Could Luke Skywalker harness his abilities without Yoda’s wisdom? Would the Banks family learn the importance of family without Mary Poppins? There are no shortage of mentor-mentee relationships in cinema. In these examples, the mentors provide insight to bring out the best in the mentees. Similarly, we can leverage the advantages of mentorships to get ahead and avoidRead… Read more »
Today’s federal employee may seek a work life balance, solid wages and a great path forward in their chosen field. It is truly a gift to work with a group of highly trained professionals with a focus on a common goal. It also helps to identify your personal career goals so that the path forwardRead… Read more »
I’m white, Jewish and male. If I behaved like sociologists expect, most of my mentors would be “like” me. But I don’t. The lion’s share of my mentors are black, female and of a different faith than I. Though I’ve never personally been the subject of research on homophily —the tendency of individuals to associateRead… Read more »
This week, Steve Ressler, GovLoop’s CEO and Founder, was a guest speaker at the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Mentor Program celebration. At the event he shared six steps to have a successful mentoring relationship. And I also want to share them with you! 1. Get Acquainted Your first mentor meeting will be like a professionalRead… Read more »
You’ve found an informal mentor and set up your first meeting with him or her. These four strategies can help you effectively communicate and build a strong relationship with your mentor.
Mentoring has long been an effective informal career development tactic in many government agencies. In a testimony to Congress, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Associate Director and Chief Human Capital Officer Nancy H. Kichak described the use of mentoring by federal agencies: “Mentoring is critical and can happen in many ways – through formalRead… Read more »
An informal mentor can be a great career development resource, whether you are trying to manage work/life balance, navigate career decisions, or develop new skills.
When speaking to a group last week, I was asked to share the best advice that I’ve received from mentors. Here is what I shared . . . Focus on asking the right question instead of having the right answer. A mentor told me this very early on in my career and it has stuckRead… Read more »
There are infinite benefits to a successful mentorship. But how do the mentor and mentee achieve those results? We heard that and many other questions at the kickoff to GovLoop’s own mentorship program. Thankfully, we had six successful, former mentors and mentees on hand to explain how to make the most of a mentorship. We’veRead… Read more »
Just like a good fairy tale, a mentoring relationship should have a happy ending. Each mentoring relationship is different and has its own dynamics. Nevertheless, there are certain things you should think about when you are starting a relationship with a mentor. Just like any other relationship, these partnerships require love and caring to growRead… Read more »