Astronaut John Glenn was a U.S. Marine Corps aviator, engineer, businessman, astronaut, and politician before making his mark as the third American in space and the first American to orbit earth. He is the embodiment of someone “shooting for the moon” with his personal and professional goals – and he credits a great deal of his success to the help and encouragement afforded him along the way.
In an interview with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Glenn explains he was mentored by his high school civics teacher. “He just made [learning] come alive,” says Glenn. “I [would] look forward to his classes and I was curious about what I might be able to do. [I] never thought I’d be in high public office … but that curiosity he imbued in me led me to … the space program, and I was in the Senate for 24 years.”
“Mentor” is both a noun and a verb. You can actively mentor someone, and you yourself can be a mentor. Both are powerful roles with tangible and intangible benefits. Hence, many trades consider mentorship a “must have.” Mentors go beyond the nuts and bolts of training to provide valuable insight in a more neutral, peer-to-peer environment. Mentors can help those just entering a career see the big picture, help them forge important connections, and instill confidence in their abilities. It’s not just a feel-good pairing, either – Forbes reports 71 percent of Fortune 500 companies offer mentoring programs to their employees.
It’s a known fact veteran automotive techs have vast knowledge and experience to share. And this lived experience, when combined with technician and mechanical training, is a powerful investment towards tomorrow’s technicians.
Find a mentor, be a mentor
Mentors need not be the most experienced, oldest, or successful technician in the shop. Rather, a mentor should be someone who respects the profession and wants to pay it forward. Someone who is willing to share how they learned from mistakes and help others to formulate a clear outlook on what they want to achieve – and how they might do it.
Exemplary “students” are great assets, particularly in a field that struggles with skill gaps and high turnover. Rest assured the time and commitment put into mentoring the next generation will continue long after that professional leaves your shop or your guidance.
Astronaut John Glenn said of his experience, “I think a mentor gets a lot of satisfaction in a couple of ways. They’re doing something constructive, so they feel good about that. And when they see the results of this, with the young people they’re working with, it’s very, very rewarding.”
How have you benefited from having or being a mentor in your automotive career? Drop us a line and tell us your story!
