Coaching and Mentoring of Millennials and Post-Millennials to Increase Retention

Aim

The aim of this research paper is to highlight retention as one of the essential institutional goals of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). There is a requirement to focus on the retention of Millennials and Post-Millennial because the two generational cohorts have unique motivational requirements that are different than others. This necessitates the need to utilize a different approach to retaining Millennials and Post-Millennials that is not presently being used by the CAF’s centralized leadership training. The Special Appointment (SA) CPO1/CWO are key to assisting the retention issues that the CAF currently faces.

Introduction

The institutional goal that will form the basis for this research paper is retention. When the strategic policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE) was published in 2017, its first chapter, and what would become its foundational tasking focused on our military’s people and their families. These were centered around three key areas: recruitment, training, and retention. Since the publication of SSE, unanticipated world events have eclipsed some of the key strategies of the document. One of the key strategies that was significantly affected included the retention of our personnel, which has in turn inhibited our ability to meet the requirements of the Government of Canada and our key allies. Retention of our personnel is key, not simply just to fill our existing commitments, but also to generate the leaders of tomorrow.

This paper focuses on Millennials and Post-Millennials in the Canadian Armed Forces and how retention can be increased via coaching and mentoring. The hypothesis of the paper is if the CAF offers coaching and mentoring catered specifically to the motivational requirements of Millennials and Post-Millennials, retention of these two generational cohorts will be increased. Concurrent to this will be a discussion on the strategic SA CPO1/CWO and what their roles and responsibilities are in meeting this key retention goal. In answering this question, coaching and mentoring will be defined, including the retention benefits. Millennials and Post-Millennials will be defined, including who they are and what their specific motivators are relating to retention. Following this will be a discussion as to how the SA CPO1/CWO can assist this initiative. This will include discussing the roles and responsibilities of the CPO1/CWO generally and within their respective Command Teams. Lastly, there will be an outline of the competencies of the CPO1/CWO which can successfully contribute to meeting the retention initiative.

Coaching and Mentoring Needs of Millennials and Post-Millennials

Who are the Millennials and Post-Millennials? It is generally accepted that the Millennials are those forming the generational cohort that were born from 1981-2000 and the Post-Millennials are those born 2001 – to present. These two groups are key to the future success of the CAF as they form the nucleus of current middle management, new members of the military, and any future applicants to the military.

Millennials and Post-Millennials have been shaped by their families, a meteoric rise in the use and access to technology and the perception and reality of world instability. As a result of these influences and related to retention, Millennials and Post-Millennials value professional development and leadership that inspires. They see the value of knowledge as a tool to understand and seek leaders with integrity that they can trust.

Stackhouse (2021, pp. 60-61) advised on the personality traits of Millennials to, “…have expectations that mentors will approach them…and also expect the organization to feed them the ability to reach the next level…”, and that, “…leaders should dedicate more one-on-one career planning and succession planning at an earlier stage”. Stackhouse further described the requirement for feedback sessions that occurred more frequently with and greater depth to develop honesty and trust with leadership.

Loyalty is important to the Millennial and Post-Millennial, but not in the traditional sense of the individual demonstrating loyalty to the organization. Rather, the focus of the loyalty is reversed, requiring the leadership to demonstrate their loyalty to the Millennial and Post-Millennial. A sense of belonging is important to the Millennial and Post-Millennial, so leaders must be prepared to have frequent contact and meaningful, timely feedback with those they supervise.

In summary, the CAF leader of today is expected to, “…provide work-life balance, fair compensation, professional development, the opportunity to make a difference, inspiring leadership, and a positive work environment. After all, if an employer does not provide all these things, Millennials are fully prepared to look elsewhere. However, if they feel respected and valued, there is a chance that they could become employees for life.” (Tanner, 2010, p. 48). Seen in this light, the value of coaching and mentoring as a retention tool so that the needs of a Millennial and Post-Millennial can be met, becomes an absolute necessity.

Coaching and Mentoring

It is also necessary to briefly outline the benefits of coaching and mentoring on retention. Coaching is typically a short-term relationship between two parties that focuses on specific results. Mentoring is usually a more defined, long term, professionally based relationship where an experienced person shares their knowledge with a less experienced person. The focus of a mentoring relationship is developmental in nature in the areas of leadership, professional, career, or personal (Lagace-Roy, 2008, p. 380). The types of mentoring relationships are formal, informal, and semi-formal, being a blend of the first two. The semi-formal mentoring relationship is seen to work best in large organizations such as the Canadian Armed Forces.

Mentoring, and to a lesser extent coaching, is seen to benefit the mentee, the mentor, and the organization. According to Lagace-Roy (2008, pp. 383-384), the benefits for each are:

Mentee:

1. Receiving career guidance
2. Understanding roles and expectations with the organization
3. Increasing organizational knowledge
4. Learning how to deal with difficult situations
5. Increasing self-confidence and productivity

Mentor:

1. Personal satisfaction
2. New ideas and fresh perspectives
3. Contribution to the corporate memory
4. Opportunities to reflect on personal and professional achievements
5. Collaboration and collegiality

Organizational:

1. A direct influence on job performance
2. Early career socialization
3. Organizational communication and understanding
4. Long-range human resource development planning and leadership succession

As can be seen, coaching and mentoring have a direct and positive affect on a mentee’s employment gratification, work output, and retention. It has a similar affect on a mentor, and from an organizational standpoint, it is a fundamental process as a leadership development tool that allows the retention of talent.

Roles and Responsibilities of the SA CPO1/CWO

The Canadian Forces Professional Development System (CFPDS) states that the career of an NCM follows a defined path between Development Period 1 and Development Period 5. The phases are built on a professional body of knowledge, war fighting, and leadership, which are achieved on the foundations of education, training, experience, and self development (DOAD 5031-8 Canadian Forces Professional Development, 2003, paras. 4, 5, and 7). As an individual moves up in the phases of development, their leadership approach evolves from direct to indirect.

The specific role of the CPO1/CWO is perhaps best described in Gillis and Sherman (2017, p. 73), when they characterized the function as follows:

As members of the Defence Team, CPO1s/CWOs occupy a unique position within the framework of the CAF. They perform three equally important functions within our institution: they serve as trusted advisors within the leadership teams, co-stewards of the Profession of Arms (POA) in conjunction with CAF Senior Officers, and as custodians of the Non-Commissioned Members (NCM) Corps.

As the advisor within the leadership team, the CPO1/CWO needs to communicate with two distinct groups; the Officer and NCM Corps as he or she assists in the delivery of the Command Vision. As co-stewards of the Profession Of Arms (POA), the CPO1/CWO assists in safeguarding the attributes of responsibility, expertise, military identity, and military ethos. This assists the stewards in responding to the expectations of the POA, being fighting spirt, discipline, teamwork, physical fitness, and unlimited liability. As custodians of the NCM Corps, the CPO1/CWO nurtures, mentors, and protects the Corps. This element includes culture, traditions, and customs. (Gillis and Neill, 2017, pp. 73-76).

Roles and Responsibilities of the SA CPO1/CWO Within the Command Team

The roles and responsibilities of the Special Appointment (SA) CPO1/CWO within the Command Team are not well defined and at times can be ambiguous to determine, both for the individual and the organization. The transition from a CPO1/CWO who has learned their trade at the tactical or operational level can be challenging to operate within the strategic level.

Doctrinally, there is little specific material to outline the specific roles and responsibilities of the SA CPO1/CWO. Beyond Transformation: The CPO1/CWO Strategic Employment Model offers some foundational guidance. The document offers that the SA CPO1/CWO, “…must also be strong contributors to future CF Command/Senior Leadership Teams immediately upon appointment, by participating in the decision-cycle which converts strategic context into operational and tactical effectiveness.”(Department of National Defence, 2011, p. 19) For this to occur, the SA CPO1/CWO must have sufficient understanding of the strategic environment and use their, “…professional expertise, technical knowledge, and operational experience in order to recommend potential courses of action.” (Department of National Defence, 2011, p. 12). This includes the subsequent impacts to the operational and tactical levels. As is the case in all levels of the CPO1/CWO, it requires them to have the fluency to contribute to all related roles.

Building on the available doctrine have been several scholarly articles related to the roles and responsibilities of the SA CPO1/CWO within the Command Team. While there is recognition that it is the influence on the organization that changes for the CPO1/CWO in a strategic position, there are other shifts in their roles and responsibilities as well. The transition from the tactical and the operational to the strategic working environment requires an alignment of vision, consistent and strong communication, and trust as essential factors for the successful SA CPO1/CWO. Without doubt, these foundational traits, and many others are common to the CPO1/CWO operating at the tactical and operation level. The key difference in applying these traits at the strategic level is the successful use of strategic thinking conceptualization and application both in concert with one’s Commander and when operating independently.

Competencies of the SA CPO1/CWO that Can Assist in Retention

As to the specific roles of the Senior Appointment CPO1/CWO, the CAF Competency Dictionary (CAF CD) offers specialized Behavioural Indicators (BI) that facilitate greater understanding. The five meta-competencies of Expertise, Cognitive Capacities, Social Capacities, Change Capacities, and Professional Ideology are divided into 18 Competencies as listed below (Chief Warrant Officer Osside Profession of Arms Institute, 2021, pp. 133-165):

Five meta-competencies divided into 18 Competencies
Social Capacities	Professional Ideology	Expertise	Change Capacities	Cognitive Capabilities
Communication	Credibility and Influence	Personnel and Resource Management	Stress Management and Resilience	Analytical Thinking
Teamwork	Commitment to Military Ethos	Planning and Organizing	Developing Others	Innovation
Interpersonal Relations	Action Orientation and Initiative	Technical /Professional Proficiency	Developing Self
Partnering	Ethical Reasoning	Organizational Awareness	Adaptability
		Envisioning

Each competency lists specific BI’s for the expected abilities for S1/Cpl to CPO1/CWO. Notable to the senior ranks and specific to the CPO1/CWO rank, there are BI’s that only exist for those rank levels.

The codification of meta-competencies, competencies, and BI’s within the Competency Dictionary has allowed for them to be included in important retention areas such as training, succession management, and performance assessment (Chief Warrant Officer Osside Profession of Arms Institute, 2021, p. 1). The material in the competencies demonstrate the raw material required to solve the area of challenge by the SA CPO1/CWO.

Because of their experience and training, the adaptable and versatile SA CPO1/CWO will have a fluency in most, if not all the 18 competencies. There are some competencies that are more relevant than others relating to the retention of Millennials and Post-Millennials, specifically Credibility and Influence, Professional Proficiency, Developing Others, and Innovation.

The competency of Credibility and Influence speaks to the CPO1/CWO being trustworthy, reliable, and being able to have a meaningful impact. Technical/Professional Proficiency, relying heavily on the professional proficiency side of the competency for the CPO1/CWO, demonstrates the practical and effective tasks that are used to address issues, particularly related to standards maintenance. Taking action to guide others toward resources that will broaden skills or understanding is the focus of the Developing Others competency, principally around career progression and future needs. Lastly, the competency of Innovation outlines the implementation of new ideas and solutions to meet organizational problems.

How Can SA CPO1/CWO’s Contribute to the Retention Initiative?

There are several ways that a SA CPO1/CWO can contribute to retention in the CAF at the strategic or institutional level. This paper will focus on three areas: being a role model, being an advocate and through communication.

1. Foremost, a SA CPO1/CWO needs to be a role model in all professional and personal facets of their being. As the custodian of the NCM Corps, SA CPO1/CWO’s are exemplary role models that are, “…responsible for the development of the NCM Corps by ensuring that the knowledge and expertise they have gained over the course of their careers is mentored to the next generation.” (Gillis and Neil, 2017, p. 76). As previously discussed, Millennials and Post-Millennials expect their leaders to provide coaching and mentoring. Acting as the custodian of the NCM Corps allows the SA CPO1/CWO to use their presence to positively influence those subordinates so to positively influence retention. Accessibility to those same Millennials and Post-Millennials allow the SA CPO1/CWO to demonstrate their commitment to the organization and individual, which in turn positively affects retention. Presence and accessibility are also demonstrated through visible in-person support of coaching and mentoring opportunities. This may take the form of simple attendance at an exercise or leadership learning sessions, both virtually and in person.
2. Advocacy from SA CPO1/CWO comes in a couple of different forms. The ability for a SA CPO1/CWO to advocate for programs and initiatives by way of their Commander is one method. Being able to successfully articulate the tenants of SSE and translate those strategic requirements into actionable recommendations at the operational and tactical level with those that control resources highlights one of the key roles of the SA CPO1/CWO. The SA CPO1/CWO, “…remains focused on the ‘down and in’ while simultaneously operating in the ‘up and out’ framework, which helps shape broader organizational systems and processes.” (Belanger, 2021, p. 45). The other aspect of advocacy is being seen to guide or providing the ‘gift of time’ to those running retention programs, particularly those that are targeting Millennials and Post-Millennials via coaching and mentoring. With the greater insight on all three operating environments, being the tactical, operational, and the strategic, this means the SA CPO1/CWO can offer their advanced training and experience to influence the programs, guiding them in the direction they need to travel for success.
3. Tying advocacy and being a role model together is communications. The requirement for a SA CPO1/CWO to possess well developed and confident communication skills will remain paramount in dealing with retention issues. The ability to discuss and shape the Commander’s Vision, communicate that same vision to personnel up and down the chain of command and to make informed recommendations at the strategic level for purposes of amendment and efficacy, are some of the most important and most effective skills an SA CPO1/CWO can possess. Without effective communications, the ability to advocate and act as a role model loses function and purpose. According to Gillis and Neill (2017, p. 74), the CPO1/CWO, “…come from a ‘unique position of credibility when communicating’ because of their trusted position as senior advisors and confidants”. This unique position also allows the SA CPO1/CWO to focus on feedback mechanisms, both formal and informal, that will allow for improved practices that will improve retention via coaching and mentoring.

To better illustrate the importance of being a role model, an advocate, and an expert communicator, it is worth a brief examination of coaching and mentoring programs currently being run by the Naval Reserve (NAVRES). The first is the Professional Development and Mentoring Program (PDMP), offering professional development and mentoring to all NAVRES sailors by way of both virtual and in person presentations and workshops. The program seeks to fill those gaps not covered by the centralized leadership programs of the CAF and those experiential gaps caused by a lack of middle management, mainly at the Naval Reserve Division. The second program is the Naval Reserve Command and Mentorship Program (NRCMP). The NCO portion of this program seeks to support incoming Coxswains, with a one-on-one mentor outside of their unit. This allows the Coxswain the opportunity to discuss Command level issues in confidence and develop any missing skills prior to and during their appointment. NRCMP also offers a professional development ‘speaker series’, where institutional leaders host discussions on relevant leadership challenges and topics.

While the two programs have recently been amalgamated, the focus remains on offering a professional and flexible coaching and mentoring program for sailors of all ranks, trades, and service levels within NAVRES. A key feature of the program is seeking candidate input in what they want regarding topics and speakers. Allowing all personnel to have a say in program content continues to be a significant motivator and meets many of the motivational requirements of the Millennial and Post-Millennial.

The SA CPO1/CWO can act as a role model for this program in a few different ways. They can act as a guest speaker, using the opportunity to transmit organizational goals and vision. Being part of the program allows them greater accessibility to the Millennials and Post-Millennials in attendance, which is an important part of retention. Advocating for the coaching and mentoring program comes in a couple of different forms. With their extensive contacts, the SA CPO1/CWO will be able to advise on the retention benefits to their Commander and advocate for funding and resources to be allocated. The SA CPO1/CWO can also lend their guidance to program coordinators, offering strategic direction that leads to improved outcomes for participants and the organization. Communicating the benefits of the program allows the organization to recognize its value and build on the success of the model. Given the greater accessibility of the SA CPO1/CWO, they are ideally situated to maintain and ameliorate feedback mechanisms to keep the Commander informed.

Conclusion

The goal of this paper has been to highlight the necessity to improve the retention of Millennials and Post-Millennials through coaching and mentoring. The secondary focus has been to outline the roles and responsibilities of the SA CPO1/CWO and for improving retention. Quite simply, analysing the needs of an organization without adapting to the requirements of Millennials and Post-Millennials reduces efficiency and effectiveness.

The publishing of SSE formalized the expectation of CAF senior leadership that retention was a key strategic initiative. Since the publication of SSE, unforeseen world events have dramatically affected the ability of the CAF to meet the outlined expectations of the guidance document. The result has been that the military has been unable to retain as many Millennials and Post-Millennials to meet the current demands of the Canadian government.

The attributes of Millennials and Post-Millennials mean that their motivators are different than those generational cohorts that came before them. Tied to retention, Millennials and Post-Millennials value professional development, but expect mentors to approach them. They seek leadership that inspires, consequently valuing frequent feedback and townhalls. Moreover, the Millennial and Post-Millennial expects the organization to develop them to the next level. If these attributes are not met, the Millennial and Post-Millennial will take their greater technological skills and confidence to the organization that will meet their needs.

As a result, the SA CPO1/CWO must be aware of what these needs are and how to address them. The CAF CD offers guidance in this area through competencies and BI’s, most notably Credibility and Influence, Professional Proficiency, Developing Others, and Innovation. The SA CPO1/CWO can improve the retention of Millennials and Post-Millennials by assisting in coaching and mentoring. They can do this by being a role model, an advocate, and communicating the requirement to all levels of the chain of command.

As with most strategic requirements and initiatives, the coaching and mentoring of Millennials and Post-Millennials for retention purposes is an investment. Investments require time and patience to develop and mature, however this initiative is one that the CAF can ill afford to ignore.

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