As a woman in the trucking industry, I continually look for opportunities to enlarge this circle. I have been very fortunate to have several strong influences from female colleagues and mentors and feel compelled to proliferate this throughout my career.
Mentoring isn’t just about teaching product knowledge. It’s about sharing experiences and the intellectual property that go along with these experiences. Over the past thirty years I have met some pretty amazing people, men and women alike, that have contributed to my experiences.
About twenty years ago I was introduced to a business networking tool that has served me very well and that I enjoy. Golf. My boss, at the time, was invited to an industry golf tournament. She was unable to attend and asked me if I would take her place. I had only ever golfed about a dozen times before that and was nervous, but looked forward to the day. I was one of three women in a field of 144 golfers. It was both intimidating and exciting. I had played fastball since I was five years old, and hockey for ten years as well as several other sports on both women’s and men’s teams and figured “how hard can this be?”. It was one of the best experiences in my career. I remember that day like it was yesterday. The atmosphere was one of relaxed camaraderie, high energy and I was hooked! I was in a foursome with clients and really understood the value of four uninterrupted hours with them. They were professional while being friendly and I really learnt a lot about them and their personal lives that day.
Thankfully, over the years, I have had many days like that. I am a true believer that golf is not only enjoyable, but a really great business resource. And I’m not the only one. I recently purchased a great book on the very subject. It is “Smashing The Grass Ceiling”. It is written by Fareen Samji. She is a 5-time ILDC Canadian Women’s Long Drive Champion (2012-2016) and the CEO of a successful business that manufactures orthotics. The book is a women’s guide to mastering golf for business success. It talks about rules, etiquette, tips on dealing with personalities, when to talk business and when not to and so many more things. I highly recommend this book to women that feel intimidated about playing golf for business, it is great!
I want to thank the Rear View for allowing me to share my thoughts and contribute this blog to their site. Other than golfing, writing is a favorite of mine and I appreciate the opportunity. I look forward to contributing more of my personal insights and experiences!