Key to mentoring is having a BLAST Published Nov. 9, 2006 By Chief Master Sgt. Richard Brackett 305th Operations Group MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. -- Mentoring is a major factor in building successful leaders in our Air Force. Although it was not formally called mentoring until recently, it has always been a part of growing military leaders. It takes place every day between supervisors and their subordinates. The key to an effective mentor program is it should always be a "BLAST" for everyone involved. "B" stands for both failures and successes. We all have success stories we love to share with our troops. However, a lot can be learned from failures we have experienced. One of the greatest testaments of true leaders is how well they have handled their failures. Both types of experiences offer key insight into the personal and professional development our troops need to become our future leaders. "L" stands for learning. All of us should learn something new every day. Learning is the cornerstone of an effective mentor program. As mentors, we have to promote intentional learning throughout our organizations. Whether you are instructing new personnel, delegating responsibilities to your experienced troops or advising your leadership on current issues, everyone is learning something every day. "A" stands for anecdotes. Personal stories of life experiences provide valuable, and often unforgettable, insight into getting the job done. As mentors, it is critical that we are able to talk about ourselves. These life stories help build a lasting rapport with everyone up and down the chain of command. "S" stands for shared responsibility. Like all forms of communication, mentoring requires a sender and a receiver of the message. They both share an equal responsibility for learning to occur. The mentor must effectively convey the message and the one being mentored must be receptive to attain the knowledge. "T" stands for time. Mentoring is not a one-time event. As a supervisor, if you only talk to your troops on an occasional basis you are not being a good mentor. Mentoring is a continuous learning process comprised of daily observations, experiences, conversations and analysis of situations. Today's Airmen are more educated than ever, and they know if you are giving mentoring lip service or if you practice it on a daily basis. We are all a part of the greatest Air Force in the world today. Increased deployments throughout the world to fight the Global War on Terrorism are a fact of life for today's Airmen. If we are to retain the best troops to lead us into our future Air Force, we must ensure they receive the proper tools to succeed. Mentoring is the key to preparing them, and with the "mentoring is a "BLAST" mindset we will ensure tomorrow's Air Force is even better than today's.