Photo by Doug Finstad
by Michael Shaw
During this months installment of Bottle to Intellectual Throttle (BIT), the GATCT team offered for public consumption, the phrase “Teach, Coach, Mentor” (TCM). The hypotheses presented was, this phrase is overused, misunderstood and even more often misapplied by leaders or individuals in positions of authority.
The evenings format was a roundtable discussion with a twist. Creator and writer of the well known blog, From the Green Notebook, Joe Byerly, joined the conversation via Skype and offered his insights into the importance and complexities of mentorship. The GATCT team is grateful to Joe, Mike and Kim, for making the evenings gathering a wonderful success. Whenever we as people, not positions or points of authority, gather together, discuss, disagree, debate and learn something from one another, the investment in time is always rewarded.
Here are some of the evenings thoughts worth sharing.
Using the phrase, TCM, is an automatic response by most leaders within the Army and yet most that use the term can not identify the difference between each of the three distinctly different levels of that phrase.
Teaching, coaching, and mentoring are individual professions all on their own. People and professions focus their lifes education and expereinces on the art and science of each word independent of the others. Yet, as a Soldier in a position of leadership there is an unspoken expectation to preform these skills. Additionally, there is a misguided self-perception that because one is in a position of authority that they are indubitably performing each of these three skills.
Teaching, Coaching and Mentoring are each similar and yet different. Teaching is built upon by coaching and mentoring is the surgical application of the first two. The greatest divide and debate falls at the foot of mentorship. There was unanimous agreement that mentorship was the one skill or action that needed separation from the phrase TCM; TC-M.
You can teach at someone, you can coach at someone, but you can not mentor at someone. The act of mentorship is only solidified when there is a positive two way relationship that has grown beyond the bounds of positional/hierarchical authority. A debate throughout the evening surrounded an idea that mentorship only takes root once the initial bounds of positional authority are removed.
Throughout the evening, Joe Byerly offered a couple of insights to the importance of mentorship. First, he introduced us to Major General Fox Connor, the Army’s mentorship cornerstone. While successful in his own right, Fox Connor was mentor to George Patton, George Marshall and President Eisenhower, not through his telling but through his mentee’s recounts. Second, Joe reminded the group that mentorship is a tool to be wielded with deliberateness and care. Not everyone is a mentor, nor should they. Third, Joe offered that mentorship is how we will create the next generation of leaders and it is our responsibility to ensure that our cups are empty so that those that come after us have cops filled to the brim. Finally, the path of mentorship is not one that leads towards fame and power. Fox Connor is little known in todays Army but his impacts are seen through the success of others. We must give of ourselves so that others may succeed.
TCM, a phrase heard at every change of command/responsibility. Just because one uses the term does not mean they understand what they are saying, or worse, they understand and believe that their actions have achieved this trinity of professional development. That though their position they have managed to teach, coach and mentor those around them. The Army’s intention is clear with regard to the development of subordinates. But like most things in the Army, we need to move beyond the catch phrase and commit time to the development of self and others. Actions over words, first and always!
Join the GATCT team in December for another round of imbibing. Time, date, location and topic are still under review.
Here are a list of books mentioned/recommended by Joe Byerly during our evenings festivities.
Books