Game Changers

Mentors are Priceless?

"Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great mentor."?

Having an exceptional mentor can be a life changing journey and can be the catalyst for creating an exceptional career and a friend for life.

I earned that opportunity!

The individual who made the most significant impact on my life and career is Mr. Dave Sanders, RCDD/DCDC/OSP/LAN.

As a world class speaker and educator for over 20 years, Dave Sanders, RCDD/DCDC/OSP/LAN. has authored and maintained the International RCDD class of the year honor. Dave is an International RCDD Instructor of the Year and Telecommunications Speaker of the Year. He has successfully taught many of the 7000 RCDD’s in the world. Dave employs the mantra “leave no person behind” in his classes and in the community.?

In addition to the above credentials, there is one noteworthy event to mention that Dave was nominated for and WON the "Lifetime Achievement Award”. Polling was done across the U.S. and Dave Sanders’ name was the only name that consistently came up under “Education”!?This experience was a tremendous honor for Dave to share with Steve Jobs and Alexander Graham Bell!

I have known Dave for several years since our time working together in the San Francisco Bay Area and as fellow members of BICSI. We met by happenstance at the height of the pandemic while crossing paths at the office one day which began the building of an unstoppable team!

We both knew that our mission was to create something extraordinary and deliver it to our industry during the start of a global pandemic. The next step was to focus on how to convert these crazy ideas into revenue!

There are always new ways of doing business, with the proper planning and enthusiasm, success will follow. Dave and I figured out an accelerated strategy to safely provide in person educational training coursework during COVID and share this experience with the world. Our goal was to take everything we knew and get these classes up an running with as many inspired students as we could find!?That experience was one of our proudest team achievements.

We understood the assignment and accomplished record breaking attendance that exceeded revenue goals that have not been seen in our technology industry!

Dave was a very practical, humble leader who managed with emotional intelligence that always empowered his people with every opportunity. Working with such an iconic leader was a wonderful experience and will carry on the many lessons learned well into the future.

I am forever grateful for the guidance that Dave Sanders, RCDD/DCDC/OSP/LAN, shared with me.?Our time working together was cut short because it was time for me to go carve out on my own path as a CEO!

Great mentors don’t just descend upon us like stars from the galaxy. There must be a high level of intelligent connection between mentor and mentee, one of reciprocity and mutual respect, for the team to be successful. A mentor can help you plan for career development - map out your long term career path, define strategies and objectives to reach milestones, and recalibrate to stay focused.

If you are looking for that superstar of a leader, take these qualities into consideration during your talent search -

Authenticity?– Your mentor must be genuinely interested in helping you on your journey because they see your potential and want to help bring it to life. Truly great mentors don’t want to make a copy of themselves.

Accessibility?– Most important, a great mentor is an available one.

Objectivity?– A great mentor will challenge you as much as they guide and support you.

Educator?– A great mentor WILL inspire through their own actions as much as they teach.

Values?– Be sure to look beyond the highly successful person to ensure that you are aligning yourself with a person that shares similar core values.

If your career has been blessed with a great mentor, share your experiences and drop your comments below.

Kevallyn Paskos, CEO