Mentorship -- as important as anything you do

  • Published
  • By Maj Tom Lesnick
  • 88th Medical Support Squadron
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Oh. --  "The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own." -- Benjamin Disraeli

How important is mentorship? Consider if mentors did not exist. The concept is almost unfathomable.

I cannot imagine a meaningful endeavor in which I would not depend heavily upon others to help me find opportunities. Mentors offer solutions or potential solutions to complex problems and can be credited with inspiring incredible performance and achievement. Mentors rarely exist in the mundane world engaged in fruitless activity; rather, we see their fingerprints on the likes of the automobile or Nobel Prize or an organization operating at its peak performance.

I would submit that mentorship, giving and receiving, is as important as anything you do.
 
Engaging - ship should be as vital to you as comprehending the meaning of a policy letter or an Air Force instruction. When you want to perfect a 1206 or enlisted performance report to ensure you are taking care of an Airman, you undoubtedly hand it to a trusted colleague or mentor for review.

We depend on mentors to add value and quality to correspondence that could impact the lives of Airmen and customers. When dealing with a leadership challenge, we almost always, by default discuss the issue with a mentor. It may seem like venting or complaining at the time, but what we are really seeking is approval or disapproval of our approach. These interactions are critical to the effective operation of our organizations and can only occur in an environment where mentorship is placed at a great premium.

I any memories of accomplishment, I can always attribute it to a mentor. At Fort Campbell, Ky., it was a stellar major who challenged my fitness level until I got in shape. He often reminded me that fitness was an officer obligation and not keeping up was unacceptable. He hinted that the only thing that would improve my fitness issue was to challenge myself, daily. It hurt to hear it but I was not challenging myself. I began to do so and I got in good shape.

At Vance Air Force Base, Calif., it was a senior NCO from the dental flight who taught me Air Force leadership hurts sometimes and even brings many to tears, but it was no reason to avoid addressing an issue. Rather, he pointed out that it was my duty to deal with the problem head-on. It was tough, but I did address the issue and things ended up for the better.

Royal Force - enheath, United Kingdom, a senior NCO from another base took a hard look at our deployment program and told me it was in rough shape. He said the only thing that would fix it was many hours from everyone in the shop and an attitude adjustment from me. He was right, my attitude needed to change. It did and we started to see improvement quickly.

Now I am surrounded by mentors, formal and informal, although strangely, they've become somewhat monolithic. I still receive mentorship that is directive in nature, but it is the exception. Interestingly, the most regular form of feedback I receive from mentors nowadays is silence. I've observed that many times at the senior level, people, even generals and chief master sergeants say nothing at all to communicate and mentor. Listen for the silence, it can speak volumes.

This is a mentorship golden nugget I will keep close at hand for years to come. Here are a few mentorship truths I have gleaned though the years:

› No mentorship equals no legacy. Mentors are visionaries and renaissance people who inspire following generations.

› Without mentors, inspiration is not possible. Inspiration is the bedrock of mentorship. Inspiration does not need to be flabbergasting; conversely, it can be one well-placed piece of advice or an anecdotal story that motivates people.

› Mentorship is continuity. It sustains vision without which we may not enjoy most technological advancements and combat capability.

› Without the influence of a mentor. Unless you are a daring person by nature, it is likely that you are or were inspired by someone to step out of your comfort zone.

› It is easy and sensible to extrapolate that many of the inventions that afford us a luxurious lifestyle (such as the automobile, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and manned flight) were the result of inspiration being passed from one generation to another via a formal or informal mentor relationship.