October 2, 2024

Mentoring the New Generation

My start in this industry was rough. The first three months were a struggle. They were mentally, physically and emotionally draining. I remember white knuckling the steering wheel on my way home, wondering if I could do this job. I stuck with it, though, because deep down, I think I really did enjoy it. But consider what we ask of people when they start in this industry.

Sydney Hudzinski, center, takes a break during a climb with Kelby Nelson and Melissa Breen from Alliance Tree Care. All photos courtesy of Sydney Hudzinski.

Sydney Hudzinski, center, takes a break during a climb with Kelby Nelson and Melissa Breen from Alliance Tree Care. All photos courtesy of Sydney Hudzinski.

You have to be a tree expert, so you need to know about planting, structural pruning, maintenance pruning, removals, diagnostics, plant health care and stump grinding. You are a small-, large- and diesel-equipment mechanic. That chipper needs to chip and the aerial lift needs to keep lifting just as much as your chain saw and backpack blowers need to run.

You now are driving Class A commercial vehicles. That is a lot different from the Volkswagen Jetta you drove to work. Now you are a physicist – you get formulas and a calculator, but no concrete numbers. Instead, a person you met a couple of days ago is saying, “Yeah, it should work.” You are a client-service representative, so you have to be able to communicate with industry peers, as well as with people who have no clue what a branch collar is. Lastly, you are a problem solver. When things are not going well or are not what they seem, you have to find a way to help get the crew and equipment safely back to the shop.

We have many new climbing devices, equipment and techniques every year. How we introduce this career and take care of the next generation needs to evolve just as quickly. That starts with mentoring.

Beyond job skills

In the ATS Journals, Martin J. Tobin wrote an article entitled, “Mentoring, Seven Roles and Some Specifics.” His article was geared toward the medical field, but really it relates to any field. I had already been mentoring for about a year by the time I read this article, but I thought of myself as a trainer. Quickly though, I recognized I was already demonstrating some of these traits. To me, a mentor is someone who takes an interest in someone less experienced.

This role extends well past just the learning phase of the work tasks and leads to helping in moral and emotional matters as well. A mentor will help an individual grow professionally and personally. What are the roles of a mentor? They include: teacher, sponsor, advisor, agent, role model, coach and confidante. Before you give me the, “But Sydney, you just told us what it means to be an arborist, and now we have to do all this as well?” this all condenses down to caring about someone else before the rate, the client, the money, the job, the company or yourself. That is all. I am just asking you to care.

Creating self-sufficient workers

The goal of being a teacher is to create independent and self-sufficient individuals. Give them the why. Why do we tie a certain knot and not another? Why do we cut within our power zones? Why are we tying into certain unions? Promote quality learning and working so the whole team benefits. We do not want people following and waiting for the next task. They should be able to see and do the next step without instruction. Try not to encourage that type of “zombie” mentality of only waiting and following orders. When we have a team of self-sufficient crew members, it will take pressure off the crew leaders.

It can be exciting to teach the complex intricacies of what being an arborist or climber is, but do not forget the simple things. I have had to teach people how to rake or check oil. Buddy climbs are my favorite way to climb trees. I love them. They lead to great conversations, and people advance faster with them. They can ask a question in the moment, rather than waiting, or you can help them without guessing from the ground. If they are new and do not have climbing gear yet, do not let that stop you – have them operate the aerial lift.

Hudzinski says buddy climbs are her favorite way to climb trees. They lead to great conversations, and people advance faster with them.

Hudzinski says buddy climbs are her favorite way to climb trees. They lead to great conversations, and people advance faster with them.

Encourage and guide

To be a sponsor means you advocate and encourage mentees to go to different events and meet their peers. If you are attending the same event, ask if they would like to meet anyone. Countless climbing competitions, expositions, workshops and training events are offered all over the world every year. Encourage them to get out of their comfort zone and attend new ones.

Remember to personally invest in the accomplishments of your mentee. You are putting your name on the line when you recommend someone or put their name in for a promotion. Make sure you are willing to stand behind it and them.

When we are an advisor, our goal is not to solve all their problems for them, but to help them navigate through them. This could mean being a sounding board or suggesting an attitude check. Maybe to help with guidance and gain clarity. As a mentor, you should know what will motivate your mentees to do the correct thing. In the end, though, you have to let them choose which path they will take or what should be done. When a mentee comes to me upset or wants to talk, I always ask, “Do you want me to help you solve this problem, or just listen?” Most of the time it starts out as just listening but evolves into helping solve the problem.

Teach by example

Being an agent to your mentee is similar to being an advisor. You want to advocate and speak up for your mentee, but you have to give them the opportunity to defend themselves. We do not want to jump in and be a helicopter mentor, only to take over every problem. Just help them with different obstacles in their path. Maybe they are only getting gear that is handed down, or they are not getting an opportunity to climb. Sometimes this role may be completely behind the scenes, and you will never get credit for it; sometimes it is more involved. Again, at the end of the day, we are just trying to help someone grow and to care for them.

Our goal as mentors is not only to instruct on what it means to be an all-around arborist, but to lead by example. When you are a role model, you need to have the integrity to do what is right versus what is easy. Your mentee will only value the skills they see you respecting, not the ones you tell them they should have.

The saying, “Hey, this is how it is supposed to be done, but this is how we actually do it,” needs to stop. I hate it, and it doesn’t work. You lose all credibility when you utter that phrase. Martin states in his article, “When a mentor fails to practice what is being preached, the hypocrisy mutes the effectiveness of the advice.” I believe that wholeheartedly.

Be a role model at all times

Recognize that you may choose your mentees, but you do not get to choose who picks you as a mentor. That means you need to be a role model at every moment. You never know who has picked you. You are constantly being watched. How you interact with the sales team, management and other crew leads is being noticed. How you enjoy growing and learning is also. When the odds are stacked against the team, yet you still find a way to make the job fun and enjoyable, it is noticed.

How you react to mistakes or your humility also are on display. There is no more sulking or showing anger. We accept our mistakes, apologize, fix them and move on. Your mentee and crew are now relying on you for guidance and leadership. Have your frustrated moment at home on the phone with your own mentor. If they are as great as mine are, they will have you laughing in minutes, listening to all of their mistakes.

Allow people to learn

As a coach, our goal is to push people out of their comfort zones, but we have to know where to draw the line. We do not want to ruin this career path for them with negative experiences. Those angles may look easier from the ground, or maybe that spar is a little bit more wiggly.

If you can see a mistake about to happen and it is not going to hurt them, the property or the equipment, let it happen. Mistakes can lead to great discussions and understanding. When they are beginning to set up their own rigging and you can see it is going to get caught up, let it happen. Have them back the truck and trailer into the driveway. If it is a slow road and nothing can get damaged, let it happen. Do not prevent every mistake, but do offer criticism in a helpful way.

Focus on the behavior and not the person. When your mentee does a good thing, relay gratitude. I made someone’s week once by telling them that the rest of the crew leaders in a meeting mentioned how well this person was doing and how impressed they were.

Be a confidante

To have a successful relationship with your mentee, you need to be a confidante. This is a two-way relationship built on trust. You can win trust by consistency, reliability and integrity. To be consistent, you have to stay on course. To be reliable, you have to be there when it counts and as much as you can. To have integrity, you have to do what is right and not what is easy. All the time.

Be patient in your conversations. Do not pry or turn it into gossip. Just listen to what is being shared. It can be intimidating for them to go out of their comfort zone and discuss those insecurities. Remember to keep the conversations and discussions only to the people who have to know. It will never have to go down the chain of command, only up.

As a mentor, you need to be a role model at every moment. You never know who has picked you.

As a mentor, you need to be a role model at every moment. You never know who has picked you.

Start with obtainable goals

Are you wondering where to start? The answer is with small and attainable goals. Prune to raise a tree (for clearance), describe an electrical system, pack the bucket away. It should not be a large task that is only going to hurt their confidence. Be patient and expect for the task to take longer than you think. Remember that mentoring is a long-term goal. We are not expecting results or competencies in the next hour, day or even week.

Once they are ready, start giving mentees larger goals to obtain. Yeah, that final cut could be made with a powered pole saw, but now I can guide them through a chain-saw cut low and slow, near the ground. Sure, I could have pruned that conifer more efficiently, but then when would they ever learn how to fly the aerial lift and prune with very little chance of failure. OK, we probably could have started digging the hole for the ball-and-burlapped tree being delivered, but the cul-de-sac was large and quiet, and a great spot to learn the controls of the material handler.

When does mentoring end?

Are you wondering when it stops? It never has to. As long as both parties are willing, the relationship does not need to end. I still call my mentors from time to time. Remember to take a moment and thank your mentors. They do not have to do what they do. It is a tough and demanding job to go out of your way and care for someone.

Who makes the best mentor? Anyone who cares. It might not be the manager or the crew leader. There might not be anyone in your company. Just do not fake it. People see through that, and that is another way to lose trust and people.

Tying it off

I do not want to be in the field climbing forever. I mean, I hope I have quite a few years left in me. I just want to leave this industry better than I found it. To leave it knowing I did my best and it is in good hands. I think that change comes with mentorship.

But I cannot do it on my own, I need help. This industry needs more leaders to start mentoring.

Sydney Hudzinski, ISA Certified Arborist, is a crew leader in the Eden Prairie, Minnesota, office of The Davey Tree Expert Co., an accredited, 52-year TCIA member company based in Kent, Ohio.

This article was based on Hudzinski’s presentation on the same topic during TCI EXPO ’23 in St. Louis, Missouri. To view a video created for that presentation, click here.

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