Thanks to my mentor’s guidance, I’m not just a CLS — I’m a Certified Listener Specialist.

When I first started thinking of doing lubrication assessments—not audits, mind you (my mentor drilled that one in early!)—I was ready to dive in with a list of improvements, eager to make big changes and solve every problem a plant had ever seen. I was like a fresh bottle of oil ready to pour. But my mentor? He was the filter keeping me grounded.

He’d say, “Don’t call it an audit; call it an assessment.” And I’d roll my eyes because, let’s be honest, calling it an “assessment” felt a bit like calling a grease gun a “lubrication improvement device.” But he explained it. He said, “No one likes an ‘audit.’ You say that, and everyone assumes you’re about to dump a barrel of criticism over them. Say ‘assessment,’ and they think you’re there to help them—not make them feel like a worn-out bearing in need of a re-lube.”

So, on I went with my first few assessments, confident I had this down. I’d get my report all ready and dive right into the issues, pointing out every gap, weakness, and missed lubrication interval I could find. But my mentor took one look at my first draft and said, “Kid, this isn’t how you become someone people want to call back. You’ve got to start with the positives.”

He explained, “Find out where they’re getting it right, and make a big deal out of it. If they’re using high-quality oil or monitoring temperatures consistently, that’s gold—tell them so. You can’t just dump on people’s efforts like a bad drain pan. Recognize what they’re doing right first, and you’ll have a captive audience when you bring up what they could do better.”

So, I rewrote my reports, highlighting strengths before mentioning issues. And you know what? People actually smiled when they read my feedback, and they actually wanted to talk about the areas for improvement. I was learning that my mentor wasn’t just a Certified Lubrication Specialist; he was a Certified Human Specialist.

The real test came during a visit to a plant where they were missing a few key tools—a proper filtration cart, to name one. I was ready to point out the issue. But my mentor stopped me. He said, “Focus on what they have, not what they don’t.”

So I looked around. I noted they had excellent sampling practices and kept records like a boss. When I highlighted that in the report, the plant manager practically glowed. We talked about building on those strong habits, and soon enough, he was suggesting improvements before I even had to bring them up.

My mentor’s final piece of advice stuck with me. “Be logical, be practical, and remember—lubrication isn’t just about what’s wrong. It’s about how you can help them do more with what they have.” He grinned. “You’ll always find something to fix, but you’ve got to work with the tools in front of you.” I laughed and replied, “Just like with lube—you can’t always get the fancy synthetic stuff, but with the right viscosity, you can make even mineral oil work wonders.”

So now, every time I go to a plant, I remember his advice: start with the positives, focus on what’s available, and leave the plant better than you found it. And when I write my reports, I imagine him reading them over my shoulder, making sure I didn’t call it an “audit” and reminding me to be practical, logical, and just a little bit fussy—like a well-tuned lubrication specialist should be.

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And so, thanks to my mentor’s guidance, I’m not just a CLS—I’m a Certified Listener Specialist.