Is mentorship in the Reserves a thing of the past?

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:21:09 -0500

I had an E-5 ask me about the maturity level of the Army Reserves and why the maturity level is less then he expected it would be. I explained that I believe it is due to a lack of mentorship and development. Leaders do not seem to be counseling or mentoring like they should and the subordinates are not seeking out the mentorship needed resulting in leaders that need more professional development

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2016 7:24 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:24:06 -0500

We as leaders need to bring it back. I keep hearing CSMs saying back to the basics but I rarely see it in action when it comes to mentoring, but only in some silliness that people do when they have no real job to do.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Jan 31 at 2016 7:24 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:24:37 -0500

I certainly hope that mentorship in the USAR is not a thing of the past MAJ Private RallyPoint Member. I hope that mentorship is thriving at all levels of the USAR.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2016 7:34 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:34:30 -0500

Mentorship is not a thing of the past in my unit. We are a training brigade from all branches including aviation and i like the diversity and how or leaders care. My unit cares more about the soldier completing his professional development than the yearly missions. I just hope this RP forum helps us all out. If the DOD is talking about having more Reservists and active duty work together for unit readiness, then I forsee improvements in readiness. I am also sure that command climate surveys will get this out in the open too.

Response by SFC Kenneth Hunnell made Jan 31 at 2016 7:43 PM

SFC Kenneth Hunnell — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:43:27 -0500

I for one am a mentorship king, I mentored my platoon leader down to youngest private.
I hope I had some influence in one soldier that was in my platoon that is now a CW2

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2016 7:44 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:44:52 -0500

Yes sir it is a thing of the past so it's on us to bring it back! I see lieutenants being put in command who have no clue about supply, maintenance, ucmj, etc and their battalion commander isn't mentoring them. Also doesn't help the shortage of senior grade nco's so the next best thing for a 1SG is a SSG who has been in for only 6 years.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2016 7:57 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:57:53 -0500

Good question Sir. Now, I am still fairly new to the Army, in my opinion, so I am not sure just how well SNCO's and Officers were with their soldiers but I can remember back when I first came in in 2012, asking my OIC if I could have a mentor or how would I go about looking for one. The Chaplain Corps is small so I didn't have an NCOIC or a soldier under me. I wanted to learn my job inside and out and all he told me was that I was smart and squared away and didn't need a mentor. I disagreed but said "Roger Sir" and Charlie Mike'd it. What I eventually did for myself was volunteer for tours that allowed me to be in my actual role as a CA and I learned so much from our active duty counterparts that were all about mentoring. If it truly is a thing of the past, we need it back. There are a lot of soldiers out here making no-so-good choices because they have no guidance. As a fairly new NCO, I make sure that I go out of my way to mentor soldiers and show them what right looks like based off of what I was taught and have leaned in my almost 4 years.

Response by MSgt Keith Hebert made Jan 31 at 2016 8:05 PM

MSgt Keith Hebert — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 20:05:41 -0500

I do not believe it is a thing of the past but it us put on the back burner.
The very nature of the guard and reserves makes it hard for the m-day sm while the full timers are prepped for the next promotion

Response by COL Jon Thompson made Jan 31 at 2016 8:11 PM

COL Jon Thompson — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 20:11:13 -0500

As a retired Army Reserve officer, it does hurt me to say this but in my experience, it is a thing of the past. I think a lot of this is due to a limited amount of training time and when it comes to doing something that is used as a metric for a Commander's OER vs. something that you cannot measure (mentorship) as easily, the measurable thing will win out. Those are what you can put on an OER and that is how many of the units in which served were measured. I spent many drill weekends focused on the latest mandatory training and not even on our battle tasks much less mentoring. That does not mean it is like that for every unit but when a Commander has to prioritize something, it will be what makes the unit look good on a slide. IMHO.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2016 8:33 PM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 20:33:59 -0500

I joined the Reserves in 2001 as a SSG without a mentor. After three different units, I went warrant, and still didn't get a real mentor. I still don't have one.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2016 8:56 PM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 20:56:28 -0500

I concur with a portion of your assessment as mentorship has been drastically fading. I look a little deeper at the quality of Reserve Soldiers and they unfortunately do not always live those values and remain less disciplined because they are only monitored about 48 hours a month. I in no way am saying the quality of all Reserves fits this bill but I liken it to "herding cats". Overall, many are less disciplined because they are just that undisciplined outside the Reserves. They have not fully found themselves such as full time employment and grown from their childish ways. The majority of Reservists I have known and worked with were clearly established professionals and maintained serious obligations outside their one weekend a month.

Response by LTC Charles T Dalbec made Jan 31 at 2016 9:06 PM

LTC Charles T Dalbec — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 21:06:48 -0500

Unfortunately for a Reserve leader it is like putting a thousand pound of things in a duffle bag and only able to get at three hundred during a weekend Training Assembly. the seven pounds go home for homework until the next admin or weekend assembly. Been there done it for more years them you have been on the earth.

Response by CPT Russell Pitre made Jan 31 at 2016 10:22 PM

CPT Russell Pitre — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 22:22:59 -0500

Yes. I have seen it so much. People just do enough to get by and little there after. They treat the Guard or Reserves like an inconvenience. They don't try to do anything more than they have to. In doing this they don't mentor or care about the career of others. That is why they are so screwed up. Everyone is just about trying to get by. I saw soldiers in ranks that they had no clue how to do. I seen a PSG that might have been a good Team Leader, if that. But he just got by off having good subordinates. When they left it was evident. If someone did some mentoring then they may have caught this.

Response by SSG Thomas Gallegos made Jan 31 at 2016 10:39 PM

SSG Thomas Gallegos — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 22:39:55 -0500

I believe it's because they think it's just the Reserves and inky one weekend a month. A very wrong attitude to especially with the tempo at which our Reserves were being deployed.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2016 11:21 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 23:21:12 -0500

I don't think it is a thing of the past at all. It still happens. I would say that as an Army we go through phases where we lose our ways but that doesn't mean we can't realign ourselves. I have seen some situations were leadership took on the roll of mentorship and some were it was not as deliberate as it should have been. Even when I was a enlisted in the Regular Army it wasn't there all time. I don't think the Guard does any worse than the RA or AR. It is something that as leadership select those coming up the ranks we should emphasize this. If we don't we will get what you are talking about.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2016 11:29 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 23:29:12 -0500

I enlisted into the USAR, been at the same duty station with the same unit since day one. Eight years later, I'm planning to go active duty within the next 18 months for several reasons, and this is one of them. Great question and topic.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2016 12:12 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 00:12:23 -0500

Faking the counseling dates on the OER support form and on the ncoer has became socially acceptable, which is nuts.

As a ratee, you must bother your rater to counsel you!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2016 9:40 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 09:40:14 -0500

As far as mentoring lower enlisted that live over a hundred miles away from me between battle assemblies: Facebook groups, group MMS and tons of emails. That's all I can really do. If they live closer, getting them to a bar is the only place they're going without a paycheck.

As far as mentoring new officers, give me your fresh 2LTs and BN can vacuum them up a year later right as they start to find a groove with a platoon. Not much I can change there except continuing to put new ones through the meat grinder.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Feb 1 at 2016 4:45 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 16:45:48 -0500

I was a cadet in the Reserves and the 2LTs were telling me I need to just look and act as an officer, as they sat in the office talking about the moon and the sun.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2016 4:58 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 16:58:42 -0500

Sir. We find it if we look. But mentorship is hard to find. Partially, I believe, most treat their career in the Army Reserves, not as a profession, but a place to do the bare minimum to last until they get a pension. I have found one, but it took some time. Birds of a feather flock together so have the SGT become what he is looking for.

Response by MAJ David Wallace made Feb 1 at 2016 6:22 PM

MAJ David Wallace — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 18:22:08 -0500

Like the active component, there are good and not so good units in the Army Reserve. Reserve units only meet as a unit two to four days each month. The units that take the time to train, mentor, and coach their Soldiers are successful. Units that invest in their people send their Soldiers to schools and training prepared. The Soldiers complete their training successfully and bring that training back to the unit. If your E-5 friend is unhappy, he should look at other reserve units within a comfortable commuting distance that may offer better opportunities and a stronger mentorship program. If he/she is an E-5 in good physical shape, they may want to look at an assignment with an Army Reserve Basic Combat Training (BCT) battalion as a Drill Sergeant. Some of the best Soldiers and leaders that I've ever served with were Drill Sergeants and BCT officers supporting the basic training mission.

Just tell him/her to keep exploring their options. There are good units out there that invest in their people.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2016 9:42 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 21:42:43 -0500

Sir,
I'm in my 25th total year of service. The last 8 being AGR, dual status Mil-Tech for 12 prior to that. Promoted to E5 in 2001. In that time I have had a total of about 8 DA4856 counselings. And I have had eyes on 1 NCOER Support Form, it wasn't completed.
However, those I have developed over the years have received regular counselings as well as initial counselings when they came under my charge.

Now as far as mentoring, that is something that was much more prevalent back when I joined under G.H.W.Bush. And as I've changed units, I've seen it more downhill every time.
My favorite was being member #7 of a newly formed Company that I was the Training NCO for. Myself and my like minded full time cohorts were able to build from the ground up with the way it should be. Unfortunately, they are starting to slide as well.

My current unit just had an COMET inspection followed by IG about 3 weeks later. One of our SSGs asked what those were. That is the state things really are in the reserve component. Promotions based on schools and PT rather than performance. No negative counseling because we can't wreck this Soldier's Career, he won't re-up to keep unit strength.

I thought the big deployment cycle we went through would eliminate a lot of the skin from the pudding, but didn't really. Guys that were too broken or ineffective to deploy just stayed at home station until the main body returned.

I had an E8 BN Ops NCO get relieved of those duties at MOB site, became TAC NCO, relieved of that when we hit country, was NCOIC of the CL IV yard, relieved of that, and finished his tour as TCN Liaison for the BN. At the end, he got a hey great job ncoer, Bronze Star, and selected to be 1SG of a newly formed MICO. My First Sergeant on that trip was an E7 selected for promotion but needed to extend to accept. After seeing that clown play out he said "F this. It's not the Army I joined."

But back on point, there is so much more than needs accomplished in 16 hours a month than the clock allows. Sharp, UVA, Resiliency, there are currently about 18 DA Directed mandatory classes and we have another 12 from the State. In addition to that we just finished two years of fielding that required a three hour movement to the training site every month, so we lost 6 hours minimum of the 16 or 24 just moving to and from the installation. Put an hour front and back for PMCS, so a day of the MUTA 6 is lost accomplishing really nothing. And counseling and mentorship take the hit for that. AR 350-1 states that SGTs time is required to be on the training schedule. And in my case it is on every schedule I produce. Its executed exactly zero times because of everything else going on.

Got longwinded, sorry.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2016 10:06 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 22:06:36 -0500

Sir, I believe it is like a sea creature that lives at 20,000 leagues under the sea.......it's been rumored by old sailors (or soldiers), but has not been seen for many years. I believe, as I have seen it in my 26 years, that the Army has put so much emphasis on creating units that are "green" in status and not in training and mentoring the troops as they should, thus leading to a lack of mentoring of the young troops. Which is one reason for the lack of maturity in these young Soldiers. Also, society as a whole also has changed these "kids" and the Army won't let us old guys "fix them".

Response by CPL Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 2 at 2016 6:38 AM

CPL Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 06:38:39 -0500

The Army is a product of its own people, once I got to PDS after Ait. The eight up began

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 2 at 2016 10:14 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 10:14:57 -0500

I clicked on this question primarily because of an email that I received from my leadership. It was an email that talked about gaining access to CSMMM and what struck me was they touted that it contained more then 6000 metrics on Strength, Attrition, Management, Vacancy Management..etc. If we would focus as leaders on what it means to lead, we wouldn't need to access 6000 metrics to tell you where your unit should be at. Just another sign I'm getting older..Bring back true leadership and mentorship and the metrics will take care of themselves. Do real training with real bullets, not EST's and Power Point slides. Give the soldiers the tools to be successful at being a soldier, not a power point Ranger. Just one of the reason I've considered retiring after 30 years..

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 2 at 2016 6:54 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 18:54:59 -0500

It varies from unit to unit, but some of the responsibility is on the soldier to find a mentor. I strive to be a good mentor, and also seek senior NCOs and officers or more experienced juniors to make me a better leader.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 2 at 2016 7:10 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 19:10:57 -0500

this was a major problem at my former unit, no councilling, no documentation, and when it did start, thru my pushing, it became a charlie fox trot, my reserve ncos and platoon leaders, 1 wkend a month 2 wks a year, did not want to spend the extra time outside of mil time to do thier jobs, this being said, mandatory on line training missed, valuable training time during drill used up to complete these courses and nothing done to enhance the unit, as far as mentorship when you come into a unit as a high speed low drag soldier and find this well you tell me.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 3 at 2016 10:10 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 22:10:34 -0500

I do my best to not make it a thing of the past. My mentors have shared experience and knowledge with me that I try to impart on my Soldiers. However, I have such a limited time to do it in. As a 1SG, my time with a unit is 2 years if I'm lucky and then off to the next unit. My goal is to impart as much knowledge as I can in those two years. So, I have my NCOICs be the First Sergeant for the weekend or two and ensure that my platoon sergeants are allowing their squad leaders to be platoon sergeants for the weekend. I expect my NCOICs to know my job and for the Soldiers below them to know my NCOICs job. I sit down with junior enlisted while they have a few minutes to spare just to chat and see how life is going. Arrange an informal NCO dinner after Saturday battle assembly just to shoot the breeze. Teach mentorship during NCODP. I agree with 1SG Rudolph, you have to find the time and you have to care.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 20 at 2016 2:26 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 14:26:40 -0400

And ncoer s are hard to come buy.

Response by SFC Daniel Eliseuson made May 14 at 2021 2:12 AM

SFC Daniel Eliseuson — Fri, 14 May 2021 02:12:33 -0400

Ho boy, here we go !!! Us Army “SGT I need that flag pole up, I want pfc brien pfc Hastings and cpl buckskin!”

Usmc “SGT I want that flag pole up!!”

Lessons learned the army told the Sgt which personnel were selected, which are the responsibility of the Sgt

Usmc, the Sgt knows his unit, and who is committed where and what their skill’s are !!!!

Micro management , lack of faith in the Sgt

My self
-USMC 10 years SSGT*
-USN 10 years CPO ISC (E-7)**
- USA 13 years SFC (E-7)***

*Communications, artillery, combat correspondent, MP
** intelligence
*** infantry, armored Cavalry, psyops, civil affairs (FID/UW) (retired)

Plus US Customs Service- Office of Intelligence -retired 22 years
Admittedly, convoluted career

Military active and active reserve