Mentoring and Job Shadowing

A few weeks ago, I was asked to be a mentor for a day. I was honored.  A young high school student who is a friend of my son Jake asked if he could “Job Shadow” me for a day and learn what a day looks like in the life of a painting contractor. I guess this is something our public schools offer to every student in their English class. My two boys decided they wanted to tag along and learn as well.

Our day started out with answering a few questions that the student was required to ask, then we headed off to give an estimate at our local Mall for a commercial management company CB Richard Ellis that we have a great relationship with.  Our good client was more than willing to oblige and participate.  In fact, he went the extra mile during our job walk and talked with the boys about how economics work.  He explained why it’s important to keep the mall looking its best and what that does for potential leases and the lessor.  It was interesting to see how the light bulb went off for the boys as they clearly saw the mall as a business and the importance of keeping it looking its best and not just a hangout for teens.

After walking the project and getting our information, we headed to the office for an operations meeting. They got to sit in on one of our weekly meetings where we discuss current and upcoming projects, weekly and monthly goals and upcoming employee meetings and training. Overall, it was a great experience, not just for them, but also for the ALLBRiGHT 1-800-PAINTINGmanagement team to be a part of this community service. Job shadowing fits perfectly into what ALLBRiGHT 1-800-PAINTING’s core values are. In fact, we started a similar program a few years ago called Paint It S.M.A.R.T. When asked by the high school student if I would do it again, I gladly said, “YES.”  When asked if I would do it again, I gladly said, “YES.”