A good mentor can make all the difference for a new hire in the automotive industry, said an industry leader.
During a recent webinar, Bill Snow, vice president of franchise development and operations at Rad Air Complete Car Care and Tire Centers, noted the importance of mentorship and career development, stressing that a strong onboarding program and a dedicated mentor can set up employees for long-term success and key to building a strong, loyal team in the automotive industry.
“I love that model, and the reason I do is I came into this industry about 12 years ago, the one thing I noticed is employees would get hired, and they were told a couple of things — they were told paycheques are on Friday, coffee’s over there in the corner, uniforms are in the closet and the work orders will be placed here,” he recalled during the webinar Employee Training Options and Methods.
“Well, we need to have an awesome onboarding program. And for younger technicians, getting them partnered up with a mentor in the building is phenomenal.”
He explained that mentorship is not just about showing someone the ropes. It’s about investing in people and helping them grow.
“The mentor has a vested interest in seeing that new employee flourish,” Snow pointed out, noting that the mentor is training their replacement.
“And that’s exactly what the mentor-mentee relationship helps accomplish, because the mentor is invested. They want to make sure they get that employee up to be the best they can be.”
Snow said the process works best when it’s documented and consistent. The pair can sit down weekly and review what they did this week, what the goals were, what was mastered this week, what needs to be reviewed or worked on last week and so on.
“That gives you a couple years to develop a younger employee. They’re not going anywhere if you’re keeping that tight with them,” he observed, adding that the mentor can have multiple techs with different skill levels.
Mentorship isn’t just for new hires, Snow noted. Everyone in the shop, including the mentors themselves and owners, should have someone to turn to for advice and support. He pulled out the sports analogy, pointing out that great athletes Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and LeBron James all had or have coaches, even though they’ve been at the been of their sport.
“We need to be showing everyone in our organization someone that they can rely on. Doesn’t have to be a formal coaching program, but they ought to have somebody that they can connect with,” Snow said.
Image credit: Depositphotos.com
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