Which is not to say I didn't learn anything, of course. You certainly learn what not to do: what turns of phrase to avoid, which verbs not to use, what careless grammatical mistakes others make that you will not. One could even argue that a student learns more from a harsh master than a kind one, as any praise granted is always hard-earned and, by that logic, unquestionably deserved.

I've parlayed that pursuit of a very high standard into more journalism awards than most people earn, and that dedication is unwavering. I'm my own worst critic, and there's no question I've come out on the other side a better person for all my experiences.

I have chosen to no longer continue a relationship with the two longtime bosses who helped shape me as a professional; from both I also learned important lessons in how not to treat people—how to exhibit patience but be firm, to encourage potential and help to foster one's talent, and at the end of the day, always give credit where it's due. It's served me well.

There's no question that the insurance industry, or any business, for that matter, greatly benefits from the experience of shared knowledge and mentoring relationships. If both parties allow themselves the gift of accepting the wisdom of another's experience, regardless of age, all of us will always find something new to learn.

The biggest obstacle in making this a reality is not finding but making the time to do so, as so many sources lamented when I spoke to them for my feature on carriers' and agencies' growing need to attract and train more young talent.

Diane Mattis, executive director of InVEST, an organization that works to educate young people in how the insurance industry operates, raised an excellent point as we talked about the industry's need to help cultivate young talent, a journey that inevitably involves mentoring. Perhaps the word “mentor,” she said, is too loaded a term; it somehow conjures images of having a young eager beaver sitting beside you, hanging on your every word—or an investment of time that so few of us can afford in the early 21st century American workplace. Rather, we should think of it as being a “role model” instead, thus removing the formal pretext.

Indeed, leading by example and seizing teaching moments would seem an excellent strategy. And that starts with recognizing your own level of knowledge.

I was recently having drinks with a former colleague and the point came up that until you become a manager or team leader and have to direct others, you often don't realize how much you do know. You spend so many years constantly trying to learn everything you can, regularly beating yourself up because up until now, damn it, you didn't already know the thing that you just learned.

This cycle, of course, repeats itself until the fateful day when you realize that it's now you who's responsible for instructing your charges in how things are done—and suddenly it's your turn to be the teacher.

The question then becomes, will you lead by example and share that knowledge, or leave that task to someone else?