What does a Mentor Do?

The mentor

·       Serves as a confidant, counselor, guide and advisor to a mentee.

·       Shares an understanding of the Army, its mission, and the formal and informal operating processes.

·       Shares experiences which contributed to his or her own success and sets an example for the associate to follow.

·       Serves as a “sounding board” for career development ideas or for pursuing career opportunities.

·       Encourages mentees to become more efficient and productive in their career field, branch, or MOS through self-development and other activities.

·       Suggests appropriate training and developmental opportunities to further the progress of the mentee toward leadership positions.

·       Helps the mentee to set clear career goals and periodically reviews progress, making constructive suggestions on career development.

·       Do the work for mentees or make decisions for them.

·       Represent the mentee at job interviews.

·       Set career goals for the mentee.

·       Be overly accessible to the mentee for minor problems or questions.

·       Be a “free ride” to the top. Success which is only a result of the mentor’s efforts on behalf of the mentee is self-defeating in terms of the mentee’s career.

·       Attempt to soften an important, but critical observation about the mentee simply to spare feelings.

Advantages of Mentoring (Derived from DA PAM 690-46, Mentoring for Civilian Members of the Force):

·       Studies suggest that mentoring has a positive effect on mentees/protégés. Mentees rated themselves as having more influence, power and access to important individuals than employees without mentors. They also report having more influence within the organization regardless of their gender, race, age or organizational position. Mentors can assist the mentee in mastering additional skills, knowledge or abilities in specific areas which enhance their prospects for success.

·       Although the primary intent of mentoring is to benefit the mentee, there are substantial benefits which accrue to the mentor as well. Among these are the following:

o   Developing greater insights into the mentee’s line of work and organization.

o   Using the mentee as a sounding board for ideas.

o   Obtaining feedback on cross-generational, cross gender, and cross-functional issues.

o   Growth in counseling and guidance skills,

o   General sense of satisfaction, which comes from helping another person to grow and develop.

·       It is also important to note that mentoring is not only an aid to career advancement and promotion, but is also an excellent mechanism for helping a mentee to develop other skills, knowledge, and abilities to enhance performance in their current position.

·       Effective mentoring can provide the opportunity for experienced leaders to pass on their practical expertise and professional knowledge to others who are committed to advancement and success.

·       Mentoring provides an effective means of assisting others to achieve career goals, and of meeting future needs of the Army.

Also see: Roles and Characteristics of a Good Mentor

Our mentors may qualify for their hours counted towards a Presidential Service Award.

Lint Center has had two volunteers receive Presidential Awards.

Our Mission:

Mission Statement: “Empower, Enhance, Enable”
The mission of the Lint Center for National Security Studies is to foster and further the educational development and opportunities for the next generation of America’s Counterintelligence and National Security Workers.  The Center focuses on empowering individuals, enhancing the study of national security issues, and enabling emerging leaders to be mentored by established current-and-former industry experts.

Description:
The Lint Center for National Security Studies, Inc., founded in 2007, is a private non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization created to award merit-based scholarships for Counterintelligence and National Security Workers, their children and scholars, and to advance the study of National Security, cross-cultural studies, and global understanding.
The Center aims to:

1. Identify promising individuals and assist in educational pursuits through scholarship initiatives
2. Provide talented individuals with a meaningful leadership development mentoring program by current-and-former Counterintelligence and National Security Workers
3. Create a forum for the dissemination and discussion of National Security Studies through the Center’s online Web-portal

All donations and contributions to the Lint Center are allocated solely to the Center’s scholarship funds. All actions and activities by the Lint Center are conducted by unpaid staff and volunteers. The Center is Veteran and minority operated and managed.