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Coast Guard Mentoring Program

Monthly 
Mentoring Newsletters

Become a Coast Guard mentor, mentee, or both.

Mentoring is a traditional method for orienting and training those new to the Coast Guard, as well as a valuable means for supporting the development - even accelerating the professional growth - of experienced employees, middle managers, and executives. Individuals who share knowledge, experiences, and skills to benefit someone else provide valuable leadership. Mentoring is one of the Coast Guard's 28 Leadership Competencies, and is found within the "leading others" category of the Leadership Development Framework. 

All workforce members (including active duty, reservists, civilian employees, and auxiliarists), regardless of responsibility level, can benefit from mentoring anytime during a career. Just as we need to be mentored in order to continually learn, we also learn through teaching others. Ultimately, the Coast Guard improves as an organization through the performance improvements of our people. 

Here is a step-by-step checklist for the best way to get involved as a mentee or mentor .

Mentee: Accelerate professional growth

□ Step 1. What is mentoring all about?

To become an effective mentee, it is critical you understand the purpose, background, expectations, and pitfalls of mentoring relationships. Can you answer these questions?

If not, use these resources to learn what mentoring is all about:

  1. Go to USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring.
  2. Select "Mentee Guide" on the left under "Learning Resources."
  3. View the guide online or print a copy by selecting the icon in the upper right corner of the online guide.

and/or

□ Step 2. Do you have what it takes to be a mentee?

  1. Go to USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring. 
  2. Select "Readiness Assessments" on the left under "Learning Resources."
  3. Select "Mentee: Characteristics Survey."
  4. Print and complete the survey to determine if you are ready. 

□ Step 3. What areas do you want to develop? 

  1. Go to USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring. 
  2. Select "Readiness Assessments" on the left under "Learning Resources."
  3. Select "Mentee: Learning Needs Survey."
  4. Print and complete the survey to pinpoint areas you would like to develop.

□ Step 4. Where can I find a mentor? 

  1. Is someone you admire and respect.
  2. Is two grade levels different (recommended). 
  3. Is NOT in your chain of command (if possible).
  4. Is in a community similar to your own or one in which you are interested. 

* Keep it out of the chain of command if possible. A mentoring partnership is often more effective, open, and honest when the partners are not in the same chain of command. Our recommendation is that a two grade level difference is the most helpful. If a mentor is 15 years senior to the mentee, it may be very different now to achieve the same goals than it was then. Exceptions: we have mentors in partnerships that are the same grade or lower grade than their mentees; it should always depends on the goals and needs of the mentee.

and/or

and/or

IMPORTANT NOTE:
To complete your web mentoring profile, a mentee group code is required. If you do not have this 6-digit code, go to the "Support" link in the lower right corner of the USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring page or contact the Program Coordinator. Without this code, your application will be incomplete and your user information lost.
  1. Go to USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring. 
  2. Select "Getting Started" on the left under "Learning Resources."
  3. Review and close the one-minute instructional video.
  4. Select "User Login" from the USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring page.
  5. Complete your profile.
  6. Start a project. (Because a person can be in more than one mentoring partnership at a time, USCG Mentoring allows you to assign a name to your mentoring relationship. Your mentoring relationship is sometimes referred to as a project in USCG Mentoring.) 

□ Step 5. What do I do for my first meeting?

  1. Fill in the "Interviewing Process Worksheet" found in your Mentee Guide.
  2. Fill in the "Mentoring Agreement Worksheet" found in your Mentee Guide.
  3. Fill in the "First Meeting Worksheet" found in your Mentee Guide.
  4. Schedule a meeting with your mentor.
  5. Meet with your mentor in person, on the phone, or online.
  6. Complete the "Reflection" areas of each worksheet, as needed.

□ Step 6. How can I continue the partnership? 

You should set goals, complete developmental activities, and discuss your personal growth progress. Use the following worksheets from your Mentee Guide to help you:

□ Step 7. How do I conclude the mentoring partnership? 

  1. Notify your partner (a relationship may terminate early for multiple reasons). 
  2. If you used USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring to form a relationship, close out your project within the application.
  3. Discuss what occurred in the mentoring relationship.
  4. Share positive and negative feedback on the partner's performance within the relationship.
  5. Express gratitude.

Mentor: Learn through teaching others

□ Step 1. What is mentoring is all about?

To become an effective mentor, it is critical you understand the purpose, background, expectations, and pitfalls of mentoring relationships. Can you answer these questions?

If not, use these resources to learn what mentoring is all about:

  1. Go to USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring.
  2. Select "Mentee/or Guide" on the left under "Learning Resources".
  3. View the guide online or print a copy by selecting the icon in the upper right corner of the online guide. 

and/or

□ Step 2. Do you have what it takes to be a mentor?

  1. Go to USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring. 
  2. Select "Readiness Assessments" on the left under "Learning Resources."
  3. Select "Mentor: Characteristics Survey."
  4. Print and complete the survey to determine if you are ready. 

□ Step 3. What strengths can you bring to a mentoring relationship? 

  1. Go to USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring. 
  2. Select "Readiness Assessments" on the left under "Learning Resources."
  3. Select "Mentor: Skill Survey."
  4. Print and complete the survey to pinpoint skill areas in which you would be an effective mentor. 

□ Step 4. Where can I find a mentee? 

  1. Is someone you have heard needs professional guidance.
  2. Is two grade levels different (recommended). 
  3. Is NOT in your chain of command (if possible).
  4. Is in a community similar to your own.

* Keep it out of the chain of command if possible. A mentoring partnership is often more effective, open, and honest when the partners are not in the same chain of command. Our recommendation is that a two grade level difference is the most helpful. If a mentor is 15 years senior to the mentee, it may be very different now to achieve the same goals than it was then. Exceptions: we have mentors in partnerships that are the same grade or lower grade than their mentees; it should always depends on the goals and needs of the mentee.

and/or

IMPORTANT NOTE:
To complete your web mentoring profile, a mentor group code is required. If you do not have this 6-digit code, go to the "Support" link in the lower right corner of the USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring page or contact the Program Coordinator. Without this code, your application will be incomplete and your user information lost.
  1. Go to USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring. 
  2. Select "Getting Started" on the left under "Learning Resources." 
  3. Review and close the one-minute instructional video. 
  4. Select "User Login" from the USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring page. 
  5. Complete your profile.
  6. Wait for a mentee to contact you.

□ Step 5. What do I do for my first meeting?

  1. Fill in the "Interviewing Process Worksheet" found in your Mentor Guide. 
  2. Fill in the "Mentoring Agreement Worksheet" found in your Mentor Guide. 
  3. Fill in the "First Meeting Worksheet" found in your Mentor Guide. 
  4. Schedule a meeting with your mentee. 
  5. Meet with your mentee in person, on the phone, or online.
  6. Complete the "Reflection" areas of each worksheet, as needed. 

□ Step 6. How can I continue the partnership? 

You should help your mentee set goals, complete developmental activities, and discuss his/her personal growth progress. Use the following worksheets from your Mentor Guide to help you:

□ Step 7. How do I conclude the mentoring partnership? 

  1. Notify your partner (a relationship may terminate early for multiple reasons). 
  2. If you used USCG Web-Assisted Mentoring to form a relationship, close out your project within the application. 
  3. Discuss what occurred in the mentoring relationship. 
  4. Share positive and negative feedback on the partner's performance within the relationship.
  5. Express gratitude. 

Local Mentoring Programs

Learn how to develop your own local mentoring program using Coast Guard resources:

Send e-mail to the Mentoring Program Coordinator

Last Modified 8/16/2008