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OPINION
The evolving role of mentorship
Thoughts from both sides of this mutually beneficial relationship over the course of a career.
M entorship is a bit of a buzzword these days, but with good reason. Having a mentor in the workplace isn’t just nice to have; it’s something that can shape the trajectory of your entire career. And there are different kinds of mentors suited for different stages of your professional life. Over my 30-plus years with Garver, I’ve had mentors who’ve made a big impact on my life both professionally and personally, among them: my father, Earl Sr.; Jerry Holder, Garver’s director of enterprise solutions; and former Garver CEO Brock Johnson. Because of that, I’ve been able to pay it forward and serve as a mentor to others.
Earl Mott
PARENT AS MENTOR. I started working at Garver as a teenager with my dad who was a surveyor, and his guidance gave me a solid foundation for my career. He not only introduced me to the profession but instilled a strong work ethic in me at a young age. Working beside him during my high school and college years taught me a lot about data collection and the role of a surveyor so that, once I graduated and moved to the engineering side, I already had that knowledge. The experience of being in the field with my dad gave me:
1. A good grasp of what it took to get the data collected so that we engineers could use it in our designs. 2. An understanding of what to expect from the level of effort perspective. We continued working together, many times with him performing the work on my projects, until his retirement in 2003.
See EARL MOTT, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 14, 2024, ISSUE 1557
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