Mentoring -- No Greater Calling

As a young professional I benefitted from the unsolicited mentoring from several people. Without their help and support, surely my career would have been less successful.

I remember with fondness two such mentors. They both had a tremendous impact on my career choices and advancement.

1. Buck Wong -- He was production manager in a high tech start-up where I worked part-time while attending San Jose State University. Buck called me in his office one day and asked me what I was studying and interested in majoring. I told him that I was unsure as to my major, unsure of my capabilities and emerging opportunities. The next day he called me back in and gave me an introductory texbook to industrial relations. He asked me to read it. I perused the book in my spare time but I was not really excited about the subject. Perhaps, I saw it outside my reach. When Buck queried me about the book, I showed lukewarm interest. He immediately pounced on it. He said to me: "Let me introduce you to professor Pascucci at your university. I know him well. We both attended Stanford's MBA program." He proceeded to tell me that I would be good in this field -- an action-oriented person in a field populated by beaurocrats, he said. Thereafter, I changed my major to Industrial Relations and Personnel Management (precursor to Human Resouces Management). This is how I prepared myself for this part of my professional career. The first meeting took place in 1961.

2. Bob Morris -- He was the General Manager of the Software Test Division of a large computer company. I was by then the HR & Administration Manager serving three divisions, including Bob's. One day he popped into my office and said to me that he had hired professor Patrick Williams to do a team building session for his team and that he wanted me to be part of the session. I had no idea what this session was all about and I questioned the need to spend the money to do it. Bob insisted that we could benefit a lot by examining the way we worked and improve our problem solving skills. The session was an eye opener to me. I was not knowledgeable about how to handle process issues having been reared on the task side primarily. I immediately saw the value of paying attention to both the task and the process used to achieve results. The session was motivating and illuminating at the same time. The following Monday Bob left a package on my desk. When I opened I saw six booklets -- the original Addison Wesley series on Organization Development. Bob also attached a note. In it, he asked me to read the books. He also indicated that I would be good in this emerging field. The seminal meeting took place in 1970.

Buck got me going in the HR field. I joined General Telephone (now Verizon) as an HR representative a couple years after graduation. In 1972 the large computer company where I was working now as Group HR Consultant promoted me to Manager of Corporate Organization Development -- a brand-new function and a pioneer initiative. During my active years, I found myself alternating between the two functions. OD made me more effective as an HR professional, and HR knowledge gave me the context to be more effective as an OD specialist.

I am grateful to Buck and Bob for steering me in this direction. Indeed, both areas fit my interest and abilities. I had a marvelous career as a result -- full of challenges, accomplishments and lessons learned. Many others along the way mentored me. I would be remiss not to mention their names ... Ted Lusk, Tom Linklater, Bill Rowe, Pat Williams, Bob Bartizal ... Their unselfish gift made the difference.

From my own side, I have tried to give back by mentoring others. I get a lot of vicarious satisfaction when I see people whom I have mentored blossom and become successful in their chosen field. How gratifying to see people whose life you have touched succeed!

How about you? Do you go out of your way to mentor others? Have you benefitted from mentoring? How?