WWW.ALOA.ORG NOVEMBER 2023 KEYNOTES 21 So, What Is It? Let’s take a step back: What is a “men- tor”? One dictionary defines it as: Mentor (/'men'tôr, 'men(t) r/) noun 1. an experienced and trusted adviser. “He was her friend and mentor until his death in 1915.” Similar: adviser, guide, confidant, confidante, counselor, consultant, therapist, master, spiritual leader, rav, rebbe, guru, swami, maharishi, acharya verb 1. advise or train (someone, especially a younger colleague). “Both trainees were expertly men- tored by a site supervisor.” Unknown to You You probably do not know that ALOA President Bill Mandlebaum, CML, do- nated his time to go down south, over hundreds of miles to meet with Fritz Bookman and his mother to share his willingness to mentor Fritz. Fritz was an ALOA Scholarship recipient (www.aloa. org/asf/asf.html) who has shown his dedi- cation and belief in this industry to go on and start his own locksmith company. Additionally, Fritz is currently mentor- ing two young locksmiths himself! With that in mind, I have asked him to chair the new ALOA Young Locksmith Ac- tion Committee dedicated to bringing young locksmiths into the trade to prop- erly educate them. What Bill did was self- less and certainly above the call of duty. But it beautifully illustrates how we can support our youth wanting to get in this profession. The road to a successful lock- smithing career for most is not easy, but the journey must start somewhere. Old-World Style When I was a teenager, our piano tuner was a master craftsman who came to the United States from a luxury piano manu- facturer in Braunschweig, Germany. He explained to me that as an apprentice, he had a mentor who guided him along the path from knowing nothing about the trade to becoming a true craftsman. He went on to say that as a beginner, he was never allowed to touch a piano until four to five years into his apprenticeship. He watched the master work, swept the floor, retrieved materials, returned tools … and watched. Eventually, years later, he would assist the master craftsman with small tasks until he was truly ready to embark on the job as a piano craftsman on his own. That is why this piano brand is the finest in the world today. But does that apply to locksmithing? Absolutely. Perhaps we cannot dedicate five years of merely watching the master locksmith, but surely you can take a youth under your wing to guide and teach. Your Help Do you need to master key 10 or 15 doors? Most of us can do that in our heads with- out even writing it down. However, our new locksmiths see that as a huge chal- lenge. In the ALOA Fundamentals class, they touch on basic master keying, but not in any depth. Even if it is run in three days, that is a lot of information to cram into the head of someone who is new to this industry. Many of these new lock- smiths are taking classes at ALOA and elsewhere. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could take one or two under your watch- ful eye and teach them so that one day they can excel and then pass that skill and knowledge on to another locksmith? The satisfaction will definitely outweigh any expense. Want to make a difference? Fritz Bookman (Bill Mandlebaum’s “men- tee”) would certainly like to add young locksmiths to his action committee. If you have a desire to help, contact Direc- tor of Education Bill Lynk (bill@aloa. org) or Associate Director of Educa- tion John Hubel ([email protected]) and let them know you are willing to assist a new locksmith. As has been stated so aptly thousands of years ago: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” —Acts 20:35. ALOA SPAI Director of Ed- ucation William M. Lynk, CML, CPS, ICML, CMIL, CAI, M.Ed., has been a locksmith since 1975 and is the owner of www.ICLS- global.com. Bill is an IC specialist, an industry author, the subject matter expert on IC for ALOA, and an ALOA ACE instructor, teaching classes on interchangeable cores and master keying across the country. He has originated SFIC Technical Manuals for both national and international lock manufacturers, and main- tains a working relationship with the major lock and security manufacturers throughout the world. In 2013, he was named Keynotes Author of the Year. “Perhaps we cannot dedicate five years of merely watching the master locksmith, but surely you can take a youth under your wing to guide and teach.”
