In this week's Modern Mentor episode, Rachel Cooke talks about the buddy system. It kept us safe as kids, and it can work similar magic for us adults if we understand the real value of a buddy and when we need one.

Sure, it makes sense for kids, but now we’re all adults—working, responsible adults. So a buddy system seems ridiculous…right? Your manager isn’t counting heads to make sure everyone made it onto the bus at the end of the work day. Except, actually, a workplace buddy system is maybe a little bit amazing.

In school, the system was designed to protect us from getting lost, from falling down, or just eating something random off the floor. You know. gross kid stuff. But those were the dangers we faced back then.

As adults, the risks look different. But sometimes we still need support, protection, and someone to pick us up when we fall down. Often our default is to seek out a coach or mentor—someone whose job it is to educate us. To show us the way. And those mentors and coaches add a very real value. But they’re not the whole picture. Sometimes the thing we need…is a buddy.

You may need someone to push you to try new things, to hold your hand, or to hold you accountable. This is what the buddy system was made for. If you want to learn how to use this system to your advantage, listen to the episode here. Or if reading's more your thing, check the transcript here.