We are talking mentorship this month at the TTSAO and our last article we introduced that mentorship is a program that should happen fairly naturally to be effective. The right mentorship can be a game changer in your career and although it can be hard to put together it can stay with you for a lifetime. Finding a good mentor can be the difference between fast-tracking a successful career and slow career growth.
One reason for this is that the knowledge provided by a mentor will be accepted more readily by the recipient because they trust the person giving it. It can be seen as coming from a friend therefore being accepted as trusted advice. Many times the advice received is unsolicited so it is seen as good advice without precedence.
If you’ve had a mentor before do you remember your mentorship? I have had a few mentors over time and they were at key points in my life. My first real mentor may have been my Dad when I was young although his mentorship became more important in my later years. I believe my first real mentor taught me to drive tractor trailers. We were working at a moving company and became friends. He taught me to drive and we later became partners in business. I have been in the trucking business for 40 years and I am not sure I would have made it if not for that first mentor. Thanks for a great career Andre.
My second real mentor was my terminal manager at a small carrier. He would offer little bits of advice about life and trucking throughout the couple years that I worked at the company. He was not only a good boss but a friend. Later when he relocated to another trucking company as a manager I went to work there because he was there. Thank you Gary for a great mentorship.
Today my mentor relationship is very casual but just as full of knowledge. A friend of mine and I meet for lunch once a month and sometimes we talk business tips and sometimes we don’t mention business at all. The advice is always trusted and shared with a friendly tone.
Not all friends are mentors and not all work relationships can be called mentorship. Mentorship comes in different forms and can have different levels. Maybe the relationship is only focused on certain topics or more stringent like a formal business mentorship. One thing is for sure, the mentorship has to be built on trust or it won’t work.
So think back to your mentorship if you have had one. What was the best part of the mentorship for you? What advice do you still remember about that relationship? Hopefully that advice has stayed with you for life.
Join us for our next event at the TTSAO where we will focus on mentorship on June 1st. You can register for the event here at ttsao@uke.yyg.mybluehost.me
About the Author
Bruce Outridge is a veteran in the transportation industry with over 40 years in the industry in a variety of roles from driver to fleet supervisor and more. Today he is a media specialist in the industry producing a number of programs for the trucking industry such as his trucking podcast The Lead Pedal Podcast for Truck Drivers at www.theleadpedalpodcast.com or his radio station Lead Pedal Radio at www.leadpedalradio.com
Disclaimer: This article is written and based on the opinion of the author and is for general information only