Building construction is on the rise and good craftsmen are becoming more rare, so it can be difficult to find the time to mentor young craftsmen. On the other hand, mentorship could make a significant dent in the widening labor gap, and the benefits for the industry and your organization could largely outweigh the time and efforts it will take you to mentor a less-experienced craftsman. And there are a lot of personal reasons why it makes sense too. Here are some of the advantages to becoming a mentor:
Increase your awareness.
When you start mentoring others, you become more aware of the industry, the organization you work for, and the trends that are happening right now. The result will give you a broader base of knowledge from which to make decisions and contributions.
Get a fresh perspective.
You get fresh perspective on how different people do things, and see old tasks through new eyes. You might even learn a new way of doing something – just from looking at it from a different point of view… even if they themselves haven’t done it that much (or at all!). You’ll also get a new vibe on the younger generation of craftsmen – and be able to understand better what excites them, what they’re looking for in a job, what is most attractive to them.
Improve your skills.
They always say that teaching someone else helps you yourself learn it further on a deeper level. You’ll likely refine your own process, and fine-tune and embed those skills into yourself.
Leave a legacy.
Being a mentor for someone else just might change their life! You could be making a huge impact in the tradjectory of their career. You’ll likely also make a new lifelong friend, with a new connection that could give you a new opportunity in the future as well.
Creating leaders.
You’re helping to improve your own leadership skills, as well as growing the leaders of tomorrow. Let’s face it, we could use more leaders in the trades.
And, don’t forget, Madden now has a more comprehensive apprenticeship program that can help you with official training of understudies on the job. If you’re looking for new craftsmen to mentor, give us a call at Madden today!
