How to give and get better support
Rethinking Support: Unpacking the concept of ‘scaffolding’
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Dear Rethinkers,
We all need support to achieve things, yet some of us are better at asking for it than others. Do you invest enough time in looking for the right kind of support in different areas of your life?
I often fall into the trap of conflating ongoing “help” with specific “support” needed to achieve a particular goal or overcome a challenge. The support could be financial, technical, creative, or even emotional. It’s an underlying problem that massively limits people’s potential in schools, workplaces, and other relationships.
I’ve been trying to find a name for this more focused, temporary support. Then I read
’s fascinating new book, Hidden Potential. He calls it “scaffolding.” Boom, that’s it! The concept has stuck with me – read on to find out how to use ‘scaffolding’ to find and provide support in your life and work.Become a paying Rethink subscriber to read this newsletter and other subscriber-only content.
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