ESC seeks experienced military, civilians for new mentoring program

  • Published
  • By Kevin Gilmartin
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Electronic Systems Center is unveiling a center-wide military and civilian mentoring program that will allow junior and mid-level workers to tap into the vast experience and knowledge of senior-level military and civilian members to gain insight into developing a successful career path. 

The foundation of the mentoring program is a web-based system that will allow prospective mentors to indicate their interest and post a short biography. Those seeking to be mentored, referred to as mentees, will be able to browse the list of interested advisors, and pick the one they feel best suits them. If the mentor agrees, the two of them can then define the parameters of their partnership. 

The web site, which uses SharePoint and is maintained by ESC's Directorate of Personnel, will also offer a wide array of resources and tools gleaned from successful programs across the government to help strengthen the mentors' leadership skills. The web site will also contain discussion boards for questions and success stories.
"Mentoring is nothing new in ESC," said Mr. Condon. "Every organization has its own activities taking place at some level. This effort will formalize mentoring across ESC and share the very best practices from each wing with everyone in ESC." 

The first step in making this program a success, according to Mike Condon of the Directorate of Personnel, is to build a list of interested senior-level employees who are willing to share their expertise by serving as a mentor. Interested mentors can post their availability and information by visiting the web site: https://cs.eis.afmc.af.mil/sites/DP/ESC/pages/ESC%20Mentoring.aspx and clicking on "getting started." 

"Once we populate the site with a good list of mentors, we will open it up to mentees, and really get the program moving," said Mr. Condon. "But until then, I still encourage mentees to visit the site and review some of the information." 

The mentoring program has support from the highest levels of ESC.
ESC is adopting an informal approach, where relationships are established at the request of the mentor or mentee, versus a formal program where partnerships are assigned, because relationships established by choice tend to be more productive and last longer, Mr. Condon said. He expects the site to be ready for mentees to choose a mentor in early May. 

"This is a critical time in our Air Force and our center, as we develop and build the civilian work force of the future," said ESC Commander Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds. "We've recently seen an influx of very talented new civilians into our work force, and I believe it is the responsibility of all our more seasoned employees to take them under our wings and pass on the wisdom we have gained from our experience to ensure they are best prepared to meet the challenges ahead and navigate a successful career path. 

"I know everyone is busy meeting their day-to-day goals," the general said, "but I strongly encourage every senior officer, NCO and civilian to go to this web site and sign up to mentor someone. It won't take that long, and the return on investment will be huge, benefitting the organization and the individual, while giving the mentor a real sense of satisfaction for making a difference."

The relationship between mentor and mentees is not the same as a protégé or supervisory relationship, according to Jimmy MacStravic, deputy director of the 653 Electronic Systems Group, who has helped develop a program within his wing, and is looking forward to participating in the center-wide program. 

"This is not a life-long commitment," he said. Both parties should agree on a suitable duration - probably about one year. It shouldn't be an exclusive relationship. Employees can have more than one mentor, and mentors can have multiple mentees, if their schedule permits. It is very different from the career counseling you provide as a supervisor." 

Mr. MacStravic said that, in his experience, there are intrinsic benefits to being a mentor.
"As you progress in your career, you start wondering what you're doing to get the organization where you want it be," he said. "There is no better way to do that than through a mentoring relationship." 

Jeff Mayer of ESC's Directorate of Engineering, who has long been an advocate of a strong ESC mentoring program, owes much of his career success to the guidance he received from his mentor early in his career. A successful mentor need not be someone in your career field, he said. 

"It was good for me to have someone outside my chain of command that could help me make decisions about my career," he said. 

Although the web-based mentoring program has all the advantages of a social networking site such as Facebook, the expectation is that the system will only serve to introduce participants and guide them along the way, according to Kathryn Macy of the Directorate of Personnel. The mentoring will primarily take place in face-to-face meetings, although it will allow employees at geographically separated units to reach back to ESC headquarters and establish long distance mentoring ties. 

Jennifer Gregory of the Directorate of Personnel, who is relatively new to ESC and the federal work force, said she learned the importance of having a mentor early in one's career during a recent Women's History Month event. 

"I attended the women's panel, which featured four senior military and civilian women, and each one said that if they could do one thing different in their career, it would be to find a mentor earlier on," she said. "That really drove home to me the difference a mentor can make." 

For further information on the program, visit the website at https://cs.eis.afmc.af.mil/sites/DP/ESC/pages/ESC%20Mentoring.aspx, or call Mr. Condon at (781) 377-0762.