Washington Air National Guard's Mentoring Program

Story by Maj Herb Porter - Photos courtesy 143rd CBCS

Mentoring Program

The 143rd Combat Communications Squadron (CBCS), Washington Air National Guard, Seattle, WA, reached another great milestone in its history, celebrating the first anniversary of its Mentoring Program, with a special celebration.  Being the only one of its kind in the Air National Guard, the aim of the Mentoring Program is to provide additional opportunities for professional growth, as mentoring has become an intrinsic part of leadership development.

Tracing its roots back to Greek mythology, the concept is not new, and as a result, the 143rd CBCS has taken the first step in implementing a tool that has a time tested "win-win" formula.  The celebration of the first anniversary of this program included keynote remarks by the Director of the Human Resources Management Office for the Washington Air Guard.

Photo of the Human Resources Quality Improvement Team

There were several mentoring and leadership group activities, a video presentation, and participants were given the opportunity to share their experiences "first-hand" in terms of how the mentoring program benefited them.

     The 143rd CBCS Mentoring Program started in late 1987 as a unit initiative to encourage mentoring between junior and senior grade personnel.  A unit Human Resources Quality Improvement Team was established, with Capt Alonna Cliatt appointed as Project Manager.   The team began to explore different options for a mentoring program.  These were derived from several sources, among them the active duty Air Force, local university programs, and other military and civilian programs.  From there, they developed a program specifically designed to benefit the squadron’s goal of equitably increasing opportunities for unit members to improve themselves and advance their careers.   Though not specifically targeted to increase unit diversity, it was expected that this would be one of the results of the program.

The Mentoring Program was officially introduced in a unit briefing to all squadron personnel in December of 1997.  Those in attendance included Lt Col Yafew Nantwi, Director of the Washington Air National Guard Human Resources Management Office (HRMO), and a representative from the State Human Resources Management Office.  Unit members embraced the idea and soon over 30 people volunteered to participate in the program as either mentors or associates.  From this group 12 partnerships were set-up.

Meeting of the HRMO team

All participants were given a temperament profile test and each partnership was asked to submit a Mentoring Plan that set out goals for their mentoring relationship and a commitment to regular monthly contact, both during and between UTAs.  In early 1998, the 143rds Mentoring Program was adopted by the HRMO as the pilot program for the Washington Air Guard.  It was briefed to the Senior State Leadership in April l998 and subsequently presented at a  National Diversity Forum, as a possible national model for mentoring programs within the Air National Guard.

Two surveys were conducted during the one-year pilot program, as participants were polled regarding their mentorship experience.  The results indicated an initial high level of interest, good participation in monthly contact both on and off drill, positive feelings about the experience, and a significant enhancement of their career progression.

According to the Program Manager Capt Cliatt, "The program has benefited those who participated in both their careers and their professional development.  It helped to make sure that several young NCOs were prepared and positioned to cross-train into new and challenging careers…to take on new projects…and to develop leadership and management skills."  As another indicator of the program’s success and innovation, Governor Gary Locke has asked that the 143rd CBCS Mentoring Program be included in his "Blue Book", a collection of innovative programs state wide that improve processes and quality in the workplace.

As a result of the high marks given by the first-year program participants, it has been decided to extend the program for another year and already there is a new cadre of squadron members that has signed on to become mentors and associates, together with those inaugural participants that will continue their partnerships.  Great job 143rd, and keep up the good work!