JOINT BASE CHARLESTON –
Not too long after I pinned on the rank of captain - at barely four years in the Air Force - I recall hearing about the buzz of "mentorship." My squadron commander at the time told me I needed to start thinking about who my mentor would be or else one would be assigned for me.
Fortunately, the assigned mentor never came, but the role has been filled by several folks at different times throughout my 14 years in the Air Force.
The dictionary defines a mentor as a wise and trusted counselor or teacher, or an influential senior sponsor or supporter. In most instances this may fit by definition, but a mentor can be almost anyone: a friend, a confidant, a supervisor, a peer, a subordinate or a superior. While I feel I have endured countless mentoring moments, I'd like to share a few I still reflect upon today.
After nearly seven months at my first base, I was a "green" second lieutenant in the Air Force. I recall getting the news that I had been selected to be an instructor. I was mortified; I had not taken public speaking in college and could not imagine raising my hand for instructor duty.
Arriving at my new unit, a friendly, bubbly master sergeant took me under her wing and was determined that I would succeed in the classroom. She had far more confidence in me than I did in myself. As time went on I practiced more, and with her encouraging words and sound advice, I eventually bloomed into one of the best in the unit.
A few years later, I worked with a very special chief master sergeant. I was a first lieutenant when I got to the unit, and within six months, I pinned on captain. As far as this chief was concerned, I might as well have come in the Air Force the day before I arrived at his unit.
He was our first sergeant and I was the section commander. He taught me through a variety of experiences with our Airmen, positive and negative, that rank should always be respected, but real respect would be earned. We had more than 500 Airmen in the unit we were taking care of, and he reminded me (almost daily) that multitasking while making timely decisions often defines the best leaders.
Back to the buzz of mentorship, I recall two female officers senior to me who decided they were going to be my mentors. One of them, a major, brought me into her office when I was a lieutenant and told me, "us women, we're minorities, we need to stick together." The next was a lieutenant colonel when I was a captain who said it was her duty to mentor me, as she was the senior female on the base, and she clearly knew what was best for me in today's Air Force, serving as a woman. I gained little from either of them.
Like a lot of people, I have had many mentors. But even to this day, I have one person I call who will give it to me straight, call it like it is, and point me in the right direction. She is senior to me, so she fits the mold of a typical mentor, but she provides unbiased, unemotional advice when I need it most, from career and assignment advice to life decisions.
Like a wingman, we each need a mentor. It doesn't matter if your mentor is a supervisor, superior, officer or enlisted, civilian or friend. A mentor can provide encouragement and confidence, help us learn how to take care of our Airmen, and show us support when we need it most.
I reflect on these mentoring moments often, as it's the memories that make and shape us into who we are today. Think about it ... you may even have mentors, whom you would never have defined as such, but their interest, time, advice, encouragement and strength are with you always.