At the recent  SD Festival of Books event, I had an interesting conversation with fellow author and presenter Lawrence Diggs. Of course, all conversations with Diggs are interesting. We spoke about the importance of mentoring the next wave of professionals.

“Mentors provide encouragement and courage,” Diggs said.

It started me thinking about the mentors in my life. I’ve written about my roots in broadcasting at KELO TV, where I wrote and produced commercials and videos. While several people at KELO helped shape my career, I look to a friend and mentor from another television station who truly impacted my profession. Sheryl was the station’s most successful advertising sales person. She provided her clients with an amazing level of service, helping them be successful. Sheryl was known to provide advertising schedules for her clients to run on competing stations. Her clients trusted her to help them succeed. And she delivered. Sheryl taught me that client service is more than making a sale.

Later, when I worked at an advertising agency, a mentor taught me another valuable lesson. He’d say, “TTK.”  That meant “tend to knitting” – to focus on what you do best. It didn’t mean NOT learning new skills, but in an industry where everyone promised everything, TTK meant we should deliver on the promises we made to clients. “Under promise and over deliver” was his mantra.

When I became a “boss” at the advertising agency my partner and I founded, I discovered I was now the mentor for a new generation of young professionals. At my retirement party, several of these young women said the lesson they recalled the most was when they would come to me with a problem or mistake. My response was always the same. I would listen and then say, “Now, what will you do to fix this issue?” They said it gave them the courage and encouragement to tackle problems.

To all the mentors out there, keep up the good work. You’re making a path for the next generation of writers, teachers, engineers, healthcare workers and more.  

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