Mentoring as a Process of Forming Military Leaders – Future Reserve Officers

Військове командування провідних країн-членів та партнерів НАТО давно визнало наставництво важливим процесом формування військових лідерів, низка молодих талановитих офіцерів яких вже становлять значний відсоток корпоративного військового керівництва. Уміння керувати людьми є найважливішою рисою офіцера, тому головною особливістю військового керівництва стало прагнення виховувати серед військовослужбовців більше лідерів, а не послідовників. Лідерство повинно стати серцевиною військової організації, що передбачає створення необхідних педагогічних умов професійної підготовки майбутніх військових фахівців у закладах вищої освіти на засадах наставництва.The military commanders of leading NATO member and partner countries have long recognized mentoring as an important process in the formation of military leaders, whose number of talented young officers already constitute a significant percentage of the corporate military leadership. The ability to manage people is the most important trait of an officer, therefore, the main feature of the military leadership was the desire to educate more leaders among the military, rather than followers. Leadership should become the core of the military organization, providing for the creation of the necessary pedagogical conditions for the professional training of future military specialists in higher education institutions on the basis of mentorship. Examining the processes and functions of mentoring, it is found that mentoring exists in two key processes of facilitation and networking. There are two main types of functions that a mentor performs – career and psychosocial. It is shown that the mentoring process is focused on ten conditions of activity, which in general creates mentoring. The six most common barriers to career growth identified in different industries, sectors and at different levels have been identified. A brief analysis of two US Army mentoring programs – AETC & AFCOMAP is conducted. The expanded scope of these programs has included all cadets, junior officers and mid-level officers, along with units of reserve officers in higher education institutions. That is why the vast majority of cadets from the training units of ROTC reserve officers are actively seeking help and support in training under the AFCOMAP program. Attention is drawn to the fact that software techniques focused on the development of leadership skills in mentoring are usually aimed at the problem process rather than the end result. The concept of selective mentoring, aimed only at gifted individuals, leads to elitism and favoritism. It is revealed that development of a military leader takes place in three spatial planes of operational, general and individual spaces. Research has shown that mentoring can be used as an effective strategy for training officers in higher education institutions to increase the motivation of future military professionals in their careers and overall organizational success