Role of the Mentor

BLACK COMMISSIONED OFFICERS ADVISORY GROUP (BCOAG)

MENTORING PROGRAM GUIDANCE FOR MENTORS AND MENTEES

Developed by BCOAG Career & Professional Development Committee Mentoring Team Contents

I. Operating Guidelines A. Mentoring 101 Page 3

B. Purpose and General Information Page 4

C. Goals of the Mentoring Program Page 5

D. Role of Mentoring Program Leadership Page 5

E. Role of the Mentor Page 5 a. Qualifications b. Responsibilities c. Benefits

F. Role of the Mentee Page 6 a. Qualifications b. Responsibilities c. Benefits

G. Mentoring Program Implementation Page 7 a. Mentor Application b. Mentee Application c. Mentee Notification

H. Matching Mentors and Mentees Page 8

II. Program Evaluation Page 9

III. Appendices a. Mentor’s Checklist Page 10 b. Mentor Application Page 12 c. Mentee Application Page 14

2 | P a g e I. OPERATING GUIDELINES

A. MENTORING 101

As a mentor you may ask yourself the following questions:  What is Mentoring?  What does BCOAG expect of me?

There are many definitions, but the four statements below convey the essence of the BCOAG Mentoring Program’s beliefs.

 In its simplest form, mentoring can be defined as one person helping another to achieve a goal that is important to them.

 Mentoring is about supporting a junior officer in a non-threatening way, so that the recipient will appreciate and value the assistance, thus being empowered to move forward with confidence in reaching their goal.

 Mentoring should be conducted in an informal environment in which the mentee is able to discuss their goals, dreams, strengths, weaknesses, and challenges openly without reprisal.

 BCOAG’s Mentoring Program aims to provide resources for cultivating the skills of Black officers throughout the US Public Health Service (USPHS). This will yield more informed officers, enhance greater retention rates, and strengthen the Corps.

3 | P a g e B. Purpose and General Information

The Black Commissioned Officer Advisory Group (BCOAG) Career and Development Committee Mentoring Team is designed to facilitate the transition of newly Commissioned Officers into the Corps, and to promote, support, and guide the long-term career development of Commissioned Officers currently in the Corps. The program is open to all active duty USPHS Officers.

The success of the Corps is dependent on the development of competent and capable officers who are committed and dedicated to the mission of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Investing time in the personal and professional development of a junior officer through mentorship will enhance the overall effectiveness of the Corps and create stronger leaders for tomorrow.

Mentoring is an active partnership between an experienced member of the Corps and a less experienced member to foster professional growth and career development. The Mentor’s knowledge and insights gained over years of experience serve as a valuable tool to facilitate the effective and efficient growth of the Mentee.

The Mentor serves as an initial contact person from whom information about the Commissioned Corps may be readily obtained. Mentors should be knowledgeable about many subjects of interest to Commissioned Corps Officers, including: uniformed services benefits, the promotion process, uniforms, awards, mobility, career progression, and other valuable information. While the individual Mentor will probably not have all of the answers, he or she should be able to refer a Mentee to the source with the appropriate information.

In order for the Mentoring Program to be successful, both the Mentor and Mentee must be active and committed participants. The following guidelines are offered to ensure a successful relationship between the Mentor and Mentee:

 Be proactive - if you’re a Mentee, don’t wait for your Mentor to make the first contact and vice versa  Negotiate a commitment - agree to have regular communication at pre-defined intervals  Establish a rapport - learn as much as possible about the other person  Be confident - both the Mentor and Mentee have something important to offer each other  Be enthusiastic - demonstrate mutual interest in the mentoring relationship  Communicate - share knowledge and experiences openly

4 | P a g e  Be a good listener - hear what the Mentor or Mentee is saying  Be responsive - act upon what has been learned  Be accessible - have an open door or open phone policy  Take responsibility - it takes two to have a successful mentoring relationship

C. Goals of the Mentoring Program

 Provide the Mentee with timely, factual, and relevant information to encourage and support their professional growth. Provide sound advice and counsel to the Mentee throughout their careers  Promote career progression throughout the Corps

D. Role of Mentoring Program Leadership

The Mentoring Team Lead serves as the Mentoring Program Coordinator and will:  Be knowledgeable of the mentoring process  Be aware of what success looks like  Ensure Mentors/Mentees understand objectives  Match the right Mentor with the right officer  Take time to ensure a good initial relationship ensues  Complete a program evaluation regarding the mentoring experience  Support and guide Mentors/Mentees as they build interactive relationships  Serve as the primary contact for mentoring pairs during the year

E. Role of the Mentor

A Mentor is an experienced and trusted individual who serves in a number of capacities: teacher, guide, counselor, motivator, sponsor, coach, advisor, referral agent, and role model. The Mentor must be flexible to serve in the various capacities to meet the Mentee’s needs. To be a successful mentor, you must be patient, supportive, a good listener, people oriented, an achiever, and show genuine interest for the mentee’s career progression.

Qualifications to be a Mentor:

 Have at least two years of service as a Commissioned Corps Officer  Be currently in good standing with the Corps with no adverse personnel actions on file  Show strong interest in mentoring individuals through periodic phone calls, emails, and/or person-to-person contact. The frequency of meeting is established by the Mentor and Mentee.  Must have participated in at least one competitive promotion cycle

5 | P a g e 6 | P a g e Responsibilities of the Mentor:

 Submit completed Mentoring Program application  Serve as a role model - share personal experiences, present a good example  Be prepared and responsive to the requests and needs of the Mentee  Be a resource person - providing information on the USPHS related to category, personnel system, training opportunities, networking contacts, etc.  Listen carefully with openness and understanding  Counsel accordingly, to help identify options for achieving goals and solving problems; offer specific and practical suggestions, as needed  Offer insight and orient the Mentee to the spoken and unspoken rules of the Corps  Provide guidance; however allow the Mentee to make final decisions  Validate accomplishments - advocate and acknowledge achievements  Motivate mentee by helping set realistic goals and provide encouragement to achieve the goals  Provide feedback by sharing positive reactions and offering constructive criticism, objectively  Provide perspective and help the Mentee see the big picture, by putting things into proper perspective  Be knowledgeable – learn what you don’t know; refer to those who know best  If personality incompatibility is noted, the Mentor or Mentee should request a change by contacting the Mentoring Program point of contact

Benefits to the Mentor:

 Satisfaction of helping a new employee define and attain goals by identifying options and planning strategies  Satisfaction in having a positive long-term impact, both on the individual and the Corps  Improvement in interpersonal communication, motivation, coaching, counseling, and other management skills  Opportunity to reflect on one’s own goals and performance  Stay abreast of updates on Corps operations and policy changes  Will receive a letter of appreciation after completion of the program evaluation

F. Role of the Mentee

A Mentee is a committed and motivated individual who is willing to work and take responsibility for their career development and professional growth. A Mentee must be honest, open, and receptive to the guidance provided by their Mentor. All mentees should have good listening and communication skills for a successful mentoring relationship.

7 | P a g e Qualifications to be a Mentee:

 Willingness to commit to a partnership with a Mentor  Willingness to learn more about the USPHS  New or existing member of the USPHS  Desires assistance with his/her professional development and officership

Responsibilities of the Mentee:

 Submit a completed mentee application to the Mentoring Program point of contact  Initiate - schedule discussions, actively seek the Mentor’s advice  Be honest and respectfully open and frank during mentor-mentee discussions  Share self-assessment of career development needs and personal career goals  Listen objectively - consider all suggestions, accept constructive criticism/feedback  Receive the suggested guidance and support for professional development  Make decisions based on all information gathered, and follow through on suggestions appropriately  If personality incompatibility is noted, the Mentor or Mentee should request a change by contacting the Mentoring Program point of contact

Benefits to the Mentee:

 Interpersonal professional relationship with a caring, encouraging advisor  Availability of guidance toward defining a career track and achieving goals  Provision of recognition for accomplishments and constructive feedback to enhance overall performance throughout career  Acquiring objective and credible sources of information  Improvement in overall job performance and officership  Will receive acknowledgement for participation after completion of the program evaluation

G. Mentoring Program Implementation

a. Mentor Application

 Mentors must submit a completed Mentor application

8 | P a g e  Upon receipt of the Mentor application form, the prospective Mentor will be contacted by the Mentoring Team Lead/designee to discuss role, responsibilities and expectations.

b. Mentee Application

 Mentee must submit a completed mentee application  Upon receipt of the mentor application form, a mentor will be assigned based on their goals and interests.

c. Notification

 The Mentoring Team Lead/designee will contact the Mentor and Mentee informing them of the pairing.  The Mentoring Team Lead/designee will update the Mentor/Mentee roster accordingly.  The Mentoring team will communicate with mentor/mentee for periodic updates on the progress and participation in the program.  At any time during your Mentor or Mentee relationship you may request a change by contacting the Mentoring Program point of contact.

H. Matching Mentors and Mentees

 Mentors and Mentees will be notified of their pairing/match once an assignment has been made.  To ensure potential Mentors are able to optimally relate to the Mentee, an effort will be made to pair a Mentor with a Mentee in their geographic location or within the same agency; however, this may not always be possible.  After three months, the Mentor or Mentee may opt to continue the partnership, terminate the partnership, or request a new mentor/mentee, or terminate their participation in the Mentoring Program.  Unless otherwise indicated by either the Mentor or Mentee, the relationship will exist for at least one year. The official start date will begin when the mentee is assigned to a mentor.  Optional Matching Process: Have you identified a mentee or mentor? Pre-identified Mentor/Mentee relationships requesting to join BCOAG Mentoring Program will be considered.

9 | P a g e II. PROGRAM EVALUATION

Program evaluation is critical to the constant improvement of the Mentoring Program. Part of the commitment to function as a Mentor and to participate as a Mentee, includes the responsibility to provide constructive feedback of individual experiences. All feedback received from participants will be used for evaluation purposes only. Your responses will remain confidential and will be used only to modify the program. Yearly program evaluation is required to receive any acknowledgement of participation or appreciation in the program.

 Mentors and Mentee will complete a final evaluation once a year during their matching anniversary month.  Program evaluations will be completed electronically. All information will be collated from the feedback forms into a status report. The Mentoring Program will utilize the data compiled in these status reports to assess its effectiveness and make modification as necessary.

10 | P a g e APPENDIX a. - MENTOR’S CHECKLIST

BCOAG Career and Professional Development Committee Mentoring Program - Mentor’s Checklist

This checklist is a tool that the Mentor can use to ensure pertinent issues are adequately addressed during the mentoring process. Many of these items may or may not be applicable to all Mentees. However, the introduction of each topic will give the Mentee an opportunity to indicate whether he/she is familiar with the subject matter.

Mentor: ______Mentee: ______Date Mentoring Began: ___/___/___ Assigned Agency ______Position Title ______

Black Commissioned Officers Advisory Group Organizational structure and history How to get involved with committees How to lead an activity How to become a voting member

Career Development Issues Date Discussed Chain of Command ______Officership ______Promotion Process and Precepts (Benchmarks)______Importance of the Curriculum Vitae or Resume______Maintenance of your OPF ______Awards System ______Training and Education (T & E credit) ______Licensure/CEU ______Duty Assignments and Progression ______REDDOG/CCRF/Deployments ______Billets ______Mobility ______Maintenance of health records ______Uniforms ______Performance Standards/ COERS ______

Personnel Issues Leave ______Pay ______Standards of Conduct ______Medical/Dental Benefits and Insurance/Life Insurance______Retirement ______Military Customs and Protocols ______

11 | P a g e Support Issues Professional Advisory Committees (PAC) ______Commissioned Officer’s Association (COA) ______Professional Organizations and Associations ______Junior Officer Advisory Group (JOAG) ______Minority Officers Liaison Council (MOLC) ______

12 | P a g e APPENDIX b. - MENTOR’S APPLICATION

Black Commissioned Officers Advisory Group Mentoring Program Mentor Application Form

Please write legibly or type information in the requested fields.

Date: Rank and Name:

Job Title: Category/Discipline:

PHS number: Dept./Agency/Office:

Duty Station Address:

Phone: Fax:

Email:

1. How long have you been in the Corps?

2. What specific experiences, skills, values, or knowledge will you offer your mentee?

3. Have you participated in at least one competitive promotion cycle?

4. Please provide any additional information that will be helpful in matching you with a mentee.

13 | P a g e 5. Have you identified a BCOAG Mentee that you would like to formally match with?

4. Please return the completed application to the BCOAG Team at ([email protected]) along with your CV.

Other Comments:

14 | P a g e APPENDIX c. - MENTEE’S APPLICATION

Black Commissioned Officers Advisory Group Mentoring Program Mentee Application

Please write legibly or type information in the requested fields.

Date: Rank and Name:

Job Title: Category/ Discipline:

PHS Number: Dept. / Agency/Office:

Duty Station Address:

Phone: Fax:

Email:

1. How long have you been in the Corps?

2. Provide a brief summary of your interests/goals.

3. What specific experiences, skills, values and knowledge are you looking for in a mentor?

4. What would you like to accomplish through the mentoring relationship?

5. Have you identified a BCOAG mentor that you would like to formally match with?

15 | P a g e 6. Please return the completed application to the BCOAG Mentoring Team at ([email protected]) along with your CV.

Other Comments:

16 | P a g e