Work Talk on Labor Day

(Mondays are Lynn Miles Peisker days at The Daily Blur. Lynn serves as the Executive Sister and Chief Plate Spinner at the Imagination Advisory Group. Check out her growing archive of posts here.)

In honor of Labor Day, I’d like to talk about work. My father is a farmer, my brother is a heavy equipment operator and my husband is a contractor, all jobs I think are much harder than mine.

Mine is non-traditional career which began with 15 important years raising children at home. (Actually we left the house once in awhile to buy food. And to go to school. But still, I was there and they were there and it was awesome.)

Since then, I have been blessed with three incredible mentors in my subsequent professional career.

My first mentor was a Challenger. At each step, she would applaud my accomplishment, but then say, “And now I want you to take the next step.” It was a season of tremendous growth in the area of confidence.Employees, if you feel tentative about your abilities, find a mentor who will challenge you.  Owners, if you have an unsure employee, connect them with a mentor who will challenge them to do the next hard thing and watch them grow.  (Thank you, Tammy!)

My next mentor was a Teacher. She made herself available at the same time every week to go over each experience and teach me how to handle it. It was a period of great learning for me and growth in the area of expertise. Employees, if you are new at your job, find a mentor who will teach you. Owners, if you have good employees who lack expertise, connect them with a mentor who will provide the knowledge they need.  (Thank you, Beth!)

My current mentor is an Encourager. My brother has been in my life since I was 10 years old. I love him like, well, like a brother. In our professional relationship he encourages me to do things I don’t think I can do and gives me courage to think of myself as a writer or a speaker or a CEO-level thinker. Employees, if you want to grow into a leader, find a mentor who will encourage you. Owners, if you have an employee that you would like to see grow into a leader for your company, encourage them and when they do something amazing, be sure to let them know.  (Thank you, Tim!)

Work is hard. In fact, it’s laborious. Find a mentor who will Challenge, Teach and Encourage you, and it will make your work so much better.  Mentorship will make you a better worker.  And then someday, perhaps you will return the favor.

Happy Labor Day.