ESSAY 750-1250 WORD, APA FORMAT 7, MINIMUN 3 REFERENCES, 1 Military references, use double spacing The NCO Role in Counseling, Coaching, and Mentoring Subordinate must meet attached requirements. Al

The NCO Role in Counseling, Coaching, and Mentoring Subordinate

From a professional viewpoint, the Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) are regarded as the most important corps in the Army. One of the critical responsibilities for them lies in the subordinate’s professional growth in the area of learning through counseling, coaching, and mentoring. To advance junior Soldiers into capable leaders and earnest professionals in the Army, these developmental communications methods serve as chief methods of training and supervision. With the help of trust, standards, guidance, mentoring, and other personal-professional relevant interventions, NCO ensures their subordinates effectively deal with present and upcoming hurdles.

NCOs support subordinate’s career advancement and growth at a particular level through more structured guidance sessions as termed as counseling. Counseling in the myriads of actions an NCO performs while dealing with a subordinate is simply defined as a process that one utilizes to assist a subordinate in evaluating their progression and options” (AR 600-25, para 1-2). A soldier’s understanding of what is expected from them regarding performance and feedback, as well as what they need to do in order to improve, is made possible through the initial, event-oriented and performance-oriented pep talks provided by the NCO. The feedback noncommissioned soldiers regularly give their soldiers does not just enable them to meet the army standards established by the organizational values, it also helps the soldier internalize the values of the unit.

Though coaching is less formal in nature, it is just as valuable. It is marked by a more cooperative approach where the NCO assists the Soldiers in setting certain goals, developing actionable solutions, and fully assuming responsibility for their self-improvement. As AR 600-25 describes, in coaching “…the primary attention is on teaching and guiding the subordinate to accomplish or surpass the goals” (AR 600-25, para 2-3). NCOs apply coaching to assist in mastering skills needed for independent problem solving, critical thinking, and positive behavior. This cycle enhances the Soldier's self-esteem and self-efficacy while permitting the NCO to be friendly and non-threatening.

Mentoring is an enduring relationship that develops over time and is not limited to one’s routine activities. It is the process of helping Soldiers in aspects of their lives through experience and learning. As stated by AR 600-25, mentoring “…is beyond the chain of command…involves trust and respect in both directions” (AR 600-25, para 2-4). Mentors enable active leaders to formulate strategies for career progression, resiliency, and leadership development. “NCOs have the duty to pass on their knowledge and experience to junior Soldiers,” emphasizes TC 7-22.7, The NCO Guide, highlighting the role of mentoring in nurturing leadership within the Army.

As discussed above, mentorship retrains soldiers and subordinates and groups them into forming dynamic leaders through a rigid set of direction. There exist many powerful inputs available for guidance, where each has its own specific purpose when looked at holistically for both the subject and the soldier. Steady and recurring solo training sessions aids in improving performance alongside teamwork training all geared towards hitting a primary target. This is made possible by constant guidance through trust, constructive feedback, and active mentoring which positions the NCO to bolster trust while also setting the stage enabling seamless transition for patrons poised to shoulder the responsibility in escorting the army into the forthcoming epoch of advancement.

References:

Army Regulations AR 600-25, Army Strategy and Leadership document, Part 1 section 2 2-3, 2-4 Noncommissioned Officer guide, TC 7-22.7.