Mentorship

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Travis Condon
  • 436th Mission Support Group deputy commander
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  After serving more than 25 years in the Air Force, a few things have become very clear; relationships matter and the mission must be done. This article will focus on relationships, particularly from a mentorship point of view. Regardless of your age, experience, etc., everyone can improve who they are, how they behave, and what they do. We are not born with all the wisdom it takes to do what we need to do and do it well. That comes with time, training, guidance and experience.

I've learned plenty from my own experiences, both mistakes and successes, but have learned even more from the guidance and wisdom of two primary mentors over the years. Both of them are honest brokers who provide sound judgment, experience and advice. Do they always tell me what I want to hear? Absolutely not! But they do tell me what I need to hear.

Why did they decide to take valuable time from their busy lives to help me when they had more responsibility and were certainly much busier? It came down to a couple of reasons:

1) They felt it was their responsibility to bring up the next generation and took a very personal interest in doing that; and
2) I listened and applied the given advice.

I know they've both tried to mentor others, but many didn't listen or apply it to their career plan. I'll never fully understand why that is, but I do know mentorship is a two-way relationship.

So how does this apply to you? It means you will most likely find yourself in both roles simultaneously. As the mentor, you should provide good honest feedback and advice to the person you are helping and as the mentee, you should listen and apply. I've seen so many fantastic people who wanted to achieve more, but couldn't because they didn't know or found out too late.

I know if they were given the right mentorship over the years, things would probably have turned out differently. With that, I'm forever indebted to retired Col. Dean Smith and retired Col. Michael Friedlein for their friendship and mentorship. I know for a fact, without their mentorship, my career path and results would be much different. I know I would not have handled situations or made career decisions like they suggested.

It's a new year! Make a commitment to be a mentor to at least one additional person. It doesn't have to be a formal process; it's a matter of building a relationship. They don't have to work for you or even be at the same base. This is an ongoing relationship that never ends. You will supervise many people over the years, but you will most likely only be a mentor to a few; take it seriously, be honest with them, and mesh their personal and professional desires to help them achieve what is important to them.

In doing so, don't be afraid to help them realize they can achieve more than they thought. Help push them to greater levels of success and break through the barrier of the unknown. It comes down to leadership--not just being a leader at work, but as a young chaplain once said, "Be a leader in their life."

A final note on leadership, if you weren't able to attend the Airman Leadership School graduation where Chief Master Sgt. Joe Riff spoke on leadership, you missed out on one of the most engaging speeches I've heard at an official event. To sum up, he said leadership is hard, it hurts and it matters. Get a copy, read it, and learn from him and his experience. If you can't find a copy of the speech, send me a note I'll send it to you!