Is the Mentoring Program open to both federal and commercial contracting professionals that belong to TCC?

Yes.  Mentor and mentee opportunities are open to both federal and commercial contracting professionals who are members of Tyson’s Corner Chapter (TCC).

Is there a cost to me?

To make the relationship beneficial, both mentor and mentee will need to invest some amount of personal resources, whether that investment is in hours, availability, etc.  TCC is not charging a participation fee for either mentors or mentees. 

Is the TCC Mentoring Program part of the NCMA CMLDP Program?

Good question, since NCMA Contract Management Leadership Development (CMLDP) Program participants have mentors.  Currently, no, the two programs are managed separately.  Several of last year’s TCC mentoring program mentees, however, applied and were accepted into the 2008-2009 CMLDP.

What is Mentoring?

Mentoring is a career development process which essentially involves the formation of a relationship between a mentor and the mentee which can take a variety of forms.  It facilitates a partnership between experienced and less experienced professionals to enhance the lesser experienced individual’s professional development and growth.  A mentor may provide career guidance, offer suggestions on work-related issues, provide feedback on the mentee's work, help with management concerns, or work with the mentee in other ways agreed upon by both parties. 
 
What must I consider before entering into a Mentoring Relationship?

Before establishing a relationship, mentors and mentees should think about, discuss, and agree on:
• What is the focus of the mentoring - career goals, business plans, projects, deliverables, management, etc.?
• What is the intended result?
• How much time will be required? (one party may require more time)
• How long will the relationship last? (for Program Year 2008-2009 this will be 9 months)
• Who should contact whom, when and how often?
• How quickly and often will questions asked or answered?
• Will mentoring be done via email, phone, in person, IM, conferences, etc.?

What are the elements of a Mentoring Relationship?

A successful mentoring partnership involves certain personal expectations and commitments, including:
• A level of commitment: Both mentor and mentee must have a realistic sense of the time commitment that each expects from the other before they begin to work together. The time commitment may need to be adjusted as the relationship develops, but both parties must be willing to invest the time and effort.
• Shared areas of interest: mentee skills and experience levels will vary, as well as his or her interests and goals. The mentor should discuss areas of interest with the mentee before working with him or her.
• Balanced expectations: Remember to discuss up-front what each of you hopes to gain from the relationship
• A mutually respectful relationship: Both parties must be willing to consider each other's viewpoints and communication styles. Remember to stay within the boundaries you set regarding time commitment, hours of contact, schedule/deadlines, etc. Mentoring does not run one way only.  
• Open communications: The parties should be active partners in the relationship, and both should feel free to discuss the progress of the relationship.
• A certain level of conflict: You may have different ideas about how to approach a specific problem or project. Recognize mistakes and conflict as part of learning.  Both parties must realize and accept that the mentee’s decisions are ultimately his or her own to make.

What should I expect?

The mentor and mentee are free to determine your own partnership and the process for managing the relationship. The mentoring arrangement for this pilot year is considered informal so TCC can evaluate the needs of the membership without artificially placing constraints on the program initially.  Both parties need to consider what they both want out of the relationship and how they can achieve these objectives.

Mentoring relationships may involve:

• General discussions about procurement and contracting issues, lessons-learned and ideas
• The mentor acting as a career guide, providing suggestions and feedback for the mentee’s longer term career
• The mentor as a sounding board /reality check for ideas about projects and goals
• Sample projects or exercises that the mentor can assign and review
• Projects the mentee is working on that the mentor can review (NOTE:  discuss whether a Non-Disclosure Agreement is required)
• Attending conferences, trade shows and local group events together

What shouldn’t I expect?

• The relationship to always be perfect:  The mentoring relationship may not be a perfect fit since mentoring is essentially the development of a relationship between two parties. Both parties have individual goals for a mentoring commitment. As in any relationship, the goals and philosophies of both parties occasionally do not mesh well. If you do not feel that it is working out, talk it over and see if anything can be done. If you need to feel free to contact the TCC VP, Mentoring Program or VP, Fellows Program.
• Immediate results: It takes time to develop a mentoring relationship. Getting to know a person is a gradual process.   Also, schedules can get tight at times and make it difficult to keep in regular contact.   Both parties need to maintain a positive attitude and keep communication open.

Please see A Special Message to Mentors and A Special Message to Mentees for more information.

If you are a current member of Tyson’s Corner Chapter and wish to be a mentee or a mentor and have more questions, please feel free to contact:

Aaron Drabkin
VP - Mentoring Program
703.891.1073 office
adrabkin@microtech.net