Coming Full Circle
In my "real life"1, I am a police officer in a specialized unit and have been one of the unit's full-time instructors since early 2022. My switch from being an operator into the training cadre was, among other factors, initiated by the lead instructor — who had just a few years prior overseen my own development — requesting me personally. That was
- very weird and
- obviously very special for me.
Soon after that faithful phone call, I had a second important conversation with another instructor who would later become my mentor. In it, I voiced all the doubts and concerns I had regarding the idea of me becoming a full-time instructor:
- my young age,
- my relatively short time in the unit,
- my lack of relevant qualifications2 and
- my insecurities about fitting in with the other instructors.
That soon-to-be mentor took the time to patiently answer all my questions and adress all my doubts. He single-handedly convinced me that I had what it takes — at least the raw material — to become a valuable addition to the training cadre.
A few days ago, well over four years later, I've had a strange full circle moment: A young collegue who I (among other instructors) trained up to become a member of our unit, was asked by our lead instructor (yes, the very same) whether she'd be interested in becoming a full-time instructor. Very soon after that conversation, I had her on the phone, giving her all the time she needed to air her doubts and insecurities, to wonder out loud if she had what it takes to do the job, if she would fit in with the other instructors — you get the idea.
I don't know if I will be anything like a mentor for her in the future. But I'm happy to report that she has decided to make the switch.
"Paying it forward", it turns out, is a very reliable source of satisfaction.
