Importance of mentorship Published March 9, 2009 By Lt. Col. Joseph Milner 30th Security Forces Squadron commander VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Mentorship is a buzzword these days. It seems to have different meanings for different people. Some consider it a form of counseling, communicating, or learning by example from someone usually senior to you, while others call it leadership. No matter what you call it, it is beneficial to any organization. However, there seems to be some mystery surrounding mentorship, so let's break it down into its simplest forms. Mentoring is the presence of individuals who provide support, advice, reinforcement and constructive examples to help others succeed. A mentor is a person of greater knowledge or wisdom who shares this experience to help develop abilities of those junior to him. Mentoring helps prepare officers, enlisted members and civilians for increased responsibilities by encouraging job competency, military education, professional development and higher education. It also prepares them to serve the needs of the Air Force and our nation. Mentoring encourages people by promoting communication, and personal and professional development. According to Air Force Policy Directive 36-34: "Mentoring is a fundamental responsibility of all Air Force supervisors." However, mentoring should take place because everyone gains when there is a healthy exchange of information. Leaders realize those junior to them are watching and learning from them even if it is at a distance. However, with the amount of information and knowledge available to everyone, plus the downsizing of our forces, leaders need to accept the task of intentionally training those junior to them. "Distance learning" will never be as beneficial as one-on-one mentoring. If left to learn at a distance, our subordinates will apply their perceptions of what they see and hear to the issues of their unit. They will have to decide for themselves the best way to handle different situations. The danger with this is "their perception" may not be reality, because they may not have all the facts. Therefore, open communication with supervisors will ensure the right lessons are being learned and correct information is being disseminated. Who should mentor - You! All supervisors are responsible for the development of those junior to them. Supervisors of all ranks and positions can, and should, mentor those junior to them. Actually, mentoring occurs all the time. Each time you have a discussion with another military member, at a minimum, informal mentoring is taking place as you are providing insight based on your own experiences. Therefore, it is imperative that information provided is thoughtful and beneficial to the individual as well as the organization. Mentors are not expected to have all the answers. Sometimes just listening attentively is all people need. But, mentoring can mean the difference between success and failure. Mentoring is a fundamental responsibility of all Airmen. It helps subordinates reach their full potential, thus enhancing the overall professionalism of the Air Force. Additionally, when an interest is shown in others, the Air Force is able to retain its most valuable asset, the people. If the Air Force is to continue to be the best in the world, it not only needs superior weapon systems, but personnel who are advanced in their knowledge and skills. Behind the scenes of the Air Force's personnel, however, is caring mentors that took the time to listen, learn and advise to the best of their abilities.