Mentoring Your People

Mentoring (Leading in the Wildland Fire Service pp. 40-42)

Leaders help their people grow by mentoring and sharing experiences. Mentoring them begins their journey from followership to leadership.

Fire leaders coach and then step back to allow people to take on new responsibilities. Providing the opportunity to test new waters and try new behaviors is important in developing people for the future. 

We consider the individual skill levels and developmental needs when delegating tasks, making sure people have appropriate challenges that press them to grow and expand their skills.

DOI Fire and Aviation Mentoring

Department of Interior fire agencies, started by the National Park Service, have combined efforts to develop a web-based platform, Fire & Aviation Mentoring, to facilitate a knowledge sharing network in wildland fire management. 

• Mentors and mentees benefit by sharing knowledge, expertise, values, skills, and perspectives.
• Mentoring allows the learner to build skills and knowledge while attaining goals for career development.
• Becoming a mentor provides an opportunity for the advisor to share his or her skills and knowledge.

Group Mentoring (Topical and Situational)

Group mentoring brings together learners and advisors to focus on a single topic. The options for communication are flexible, encouraging conversation through the online discussion board, group collaboration, and one-on-one interaction.

Peers in the group learn from the advisors and from one another, building stronger expertise across the workforce. Group collaboration gives individuals a way to address their immediate learning needs. Several people can offer solutions and ideas at the same time so that learners get quick hitting answers on high-impact issues, problems, challenges, or opportunities. Learners then synthesize this knowledge into a solution that fits their need and bring that solution back to their job.

Career Development Mentoring (One-to-One)

Individual learners looking for in-depth career advice and support can find it through one-on-one mentoring. These personal interactions focus on the specific competency and career development needs of the learner. Collaborations may focus on ways to gain experience that leads to development, advise on career direction and guidance on handling difficult situations.

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This program is being piloted by the US Forest Service.

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