Mentorship mash-up

link U.S. Air Force graphic: Senior Airman Whitney Tucker

27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

Few can dispute the value of a good mentor/mentee relationship with pairs such as Mitch Albom and Morrie Schwartz; Henry David Thoreau and Ralf Waldo Emerson; and Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore highlighting the pages of both history and pop culture.

Taking a cue from these epic meetings of the minds, the Top 3 at Cannon Air Force Base organized an opportunity for Senior NCOs to share their extensive knowledge with members of the Company Grade Officers’ Council during a one-of-a-kind, speed-mentorship meeting.

“The idea of this event came from speed dating,” said Master Sgt. Steven Bauch, 27th Special Operations Communications Squadron flight chief, plans and resources. “Every five minutes a bell would ring and the SNCOs would meet and mentor a new CGO. During the meeting, attendees were able to network, exchange ideas, and learn from each other.”

Chief Master Sgt. Don Gurganus, 27 SOCS chief enlisted manager, approached the innovative event with healthy skepticism, but was quickly won over as he met with Cannon’s junior officers throughout the night.

“They made a believer out of me,” the chief said. “Part of our job as old people is to share our experience and mentor others. In such a situation involving members of various backgrounds, people who would normally never come into contact are able to talk about what they bring to the fight, what they’ve seen and how they can help each other out .”

“Young officers are often given responsibilities that a seasoned NCO or SNCO would take on,” Gurganus continued. “For this reason, it’s important for SNCOs to make themselves, as well as their knowledge, readily available to junior officers.”

One of several CGOs who attended the mentorship exchange, 2nd Lt. Angelica Powell, 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs chief of community relations and CGOC vice president, found the micro-meetings to be extremely effective.

“The value of this partnership extends far beyond words of wisdom that will make us better leaders,” Powell said. “It contributes to strengthening the foundation of leadership at Cannon. Getting to know and learning from our SNCOs equips us to carry forward their lessons learned and reach a level of excellence in completing the mission.”

Not one to mince words, Gurganus had one-size-fits-all advice to share with the 27th Special Operations Wing leaders in attendance.

“You’ve got one mouth and two ears for a reason,” he said. “Listen first and talk later.”

Following a successful inaugural mentorship event, the Top 3 plans to host a second meeting in which SNCOs will share their wealth of experience with members of Cannon’s 5/6 organization in early February.

For more information, contact Bauch at 575-784-0170.