Military Review English Edition July-August 2015 | Page 58
(Photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, MND-B PAO)
Command Sgt. Maj. Steven Payton speaks with Cpl. Kyle Morris after the soldier was presented with a certificate of achievement 27
March 2009 for his work in helping to build life-support facilities at Joint Security Station, Zafaraniyah, Iraq. Payton is the the senior
enlisted advisor for 1st Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. Morris is
an engineer assigned to the 46th Engineer Battalion.
peer, or teacher. Mentoring is probably a better fit for
someone of considerable experience, outside the chain
of command.
Yet another view is from the developmental
interaction. Counseling focuses on demonstrated job
performance, coaching focuses on performing specific
tasks or skills, and mentoring focuses more on developing the capabilities and competencies required
for future positions. There is overlap in the functions
associated with each term, but each term has its place
in leader development.
Mentor is often used in the sense of the verb to
mentor—to give wise counsel and advice as one who
is trusted. In ADRP 6-22, the Army clarifies the
meaning of mentor, aligning it with the noun usage
of mentor—a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.18 With this emphasis in meaning, leaders should
not and cannot be a mentor to all of their subordinates. This responsibility is too time consuming and
important for a leader to try to do, as this relationship extends beyond the immediate supervisory role
and beyond the chain of command. Taking this to
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extremes, the more people a leader supervises, the
greater the potential that the number of mentees
could run into the hundreds or even thousands over
time. On the other hand, leaders have a coaching
role with all their subordinates as well as the responsibility to counsel them on their performance and
professional growth. Through thei ȁɽ