Are you at a point in your work life where you are mentoring others? Whether you answer yes or no, you’ve probably had one or more mentors who have helped you along your own professional-development journey.

I had some excellent mentors when I entered the work force as an apprentice in 1950, and later when I became a machinist (in 1953), and a mechanical engineer (in 1962).

Around 1972, my Section Head in New Jersey suggested that an 80-pg. report I had written on “How to Buy a Better Pump” could be boiled down into, perhaps, four pages in a major trade journal. That is if I were to invest some of my own time in condensing the material. To make a long story short, I followed the Section Head’s advice. I worked with reasonable efficiency, and so can you.

PAYING IT FORWARD
Life is a succession of both giving and taking. The deeper meaning of this old saying may surprise us. It means that those who leave their consciences at home when they enter their plants each weekday morning will not leave much of value behind when they depart the same plant eight or nine hours later.

Contrast that with the conscientious employees for whom it is natural that “work” includes carrying out a mentoring function. A mentor probably learned from others, and was thereby empowered to advise and train others, especially younger personnel. At times, the mentor “took” and now the mentor “gives.”

Of course, a well-mentored younger worker is likely to mentor others. Each layer of mentors will likely create successors that succeed. In each layer, there will be some who benefit after they retire.

There will be others, mentored or not, who are escorted out the door when the economy takes a downturn, or when a merger results in layoffs. However, the mentors who absorbed facts, acted on facts, and passed on facts will leave a mark and be remembered.

Mentors are usually self-starters. Good managers, though, can help and encourage other staffers to add mentoring to their role statements.