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A mentor by any other name...
Posted 10/31/2011
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Commentary by Chief Master Sgt. Steve McDonald
Chief of Enlisted Force Development
10/31/2011 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- A new assignment. A new project. An unexpected or planned change in your life. The need for a decision in a situation you haven't faced before. These are all times when it is great to have someone to give you advice and counsel. Naturally, you want someone who has been through the experience and dealt with it successfully.
When most people think of mentoring, they generally conjure up a picture of the elder statesman or the very successful person who is older and of a higher professional status. How else can they help you unless they have seen it all, experienced it all, and overcome it all?
The Air Force fosters a mentoring culture expecting Airmen to be both mentors and mentees. The Air Force mentoring program recognizes and supports both formal and informal mentoring relationships. A formal relationship is one established almost through an agreement. Will you be my mentor? Yes, I will be your mentor. Short of signing a contract, it's a relationship both parties enter knowingly and with expectations. The most basic formal mentoring relationship is between a supervisor and subordinate.
An informal relationship, on the other hand, is one often occurring out of the normal course of events; when two people realize they have something in common and one can help the other because of a shared experience. The interesting thing about the informal mentor is that you never know who that person is going to be. It can easily break the stereotypes of the older, wiser, seen-it-all, and done-it-all model.
The important thing about being a mentor is a willingness to help. It's having a vested interest in someone else's success. This is easy to see from a supervisor-subordinate relationship. Of course, supervisors have a vested interest in the success of their subordinates. But it should also be easy to see how a person can also have a vested interest in the success of a co-worker or peer.
In both the informal or formal mentoring relationships, it doesn't have to be a co-worker or supervisor. It can be anyone who has experienced the situation and wants to help.
My previous tenure as the Command Chief Master Sergeant for the 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, is a good illustration of how different types of mentoring relationships exist. This was my first command chief position, so there were a lot of unknowns on my part and any advice I received was very welcome.
My commander was an officer I had known from a previous assignment. He was (and is still) a remarkable officer and provided very sage advice and insightful guidance. I learned a great deal from him. This was more of a formal mentoring relationship, and is one I look back on with fond memories. To this day, I know I can still call him and receive guidance and advice at any time.
In addition to my commander, the other chiefs in the wing were crucial to the overall success of our mission and our Airmen. I counted on them for guidance and blatant honesty as we worked together. We didn't always agree, but the input I received was invaluable. This was more of an informal mentoring relationship, and I probably never told those chiefs how much I appreciated their advice or how much they helped me grow professionally.
The final mentoring relationship I would like to discuss, from my time at Ramstein, was with my executive assistant. He was a technical sergeant. We would have frequent discussions about the Air Force, the mission, and what was required to be successful.
From the outside, this would appear as a chief master sergeant mentoring a technical sergeant, and I hope there was some of that going on. What others did not see was the volume of sage advice I received as we talked. He had a perspective on the enlisted force I did not have. After all, it had been more than 10 years since I was at his level. I needed his viewpoint, and I trusted his input. I think I was mentored, in many ways, just as much as he was.
I understand there is a difference between mentoring and just giving advice. I also understand the importance of having formal and informal mentors in your life.
The point I would like to make is that there are people all around you who can provide mentoring, and you shouldn't dismiss the opportunity to learn from them. Effective mentoring relationships can come from many different sources.
I would not dare try to define an exact formula for a successful mentoring relationship; however, Air Force officials are in the process of publishing a mentoring manual to provide concrete examples of the different mentoring relationships, best practices to be instilled in a mentoring program, expectations of mentors and mentees, and training resources.
When it is released, I challenge each of you to read it and apply the techniques to your personal and professional development.
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| SMSgt Jeff Samuelson, Martinsburg WV |
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| RAY, Also tax payer USA |
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| CMSgt Brian Miller, Moody AFB GA |
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| David Klingman, New York |
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| Lt Col Sean Kern, Kandahar AFG |
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| CMSgt Sherri Olson, Peterson AFB |
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| Jay, tax payer USA |
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| MSgt Dave Elonen, Yougnstown ARS OH |
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