Do you want to be a mentor? Do you need a mentor?

MENTORS:

* Mentoring Process
* Mentee Responsibilities
* Mentor Responsibilities
* Supervisor Responsibilities
* Resources
* FPD Automated Mentoring System

Mentoring Process

Mentoring involves counseling others, formally or informally. A mentor willingly serves as a role model for his/her mentee, sharing organization insights and lessons learned. Mentors provide sound advice on career development goals, strategies, and options.

Mentoring may be performed by managers or non-managers, either within or outside of an employee's organization. All GSFC employees are encouraged to seek appropriate mentor(s). However, whether you have a mentor-mentee relationship is entirely up to you. Employees may choose to have more than one mentor. You and your supervisor should discuss the need for a mentor.

Mentoring involves guiding and nurturing the growth of others through various stages of their development. Mentoring is a technique with strategies and practices that can be learned. Generally speaking, a mentor is someone of substantial experience, talent, or professional standing who nurtures the career of another. Mentoring can be conducted through a formal program or by an informal understanding between a mentor and mentee. The best mentors combine technical competence, business acumen, relevant experience, the ability to effectively communicate, and most importantly, the ability to listen and provide candid and constructive feedback.

The key steps in the mentoring process include:

• Generating a personal vision
• Discussing your career with suppervisor
• Discussing your career with your mentor

Mentee Responsibilities

1. Acknowledging that the development of your career can be achieved through a process of intentional planned experiences and assignments.

2. Being open to new discoveries and possibilities that would result in a higher level of potential for both you and the organization.

3. Desiring to be a mentee (being receptive to learning, developing a learning relationship with a mentor(s)).

4. Discussing your ideas, goals, aspirations and plan for action with your mentor and your supervisor as appropriate.

5. Preparing an Individual Development Plan (IDP) that identifies:
- Developmental objectives
- Necessary training (courses as well as on-the-job (OTJ)

6. Identifying and coordinating with your mentor and supervisor developmental objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, and compatible with skill matrices/competencies.

- Developmental objectives might include, but are not limited to, attendance at management reviews and/or decision meetings as an observer or presenter and potential OTJ experiences outside your immediate area of responsibility.

7. Reaching consensus with your mentor and supervisor on an IDP.

8. Accepting responsibility for accomplishment of both your current job and IDP requirements.

9. Seeking advice from your mentor on organizational norms and expectations as appropriate.

10. Reaching agreement with your mentor on a schedule of regular mentor/mentee meetings.

11. Being willing to discuss developmental problems and concerns as they occur with your mentor.

12. Seeking feedback from your mentor and others regarding your strengths and additional developmental needs.

13. Working with your mentor on networking at all levels within the program/project management discipline through introductions to others who might be able to help with advice, knowledge, etc.

Mentor Responsibilities

1. Agreeing to act as a mentor (a commitment to teaching, guiding, and training).

2. Accepting mentor training as appropriate.

3. Acting as a sounding board for the mentee's ideas, goals, and aspirations, and instilling an impetus for action toward achieving them.

4. Advising the mentee on organizational norms and expectations as appropriate.

5. Providing an openness to new discoveries and possibilities for the mentee resulting in a higher level of potential for both the mentee and the organization.

6. Providing advice to the mentee on matters relating to his/her career development.

7. Instilling in the mentee the understanding that the development of one's career can be achieved through a process of intentional planned experiences and assignments.

8. Working with the mentee to identify developmental requirements.

9. Identifying developmental objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, and compatible with skill matrices/competencies.

10. Reaching agreement with the mentee on an IDP.

11. Reaching agreement with the mentee on a schedule of regular mentor/mentee meetings.

12. Being available to discuss the problems and concerns of the mentee as they occur.

13. Providing feedback to the mentee regarding his/her strengths and developmental needs.

14. Arranging for the mentee to attend meetings as an observer or presenter.

15. Coordinating with the mentee's supervisor the mentee's developmental objectives and planned experiences as well as the mentee's progress.

16. Supporting the mentee in establishing a network of human resources at all position levels within the program/project management discipline by providing introductions to others who might be able to help with advice, knowledge, etc.

17. Coordinating with the supervisor the identification of possible experiences/assignments that might benefit the mentee.

Supervisor Responsibilities

1. Understanding and sharing with your employees the Flight Programs and Projects Directorate's needs, goals, and opportunities.

2. Providing feedback to your employees on their performance and identifying their strengths and developmental needs.

3. Assuring that your employees who want an Individual Development Plan (IDP) have one.

4. Assuring that your employees who want a mentor receive the necessary support in acquiring one.

5. Meeting with your employees who have plans and reviewing their plans with them.

- Identify training and development activities within their current assignment.
- Make recommendations regarding other developmental objectives and appropriate experiences.

6. Meeting with your employee's mentor as requested to coordinate the employee's developmental objectives and planned experiences and to help identify possible experiences/assignments that might benefit the employee as well as to discuss progress vs. developmental objectives.

7. Supporting, when appropriate, developmental activities for your employees that are external to their existing assignment.

8. Reaching consensus with your employee and his/her mentor on an IDP.

9. Incorporating developmental activities in your employee's Performance Plans and discussing his/her training and development experiences during performance reviews.

10. Supporting the necessary training for your employees and assuring their ability to take the training when it is scheduled.

11. Considering becoming a mentor for the program and encouraging your employees to be mentors.

Resources

* Code 400 Orientation Session (.doc)
* Six Month Evaluation Form (.doc)