Mentorship

King County Mentoring Program

The King County Mentoring Program is especially designed to provide employees with the opportunity to develop beneficial and rewarding partnerships that encourages professional and personal development in powerful ways. Mentoring allows a mentee to build a relationship with a trusted advisor who can help them explore career options and develop future goals in a safe space. Being a mentor can improve their coaching skills, build influence and contribute to the success of the County.

As we continue to nourish a learning culture here at King County, providing employees with the tools and resources to take their career to the next level, mentoring is set to play an important role in our Investing in YOU strategy.

Are you a KC employee and want to learn more about the program? Follow the steps below to begin the process. There is no deadline or timeline so you can enroll at any time; we are always accepting applications. The mentoring program was launched in August 2017 with a formal message from King County Executive Dow Constantine.

Application Process

Step 1: Attend a Lunch and Learn

The first step to join the King County Mentorship Program is to attend a Lunch and Learn (L&L) held once a month.

The Lunch and Learn provides an overview of the program and a brief description of the software used to contact and match mentors/mentees, Civicore. Once individuals attend this Lunch and Learn and receive instructions on how to apply for the program within Civicore, their application will be approved and the mentee can begin searching for a mentor.

Find an upcoming Lunch and learn by clicking here or searching for “mentorship” in NEOGOV Learn. Click here to learn more about other training opportunities.

Step 2: Attend a Mentor and Mentee Orientation

The second step is to attend a mentor and mentee orientation together.

During the orientation session, pairs get to know each other set goals, review the Individual Development Plan and discuss topics for their future mentoring sessions. The orientation includes logistics about the program and private time for mentors and mentees to connect and discuss their plans going forward.

Step 3: Ongoing meetings

The final step is to continue meeting as a mentor and mentee, committing to meet 1-2 hours a month for six months. Pairs will then check in with the program manager at the completion of the program.

Note: It is the mentee's responsibility to send meeting invites for mentoring sessions and provide an agenda for each meeting. Meeting times must be during regular business hours.

Resources

Here are some helpful resources to learn more about mentoring:

9 Powerful Practices of Really Great Mentors: How to Inspire and Motivate Anyone | Book/Audiobook
Essential Mentoring Techniques: Mentoring Fundamentals | Course
Essential Mentoring Techniques: Building and Maintaining Mentoring Relationships | Course
Humble Inquiry | Book/Audiobook
The Everything Coaching and Mentoring Book | Book
Power Mentoring: How Successful Mentors and Protégés Get the Most Out of Their Relationship | Book
Make Time for Mentoring flyer

These resources and other information regarding mentoring, coaching and similar topics is available online through the KC eLearning program. Login to learn more.