Mentorship and experience - awesome value

Volunteering with great mentors and team leaders is an amazing experience - hands on practical skills. An undervalued and sometimes underappreciated career determining and resume building opportunity.

I had the privilege of volunteering with the Hands on One Hundred at the Special Events Conference in Phoenix. It was a great reminder of the necessity of mentorship and experience. And the value of well trained team leaders, who have knowledge and experience in the areas they are leading.

This past week reminded me that training the trainer is a necessity. It also reminded me why getting involved in a team project will always teach you something. That the best education only supports the practical application. That many minds are so much better than one. That the expert team leader is always open to learning from the team, and willing to implement something new, or the majority consensus.

I relearned the value of team meetings before shifts, the exchange of hellos, smiles, goals, and the importance of understanding the critical path to the end result. And insuring everyone is working as a team.

I watched a wonderful team leader teach volunteers how to simplify the project of getting wrist bands ready for the 700 guests arriving in an hour. He taught with a smile and a compliment (yes, we were taking the wrist bands apart one at a time)

I watched a team leader totally ignore the catering experts in her group, all the while allowing a team of volunteers set tables for 700 guests - volunteers who had never set a formal table, much less tried to set silverware and stemware for 700 on a deadline.

I had the opportunity to volunteer with two young ladies who were just starting out in the industry. They were truly starting their business correctly - matching their education with hands on practical experiences. All the while listening to people around them tell stories, which gave them practical advice to take away. This conference was part of their education program, their volunteer program, and their learning experience. These ladies will be successful. Plus they had the  personable attitude to be great event planners - a love of life, a desire to create, strong work ethics, a genuine friendliness, and a love of people.

The best advice I heard from many experts - get a great education, study the theory, insure you have the practical, share with your network, listen to those around you, and keep learning from our youth, while helping our youth and entry level people on their career path. It is a win/win for everyone.