Make mentoring part of duties as AF airman Published Nov. 2, 2006 By Maj. Daryl Cunningham 71st Logistics Readiness Squadron Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- As military professionals, none of us enjoy successful careers by relying solely on our own merit or experiences. Even our greatest leaders throughout history have given credit to people who have inspired them and guided their careers directly or indirectly. These people, regardless of whether or not they consciously accepted the role, are mentors. Webster's Dictionary defines a mentor as a "trusted counselor or guide. Mentoring, therefore, is a relationship in which a person with greater experience and wisdom guides another person to develop both personally and professionally." In its simplest terms and in the words of my boss, mentoring is "old guys helping young guys" by sharing their wisdom and experience gained by having already walked in the shoes the young guy is wearing. This basic support of all Air Force members is absolutely critical to creating effective leaders and followers for the future. Part of every "old guy's" duties is to train a "young guy" to one day replace him. Without active, direct mentoring, young troops may learn through observation or by example, but they are not afforded maximum opportunities to optimize their own professional development. One common misconception about mentoring is that it only occurs as the result of negative behavior or someone doing something wrong. This can't be further from the true intent of mentoring. Granted, mentoring may and should occur in conjunction with disciplinary action, but mentoring itself is a purely positive concept. Like discipline, mentoring is meant to influence future behavior but should also be applied to build on positive situations and outcomes as well as help guide troops away from negativity. As military members, our primary mentor must be our direct supervisor and as an absolute minimum, we should receive mentoring during mandatory initial and follow-up feedback sessions. Contrary to popular belief, these sessions should not be limited to discussing duty performance. Feedback sessions should include a well thought-out game plan to optimize professional development, including professional military education, future duty positions and assignments, off-duty education and advice derived from personal experience in a variety of areas. This doesn't mean we can't have mentors who are not our direct supervisor, nor in our direct chain of command. A mentor can be a former supervisor, a peer with more experience, a friend or family member or possibly someone else higher in your chain of command. Having different individuals as mentors in no way undermines the authority of the direct supervisor -- the primary mentor. All of these individuals can offer different perspectives on your professional and personal development that you can benefit from. The mentor and mentored relationship has often been described or compared to that of parent and child. Even though no one in the military is still treated like a child, we all have different levels of professional and life experience that can benefit others. As such, a mentor can also give personal advice and guidance as well as professional. It's a well-known fact our professional lives are directly affected by our personal lives. Mentors can help us deal with difficult personal situations but mentors must know when an individual's problem is beyond their expertise. In these cases, mentors should refer individuals to specialized counselors such as a military chaplain, thus minimizing the chances of doing more harm than good. If you're not totally convinced about the "power of mentoring," ask someone you feel has had or is having a successful career if someone took the time to advise and guide them along the way. The answer will be a resounding "yes" 100 percent of the time. Some may not use the term mentor, but trust me, mentorship has occurred. Don't leave mentorship to chance with the troops entrusted to your care and leadership. Take an active role in developing tomorrow's leaders.