GovLoop Mentors Program - Federal Mentoring Roundtable

GovLoop Mentors ProgramCan a Virtual, Government-Wide Mentors Program Really Work? Andrew Krzmarzick GovLoop Community Manager Mentors Program Coordinator

The Next 45 Minutes• What is GovLoop?• Why a Government-Wide Mentor Program?• What is the GovLoop Mentors Program?• Stats and Results of the Pilot• Audience Exchange

Tools: What is ?• Blogs• Events Online community of• Forums• Groups government colleagues• Guides helping each other• Podcasts to do their jobs better.• TrainingValue: 55,000 Members• Learn and share with peers • Federal, state and local employees • Contractors, non-profits, academia• Get questions answered quickly • International (Canada, UK, Australia, etc.)• Solve problems faster• Find and contribute best practices

Why a Government-wide Mentors Program?• Excellent mentoring programs within agencies, but nothing government-wide (to our knowledge)• Extension of what we already do every day – connect colleagues across agencies / levels of government to solve common challenges.• Uniquely positioned to run such a program

Pilot Program Design• Team up with The Training Connection• 50 mentee/mentor matches based on online profiles• 3 month duration, 2 meetings per month, 1 pairing• Meetings differed depending on geographic location• No set content to cover in each meeting

Pilot Program Timeline• Apr 2011: Engaged in strategic planning and program design activities• May 2011: Customized The Mentoring Connection software• Jun 2011: Initiated the program with mentors (direct outreach)• Jul 2011: Launched to mentees at Next Generation of Government event• Aug 2011: Conducted live, web-based kick-off session• Sep-Oct 2011: Posted blogs on GovLoop, shared by email every 2 weeks• Nov 2011: Opened evaluation survey; hosted live, web-based session

Geographic Locations of Participants Mentees MentorsCalifornia (3) California (2)District of Columbia (20) Colorado (2)Florida (1) District of Columbia (23)Georgia (2) Florida (1)Illinois (1) Maryland (1)Maryland (4) Nevada (1) were not locatedNew Jersey (2) North Carolina (2) in the sameNew York (1) Ontario (1) geographic region.Ohio (1) Pennsylvania (1)Oklahoma (1)Pennsylvania (2)Texas (3)Virginia (9)

Levels of Government 10% 3%Federal Industry Local State of pairings (14) were not the same level of government

Organization Typeunique organizations(30 Federal agencies) 92% of pairings were not from the same organization

Organizations Represented Mentees Mentors• Air Force • Administrative Office of the US Courts• Army • Air Force• City of Enid, OK • Army• City of Philadelphia • City of Philadelphia, PAP• City of Redondo Beach, CA • City of Reno, NV• Department of Agriculture • Congressional Budget Office• Department of Commerce • Department of Agriculture• Department of Education • Department of Homeland Security• Department of Energy • Department of Interior• Department of Health and Human Services • Department of Transportation• Department of Homeland Security • Environmental Protection Agency• Department of Interior • Federal Aviation Administration• Department of Labor • Federal Communications Commission• Environmental Protection Agency • General Services Administration• General Services Administration • Hay Group• Housing and Urban Development • IBM• Leon County, Florida • Internal Revenue Service• Library of Congress • Leadership Connection• Military Health System • Library of Congress• National Park Service • National Aeronautic and Space Administration• Navy • Office of Personnel Management• Office of Personnel Management • Small Business Administration• Patent and Trademark Office • Social Security Administration• Securities Exchange Commission • State Department• State Department • US Postal Service• State of New Jersey• Texas Department of State Health Services

Representative Career Fields/Titles Mentees Mentors• Assistant City Solicitor • Acquisition Projects Program Manager• Assistant Project Engineer • Ambassador• Budget Analyst • Assistant Chief Financial Officer• Company Commander • Assistant City Manager• Contract Specialist • Associate General Counsel• Economist • Chief Learning Officer• Grants Management Specialist • Chief of Business Transformation Division• Librarian • Deputy for Entrepreneurship Education• MPA Student • Director of Web Communications• Passport Specialist • Economist Director• Presidential Management Fellow • Information Architect• Public Health Advisor • Knowledge Leadership Team Coordinator• Quality Assurance Specialist • Manager of Civic Innovation and Participation• Senior Counsel • PEO Deputy Director• Social Media Strategist • Program Manager, Apps Development• Web Communications Developer • Senior Technical Writer• Workforce Development Specialist • Supervisory Special Agent

Mentees: Was the program effective in helping you grow personally and professionally? reported the program was either “effective” or “very effective”

Specific Gains or Successes• “Developed a great connection and was directed to other key individuals with whom I was told to speak within my agency.”• “My mentor helped me develop new contacts, as well as sharpen my soft skills.”• “I developed a better understanding of what is required of a manager/leader.”

Mentors: Was the program effective inhelping you grow personally and professionally? reported that the program was thought the program“effective” or “very effective” made a real difference in helping them grow in their mentees personally or professionally life and/or career

Specific Gains or Successes• “We share a mutual respect, trust, openness and a genuine desire to learn from each other and better ourselves.”• My mentee is very wise and I learned a great deal from him/her over the last three months.• By introducing a series of program management tools to my mentee, we have reinforced the tools that s/he currently uses and introduced new tools for future use.

Topics Discussed in Meetings Varied Based on Needs of Mentee • Networking • Writing skills • Resume review • Political savvy • Difficult situations

“Perfect” Length of the Program Status Quo 4+ Months % RespondentsNo Defined Time Period 0 20 40 60 80

Impact of Differences on Mentoring SuccessDifferences In… Positive No Impact Negative Not Impact Impact ApplicableExperience(agencies, functions,specializations, etc.) 84% 11% 0% 5%Level of Government(federal, state, local) 44% 25% 0% 31%Gender 17% 43% 0% 41%Cultural Background 24% 47% 0% 29%Age/Generation 62% 25% 0% 13%Geographic Location 12% 34% 18% 36% 46%

Impact of Cross-Government Pairs• “…helped me break down barriers of networking and creating a broader range of contacts across government boundaries (department, agency, etc.). Speaking with someone outside of my agency helped me not only make new contacts, but also gain a perspective of my skills and value from the outside instead of just from within our agency.

Impact of Cross-Government Pairs• “…increased my awareness of other opportunities for professional development… and I improved my ability to effectively communicate what my agency does to someone from outside my agency.

Impact of Cross-Government Pairs• “…my mentor has given me excellent advice on how to handle different situations at work and helped me examine issues that are common across federal Departments.”

Impact of Cross-Government Pairs“Much of my experience came from 30+years in federal government…It wassomewhat surprising to me that manyof the issues are still the same today,and as prevalent in city government asthey were in federal service.”

Do you plan to continue an informal mentoring relationship? of pairings responded “Yes”

Next Steps• 600 mentors (200) and mentees (400) in system• Two, 4- Month Programs in 2012 (Spring / Fall)• Competitive Selection Process for Mentees• ~100 Mentor Pairings Each Program (65 in Spring)• Kick-Off Event (Live + Virtual)• Integrate: Next Generation of Government Event, “Rock Your Resume,” Jobs.GovLoop.com

Other Opportunities• Assist with Special / Alumni Programs?• Facilitate Situational Mentoring, Job Shadowing?• Provide Mentor Program Support to Agencies?• Link to Leadership Development Programs?• Get it Credentialed / “Official”?

Questions / Information Email: Andrew@GovLoop.com Learn More / Sign Up at:GovLoop.com/page/GovLoop-Mentors-Program

GovLoop Mentors Program - Federal Mentoring Roundtable

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