Leadership Spotlight -- Mentoring -- Updated and bumped

We received a good question with a follow-up response by RADM Brice-O'hara and updated this post:

Anonymous asked: RADM Brice-O'Hara: Ma'am, Thank you for sharing. But I have a question for you; did you aim for Admiral when you first joined the CG? Did your mentors provide you the steps needed to make it to the position you hold today?

I ask this b/k I am constantly changing my career path: It ends in 2034 when I retire as Commandant. As silly as it may sound, I feel that whatever you are involved in, you should have clear short and long term goals, or else you're just moving about with no real direction. It would be nice if there were some clear steps laid out for junior members wanting to make this a career. For example in your case; reading your bio is one thing, but giving us the "what set you apart from the rest" would really help in our understanding of what was needed to make it so far and so long in this organization. Is that the nature of your discussions with your mentees? Also, referring to the picture just posted, Are other CG Admirals providing mentorship to JO(s) like you are doing? It is really great to see. V/R
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RADM Brice-O'hara responds: Hello and thanks for taking the time to read this site. I can tell from your questions that you have put a lot of thought into your career and are anxious to continually improve. That is a great start, so let me give you a few more ideas that may be of use to you and other readers.

Setting realistic goals and taking actions to achieve them are critical for success in the Coast Guard, and equally important to being happy and fulfilled in life. I did not decide to become an admiral, instead my goals always focused on performance.

Fortunately, I have enjoyed every assignment and am thankful for the opportunities and responsibilities the Coast Guard has entrusted to me. Yes, I have gotten jobs I especially wanted, but I have also been assigned to places that were far from the top of my preferred duty station or type of job. It comes to this - you'll do fine as long as you keep a positive outlook and make good use of every opportunity put before you. I have many close friends and wonderful memories, as well as important professional learning from each of my nineteen assignments.

Throughout my career, I've done everything possible to master all aspects of my work, doing the best that I could in every instance. I set high standards and take a lot of pride in the quality, integrity and expertise reflected in my decisions and actions.

My mentors contributed to my achievements with encouragement and timely advice, such as pointing me to specific things that could help expand my professional knowledge. They gave me tips on applicable courses, books and articles to read; some pushed me to seek collateral duties that would broaden my experience.

I attempt to do the same for the men and women that I mentor. Instead of focusing just on what they know, I try to open their perspectives and nudge them to things they may not have considered. Helping them understand and effectively use policies, identifying ways to take advantage of applicable tools the the Service offers, or simply listening and providing a venue for venting are ways that I add value in the mentor-mentee relationship. Mentoring allows for some pretty frank conversation, which is healthy and should lead to better understanding about issues of concern.

And it works two ways, because as a mentor, generally to a more junior person, I benefit from hearing how Coast Guard policies and initiatives are received...was it as the organization intended, or were there unexpected consequences that necessitate further action by decision-makers?

So mentoring provides a great feedback loop in multiple ways. And yes, several of my peers, both flag officers and senior executive service civilians, are active mentors. ADM Allen sets the example from the top, and we all recognize that mentoring is a great way to further reinforce and embed values and principles among our fellow Guardians.

Finally, I'll point out how important my family has been during my Coast Guard career. This year, my husband and I will celebrate our 29th anniversary and we have two terrific adult sons. Sure, moving was challenging for the boys, but fortunately they readily made friends and did well in school despite many relocations. You may not think of your family as mentors, but I sure got a lot of advice - mostly good! - and ideas from them. We should never lose sight of how important our loved ones are to us. We could not do well on the job if we did not have a lot of support and flexibility at home. Remember to tell your loved ones how much you appreciate them!

Thanks for your service now, and to 2034. If you're the commandant, or at some other level in the Coast Guard, make certain that at the end of the day, you have made a positive contribution, that you have performed with the highest professionalism and dedication that will distinguish you as one of America's Maritime Guardians.

Semper Paratus,
RADM Sally Brice-O'Hara
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Original Post by Rear Admiral Brice-O'Hara, Deputy Commandant for Operations:

Guardians!

I've long been an advocate of Mentoring, so am pleased to have the chance to share a few thoughts about this important tool for leaders and followers. I recommend that you check out all 28 of the Coast Guard Leadership Competencies, including mentoring.

Has Mentoring contributed to my personal and professional success? Absolutely!

As a result of being mentored, I've benefited from the ideas of a variety of people with different experiences and perspectives. Having a trusted person to talk with outside of my chain of command often validated the very things that my own supervisors were telling me. Mentors have helped me refine my own goals and encouraged me to stretch to take on new challenges. Hearing how someone else overcame obstacles or resolved a problem is a great way to gain the self-confidence to tackle an issue, enroll in a course, give a speech, or seek a particular assignment. One of the best things about my mentors has been their accessibility and willingness to listen and provide advice.

With more than 34 years of active duty, I've also enjoyed serving as both an informal and formal mentor to many officers, enlisted members, Auxiliarists, and civilians. In every instance, honest dialogue and accessibility are essential to the relationship. Email is a tremendous way to stay in touch when units are deployed or we are separated by distance. I also like to schedule face-to-face meetings, or at least periodic phone calls, to establish stronger ties to the individuals I mentor. But, that's not always necessary; in fact some of my most productive mentoring has been with an individual who was a junior petty officer when we began corresponding and is now a chief petty officer, yet, we have never met in person. Be creative in using whatever technologies best fill the needs of both parties.

Mentoring is a career and life development tool that is particularly relevant to our current organizational climate. The Coast Guard is leaning forward to modernize and we are executing increasingly complex missions...this is not a time for complacency, incompetence, or failure. Entering into a mentoring relationship can accelerate your expertise and keep you competitive in this dynamic environment. It is a two-way relationship that adds value for both mentor and mentee by enhancing knowledge and awareness.

I encourage you to give this learning partnership a try for new approaches to improve professional skills or to obtain objective feedback and guidance. Like everything that we do in the Coast Guard, preparedness is key. To help you get started in a mentoring relationship, or to hone your leadership, check out these useful resources.

A quote that I found on the web sums it up well, "Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction."


Rear Admiral Brice-O'Hara and her mentee, LT Hannah Bealon.