Stories of mistakes

Stories of mistakes are the mentor sharing their own failures and the lessons drawn from them. People can often learn from others' mistakes without living them themselves; a mentor saying 'I got this wrong' can protect the mentee from the same trap. These stories also show that the mentor is not flawless and let the mentee feel they are not alone. Mistakes, when shared, become not a shame but a lesson. Someone else's mistake is often the cheapest teacher.