What is mentoring?
It’s the most important tool in learning OO. Object-oriented thinking is caught, not just taught. Get cozy with someone who really knows what they’re talking about, and try to get inside their head and watch them solve problems. Listen. Learn by emulating. If you’re working for a company, get them to bring someone in who can act as a mentor and guide. We’ve seen gobs and gobs of money wasted by companies who “saved money” by simply buying their employees a book (“Here’s a book; read it over the weekend; on Monday you’ll be an OO developer”).
“Mentoring” is providing direct support to a federal facility or agency to assist them in implementing more sustainable electronics management strategies, and is a required activity for Gold Level Award applicants. Mentoring can be provided to any federal facility, including those within your own agency. Also, it is not necessary for mentees to be FEC Partners. The level and depth of support are determined jointly by the mentor and mentee. Examples of mentoring activities include: meeting with individual facility representatives to answer questions related to the electronics lifecycle or FEC participation; providing support in completing FEC documentation, such as the baseline survey or annual reporting form; or working with an individual facility to implement FEC goals, such as developing acquisition language, authoring a power management policy, or selecting an electronics recycler. FEC Champions that provide assistance or support to a federal agency or facility may also count these
Mentoring is defined as a sustained relationship and friendship between a young person and an adult in which the adult provides the young person with support, guidance and assistance as the young person develops. The very foundation of mentoring is the idea that if caring, concerned adults are available to young people, youth will be more likely to become successful adults themselves.
A mentor is a guide, a person who helps us along a path in life. We trust them because they have experience that we may not. We perceive them as a giver of knowledge and ourselves as a recipient. While this traditional model of wise sage counseling and directing the younger colleague may still exist, today’s mentoring reality involves a broader, more complex set of relationships and interactions. No one relationship will provide everything necessary to succeed. Here are some suggestions for recognizing and accepting mentoring from all directions: From above: Mentoring from senior managers can help one navigate the political waters within a company or a profession. The role of the mentor in this scenario is to advocate for and support the protegee, especially when the protegee is not present in the conversation. The mentor, presumably with broader informational access, can help the protegee prepare for objections when presenting proposed solutions, include groups and issues not otherwis
