Brian JohnsonChairman & Philosopher in Residence at Heroic

Heroic +1: Raising Heroes: As a Wise Mentor (#2006)

27 Sept 2026 · 2 min

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2:26

In this Heroic Plus One episode, Brian Johnson expands on his earlier discussion about helping young people earn prestige, drawing on Dave Yeager’s book 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People. He argues that prestige—earned through achievement—is a crucial motivator for youth, and that mentors (parents, grandparents, teachers, leaders) must provide both high standards and high support to help children gain it. Johnson defines two flawed mentoring styles: “enforcers” (high standards, low support) and “protectors” (low standards, high support). He cites Yeager’s claim that respecting young people by believing they can meet high standards motivates them and promotes equity. The episode urges mentors to assess where they fall on the standards‑support spectrum and to add the missing element—support for enforcers, higher standards for protectors—to become “wise mentors” who raise the next generation of heroes. The talk ends with a call to see the hero in oneself and in every child.

Chapters

Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Heroic Plus One. In our last Plus One, we talked about the power of helping our kids earn prestige. I used Eleanor's first trophy and first cash prize as the context to share that wisdom. Today, we're going to revisit that theme and discuss Dave Yeager and his wisdom a little more. I repeat, 10 to 25. The Science of Motivating Young People is a really good, important book. Parents, grandparents, teachers, leaders, etc., check out the notes. Now, as we discussed, earning prestige is a really important part of a young person's development. We, as wise mentor parents, need to get really good at helping our kids create that. Why? Because, in short, if we don't, they're going to go somewhere else, to their peers, to get that sense of belonging. How do we do it? We need to become wise mentors. How do we do that? In short, we hold both high standards and high support. We let our kids know just how much we believe in them and that we're excited to support them in becoming all they're capable of becoming by helping them hold high standards and loving them up throughout the process. If we have high standards but we're jerks about it, we're enforcers. This will alienate us from our kids. If we have low standards and high support, we're protectors coddling our kids, and they won't respect us either because we're not helping them earn prestige. As Professor Yarger puts it, and I quote him again, here's the takeaway: when you hold young people to high standards and make it clear that you believe they can meet these standards, you are respecting them because you are taking them seriously. Young people rise to meet the challenge because being respected is motivating. Further, you lift up all students and see greater equity. Today's Plus One. Where do you fall on the 2 dimensions of standards and support? Know this, I quote Jaeger again: Enforcers can build on their high standards by adding more support. Protectors can build on their care and concern by adding higher standards. Both are half right, and so both just need to add one element to get all the way right. Here's to raising the next generation of heroes, Hero. And remember, in the faces of men and women and boys and girls, we see heroes. And don't forget to see the hero in the mirror.