Mentoring event expedites knowledge transfer

by Senior Airman Ashley J. Thum
4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

12/15/2014 - SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- "You have 2.5 minutes. Ready, go!" "And ... switch!"

What might sound like commands for a physical training exercise were actually the instructions given to Airmen and NCOs at a unique mentoring event held here, Dec. 11.

The Airmen Mentoring Network hosted more than 20 participants who came face-to-face for what could only be described as "Speed Mentoring."

The function featured NCOs seated at tables with one to two Airmen who then switched tables every 2.5 minutes.

Members of two organizations, Exceptional Airmen Gaining Leadership and Expeditionary Skills and Group 5/6, collaborated to provide a venue for Airmen to ask questions of NCOs quickly and informally.

Senior Airman Wendy Fisher, 4th Force Support Squadron readiness journeyman, said she came to Speed Mentoring looking for answers, adding that she feels she received them.

"I wanted to know more about how enlisted people feel about commissioning," Fisher said. "I'm still eligible for the United States Air Force Academy, but I've also been told there are a lot of good aspects about ROTC programs. I can do research on the topic myself, but it's nice to know the opinion of real people."

At the start of every switch, volunteer mentors shot to their feet to shake hands with their Airman for the new round and immediately got down to business. While the atmosphere was hectic, Airmen said the reality in the room was that important advice was sinking in.

Tech. Sgt. Adrienne Jenkins, 4th Security Forces Squadron flight chief, said some of the most frequent questions weren't what she had expected.

"I was surprised at how many Airmen didn't know how to apply for a new assignment," Jenkins said. "As an NCO, you think some things are common knowledge, but that's not always the case. This helped me understand some of the things that I need to work on with my own subordinates and make sure they know."

Other topics discussed included raising a military family and the difficulties associated with discharging an NCO's duties.

"Some Airmen don't talk to NCOs for a variety of reasons, but it's important to open that rank barrier," Fisher said. "I think this was a good experience, and I learned a lot about different career fields in the process."

Speed Mentoring was the second event put on by the Airmen Mentoring Network that plans to host more in the future. The network was created to give Airmen increased opportunities to interact with leaders and learn from their experience.

For Jenkins, the event held special significance, since one of the organizers was her former trainee when Jenkins was a military training instructor for Air Force basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.

"I think she and everyone else did an impeccable job," Jenkins said. "Things like this help everyone understand where the other one is coming from and really help bridge the gap between NCOs and Airmen."