My Mentor
Kyle LaCroix
There will always be impactful people in our lives. But sometimes it is left up to us to extract their guidance and wisdom.
My career as a tennis teaching professional has been guided by lessons that a special man provided me. He never told me what they were. He just lived them every day.
My mentor was one of the most gifted athletes I ever saw. He was 6’1" and weighed 185lbs. He was a wonderful basketball player when he was younger with a silky smooth arsenal developed on the streets and gyms of the Philadelphia suburbs where he grew up.
He was a star quarterback on his high school football team who broke down opposing defenses with a live arm and laser like accuracy and tight spirals. He was also a baseball pitcher, possessing a knack for delivering the perfect pitch based on the count time and time again.
My mentor had no real impact on my tennis game. He never spoke of enjoying tennis and never showed an interest in my own pursuit of the game. Not once.
But I did play with him once. He grabbed an old racket out of my bag with worn strings and a disintegrating grip. I had no idea he could even hit a tennis ball. Yet here he was hitting forceful forehand drives, vicious backhand slices and crisp volleys.
The Real Impact
His real impact was on my philosophy of business. This came from observing the habits and unspoken beliefs that guided him everyday.
My mentor never followed the crowd. Starting with a corporate culinary career, he went on to own and operate two successful restaurants. When everyone told him to play it safe and stick with the corporate gig, he ignored them and worked even harder to make his dream a reality. He created a dining culture unlike all the others, one his customers desired.
My mentor encouraged me to find my own way and to think differently than my peers. He emphasized the importance of independence and being an original.
He was always willing to support any idea or ambition I had in sports, travel and life. He always hoped I forged vivid memories and experiences that would make my future.
What I learned was this. Don’t compare yourself to the competition. Change the paradigm and make your business a model for others to follow. Instead of asking "What are they doing?" ask "What can I be doing?"
The Value of Hard Work
My mentor always stressed working full days. He led by example. That’s all he knew how to do. Never did I hear of him calling in sick, getting in late or leaving early. Nor did I hear him complain about the long hours, physical labor or issues with customers.
And when he worked, he did it with a focus and intensity that was amazing--measured, precise, organized, purposeful. He never had a bad word spoken about him by his staff, his friends or any customers. He was reliable and his word was his bond.
The work ethic he displayed over the decades won people over, helped business grow, and made many people comfortable sums of money to live off of.
But the person that benefitted the most from it all was himself. The pride of a job well done was his greatest thrill, not for medals, trophies or prominence, just for knowing that he did it and did it right no matter how many hours it took.
I learned from my mentor that there are many things you can’t control in life, but the one that you can control is your own personal effort. It’s a reflection of you as an employee, a person, and a leader.
The smile of satisfaction when you lay your head down on that pillow signifies mission accomplished, and it instills motivation and discipline for you to do something bigger the next day. I learned from my mentor that putting out the best product or service should not be a chore, it should be a habit.
Never being one to accept mediocrity, my mentor was merciless when it came to "making it nice." Whether he was hosting an event for 50 people or 500, his never failed to pay attention to detail and always had the willingness to go above and beyond.
He was obsessed with perfection with what he could control and his staff knew if he got his hands on it, he would turn it into something special. His infatuation with "making it nice" came from self-pride and the general principle that the product says more about the philosophy, culture and quality of the business than anything else.
The customer has one shot to like what you do and should feel blown away. If there was ever something he had even the slimmest doubt about, He would scrape it and start from scratch.
He built a culture of excellence not from dictating, instilling fear, or mountains of cash. He built it from upholding his own standards.
As a tennis teacher, I learned from my mentor to impress my students and customer base by providing memorable experiences. Students recognize the difference and will make your lessons, programs and club a routine part of their life and their own culture of excellence.
I learned to raise the standard of how tennis should be taught so students share with you their two most precious commodities, time and money.
Who Was He?
The mentor I speak about happened to be my father. Oddly enough, our relationship was never that strong and at times was tumultuous. It lacked closeness. There was never any real verbal guidance. But the lessons were there.
Charles LaCroix lost his battle with cancer on January 24th 2019. I never got a chance to sit down, thank him, or discuss with him the lessons I learned from his life. I wish I had done so to learn more and make myself even better.
If you get the chance, reach out to your mentor, whomever he may be. Find out more about what guided him. Add to the lessons you learn and, if you are a tennis teacher, the lessons you teach.
