Finding a Mentor

There are some mentors who can convey knowledge and valuable lessons through both their words and actions. Examples of this are Nobel Prize winners mentored by previous Nobel laureates. In the military, aides to general officers are more likely to make general themselves because they fall under the umbrella of someone who can tell them about their profession. Similarly, a mentor can expand your vision. Serving as an example, guider, and demonstrator to how the keys to the castle work. The mentoring advice I’d give you is to immediately seek someone in your profession, in your workplace to start this process. Foster a work relationship and start to explore your role as a mentee through commonality, character, and influence. If you find someone with the skills in these three areas, you’ll be off to the races in no time at all.


COMMONALITY. There are limits to finding someone to assist you and most of the time this fire needs a spark to create it. Most of us are somehow connected or inter-related in our work environment to someone of a senior rank. Search to find the commonality and further develop the mentor/mentee relationship through trust. Being honest and forthright is critical to establishing a relationship of value. For instance, when I began to work in a unit with pilots, I knew next to nothing about helicopters. But I did have a background in understanding atmospherics and weather impacts. Using this knowledge, I could ask senior aviators about the impacts of weather on their helicopters. This spark of interest broadened into a greater relationship with several mentors who helped open doors to my next tiered job upward.


CHARACTER. You’ve got to demonstrate characteristics valued at your organization. Although mission statements and value posters are abundant, you’ll sense the character of your organization in what they do. This is most evident during setbacks, shocks, and adverse times. Find a trusted mentor during this time and you’ll truly demonstrate commitment to your craft. During 2007, I experienced this in my work environment. Due to the large number of exiting mid-grade officers at the rank of captain, the Army had to offer a retention bonus between $150,000 for Special Forces and $20,000-35,000 and grad school to retain other types of officers. This effort to keep 7,500 active duty captains in the force. It was unheard of to offer such a retention bonus and a decade earlier the military offered payment for early release from active duty to save money. Alas, the situation changed, and the military was fighting in two large theaters of operations, thus the requirement for more leaders. Dedicated service and commitment wasn’t enough and the committed mentors working to retain talented officers where losing out due to the exhausting of the churn of deployments. The loss of top talent during these years required costly maintenance measures. Luckily, those committed officers who remained, with or without a bonus, made it through a tumultuous period and were fortunate to find great mentors. Be a person who searches and finds a mentor dedicated to the organization in even the toughest of times.


INFLUENCE. If you take steps to demonstrate initiative and drive where you’re employed, you’ll see that you’re moving in the right direction. We call this disciplined initiative. By taking action to create change in your workplace, people will notice. Again, that first step is often the hardest. My step into a new job meant I didn’t shed my old skills but instead grew new ones and intertwined the past lessons into my new space. Even here with instructing others in mentorship and leadership I can pull 22 years of service in the military, teaching as a college professor, and working with a new audience into growing and influencing other mentors to help me. By reaching out on social media or at networking events, it has helped me grow, bit by bit.


In summation, you’ve got the golden ticket, you just need to use it. Showing commonality, character, and influence will all lead to a match with a great mentor. Find that person who will help you find your greatness.