Mentoring -- It starts with you

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Justin Weaver
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  "If you don't care about your people, you're failing them and you don't belong in the Air Force."

For Master Sgt. Andrew Henne, 31st Force Support Squadron first sergeant and a 14-year veteran firefighter, mentorship is that cut and dry - you have to care about the people you work with.

Close to 100 Airmen and their mentors attended a luncheon at the La Bella Vista Club March 19 to learn about mentorship and how it can help them throughout their careers.

"This luncheon was designed to bring Airmen together with their mentors to talk about career building opportunities, to listen to other mentors talk about their experiences, and to learn more about their responsibilities as Airmen and NCOs," said Airman 1st Class Daniel Houser, Aviano Airman Advisory Council president.

Guest speakers Staff Sgt. Lakiesha Foggie, 31st Aerospace Medicine Squadron, and Sergeant Henne each challenged the Airmen to be better mentees and encouraged them to look for mentor opportunities.

"You don't have a choice when picking your supervisor," said Sergeant Foggie, "but you do have a choice of who you pick to be your mentor. "

For Sergeant Foggie, she equates picking a good mentor to eating at a buffet.
"A good mentee looks at their options and then makes their decision," she said. "They accept correction, they are humble and they take the information they've learned and pass it on."

Passing on that information is something Sergeant Henne was excited to do during the luncheon. He learned the importance of mentorship before he joined the Air Force more than 16 years ago.

"There are several people in my life I have always looked up to," he said. "My wife's grandfather stormed the Utah Beach during D-Day and to this day raises and lowers the American Flag. Another good friend of mine was shot down in a UH-1 over New York State. Lastly, my FSS chief is someone I can always count on."

Having various people to look up to was critical for Sergeant Henne and he encouraged Airmen to seek out mentors they could model themselves after.

"When looking for a mentor, you have to be objective, honest and balanced," Sergeant Henne said. "Make sure they set the example, are open to two-way communication and be sure they want to see you develop and succeed."

For supervisors looking to mentor other Airmen and help them succeed, Sergeant Henne explained the importance of mentorship.

"Some key reasons to mentor are to instill values in mentees, develop leadership skills and increase a mentee's self image," he said. "If they screw up, make sure your there telling them to keep their chin up and that they will make it through this. Most importantly, just be there for them."

Being there for them, no matter what, is key to mentoring. Additionally, the first sergeant explained common mistakes mentors fall into.

"A failure to start mentoring, an unwillingness to make mentoring a priority and an unwillingness to be fallible are all mentor mistakes that can be avoided," Sergeant Henne said. "You only need to be willing to mentor; the rest will fall into place."

Airman 1st Class Taresa Donnel, 724th Air Mobility Squadron, hopes what she learned in the luncheon will help her excel in her career.

"I enjoyed the speakers today," she said. "This was a good learning experience and I hope it helps me to do better in my career and progress as an Airman."

Progressing as an Airman is something Sergeant Foggie wants each Airman to pursue.

"... I have learned a lot of military customs by trial and error and as I have bumped and bruised myself along the way, I have vowed to myself not to allow the same things to happen to younger troops," Sergeant Foggie said. "I believe that Airmen and NCOs need to understand the importance of mentorship because the incoming Airmen are the foundation of our Air Force. We cannot expect individuals to be model personnel if they have never been taught."