Consulting Leads to Career Mentoring Relationships

By Gary Goettl

Looking back at my career in Support Services, I had the opportunity over the last 35 years to mentor interns and new faces starting out in our business. Eyes wide open! What’s different now? With over 25 years in healthcare support services business, primarily in day-to-day operations, I moved on to a consulting role. Something extremely rewarding that I never expected. Being a consultant, I have developed many new mentoring relationships, quite the opposite of what you would expect. Knowing that the consulting business comes with its baggage and litany of jokes. Who knew, that, if doing it the right way, consulting and mentoring are symbiotic? That was and still is my “ah ha moment.”

Being a consultant is clearly defined by your past experiences, knowledge, ability to communicate, teach, guide, and advocate.

Is it really? Both financial and quality deficits are reasons for a consultant to be involved in your daily life. It could be in the form of a global consulting firm, specializing in righting the ship, ensuring a strong financial future. Or, it could be a specialized firm, knowing the detail and intricacies of your work and purpose. I fortunately, have the opportunity to work in both environments.

How many times has a consultant met with you, handed you a piece of paper, stating these are your new targets? That was it.

• No explanation, no map, no blueprint.
• You do your best, paddling upstream, dealing with the waves and rocks.
• You may reach your goal, but was it by design? Or did you reach your goal, sacrificing core values, strengths, and innovations you had put in place?

When the consultant can get their clients to see their engagement as a mentoring relationship – success is eminent.

The key to any effective mentoring is connection.

• Taking the time to discover common ground and what the other person’s needs really are.
• Then being available to see them succeed.
• When customers really sense you are more concerned for their well-being and success than just making a buck—you become seen as a valued asset – consultant – Mentor!

About Gary Goettl

Gary Goettl is a principal and senior consultant for Kestgo Group’s healthcare team. He has over 25 years of industry experience in support service operations and management, leading food service and environmental service initiatives to improve the patient experience, and coworker engagement.