Connections. Mentors. Friendships. If we are lucky enough in our career, we get a chance to say our work led to these things. For me, these are the lessons I learned from my mentor. Meet Phil Hershkowitz. This is a picture of me and Phil. A few weeks ago. He was in town for a wedding, and in true Phil style, he made sure we met up and had a chance to catch up.
Phil was my first boss and my first career mentor. Well, I guess not technically my first boss, someone at Kmart was my first boss – but Phil is the first boss/mentor I remember and for good reason!
After hiring me for a Recreation Leader position for the City of Scottsdale, Phil took on the role of teaching and guiding me. I still use so much of what he taught me today in my career.
Lessons from my mentor
- Clear communication
- Have a plan for the day
- Create a strong connection with your teammates
- Celebrate the wins
- Allow for growth
- Have fun at work
Applying these mentor lessons today
- Clear communication: Phil emphasized, when running a children’s camp, you absolutely must communicate clearly, professionally and with care with the parents and caretakers. After all he said, they are giving you their most precious cargo. This was a valuable lesson to learn at the time, and one I still apply to work and customers today. Customers are giving you something of value to them, they deserve your best – every single day.
- Have a plan for the day: Phil demanded a documented plan for the day from his staff. What would happen when? Who was positioned where? What contingencies did we need in place? He taught us to think ahead and think through all scenarios so we could be ready. He taught us to think strategically.
- Create a strong connection with your teammates: Phil emphasized team work. In that, he made sure his Recreation Leaders worked well as a team. That meant taking time to really get to know each other, understanding each person’s strengths and developing an approach to work that made us a balanced, high-performing team. Many of us are still in contact today!
- Celebrate the wins: Phil was generous with his praise. He knew a simple thank you could make an impact. He knew a team thrived on positive momentum and he made sure he took the time to acknowledge the team’s success.
- Allow for growth: Phil managed many of us for several years. It was a summer job, so we’d go away for the school year and then return to work. He always took the time to understand what we were studying, what we were working on and found a way to help us grow over the summer. I’ll never forget the year a colleague and I wanted to take on more responsibility for planning extra excursions (field trips). We reached out to Phil ahead of the summer and made our pitch. He didn’t pause. He told us if we were ready, we could do this. All we needed to do was deliver a holistic plan within three weeks, of what, how, where, budget, etc. for him to review and approve. We were so excited! We got to work – and what a valuable lesson he taught us in idea to execution. That summer we learned a TON as we led this work – and Phil was always there, ready to help and guide as we learned on the job.
- Have fun at work: Yes, work is work – but it is also a place we spend a lot of our time, and that means you can and should have fun! From a quote wall in the work room, to team jokes, to team nights, Phil taught us you can be really good at your job AND still have time to laugh, joke and have a great time. Any who know Phil, know Phil’s laugh, it is infectious.
Staying connected
Phil taught me so much. From how to plan, to how to lead. One of my absolute favorite things Phil taught me is how to keep connections and relationships going – even when you do not work together anymore. Every year since I stopped working there (more than 20 years ago) on the first day of summer camp, I get a call from Phil: “Miss Paullin, it’s 10 am, you’re late for the first day of camp, the kids and I are waiting.” Every year it brings a huge smile to my face. I get a few minutes to remember those fun, early career days. The amazing people I worked with, the kids we had the opportunity to teach, the community we got to represent. It’s a good memory and I love that once a year, Phil helps me have that moment.
Celebrating Phil’s retirement
Phil retired earlier this month. After a long and successful career, he said goodbye. He led great teams, created successful programs, built community and made an amazing impact. Congratulations, Phil! Thank you for all you gave to the City, to us, your teams. You’ve been an amazing teacher, mentor – and most importantly, you are an amazing life-long friend.
