The Foreign Service Journal, June 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2015 35 A Diversity-Focused Mentoring Program: A Worthy Investment The State Department’s formal mentoring program for members of the Foreign Service has three components: The first two provide structured mentoring for entry- level generalists and specialists; a third component allows mid-level professionals to request situational mentoring at a specific time to help quickly resolve problems. Mentors and mentees submit forms to the Bureau of Human Resources, and the Mentor Council pairs them up based on shared interests. Both mentor and mentee may dissolve the mentoring relationship at any time by mutual agreement. A diversity-focused mentor- ing program has the power to alter participants’ behaviors for the better in terms of their ability to interact with a diverse group of people, process diverse ideas and internalize diverse values. It also provides members of under- represented groups with career advancement paths in the Foreign Service. When managers mentor with a focus on diversity, they acquire a heightened awareness and become strong advocates for diversity across the department. We propose four changes to improve the program’s overall effectiveness and establish the vital connection between mentoring and diversity. 1. Make sustaining diversity a mentoring program goal. While the Thomas R. Pickering and Charles B. Rangel Fel- lowships are good first steps to help bring diverse minoriti es into the Foreign Service, formal and informal mentor-mentee partnerships can help sustain diversity beyond the recruitment stage. These partnerships enable both parties to reciprocate exchanges and to be included in each other’s networks, which will enhance and sustain diversity over time. 2. Formalize and strengthen the role of A-100 and special- ist class mentors . During A-100 and specialist classes is the ideal time to discuss the role of mentorship and how entry-level officers (ELOs) and specialists can best engage with mentors for their mutual benefit. Class mentors should meet with each ELO and specialist individually or in small groups throughout their training. With a better understanding of the assistance mentors can provide, ELOs and specialists will be more likely to stay in touch and seek additional mentorship opportunities later in their careers. The department should guarantee that all ELOs and specialists will be assigned formal mentors on completion of initial training and before they take up their first assignments. 3. Mentor-mentee matching should be employee-driven rather than HR-directed. Instead of the Mentor Council pairing mentors and mentees, we propose that the program supply a list of short biographies of available mentors and allow mentees to decide which would be a good fit for them, possibly via SharePoint or another intranet site. Prospective mentees could search for available mentors, while mentors decide for Consul General Galt and Thao Anh Tran tour the Guangzhou English Training Center for the Handicapped campus during a September 2014 visit to the school to promote education and disability rights in south China. CG Galt delivered a speech to kick off the new academic year; Thao Anh served as her control officer. PUBLICAFFAIRSSECTION/U.S.CONSULATEGENERALGUANGZHOU