Mentoring: A forgotten art

  • Published
  • By Maj. Patrick Steen
  • 387th Expeditionary Security Forces commander
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) --  In today's age of technology and invention, we have a tendency of focusing more resources on bigger and better gadgets. And in the Air Force, our gadgets are pretty magnificent works of art. They dwarf our nearest competitors.

Specifically, I am referring to aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor and the C-17 Globemaster III, the latest in communications technology or the state of the art lasers of tomorrow. Our aircraft, for instance, are on the cutting edge of technology and one of the primary reasons our enemies fear and respect us as an airpower.

But in our tremendous drive to push toward the heavens with new machinery, we as a community push aside our basic combatant training. In the last several years, we have begun the transition of getting back to our combatant roots with the establishment of Combat Skills Training, robust enlisted Warrior Week training and various upgraded regional training centers.

This much needed and timely training is a step in the right direction, but we should continue to raise the bar and challenge today's Airmen.

The training I'm referring to can only be accomplished by the leader or supervisor serving next to us every day. Unlike combat skills and Warrior Week, the biggest benefit of this training is it doesn't cost a thing.

I'm talking about the art of mentoring. Mentor has a plethora of definitions: trainer, teacher, experienced advisor or supporter, to name a few. A mentor can personalize the training experience, inspire the junior Airman and be the living example an Airman needs to press ahead in his or her career.

The Air Force will always be in search of more teachers, mentors or trainers, and each Airman should strive to become a great mentor to the Airmen around them. We all have friends in our workcenters, but how many mentors are there? How many Airmen can you turn to for professional advice about your career or simply to inspire and challenge you to be a better Airman?

I propose a challenge. This challenge is very unique and simple, but we all unknowingly take it without exception across the course of our careers and lives. I challenge each and every one of you to be a good mentor.

At some point, we are all teachers or mentors in every sense of the word. Every action we choose to take in the workplace or off duty influences the Airman serving with us in some way.

The critical piece is being cognizant of your actions and asking yourself, "Will I be a positive or negative influence?" Do my actions reflect the Air Force's core values?

Every action we choose to make will influence those around you to some degree. My challenge is one we must all take if we are to master the art of mentoring and become that positive influence in someone else's life.

With every senior Airman mentoring the junior Airman next to them, we will achieve heights never before seen in the Air Force.

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