Mentorship at the speed of excellence

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Soo C. Kim
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  An alarm goes off in the small lounge full of tables, "Time! Switch your mentor."

The laughter and chatter that fills the lounge ends with brief handshakes and smiles.  Mentees then make their way to the subsequent station to meet their new mentor for the next round.

A short introduction is made between the student and teacher.

"Ready.... Go!" the instructor taps her stopwatch and begins the next mentor session for the new pairs.

Speed mentoring - a brief one-on-one communication between a mentor and mentee that covers multiple topics without overwhelming the audience and a great method to build the network of mentors and students.

To initiate the young Airmen into the world of leadership, a speed-mentor session between non-commissioned officers and junior-enlisted Airmen was held at Yokota Air Base, Japan, July 22, 2013.

Airmen E-4 and below were invited to meet and receive guidance on their path to become the next generation of leaders from various NCOs deriving from multiple organizations and career fields.

"It's a chance for the Airmen and the NCOs to meet people from outside of their organization," said Tech. Sgt. Sara Reid, a training manager with the 374th Security Forces Squadron. "(Meeting different NCOs helps Airmen) understand the diversity in the military, giving a different insight to the Air Force, offer a broader view to Airmen and (provide a) network of NCOs to ask for advice about their career."

Each session was five minutes long, covering topics ranging from standards and conduct, to professional and unprofessional relationships.

"It was pretty cool and interesting. The mentors were very good and gave lots of useful information," said Airman 1st Class Justin Hammitt, a cyber-systems operator with the 374th Communication Squadron. "I learned a lot about finance, education and time management. (This information) will help me a lot in my future Air Force career."

Hammitt urged his fellow Airmen to get more involved in speed mentorship, as it is a great way for self-development.

Although the speed mentoring is not a regular program at Yokota, the successful trial and more interest from Airmen may allow for reappearance in the future.

"I am very excited how well this went, everyone was so into their conversation," said Reid. "We hope to make this into a quarterly event."