Author Archives: Dr. Mark A. French

Picture this. You are mentoring a new professional. They come in and report an injury. You pick up a chair, walk out to the shop floor, and sling it. Old school Bobby Knight coaching technique 🙂 When it comes to coaching as a mentor, it is more about the essence and spirit of coaching thanContinue reading “Mentorship 5. Be a Coach”

Do you have a career plan? Do those that you supervise or mentor have one? One of the most interesting and value-oriented exercises that can be performed is to make a career plan. Sure, it can change at any time. A career plan is not at all static. It is a living, dynamic document thatContinue reading “Safety Mentorship 4: Make a Plan”

Have you read the book “If You Give a Cat a Cupcake”? I have one similar for you. “If You Give a Safety Person an Audience.” It goes like this. If you give a safety person an audience, they will want a stage. Once they have a stage, they will ask for a microphone. WithContinue reading “Mentorship Part 2: Listen”

It has been interesting in the last few weeks how many times I have had to recount how I chose the safety field (or how the safety field chose me). I owe so much to have great mentors early in my career. At one point, I was able to host a summer intern and haveContinue reading “Mentorship Part 1: Be Available”