My Secret Mentor - Death Of A Salesman

I may have mentioned this before but, I am rather excited for a "reunion" at one of the stations I started at a little over 26 years ago. I am not the only one. It is rather magical that all of us "old guys and gals" are coming from across the country to reminisce about a time in our broadcast careers that means more than we probably realize. After all, we still get excited knowing that we are going to see some of our old colleagues. We are still best of friends. We went through some shit in those early days! Maybe that has been a bonding thing.

It feels like the FRIENDS reunion only without Justin Bieber – thankfully. Really, who needs that?

I can remember being a bit cocky in those days. Big surprise - I know. I didn’t want to “deal” with the sales department.

Still, I knew it was smart to latch onto a mentor and I did....although he probably never knew how much I admired him.

No. He was not someone in programming or management. He was a "sales guy".

What makes that even more surprising is that I could not stand sales!

I was in programming dam it! I was one of the cool ones. I watched "WKRP in Cincinnati" and salespeople were square! Jennifer or Bailey never wanted to hang with "Herb Tarlek" guys. I wanted to be Dr. Johnny Fever and date Jennifer. They were cool.

Still, this “sales guy” was different, and I took notice. He dressed....cool. The kind of guy that could say he had new "threads" and it did not seem dated. Not like Johnny Bravo. He reminded me of Shadow Stevens, actually. I swear he had the same hairstylist. But what blew me away the most was his commercials.

See, he was the first salesperson that I met who not only kept a large list of clients....but he also produced his commercials! They were the best commercials we had. Creative. Fun. Results driven! This was back in the 1990s when a home studio was a much bigger deal. I remember thinking that he figured it out. The perfect blend of creativity, revenue generation, and working for yourself. Years later he jumped into ownership of stations in New York state and Florida.

I spoke with him a few years ago and he was still at it...although...not hitting the streets as much. He and his wife ran their stations, and he had enough time to work on his passion of writing and playing music.

He gave me one of his songs to use for a project once – no charge.

He was going to be at the reunion this August and I was beyond excited to see him. I intended to tell him that I think of his work ethic often and I stole his model....producing spots for my clients. Although, I still have an air shift as well which means I do not have the list he did. He will never be beaten.

Notice I am using the past tense. I heard that he passed away unexpectedly last night.

Keep in mind...it has probably been at least a decade since I have spoken to him, but this has hit me hard. It made me reflect. I can think of 3 people that flat out have called me their mentor. Of course, I am flattered but, in an attempt, to be humble I never really acknowledged it other than saying "Thank You...but you have amazing natural talent!" it is important to stay humble.

Still, did my mentor know how much I studied him? Would he be flattered and proud or brush it off to stay humble?

I bet if you stop and think about it....you probably have a few people that consider you a mentor. So, what does that really mean?

Mentorship does not mean creating another version of yourself. Your real goal should be developing someone to become the best version of themselves. For example, I have inherited staff that were TOLD what to do. They were not TAUGHT how and why you do things the way you do. What an amazing disservice to your business. I probably over explain in anything.

I think that some people run into confidence issues in today’s world. The idea that sharing your knowledge with your staff is so important when you are trying to build a top-notch business. If you are a manager that lacks confidence in your knowledge or abilities…the thought of keeping your knowledge to yourself to “protect your position” is low level thinking. It does not build a team.

Seriously, do you know EVERYTHING? No. Ya, do not! Do not even try. I hope that anyone who works with me sees that I try to be approachable, accessible, and available when really needed. I think that makes a good colleague regardless of title.

I think the role of a true mentor is not to be a teacher….but rather a head cheerleader.

My mentor did not teach me … in the sense that he sat me down and explained how he did things. Rather, he was there for me when I had questions and he never was annoyed. He offered his opinion and that is all I needed. He explained when I asked but let me model my own career. Why did he do this? He certainly was not going to “get anything” out of helping this kid.

I think he realized that being successful cannot always happen by yourself. Real success is working with your team and creating the best you can. It was fruitful for him. It’s fruitful for me and it will be fruitful to anyone who realizes that independence is important, but a strong team will always be there for you creating a collective success.

Maybe this explains why everyone….and I mean EVERYONE who is going to this reunion is beyond excited to see our little “rag tag” group again. Some of us are out of the business….some of us are still at it but all of us will be missing and reminiscing about Will Stanley – my secret mentor. May his legacy live on and continue to be passed down.