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In a Vanity Fair article reflecting on her career in Hollywood, Jane Fonda mused, “I didn’t see myself as a mentor.”
But Meryl Streep did. Meryl met Jane in 1976 while filming the movie Julia, Meryl’s film debut. It was her first day ever on a movie set, and Meryl felt lost. Noticing this, Jane whispered to her, “Look down… over there, that green tape on the floor, that’s you. That’s your mark. And if you land on it, you will be in the light, and you will be in the movie.” While paying tribute to Jane Fonda at the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony, Meryl thanked Jane for her inexhaustible guidance and for “opening more doors than I probably even know about.” She then thanked Jane on behalf of all the young actors Meryl subsequently worked with because Meryl mentored them with Jane’s lessons and kindness. Interestingly, Jane Fonda recalls the experience of working with Meryl Streep a bit differently. “I was close to Bette Davis. I was close to Barbara Stanwyck and Katharine Hepburn. So why didn’t I ask them endless questions when I was new in the business? Like, ‘What do you do when you’re nervous? How do you overcome fear?’ And I didn’t! Do you know the only person who has ever asked me those kinds of questions? Meryl Streep!” As author Annie Murphy Paul reported in her book The Extended Mind, “research consistently shows that engaging students in tutoring their peers has benefits for all involved, especially for the ones doing the teaching.” …especially for the ones doing the teaching (the mentors!). But how? Annie Murphy Paul continues, “Teaching is a deeply social act, one that initiates a set of powerful cognitive, attentional, and motivational processes that have the effect of changing the way the teacher thinks.” …changing the way the teacher (the mentor!) thinks. In other words, Jane’s mentoring Meryl ultimately shifted Jane’s thinking, not just Meryl’s. Marvelously, mentoring has a boomerang effect. When you mentor others, you invariably get mentored in the process. So the next time you have the opportunity to participate in a mentoring relationship… less hesitation, more assimilation! © 2022. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved. |