Mentoring is no longer optional, but a necessity in professional and practice development – and advancement. Because intelligence practices, settings, and other context are varied and specific, there is no one-size-fits-all in mentoring approach. The Council offers 4 options within the traditional mentorship model:
- Kick-Starter Conversations: One or two telephone, video conferencing, or email exchanges on a defined topic for which the mentee seeks support.
- Three-Month Mentoring: Short-term mentoring or practice guidance with a volunteer subject matter expert on a specific practice matter or objective.
- Six-Month Mentoring: Medium-term mentoring or practice guidance with a volunteer subject matter expert on one or two practice matters or evolving issue.
- One-Year Mentoring: Traditional, longer-term practice or professional guidance for practitioners who require ongoing support with various aspects of CI professional development.
To enhance outcomes, our evaluation process matches the needs of practitioners seeking mentors with our volunteer mentors who best match the requirements and context of the prospective mentee. As you consider your mentoring needs, we encourage you to consider the following:
- Are you seeking to remain in your industry or sector, or are you seeking to transition into a different one?
- What are the specific practice areas for which you need support or guidance? (e.g. user or other stakeholder relations, intelligence communications, planning, intelligence team or talent development, building tool kits, career planning, etc.)
- What is your time frame for mentoring issue or objectives?
- How much time can you invest in communicating with a mentor? In applying the effort required to address your issue or objectives?
- Are you prepared to maintain momentum for the duration of your mentorship period?
Please note that the Council’s Mentorship Program is purely a mentorship program. This is not 1) an intelligence, business, or management consulting or advisory service, or a substitute for such services 2) job-hunting program or 3) networking program. If your, your organization, or managers require any of these services, we recommend consulting the programs or provider designed to meets these needs.
If you are interested in becoming a CI Mentor, please complete our Mentee Profile Form. For more information or to see how you can get started, please contact our Mentorship Team.