Major Robert Solano is an Aviator and Acquisition Corps officer in the United States Army. He is passionate about mentorship, leadership, and innovation. You can follow him on Facebook & LinkedIn.
During initial counseling, my battalion commander outlined his leadership philosophy, told me his vision for the battalion, and gave me some specific tasks. He also mentioned that I should schedule an office call with the S-3 of our sister battalion, who I’ll call MAJ Jones. He said that MAJ Jones was an exceptional officer and someone that I should get to know.
I was new to Hawaii, new to the maintenance battalion, and recently took charge of the aviation armament platoon. I had less than 3 months to complete pre-deployment train ups, pack all of our equipment, and deploy our platoon of 30 soldiers to Iraq. I was overwhelmed and regularly worked from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm.
Before we deployed, I was so focused on my own battalion, company, and platoon, that I never made the time to schedule an office call with MAJ Jones. When we deployed to Iraq, our battalions were on different sides of the airfield. I told myself that I would eventually make it over to the other side to meet with MAJ Jones, but a year passed, and I never took the initiative.
After the deployment, we returned to Hawaii. We had a few months to take block leave with our families and reset our equipment. During this time, I received great news—I would take command of Delta company in our sister battalion, the same battalion that MAJ Jones was the S-3 for. A few weeks later, I took command of Delta Company.
In Army tradition, we had a Hail and Farewell to welcome the new soldiers and say farewell to the departing. This battalion Hail and Farwell was my welcome to the battalion, and it was also the farewell for MAJ Jones. 18 months after my battalion commander told me to schedule an office call, this was the first time that I actually chatted with MAJ Jones for more than 5 minutes. During our conversation over a beer, I learned a lot about the battalion. I also learned that for the past two years, MAJ Jones and his wife lived a few blocks down the street from my wife and I. We were practically neighbors and did not even know it. MAJ Jones left Hawaii one week later.
MAJ Jones, now COL Jones, was in fact a stellar officer. He later served on the Army staff, then as a battalion commander, and also as the human resources manager for my branch. MAJ Jones was, and still is, an exceptional officer. Unfortunately, I barely spent more than a few minutes talking to him. I regret that I did not follow my commander’s advice and schedule an office call with him before it was too late.
After experiencing this missed opportunity, I have made it a habit that whenever I have initial counseling — especially when I’m new to an organization — I always ask my supervisor, “Who are the other officers or leaders within the organization, or within our sister organization, that you would recommend I schedule an office call with?”
Asking this one question has been very beneficial in my life. Naturally, the answer provides valuable information regarding other key leaders in the organization. Additionally, it provides me with a reason to schedule an office call with those leaders. When I email or call them, I simply say, “I’m new to the organization. I just had my initial counseling with Colonel Smith, and he recommended that I schedule an office call with you to chat and ask questions about your program. Would you be available for an office call sometime within the next two weeks?”
This simple technique has been instrumental in my career, especially when I am new to an organization. These office calls with selected leaders have helped me get up to speed quickly and be an effective leader within the first 90 days on the job.
I found that these leaders also take a greater interest in providing coaching and mentorship. In almost all instances, I leave our initial office call with an opportunity to meet with them again if I have questions about something or need help with a project in the future. In some instances, these initial meetings led to long term mentor relationships.
Today, my advice to any professional is that whenever you have initial counseling with a supervisor, ask them for a shortlist of the other ley leaders or superstars that you should meet with. Be sure to ask them for names within your organization and within sister organizations. These opportunities can be help improve your understanding of the organization, build your professional network, and provide valuable mentorship.
Likewise, as a leader, whenever you have a new employee or soldier join your ranks, you should be sure to provide those recommendations for other leaders with whom they should schedule office calls. Not only should you provide a recommendation, you should also hold them accountable so that they don’t get tied up with work and miss a wonderful mentorship opportunity.
The opinions expressed are the authors and do not represent the Department of Defense or any other organization. Some facts and names have been changed.
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