Mentorship: What to Expect in Your First Role as a Civilian.

The Military's Dependence on Mentorship, Why You Shouldn't Expect the Same as a Civilian, and 5 Strategies to Help Navigate the Difference.

The civilian landscape relies less upon mentorship for knowledge transfer compared to what is true in military service.

In the summer of 2012, I checked into a SEAL platoon for the first time; as the saying goes, 'I didn't even know what I didn't know.' I was inexperienced and oblivious to what the future had in store for me.

Luckily, awaiting my arrival was a decades-old process for developing junior SEALs. A system that relies on itself for the transfer information by way of mentorship at every rank, position, and level of authority.

From 1:1 relationships to conducting "turnover" operations where outbound teams mentor their replacements before returning from deployment, the military is heavily indexed on mentorship. They depend on their own almost exclusively for the passing of knowledge, the development of their people, and on-the-job training.

As military members, we in one way or another contributed to the two-hundred year old tradition of returning from battlefields and oceans around the world with new ideas, refined tactics, and leadership lessons. Those lessons were distilled and taught to the next generation.

Regardless of rank or seniority, this process exists throughout our military careers. We're constantly mentoring and being mentored. You give in order to receive, and in most units, certainly in the SEAL teams, individuals are assessed not only on their performance but also on the ability of those they lead.

I became accustomed to this process and understood how to navigate it. It makes sense, and I believe in it to this day.

Unbeknownst to me, then, not all organizations work this way.

Today, when I speak with recently separated vets, it's common to see evidence of a reduction of mentor-led learning reflected in their comments.

Comments like, "I'm just figuring things out as I go," or "Not sure if I'm doing this right," and "I guess someone will say something if I'm no good at this", take me back to my separation process and having had the same thoughts and concerns.

I've now know that this shift in confidence and desire for feedback is almost never from a lack of competence or ability. It's the result of a cultural difference. A change in how we're accustomed to learning new information, and the interval at which we're used to receiving feedback.

Affirmations, both positive and negative, are constant in military service. Performing below the standard is often addressed immediately because, in many cases, lives depend upon it.

Common in the civilian world are quarterly or even annual performance reviews. For better or worse, there’s an expectation that one can asses themselves.

In the civilian world, feedback loops, communication styles, and the incentives that drive us vary from person to person and team to team. The expectation of being self-taught is more prevalent.

To say mentorship doesn’t take place in the civilian world is not true, it does. (“Why Mentorship Isn’t Working” HBR) However, what we can say, and what I've heard from many Veterans, is that personal development and getting 'better' at one's job requires a multitude of resources.

We, as veterans, aren’t disadvantaged by having previously leveraged mentors so heavily; in fact, I might argue the opposite. We must simply understand that other resources exist, and our civilian colleagues are well accustomed to using them.

For example, individuals in the tech sector commonly pursue certifications, engineers and project managers constantly look to manuals and data sheets, and many civilian careers benefit from pursuing higher education.

By being aware of this change, we can avoid self-doubt and perform at our best, faster. Here's what I've found to work.

1.   Ask The Right Questions. If you're new in role, it's normal to feel unsure about the quality of your first few projects or presentations. You need more data to know what right looks like. Ask. Questions such as, "If someone were to do this task at the highest quality possible, what would that look like?", "Someone who continually knocks these out of the park, what are some of the things they consistently do?" or perhaps, "If we fast forward six months and I'm exceeding expectations, can you articulate what that would look like?"

In my experience, managers appreciate questions like this. They're hoping to have these conversations. Some managers may hesitate to provide criticism early on to allow you to figure things out. Invite them to do so. Don't assume they're aware of the thick skin you formed in selection and basic training.

2.   Become Comfortable Educating Yourself. The information you're looking for exists, however, you may have to find it yourself. You may find a mentor willing to teach you every aspect of your new job; but most of us will not and will require the use of multiple resources to become proficient. Learn what those resources are in your particular field and become accustomed to engaging them.

3.   Affirm Both Your Progress and Shortcomings. Gather information with respect to what success and failure looks like for your role. Perhaps there's someone you respect who’s willing to weigh in. Establish benchmarks for yourself, 30-60-90 day plans, write down what you wish to accomplish by specific dates. If and when they’re satisfied, affirm that you're performing. If not, affirm that you need to make some adjustments.

In my first role as a civilian, one of my fears was that if I were underperforming, no one would tell me until it was too late. Don't allow the difference between a high and a low performer to be a mystery. Work to define those standards and share them with the people you trust. Ask them what their definition of high performance is. If you're meeting those standards, you're doing fine.

4.   Leverage Other Vets. This is likely the easiest and most effective thing we can do. A thousand Vets have been where you are, and nine times out of ten, they're happy to help. Engage with other Vets even when you don't require anything, learn from their processes and stories. Eventually, you'll build a network, and that network will have enough knowledge to figure anything out.

5.   Double Down on Character Skills. Part of what makes learning through mentorship so powerful is that the development of character skills takes place along the way. This rarely exists when educating yourself from a book or field manual. Be a leader in this space at your organization. As you advance, these skills become increasingly relevant.

Veterans are hired for many reasons. However, it's not uncommon for hiring managers to hire Veterans who are below average in technical knowledge, knowing they're getting someone with above-average character relative to other candidates. Prove that this was a worthy investment by doubling down on character skills.

(For more on this and what the future might hold concerning Character vs. Technical Skills, I encourage you to check out "Hidden Potential" by Adam Grant.)

As a young SEAL, I was taught nearly everything from those I aspired to be. They passed down information willingly, just as someone had done for them years earlier. Despite attending business school, I was overly hopeful that the same process existed in the civilian world. Mentorship is undoubtedly present in the civilian world. However, it presents much differently.

Just by being cognizant, half the work is done.

The art for this post was created by Sarah Rossetti and can be found at

https://www.invadergirlart.com/