Scouts, Pioneers and Colonizers (September 2008)

In July of 1996, MPRI sent a group of 170 contractors to Bosnia to help the Bosnian Federation create a modern western-style defense organization out of the disintegration of Yugoslavia and results of the Bosnian War. MPRI was on the leading edge of the Military Stabilization Program, even while peacekeeping operations were on-going with both IFOR and SFOR units on the ground.

This was not just a “gather and sow” operation, but one that developed over a period of time using specially selected personnel to perform missions with a process that eventually became the Mentoring Program as we recognize it today.

The initial element of team members entering Bosnia were described as “Scouts.” Their mission was to assess the conditions on the ground and conduct a capability survey of the needs of the defense structure in preparation for the follow-up teams. The next group, called “Pioneers,” were selected specialists who arrived to conduct joint planning with the Bosnian leadership and develop capacity building operations. The final group, affectionately known as, “Colonizers” where those that came to execute the details of the plans and coach, train, teach and MENTOR the various organizational elements to prepare them for the $100 million dollar stabilization effort.

The success of the stabilization program was evident in the efforts of these three groups of highly talented and effective contractors. They understood the mission they needed to accomplish, assessed the client’s capabilities and needs, jointly developed plans that would increase client skills and then helped execute the plan of action. Throughout this process evaluations were being conducted at every level of the contract to ensure that the contract requirements were being met and that the client was progressing effectively toward their desired end-state.

How does this experience relate to our mentoring efforts today? The Bosnian efforts identified the importance of having a process that was systematic, flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of our client by using the experience and expertise of a cadre of highly qualified and talented contractors.

Today, many of those contractors are still with MPRI in a variety of leadership positions; however, the lessons learned THEN are just as important and effective TODAY as we apply the time-tested principles of Mentoring to our world-wide contracts.

MPRI Mentoring has a distinguished heritage and track record. It is a system that works and has proven effective in a variety of circumstances and under the most austere conditions. It works because it is applied by qualified, tested and experienced contractors who understand the value of the Mentoring Processes key elements; Assessment, Teaching and Evaluation…“ATE” for short!

Through the Mentoring Process we are helping our clients eat the proverbial elephant, one bite at a time. This allows them to learn and apply universally accepted functional knowledge and skills to help perform their missions and tasks.

In July of 1996, MPRI sent a group of 170 contractors to Bosnia to help the Bosnian Federation create a modern western-style defense organization out of the disintegration of Yugoslavia and results of the Bosnian War. MPRI was on the leading edge of the Military Stabilization Program, even while peacekeeping operations were on-going with both IFOR and SFOR units on the ground.

This was not just a “gather and sow” operation, but one that developed over a period of time using specially selected personnel to perform missions with a process that eventually became the Mentoring Program as we recognize it today.

The initial element of team members entering Bosnia were described as “Scouts.” Their mission was to assess the conditions on the ground and conduct a capability survey of the needs of the defense structure in preparation for the follow-up teams. The next group, called “Pioneers,” were selected specialists who arrived to conduct joint planning with the Bosnian leadership and develop capacity building operations. The final group, affectionately known as, “Colonizers” where those that came to execute the details of the plans and coach, train, teach and MENTOR the various organizational elements to prepare them for the $100 million dollar stabilization effort.

The success of the stabilization program was evident in the efforts of these three groups of highly talented and effective contractors. They understood the mission they needed to accomplish, assessed the client’s capabilities and needs, jointly developed plans that would increase client skills and then helped execute the plan of action. Throughout this process evaluations were being conducted at every level of the contract to ensure that the contract requirements were being met and that the client was progressing effectively toward their desired end-state.

How does this experience relate to our mentoring efforts today? The Bosnian efforts identified the importance of having a process that was systematic, flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of our client by using the experience and expertise of a cadre of highly qualified and talented contractors.

Today, many of those contractors are still with MPRI in a variety of leadership positions; however, the lessons learned THEN are just as important and effective TODAY as we apply the time-tested principles of Mentoring to our world-wide contracts.

MPRI Mentoring has a distinguished heritage and track record. It is a system that works and has proven effective in a variety of circumstances and under the most austere conditions. It works because it is applied by qualified, tested and experienced contractors who understand the value of the Mentoring Processes key elements; Assessment, Teaching and Evaluation…“ATE” for short!

Through the Mentoring Process we are helping our clients eat the proverbial elephant, one bite at a time. This allows them to learn and apply universally accepted functional knowledge and skills to help perform their missions and tasks.