The NCMS Mentoring Program A Race For The Future

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The NCMS Mentoring ProgramA Race For The
Future
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Purpose

• Define what a mentoring program is
• Define what a mentor is and what they can bring
  to the program
• Define who is a mentee and what they can bring to
  the program
• Describe what the mentor can take from the
  program
• Describe what the mentee can take from the
  program?

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Purpose (cont)

• Describe how to start a mentor program at the
  Chapter level
• Describe how to become a mentor/mentee
• How to start the relationship
• How to close the relationship
• Chapter Mentor Program Evaluation

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Introduction

• Security organizations are becoming a more
  significant contributor to their companys
  business objectives and strategies
• NCMS is ready to help its members developing core
  competencies and leadership skills

People dont plan to fail they fail to plan
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Mentoring

• Mentoring is a volunteer program and can have
  tremendous pay-offs!
• NCMS chapters and its members must make a
  commitment that they want to pursue a mentoring
  program
• It is more than security professionals attending
  meetings and training seminars
• It requires a mentor and mentee to become
  partners having firm commitments from their
  respective organization and the mentor and mentee!

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Mentoring

• Mentoring is a one-on-one learning relationship
  between two people i.e., a teacher (mentor) and
  student (mentee) that gives the mentor the
  opportunity to share professional and personal
  skills and experience, so the student can acquire
  specific skills to make them a more valued and
  productive professional and person.
• Mentoring is also a valuable low cost way to
  empower industrial security personnel to perform
  at much higher skill levels.

If you do what you always have done, you will
get what you have always got Unknown
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What Is A Mentor?

• A mentor is an industrial security professional
  who possesses sufficient experience and knowledge
  in the appropriate topic areas to help the
  mentee.
• No one person can effectively mentor everyone.
  Mentors must be matched to the mentee with care
  and attention to the mentees needs.

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What Does A Mentor Bring To The Learning
Environment?

• Technical knowledge, core skills, and abilities
• Experiences related to the goals and objectives
  established by the mentor and mentee
• Ability to help the mentee establish career goals
  and objectives for not only their mentor-mentee
  relationship but also for both their personal
  life and professional careers
• Networking skills and professional contacts
• Advice and assistance on how to formulate plans
  to aid the mentees career mobility and
  development
• Perspective and context, which are critical to
  solving tough issues

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Skills A Mentor Must Have

• Not only must a mentor have the security skills
  to help, but also they need communication,
  coaching, and social skills.
• Leadership and management skills, which include
  budgeting, prioritizing, problem solving, and
  counseling, are essential. The level of these
  skill requirements will vary with the mentee.
• Being well connected within the organization is
  also extremely useful.
• Be willing to comply with Mentoring Program
  policy.

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What Makes A Good Mentor?

• Mature interpersonal skills
• Strong knowledge base and technical skills
• Track record of success
• Commitment to developing others
• Patience and self-confidence
• Enthusiasm
• Charisma
• Supervisory skills (if working to develop
  leadership skills)

Mentor relationships can be productive regardless
of the job level of the mentor
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What Does the Mentor Get From the Program?

• Increased professional knowledge because teaching
  and coaching others normally leads us to do
  research and to remember details
• Improved planning, interpersonal, and
  communications skills
• Improved management and leadership skills because
  you get better at what you practice
• Knowledge of best practices, compliance issues,
  and corrective actions or security-related issues
  from their mentees

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What Does The Mentor Get From The Program? (cont)

• Opportunities to test new security and leadership
  ideas
• Improved social skills
• Satisfaction from helping someone develop
  personally and professionally
• Interaction with a person who has a fresh
  perspective on securityyou learn, too
• Reduced stressed because helping others makes us
  feel good about ourselves
• Renewed enthusiasm for their job (at least we
  hope so)

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What Is A Mentee?

• A mentee is an individual who is looking for a
  trusted and more experienced industrial security
  professional from whom they can acquire
  knowledge, advice, and counsel that is not
  normally available to them.

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What Makes A Good Mentee?

• A willingness to do the work required by the
  mentor
• A desire to learn everything they can from their
  mentor
• A realistic expectation of the outcome of their
  mentoring relationship
• A desire to collaborate and effectively
  communicate with the mentor openly and honestly
• A desire to accept all challenges offered by the
  mentor

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What Does A Mentee Get From The Program?

• Improved social and communications skills
• Increased productivity and efficiency
• Improved understanding of management and ability
  to manage and lead
• Knowledge that they had the opportunity to ask
  tough questions, to get honest answers and to
  have received one-on-one feedback
• Strengthened personal and professional
  self-confidence

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What Does A Mentee Get From The Program?

• Increased knowledge of core security skills
• A better understanding of the BIG PICTURE about
  the security profession and how they fit as part
  of a security team
• Increased potential for career mobility, growth,
  and advancement
• Discovery of how a supportive learning
  environment helps professional development
• Improved networking skills and new points of
  contact in the security community
• Improved professional self-confidence

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How To Start A Mentoring Program

• The local Chapter Chairs and Chapter Officers
  should determine if they want to participate in
  the Mentor Program
• They must commit to supporting the program, their
  mentors and mentees
• The Chapter Officers should create a Mentoring
  Committee and select a person to chair this
  committee
• The Mentor Committee Chair should contact their
  local DSS Field Office and ISR
• Explain the program
• Assure DSS that we are not detracting from their
  FSO Course or other in-residence or
  correspondence training

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How To Start A Mentoring Program (cont)

• Ask DSS to recommend local security professionals
  that they consider to be SMEs
• The Chapter Mentor Committee Chair should
  discuss the Mentor Program with the chapter
  members and solicit their support

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How To Start A Mentoring Program (cont)

• Develop a list of Subject Matter Experts (SME) in
  your Chapter versed in
• NISPOM
• DCIDs
• COMSEC
• Counterintelligence
• Etc
• Based on the SME list contact the SMEs and
  determine if they would like to be a mentor

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How To Start A Mentoring Program (cont)

• Determine if there are chapter members who want
  to participate in the program as a mentee and
  what area of industrial security in which they
  want to become more well versed
• Match the mentor and mentees skills and desires
• Introduce the mentor or SME to the mentee
• If they agree to participate in the program, have
  them accomplish the training and appropriate
  forms

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How To Start A Mentoring Program (cont)

• The Mentor Committee Chair will provide a list of
  chapter SMEs to the Mentor Committee Chair
• SME must agree to be on the national list
• This facilitates the creation of a national SME
  list which will be made available to all the
  Chapter Mentor Committee Chairs

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How Does A Member Volunteer To Be A Mentor/Mentee?

• Contact your Chapter Chair and volunteer
• Complete the mentor/mentee training/briefing
• Sign the Mentor/Mentee Affirmation Form

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The First Meeting

• Share information on yourselves
• Identifies the desired goals/results of the
  partnership
• Confirms the mentor can meet the mentees needs
• Breaks the ice
• Discuss schedules

Never mistake motion for action Ernest Hemingway
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The First Meeting (cont)

• Establish the goals and ground rules of the
  mentoring relationship i.e. The Dos and Donts
• Establish milestones to track the learning
  process
• Determine if the mentoring relationship is long
  or short term
• Make sure the mentor and mentee are compatible

REMEMBER THAT MENTORING IS A QUEST FOR
KNOWLEDGE
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The First Meeting (cont)

• The mentor and mentee should establish guidelines
  and an agreement that covers
• Honesty
• Regularity
• Availability
• Affirmation
• Accountability
• Feedback
• Bringing the process to its conclusion

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The First Meeting (cont)

• Agree to be in contact with each other until you
  accomplish your goal via
• E-mail
• In-house visits
• Telephone contact
• Determine how often your contact will be
• Weekly, monthly, etc
• Agree to be a good listener and communicator

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The First Meeting (cont)

• Agree to be understanding of each others point of
  view
• Everyone has all has different experiences and
  filters that we think are important
• Talk about using practical experiences and
  homework as a learning tool

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Subsequent Mentoring Sessions

• The mentor and mentee should always be on time
  and prepared to discuss the objectives of the
  session
• Meetings should be conducted in a space conducive
  to learning
• At the end of the session agree on the next
  sessions objectives
• Be prepared to discuss if their partnership is
  meeting the mentees expectations

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Closing A Mentoring Partnership

• Mentors and mentees must know when the transfer
  of knowledge is complete
• Is the program still Value added?
• Mentee must ask Do I get it?
• Mentor and mentee must be honest and evaluate
  their relationship
• See if there are other NEW things that the mentee
  wants to learn
• Can the mentor provide the knowledge?
• If not determine if there is another SME who can
• Begin a new mentor learning experience

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Periodic Evaluation By The Mentoring Committee

• The Chapter Mentoring Committee Chair should
  conduct a periodic evaluation of the
  mentor/mentee partnership sponsored by the
  chapter. They will evaluate
• Do the mentor and mentee submit a periodic
  evaluation of their program to determine if they
  are meeting their established goals, objectives,
  and timelines?
• If their efforts are not meeting their
  objectives, did they determine why not and what
  can they do to get back on track?
• Is the mentor providing the core knowledge and
  guidance to the mentee that is required to meet
  program objectives?

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Periodic Evaluation By The Mentoring Committee
(cont)

• Is the mentee doing everything to make the
  mentoring relationship successful?
• Is there a need to use different reference
  materials?
• Is there a need to get individuals with more
  expertise in a subject (SMEs) to help the
  learning experience?
• Is the meeting schedule satisfactory or are
  more/less meeting requirements

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Mentor Program Evaluation Process

• When a mentor/mentee relationship comes to a
  close, the Chapter Mentor Committee Chair and
  other chapter officers should evaluate the
  relationship
• Determine if the goals and objectives of the
  mentor/mentee have been met
• Were there any problems
• Would the mentee recommend their mentor to
  continue with the program
• Would the mentor recommend the mentee to continue
  to participate in the program

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Tips For Success

• You can use war stories to get a point across
• Lets them learn from your successes and mistakes
• Learn about the mentees company
• You can expose the mentee to new experiences,
  contacts, that their current position may not
  provide
• Dont expect life altering breakthroughs, but,
  small noticeable changes in their level of
  knowledge

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Tips For Success (cont)

• Make the first session a success
• Break the ice
• Be organized
• This is a mentor-driven meeting
• Look at the BIG picture
• Consider using other SMEs to help re-enforce what
  you are teaching

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Tips For Success (cont)

• Dont be afraid to assign homework
• Produce a written development plan to track the
  mentees progress
• Not a complicated document

If you cant measure it.you didnt understand
it Lord Kelvin
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Conclusion

• Mentoring can be a great benefit if the mentor
  and mentee are fully engaged
• Increases the professionalism of the NCMS
  membership
• Provides our membership with a positive learning
  experience that can enhance our members careers
  and lifetime earning power