Mentoring: Developing discipline & mastery

WPAFB, OH, UNITED STATES

10.01.2018

Courtesy Story

Air Force Materiel Command

Mentoring is a topic that I am passionate about, and I enjoy every opportunity to discuss it.

As a military training leader, I have the opportunity to mentor and connect with more than 500 Airmen, annually. Every single day, I am honored to not only help develop our future Airmen, but to also serve among some of our nation’s best and brightest. I love what I do!

I believe mentoring should not be something you only seek in order to advance in a certain profession or field of expertise. Rather, it should be part of your everyday living, a part of your lifestyle. Mentoring is about providing something of value to an individual or group of people. It has the ability to empower an individual to take charge of their capacity to make a positive impact on themselves and others. Whether you are a senior member providing guidance, or a junior member on the receiving end, I truly believe mentoring has the ability to improve character, foster discipline and set you on the path of achieving your goals. Or, as I like to say, the path of mastery!

Discipline, in my mind, is the bedrock on the path to mastery. Mentors in my life have guided my focus toward developing discipline. That discipline developed a foundation of principles to push me to the next level. It gave me the ability to achieve all of my goals and the drive to continue to create new ones. Mentoring can be the spark that ignites the initial development of discipline.

As a mentor, I’m always honored and grateful to share my personal principles with my mentees. I call them the –“4Gs to Greatnes.”
The first G stands for “Grow.” To grow is to strive to be at least one percent better than you were yesterday. In addition to your to do list, create a ”to-learn” list. Constantly look to develop your mental and physical capabilities. Grow into an individual who consistently moves towards a goal. You don not drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.

The second G stands for “Give.” On the road to excellence, it’s never about ”me.” It’s about “we.” Share your experiences with those whom you come in contact with. Grow with the intentions to mentor, teach and pay it forward. The more you give to others, you will receive 10 times in return.

The third G stands for “Gratitude.” Appreciate how far you have come and what you’ve accomplished. If you are able to appreciate your success, then you will be able to appreciate the future rewards and success that may come your way. It keeps you humble. It will keep you grounded.

The last G stands for “Grit”, or what is known in the Air Force as resiliency. To me, it’s not only about bouncing back, but your ability to endure and persevere through challenging times or failures. Actually, I don’t call them failures anymore. I call them discoveries. In my life I have discovered how not to do something, or I discovered that I wasn’t prepared for an experience. Changing the word helps me grow my grit. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” The stronger the grit, the more you can grow. The more you grow, the more you can give. The more you give, the better your appreciation will be for future rewards and success.

Mentoring should be a part of your everyday way of living. Both the mentor and mentee benefit from the exchange of information. My principles, the “4Gs to Greatness,” have helped develop discipline, and-ultimately paved the path to mastery for many of my mentees. As both a product of, and a contributor toward, many mentoring sessions, I was selected as one of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year in 2017.

• Date Taken: 10.01.2018
• Date Posted: 10.02.2018 10:43
• Story ID: 295081
• Location: WPAFB, OH, US