Jarrod Chevalier: Mentorship Makes the Workplace a Better Place
Mentorship plays a prominent role in the success of future trade industry leaders. Mentorship helps build healthy relationships in the workplace, excellent communication skills, safety awareness, and much more.
Jarrod Chevalier is the type of Chargehand you’d want as a mentor on your job site. He’s committed to boosting morale and creating an excellent environment for workers to work within. “Mentorship matters because if I can mentor my apprentices to come to work and be willing to learn and enjoy their work, they’re more productive, the work environment improves, and everyone seems to get along better.”
To Jarrod, being a great mentor means having good communication, patience, excellent listening skills, and understanding that everybody learns differently and at different paces. “You don’t need to be friends with everyone, but you do have to find some common ground.” From his personal experiences, Jarrod knows that a great mentee is willing to learn, has a great attitude, and is someone who asks a lot of questions.
When working with his mentees, Jarrod acknowledges that everyone learns differently and has different strengths and weaknesses. “When I find someone struggling with their work, I know that I’ve been through similar situations, which makes it easier for me to relate with them and figure out the best way to navigate their problem together.”
As most of us know from our own experiences with learning, storytelling plays a massive role in relaying a message in a relatable way. “Storytelling is essential, especially in mentorship. It’s a way to make things more personable and less robotic, easier to relate to, and a better way to learn.”
Jarrod was fortunate to learn from a great mentor during his apprenticeship. “My previous mentor did a great job making everyday fun, all while being incredibly productive. He thoroughly explained things and told great stories to help me relate to his teaching. He would even turn certain tasks into small competitions; it was always a fun and engaging way to learn. I’ve known him since 2012; my mentor was a great person to look up to and strive to be, as I became a mentor myself. Even now, I take his advice; I don’t think a good mentor ever stops being your mentor.”
Mentorship has changed Jarrod’s life in a significant way. He has always looked up to his mentors, who have helped grow him into the fantastic mentor he is today, saying, “I hope to keep the cycle going.” And he must be doing something right. Jarrod was nominated by his peers to win the ‘Mentor of the Year award at the EJTC Journeyperson Graduation Banquet in November 2022. Keep up the good work Jarrod!
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Mentorship Matters recognizes the need to establish the building blocks (best practices) for good communication skills as we enter the construction world with a more diverse workforce. The Mentorship Matters program captures the mentors’ best communication styles and ensures that it is passed down to the mentees. In this program, you will learn how to communicate effectively within the construction industry, setting you up for a bright future in a flourishing business sector.
For more information and detailed insights, visit the Mentorship Matters website and join the LinkedIn community for updates and discussions.
Written by: Savannah Davis, ClearWater Communications Co.