The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division and Commander Operation SAFE HAVEN (OPSH), Major General Abdulsalami Ibrahim has charged troops of 3 Division to mentor their subordinates towards emulating professional conduct in the Nigerian Army.
He gave the charge Thursday 13 April 2023, during a sensitization lecture on Mentoring Young Soldiers and Emotional Intelligence held at Headquarters 3 Division, Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, Jos Plateau State.
While urging commanders at all levels to always train and mentor their subordinates, General Ibrahim said, good leaders are those who are sensitive to the plight of their subordinates.
He noted that, knowledge of emotional intelligence promotes teamwork, and professional conduct required to succeed during military operations. This he said, is in line with the Chief of Army Staffs’ vision of having “A Professional Nigerian Army Ready to Accomplish Assigned Mission Within a Joint Environment in the Defence of Nigeria.”
The GOC encouraged Senior Non-Commissioned Officers to show interest in the career development and welfare of young soldiers deployed to their units.
Delivering his lectures on Mentoring of Young Soldiers, the guest speaker from Army Headquarters, Brigadier General Oladele Arogundade described “Mentoring” as a process of developmental or professional relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person in aspects relevant to work and career development or life in general.
“The purpose of mentorship is to discover hidden potentials and aid future deployments and improve the professionalism of troops.”
General Arogundade maintained that mentorship develops values and holistic well-being, assists in raising highly skilled and professional soldiers, develops potential as well as breakdown solo mentality and enhances the transfer of institutional knowledge.
To be a good mentor, he said a person must possess good listening skills, be honest, be willing to share and impart knowledge and motivate others.
Speaking on Emotional Intelligence, the guest speaker noted that it is the ability to recognize and understand emotions in oneself and others and, the ability to use the awareness to manage one’s behaviours and relationships. He revealed the existence of a strong relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership.
The guest speaker identified self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills as the basic components leaders must strive to build and improve on in their relationship with subordinates.
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