thedrifter
09-01-05, 02:19 PM
Mentoring Program: Steel sharpens steel
MCB Quantico
Story by Cpl. J. Agg
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va (Sept. 1, 2005) -- A new Marine Corps-wide professional development program will be employed in September.
The Marine Corps Mentoring Program strives to provide every Marine from private and private first class newly graduated from recruit training to the Corps’ most senior leadership with access to tools and resources designed to help each individual Marine realize his or her full potential, personally and professionally.
The program was inspired in part by recent cultural studies by the Center for Naval Analysis, Behavioral Science Technology, which identified gaps in Marine leadership effectiveness.
Adding structure to the Marine Corps Mentorship Program is a mentoring guidebook and leaders mentoring log sheets currently available on the Training and Education Command Web site. Also on the site is a mentoring Marine Corps Order and an All Marine Message draft.
The Mentoring Program slogan, “As steel sharpens steel,” means Marines will strive to improve each other through a holistic approach to individual betterment for the greater good of the Corps.
Under the program, every Marine will have a mentor who will be responsible for helping the junior Marine make decisions and take actions necessary for positive career and professional development to occur.
Major Gen. Thomas S. Jones, Training and Education Command commanding general, said the Mentoring Program will benefit the overall Marine Corps mission.
“We are trying to develop a cohesive team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week),” said Jones. “We in the Marine Corps are very mission-focused. We want to take that mission focus that we have become so well attuned with and spread it out to how we deal with people. How we deal with personal, professional and developmental goals is going to be the secret to this thing.”
Jones said mentoring naturally occurs within the Marine Corps chain of command, and the formal program will be instituted seamlessly.
“This is something every leader should be doing now,” said Jones. Sometimes just by giving someone the tool, the codification, official devices and what not, it gives you the opportunity to grab hold of what you should already be doing.”
Jones said the benefits Marines stand to gain in terms of unit cohesion and improved vertical communication, could provide a critical edge in some cases.
“Sometimes in our profession the margin for error is very small and the difference between success and failure is sometimes only the inspiration you provide someone else,” said Jones. “You don’t get guys walking the streets of Fallouja the way they did unless they believe in their leaders.”
Sergeant Maj. Ralph H. Drake, TECOM sergeant major, said the Marine Corps Mentoring Program will stress the importance of mission orientation to Marines.
“One of the important areas we want to emphasize is mission,” said Drake. “We want every Marine to know his individual mission, and what he needs to do to help his unit accomplish its mission. We are also going to ask them to articulate how they are going to execute their mission.”
Other key points of the program will implementing a peer buddy system to help Marines acclimate as they join new units and emphasizing a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week mentality for all Marines.
“Everything (Marines) do on or off duty will affect the unit and fellow Marines,” said Drake.
Drake said worksheets maintained by mentors will not become a matter of permanent record, but will remain between the mentor and the junior Marine.
“This is between the mentor and the mentee,” said Drake. “They can talk about personal and professional goals, and if the Marine needs improvement in some area, then they can talk about that. This is not a permanent record of each Marine that is passed down to someone else. It’s called development. We are allowing people to make mistakes and to develop. The fact that the mentor is able to get really personable with every aspect of the Marine he is trying to mentor and it stays between them is important.”
Drake said ample guidance is already available through the TECOM Web site to aid commanders in evaluating and conducting mentoring programs in their units.
“Every successful organization just doesn’t sit stagnant. It seeks to improve itself,” said Drake. “This is a tool through which we want to improve ourselves. We’re not trying to burden the unit or task the unit, we’re trying to improve the Marine Corps. (The Marine Corps Mentoring Program) helps to develop tomorrow’s leaders but it takes care of all Marines.”
Ellie
MCB Quantico
Story by Cpl. J. Agg
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va (Sept. 1, 2005) -- A new Marine Corps-wide professional development program will be employed in September.
The Marine Corps Mentoring Program strives to provide every Marine from private and private first class newly graduated from recruit training to the Corps’ most senior leadership with access to tools and resources designed to help each individual Marine realize his or her full potential, personally and professionally.
The program was inspired in part by recent cultural studies by the Center for Naval Analysis, Behavioral Science Technology, which identified gaps in Marine leadership effectiveness.
Adding structure to the Marine Corps Mentorship Program is a mentoring guidebook and leaders mentoring log sheets currently available on the Training and Education Command Web site. Also on the site is a mentoring Marine Corps Order and an All Marine Message draft.
The Mentoring Program slogan, “As steel sharpens steel,” means Marines will strive to improve each other through a holistic approach to individual betterment for the greater good of the Corps.
Under the program, every Marine will have a mentor who will be responsible for helping the junior Marine make decisions and take actions necessary for positive career and professional development to occur.
Major Gen. Thomas S. Jones, Training and Education Command commanding general, said the Mentoring Program will benefit the overall Marine Corps mission.
“We are trying to develop a cohesive team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week),” said Jones. “We in the Marine Corps are very mission-focused. We want to take that mission focus that we have become so well attuned with and spread it out to how we deal with people. How we deal with personal, professional and developmental goals is going to be the secret to this thing.”
Jones said mentoring naturally occurs within the Marine Corps chain of command, and the formal program will be instituted seamlessly.
“This is something every leader should be doing now,” said Jones. Sometimes just by giving someone the tool, the codification, official devices and what not, it gives you the opportunity to grab hold of what you should already be doing.”
Jones said the benefits Marines stand to gain in terms of unit cohesion and improved vertical communication, could provide a critical edge in some cases.
“Sometimes in our profession the margin for error is very small and the difference between success and failure is sometimes only the inspiration you provide someone else,” said Jones. “You don’t get guys walking the streets of Fallouja the way they did unless they believe in their leaders.”
Sergeant Maj. Ralph H. Drake, TECOM sergeant major, said the Marine Corps Mentoring Program will stress the importance of mission orientation to Marines.
“One of the important areas we want to emphasize is mission,” said Drake. “We want every Marine to know his individual mission, and what he needs to do to help his unit accomplish its mission. We are also going to ask them to articulate how they are going to execute their mission.”
Other key points of the program will implementing a peer buddy system to help Marines acclimate as they join new units and emphasizing a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week mentality for all Marines.
“Everything (Marines) do on or off duty will affect the unit and fellow Marines,” said Drake.
Drake said worksheets maintained by mentors will not become a matter of permanent record, but will remain between the mentor and the junior Marine.
“This is between the mentor and the mentee,” said Drake. “They can talk about personal and professional goals, and if the Marine needs improvement in some area, then they can talk about that. This is not a permanent record of each Marine that is passed down to someone else. It’s called development. We are allowing people to make mistakes and to develop. The fact that the mentor is able to get really personable with every aspect of the Marine he is trying to mentor and it stays between them is important.”
Drake said ample guidance is already available through the TECOM Web site to aid commanders in evaluating and conducting mentoring programs in their units.
“Every successful organization just doesn’t sit stagnant. It seeks to improve itself,” said Drake. “This is a tool through which we want to improve ourselves. We’re not trying to burden the unit or task the unit, we’re trying to improve the Marine Corps. (The Marine Corps Mentoring Program) helps to develop tomorrow’s leaders but it takes care of all Marines.”
Ellie