Those who have found success in their careers did not do it alone. Along the way they found someone who they respected and who had a positive impact on their personal and professional life. This mentor shared resources, time, experiences and expertise.
Now Surface Warfare Officers (SWO) can establish these relationships over the Internet. The Surface Warfare Officer e-Mentor Program was established Feb. 2 to capitalize on the diversity of talent within the Surface Community. The program encourages sharing SWO values and knowledge throughout the community.
Surface Warriors serve around the globe at the highest operational tempo in history, which creates a challenge for SWOs, junior and senior alike, who need career guidance, but have trouble finding a mentor that can help guide them in their Navy career.
To connect these professionals with a mentor, SURFOR has implemented a mentor matching tool via the Internet to encourage professional development and serve as an information exchange for officers facing daily work and life challenges.
“Our community is widely known for developing leaders by promoting training, practical experience and best practices while giving consideration to the diversity of backgrounds in our Surface Force,” said Vice Adm. D.C. Curtis, Commander Naval Surface Forces and Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
“Much of this knowledge is passed along through mentoring, which is the foundation of good leadership,” Curtis said.
The e-Mentor program facilitates relationships by utilizing technology and formalizing matches. Knowledge, skills, life and professional experiences are looked at for both mentor and mentee. The tools on the e-Mentor site will then assist SWOs in matching themselves with potential mentors who have similar perspectives or experiences throughout the community.
Beginning Feb. 16, SWOs can go to https://www.3creekmentoring.com/swo_mentoring to create a profile and perform an online mentor search. Mentor profiles will appear, and searches can be narrowed by entering location, experience, designator, and rank information. A preferred mentor is contacted by the mentee, and together they can establish goals and a professional development action plan.
The Web site also has professional articles on mentoring and career guidance and offers progress tracking tools. Once a partnership is established, communications are facilitated through e-mail, face-to-face meetings or teleconferencing.