Throughout the history of this organization, one task the Army has done best is build its own leaders from the ground up. It could be said that is something it specializes in, and also something it takes pride in when given the reasonability of such a task. With that said, most soldiers have a firm understanding and believe that the people taken under one’s wing will be a walking representation of that person as an individual and a leader.
Consequently, it is important for all leaders within the Army to understand mentor and mentee relationships in the Army in regard to how it affects the individual soldier, what it does for the company and/or battalion, and how this system impacts the Army as a whole. According to Army Regulation 600-100, Army Profession and Leadership Policy, mentorship is defined as “the voluntary developmental relationship that exists between a person of greater experience and a person of lesser experience that is characterized by mutual trust and respect (Army, 2017).” Mentorship is a key component in the Army, and it will keep the Army from being one of the best forces in the world, starting with how it affects the individual Soldier.
When soldiers enlist into the Army the first set of training they undertake is starting the process of mentorship by conditioning them to think differently and breaking as many bad habits as possible. Doing such a thing lessens the headache of the person that will be receiving the soldier once they complete the training. Now, this doesn’t work for everyone joining the army, but if their Drill Sergeants at basic training are able to reach at least half, that’s a good percentage that can be molded into future leaders that will someday continue to shape the Army.
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Master Sergeant Leslie Renken said “As leaders we must ‘invest’ in our Army, that investment is the development of the next generation of great leaders that will guide the future of our Army (Leslie, 2017).” As a Team Leader and/or Squad Leader, it is their job to guide soldiers by providing direction, motivation, and purpose making them into the best soldiers and people that they can become. How can they do this? The first and utmost important thing is leading by example.
Leading by example is key because soldiers tend to want to do the things their leader and/or mentors do, the way that they see it done, as well as act the way that they act. So, it is easy to say that setting the standard as a mentor will go a long way with a soldier and his or her development. Next, is holding soldiers accountable, but not just to the standard. Mentors and/or leaders need to make them understand that exceeding the standard is the new standard for the Army that they are working to develop. By doing this mentors will build better leaders and soldiers that will someday move onto a different unit instilling the same mindset in his or her soldiers.
If mentors and/or leaders can get this process going, they will slowly shape and transform more soldiers, ultimately changing the Army. Lastly, it is important that mentors build a professional relationship showing that they care about each soldier. This means that they should take the time to get to know each soldier, help them set goals and explain the importance of achieving their goals, talk to them about life lessons, sharing personal experiences for them to learn from, and talking to them about the ways to better develop and educate themselves to help within and outside of the Army.
If leaders take this three-step approach not only will they build better leaders that will go out and continue the process, but they will also get other soldiers that will notice them as an effective mentor and will want to fall under their lead to be developed. This is a popular way of thinking. Even Master Sergeant Leslie Renken said, “Somewhere in this process, if we truly were trying to be the example of standards, discipline and expertise, one of our Soldiers saw those traits in us and they in turn selected you to become their mentor, and so the mentorship cycle began (Leslie, 2017).” This starts with the individual Soldier, but it will lead to having a great impact on the Company and/or Battalion, which will also have a great impact on the Army as a whole.
Companies and/or Battalion have no control over the soldiers that will be coming into their units. This is why the job ultimately falls on mentors to develop a better quality of soldier to push out. The one thing the Army has control over is making sure leaders are developed mentors. The organization could look into emplacing classes taught by senior leaders and civilians that specialize in areas pertaining to mentoring. They could make such classes a requirement starting at the team leader level. Not schools with classes like The Advanced Leaders Course, but a school or class formatted for teaching pure leadership and mentoring skills. That is about the only solution at the highest level. The Army has people within its organization that are natural born leaders, but structuring such a thing will help individuals that struggle in this area develop, providing a balance.
In general, it depends on the ability to be able to shape the individual soldier. This is because if mentors can handle these issues at the lowest level they will make their Companies and/or Battalions, and in turn the Army, superior to others like the organization. It was said that “Organizations can no longer expect to be competitive unless they inspire, mentor and make them learn continuously.” Having the ability to mentor soldiers at an efficient rate will provide the Army the type of competitiveness it will need to keep it elevating as an organization. It will rub off person to person, which will develop the creditably of Companies and/or Battalions keeping a more competitive atmosphere throughout the Army.
As Companies and/or Battalions receive the best quality soldiers they will come across other units that will see how they conduct themselves, perform, and execute tasks, which will make them follow suite. It is known that being around the best will always bring out the best, which will not just mean trying to keep up, but also by learning from the way things are done and mimicking the process. This is the best way to force other organizations to make the change. Little by little the impressive qualities will spread, and that is all it will take to make more quality soldiers and slowly bring about the change that will continue to shape the Army.
In conclusion, mentors keep the Organization at the top, and it is all done by taking on the responsibility of mentoring and developing soldiers. Most of the information provided covered how mentoring relationships affect the individual soldier because it is of that much importance. These relationships are what shape the units in the Army, as well as make the Army one of the best forces in the world. Every mentor must understand that making changes to influence the soldiers will not only transition into producing a better quality soldier, but will also change the quality of the unit, which will not only keep the Army as one of the best militaries in the world, but will also shape it into an organization that will distinguish itself from any other similar organization.
After all, Master Sergeant Leslie Renken believes, “Our survival as the top military force depends on this cycle to be never ending and for leaders to understand that developing the next generation of leaders must be a priority to all. In order to remain the most powerful, respected and feared military in the world this investment is really our greatest contribution to the Army. Without this investment and the continual development of strong outstanding leaders, our Army will not continue to lead the way for others to follow or to be feared if crossed (Leslie, 2017).”
References
- Aman, S. (2015). Effect Of Meaning On Military Personnel Retention. from http://local:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/147
- Army Profession and Leadership Policy, AR 600-100 (2017)
- Renken, L. R. (2017). Mentorship: Understanding a Leader’s Investment. from https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journal/Archives/2017/December/Mentorship/
