The NCMS Mentoring Program
A Race For The Future
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?
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
Introduction
Security organizations are becoming a
more significant contributor to their
company’s business objectives and
strategies
NCMS is ready to help its members
developing core competencies and
leadership skills
People don’t plan to fail they fail to plan
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!
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
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 mentee’s needs.
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
mentee’s career mobility and development
Perspective and context, which are critical to solving tough
issues
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.
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
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
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 security—you learn, too
Reduced stressed because helping others makes
us feel good about ourselves
Renewed enthusiasm for their job (at least we
hope so)
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.
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
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 selfconfidence
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
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
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
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
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 mentee’s 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
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
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
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
The First Meeting (cont)
Establish the goals and ground rules of the
mentoring relationship; i.e. The Do’s and
Don’ts
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
The First Meeting (cont)
The mentor and mentee should establish
guidelines and an agreement that covers
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Honesty
Regularity
Availability
Affirmation
Accountability
Feedback
Bringing the process to its conclusion
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
Tips For Success
You can use “war stories” to get a point
across
– Lets them learn from your successes and
mistakes
Learn about the mentee’s company
– You can expose the mentee to new
experiences, contacts, that their current
position may not provide
Don’t expect life altering breakthroughs,
but, small noticeable changes in their level
of knowledge
Tips For Success (cont)
Make the first session a success
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Break the ice
Be organized
This is a mentor-driven meeting
Look at the “BIG” picture
Consider using other SMEs to help reenforce what you are teaching
Tips For Success (cont)
Don’t be afraid to assign homework
Produce a written development plan to
track the mentees progress
– Not a complicated document
If you can’t measure it….you didn’t understand it
Lord Kelvin
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