When I was a professor mentoring students, my approach could vary depending on the student and situation. If a student felt strongly about doing something a cer

When I was a professor mentoring students, my approach could vary depending on the student and situation. If a student felt strongly about doing something a certain way, I might say "I would be surprised if this worked (because of XYZ), but prove me wrong!" There have been occasions where I was wrong, and many others where they failed but learned along the way. If it is a more time-critical or important project, then I will probably provide more guidance depending on the context ("give this a try first, and check back when you have results; if you're not happy, we can try your way"). This approach has carried over to industry well for me.