Mentorship – A Different Perspective

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Russell Hastings
  • 48th Maintenance Operations Squadron chief enlisted manager
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  In my former travels as a first sergeant and in my current tenure as a chief, I've had several junior and senior enlisted members tell me that they've never been mentored.

Comments were usually along these lines: "I don't know what to do shirt. If I'd only been mentored I might be better prepared to handle the situation." ...or..."You know chief, you're the first person that's taken the time to mentor me."

The Air Force formalized mentoring through the publication of AFI 36-3401. This process calls for the assignment of mentors and spells out their specific responsibilities. However, unofficial mentoring still takes place both in and out of the work place. It is this everyday human interaction that I'd like to address.

In my opinion, the most effective mentors are not assigned - we choose them ourselves. Often times the mentors we choose are older and or higher in rank - but not always. In many cases, it's not a conscious choice. We simply tend to emulate people that we admire. This is mentorship in its purest form.

There are five or six individuals I've viewed as mentors throughout my career. These are the people I've admired and, in one way or another, have made me a better Airman and a better person. If asked, I doubt that any of them would define their role with me as "mentor." More probable responses would be: supervisor, chief, friend, peer, subordinate, colleague or commander. In some cases, they may have even considered me as their mentor.

Mentorship is out there. It doesn't even require a user name or password. Instead of waiting for someone to sit you down and give you the answer to life's mysteries, I challenge you to be the aggressor. Seek out individuals around you that you admire and solicit their mentorship. First, ask questions, observe and emulate, then solicit feedback.

When individuals tell me they haven't been mentored, I wonder what they're waiting for.