to do it properly.

Paul Enright@pmje73

2026.10.06 23:07

Most juniors are either too confident or too timid. If someone is too confident and they express that confidence with adjectives, respond with questions that can only be answered with #s#. If the problem is the overconfidence is in the magnitude of the # differentials then attack the assumptions behind the #s#. I reject the premise that a junior can ever control a narrative. When someone is feeling too good about themselves, knock them down. When someone is feeling too badly about themselves, pick them up.

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