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We’ve all had our moments

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. George Belsom
  • CMSAF Bud Andrews Airman Leadership School commandant
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  As I sat down to write this article, I contemplated how I would start. 

In the background a song was playing by Emerson Drive, and it hit me. What sums up mentorship to me are the words of this song; "I've had my moments, days in the sun, moments, I was second to none, when I knew I did things I thought I couldn't do." 

I've been there, I've had my moments and now it's time for me to pass on what I have learned from those moments. Mentorship is not just a word, or a catch all bullet for an Enlisted Performance Report, it's a responsibility. In Air Force Instruction 36-2618, Enlisted Force Structure, the word or form of the word mentor is used nine times, that's not an accident. Every enlisted tier is responsible for mentorship. 

I want to specifically zero in on one the senior NCO tier: AFI 36-2618 specifically states that; "Senior NCOs are to further develop junior enlisted Airmen and NCOs under their charge to maximize their leadership abilities." Now I want you to stop, take a deep breath and ask yourself this question, "What have I done to mentor my subordinates?" Have you completed your CCAF? Joined a professional organization? Participated in an organizational event? Visited the Dining facility, Chapel, dorms, or Scott Club to familiarize yourself with your subordinates' living conditions? Corrected violations as well as recognizing those who maintain and exceed those standards? Are you an active and visible leader? Have you taken the necessary steps to ensure your subordinates are aware of all of the opportunities available to them? These are but a few of our responsibilities levied upon us when we accepted the rank and status of a Senior NCO. 

OK, switch gears; take a moment to contemplate this, "The Current state of knowledge is a moment in history, changing just as rapidly as the state of knowledge in the past has ever changed and, in many instances, more rapidly."(J. Piaget) What does that statement have to do with mentorship? 

Our Air Force is ever changing. We must pass on to our next generation Airmen what we know and have lived and learned over our professional career. Information or knowledge is doubling every 18 months. That means when I first came into the Air Force, what I took as state of the art, has been overcome or surpassed by current standards 14 times, but I can mentor my subordinates and have a sustained impact on my Air Force for another 20 years or more through the use of effective mentorship. 

Mentorship is educating our subordinates on the moments we have had throughout our careers. It's an ongoing, never-ending process in which we mentor by not only "talking the talk, but walking the walk" as well. Our subordinates are watching every move we make. We are leaving a legacy for our nation as well as for our children. 

I will close with a quote from Robert Maynard Hutchins: "The objective of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives." Mentor your subordinates, educate them and prepare them to carry that torch as you pass it along.