I have been blessed to have several mentors in my life, starting with my mother and father. They gave me the early path to follow and are still supportive today.
In High School, it was my counselor Mrs. Daniels, and Chef Paul Terzano at O.C. vocational school that introduced me to my passion for cooking. Early Culinary career mentors included Chef’s John Vanderwouw, Benson, and Stec. Once I got to Michigan State University, Mr. Birchfield and Dr. Cichy offered much guidance.
Mr. Fuqua was the general manger at the Grand Rapids Hilton when I got my first chance to run a crew as Chef, in the Spinnaker restaurant kitchen. He was always someone I could continuously count on, always seeming to have time for me and my leadership questions.
When I joined Sysco Foodservices (a Fortune 100 company), Mr. DeKock and Mr. Wickus were solid examples of Leaders with huge responsibilities. Yet they were still generous enough with their time to make sure I also succeeded in the corporate world. Which was no easy task. As the saying goes, “you can take the boy out of the kitchen, but you can’t take the kitchen out of the boy.”
These are just a few examples of mentors I learned from in my career that left lasting impact. Jim Fuqua and Jim Wickus left such a positive impact I used their names for my guide (Wicqua) in the book I wrote, “Introducing Love: a New Corporate Paradigm.”
To me, having a mentor was like being a tightrope walker with a net.
What I learned from my Mentors:
• They provided me with examples of what I could become.
• They shared their experiences in difficult situations.
• It seemed like they were always there when I needed them.
• There were times they had more faith in me than I did in myself.
I escaped some dire consequences because of their sage advice. To this day I still count on them as friends and enjoy regaling on historical moments we share. I just finished a conversation with Jim Wickus that prompted me to write this blog.
Now it is my turn to be the mentor and I am ramping up that effort. My first advice is- Choose a mentor that works well with you, then reach out and ask for help. People have a hard time asking for help.
I remember an exercise I was once involved in where we were blindfolded and guided to a rope maze. Then asked to complete the maze. After a few minutes of desperation, (running into people, tracing the same route over and over), I asked for help. When I did, the instructor whispered in my ear, “Take off your mask and watch the rest of these stubborn leaders try to figure this out.” I was not the first (or last) maskless participant in this exercise and learned a lesson I use repeatedly - Ask for help.
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