GLIFAA MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

WHY:

To support the professional development and engagement among members of glifaa, the board will expand the Mentorship Program for 2022-2023. The glifaa board hopes this program will offer an opportunity for members in different positions, stages of careers, foreign affairs community, etc. to connect with one another and learn from one another grounded in the comradery of being a glifaa member. Our hope is that this program not only provides a professional connection, but a personal friendship as well.

Mentoring presents a powerful opportunity to further build upon a learning culture, one that promotes professional and leadership development, innovation, inclusiveness, belonging, and open communication. Mentors can benefit from sharing their knowledge and expertise, and mentees can develop their strengths, learn new skills, and develop as emerging leaders.

This is a voluntary program. This year’s application cycle closed on 1/31/2022.

WHO:

*All glifaa members are invited to participate*

Glifaa Board –

As the board, we will commit to match mentor/mentee partners. We provide the following ground rules as a foundation for the relationship and will help mediate any issues that arise during the course of the program. We will provide a list of best practices as well as possible topics for discussion, guiding questions, call, article to discuss, etc.

Mentor –

A mentor (for the purposes of this glifaa pilot program) is an experienced and respected employee in the foreign affairs community (e.g., subject matter expert, team lead, supervisor, or manager) at the GS-13/FS-2 level (or equivalent) and above who has a positive attitude and wants to volunteer and serve as a consultant, guide, or advisor to a mentee in the program by sharing their expertise and experience. Mentors may or may not have supervisory responsibilities in their job description. Mentors should have enough time to meet with and council their mentees (approx. 1-2 hours per month). An ideal mentor will have significant experience in the foreign affairs community (or life experience) to share with a newer member (mentee) in the glifaa community.

Mentee –

A mentee (for purposes of this glifaa pilot program) is an employee at the GS-15/FS-1 level and below who seeks the guidance of a mentor to further their professional growth and development. This individual may or may not have supervisory responsibilities in their job description.

GROUND RULES:

As the board, we want this to be a meaningful experience for all participants. Therefore, there are a few ground rules:

1. Confidentiality/Respect. Participants must agree to keep conversations (work or personal) between the two people.
2. Honor the Commitment. If you sign up to be a mentor/mentee, you are indicating this is a commitment you WANT. Therefore, you are expected to respond to your partner and be involved (within reason and acknowledging that people have busy schedules).
3. Flexibility.  We will strive to do our best to create good matches, but the mentor/mentee relationship is largely up to the participants. We do not have a way to ensure the numbers will match perfectly, but will do our best to ensure that this is a good experience for everyone. If there is a question, comment, concern about a match, please contact the glifaa board.

MATCHING PROCESS:

The glifaa board will match applications for mentor/mentee. The application has several questions that will guide this decision. For transparency, some of the guiding principles the board will use are, but may not be limited to:

• Expertise and Experience
• Accessibility and location (we will consider time zone, if possible)
• Agency or demographic preference

Please remain open minded that the matching will largely depend on the quantity of applications we receive. The intent of this program is to connect one another and learn from people in glifaa. We cannot guarantee a perfect match for each person, so please keep in mind the flexibility ground rule!

Please see the guidelines for mentors and mentees for further information about the program.