Coaching and Mentoring

I have not written anything for a while. I took a step back over the last few months, though I continued to read comments, and connections have reached out and directed me to certain posts to read.  I may not fully understand the algo on LInkedIN, not sure why, even with my absence we have added more readers and followers without any writing from me.  Thank you to all the people who have subscribed to Bill’s Corner (now over 2100 subscribers and growing). The best part about writing through 2023 was receiving emails from our sales team and sales people from other companies who used some of my articles to help secure business. I appreciate the positive comments, best part is you gained NEW business.

There is clearly a need and a desire coming from the younger people in our industry who want to learn, want to know how to be successful in our industry. They are seeking mentors and coaches; they want these individuals to assist in guiding them through our amazing yet challenging industry. The first step is to understand what is a Mentor? The most accepted definition, a person who provides you with tools, guidance, support and feedback you will need to thrive in your career & industry.  A professional mentor is someone who has gone down the same path you are currently looking to walk down. Mentors can be family, friends. Teachers, co-workers, peers, a former boss, etc.  Mentors are generally not someone you admire from afar. For examples, I am a big fan of Richard Branson and really like the way he runs his companies, especially his quote “train people so they can leave, then treat them properly so they do not want to leave”.  Just because I am a fan, this does not make him my mentor,  we have never met or spoken to one another.

There are many people who profess to be experts in everything transportation, one way you can tell and expert is they NEVER say they are an expert, they are confident in who they are and let others point out they are the experts. The group that tells you they are experts, use lines “I can train you to make 100K per month” “want to succeed, join my sales training course” they will coach or mentor for a fee. These individuals are looking to convince you they have the key to your success for a fee, yet if you vet them, they have 2-5 years experience. My first 2 years I was a sponge and learning every day, people I worked with had forgotten more than I had learned in 2 years. Yet the LI mentors know everything in 2- 5 years and will share for a price. This is not mentoring or coaching, real mentors NEVER asked me for money. They never asked me for money, they did ask me if I was receptive to learn, was I willing to invest 100% of my time? Real mentors are looking to give back to their companies and industry by developing the younger talent, they do not need your money, they are successful already.

Mentors can be professional mentors, personal mentors, family members often are your early mentors, in my case all my ethics and mannerisms come from my father.  He shared many lessons with me, “ your name and reputation are built by the character and honesty you display”, “if you give someone your word, shake their hand and say you will do something, make sure you do it” . One saying of his I learned at 18 years old, “if you are going to drink with the boys at night, you get up with the men and go to work the next day on time” .  The last one you all know reading why and when I was taught that one.

My first mentor outside of family shared “you learn something new every day, if not you must be dead”. He drove that thirst for me to learn, to ensure I listened to learn, that I could learn from many different sources of all ages. Since 1983 I have lived by this philosophy, and over the years I have learned technology from the younger team members. They did not judge me as their manager for learning from me, they opened up and taught me more.  This type of relationship allowed me to train them in areas of sales, operations, very proud of the people & teams I have trained & coached over the years. Many have great careers at this stage, they all make more money & have rewarding careers.  My reward is when they reach out to share their success they are experiencing and how my impact benefitted them.

When looking for a mentor, look for someone who posses:

·                     Relevant expertise and knowledge

• Enthusiasm for sharing their knowledge
• A respectful attitude
• Eagerness to Invest time in others
• Honest and direct feedback
• Empathy and listening skills,
• Someone willing (not reluctant) to be your mentor.

Generally, a mentor will be older and further along in their career. They are in the same company and could be a Director, VP or even a C level depending on your path.  If the top sales person is your target yet they do not invest in their own development, be careful in identifying them as a good mentor. In golf, not all good golfers can teach or want to teach, and the same goes with top salespeople. Hunters for example will not spend anytime with you as you are a distraction and time challenge as all they want is the WIN, they do not care about anything else, especially teaching you how to take wins away from them.

Another great way to identify a mentor in your organization or industry, do they have mentors of their own? If they do not have mentors, likely they will not make good mentors.  A mentor has to give considerable time from their own schedule and goals, respect that when looking for a mentor. The right mentor will provide the time and answer all your questions. When you do find your right mentor, coach ask all the question you need to ask. 

Finding Forrester introduced all to the Soup question philosophy, the mentee asked Forrester about his personal life, his reply “that is not a soup question” A soup question is a question that will benefit the person asking. Like sales learn to ask Soup questions, the answer from the suspect or prospect should provide benefit for you to understand their business better.

You can learn from individuals on this platform every day, I certainly do. A mentor(s) or coach(s) can be the key to your success if you choose wisely. If you are paying for a training course, get references, make sure what they train provides value. There are far too many people to credit, there are two training courses I do know have provided success after speaking with graduates, listed below.

Interested in your thought stories of your great mentors!