The Importance of Having a Coach or Mentor

Hello readers!

Welcome back to the blog and a commentary on the importance of having a coach and mentor.

Through my career I have been privileged to have had a number of mentors and coaches. Without a doubt, I would not have enjoyed the career progression I have accomplished without their inputs. I can be adamant in making that statement. Why? Because the information and insights I was provided allowed me to be positioned to take advantage of opportunities I would not have otherwise known about or been prepared to take on.

My earliest recollections of being coached and mentored were from coaches of the athletic teams on which I participated. I remember two different hockey coaches that took the time to mentor me about the life lessons that sports can impart. Hard work, practice, perseverance, commitment, teamwork, success, and disappointment were all demanded, demonstrated or experienced. My football coaches took that to another level, demanding more from me while consistently providing stretch goals. My track coach sat me down and talked to me about leading by example, and having the courage to push through adversity to be a champion.

Additionally, I had teachers throughout my educational path that took time to teach me lessons beyond what was in the books, or to help me see the joy of learning and the wonders of the arts, science, history, and mathematics. My physics teacher in high school was the smartest man I had ever met. I decided I wanted to try and be at least as smart as him…he just seemed to know it all. I then had the seeds of an educational goal. I’m still trying to hit the mark he set.

I fondly recall college professors that pushed me to do better and modeled patience, thank goodness. At the same time, there were professors who dared me to broaden my perceptions and to question what I saw and heard.

I remember a co-worker from one of my first jobs. He was a retired over-the-road trucker. A very wise man who took time to talk to an eager teenager about the proper way to treat one’s boss, one’s co-workers, customers, and the equipment we used at the airport. He told me, when I graduated from high-school, “Always be nice to people, you never know who you may work for someday.” Five years later, he was working for me when I was hired as manager at the same business. He just winked at me and said, “See. I told you.”

As I progressed into my aviation career, I had a number of mentors and instructor/coaches. From the flight instructor who took me through my private license to the instructor who trained me for my commercial and instrument checks the basis for my professional attitudes is from their coaching and mentoring.

I have flown with Captains at the corporate departments and airlines at which I worked that spent hours passing along lessons they had learned so I could benefit from their hard lessons learned. As an aside, I would add that there is an unspoken rule in aviation that those with experience take all opportunities to mentor and teach the next generation. I have benefitted from that trait of this wonderful profession. I have honored that tradition by being an instructor, coach, and mentor, as well.

Making the shift into the business side of the profession has led me to look for mentors and coaches because the environment is rife with unfamiliar rules, cultures, techniques, terminology, and relationships. By demonstrating dedication and commitment, I have been able to earn the opportunity to be coached and mentored by some amazing people. I say earn the opportunity, because by the time a person rises to senior management and executive levels at a major corporation, they are very selective about how they share what little spare time they have available. They want to talk with people that will provide them with possible learning opportunities, too.

Maybe the most influential mentor I have had in the past five years is Dr. Denise Ajeto. She took me under her wing as I began my journey of discovery in the world of cultural diversity and inclusion. She was a teacher, a guide, and stood with me as I worked through the path of truly leaning how one’s cultural lenses shape perception and the sometimes painful experiences of grinding those lenses to see things differently.

Last, but not least, I am privileged that my spouse is an exceptional coach and mentor. She knows when to guide, when to push, and when to lay back. Her patience, people skills, caring, business acumen, program management expertise, and demeanor are cornerstones on which I rely.

Circling back to the topic of this blog entry, I hope the need of coaches and mentors has been made plainly evident. These people, through their interactions with me, have become a part of who I am and fundamental to the life and career I have fashioned. Without their inputs (and nudges, and sometimes, outright kicks) I do not know where I would be. I am certain I would not have achieved the career level I enjoy now.