Every January 1st, marks the beginning of National Mentoring Month, the month-long celebration of mentoring that focuses national attention on the need for mentors. Mary Furtado, deputy county manager of Catawba County, North Carolina, David Street, chief of staff of Loudoun County, Virginia, and Rob Carty, director of career services at ICMA, know first-hand the positive impact effective mentoring can have on your career and organization. They all agree that the best mentors listen more than lecture, and the best mentees learn to solve problems rather than expect answers. They join Joe Supervielle, host of the Voices in Local Government podcast and content marketing manager at ICMA, to share and explore what elements are essential to finding the right balance for professional and personal success in a mentoring relationship–for mentors and mentees.

Discussed in this episode:

• Favorite fictional mentor-mentee pairs
• Avoiding unrealistic expectations
• Best methods to find, form, and develop mentor relationships
• Desired mentoring outcomes

Resources:

Learn more about the National Mentoring Month campaign

Learn more about the free ICMA Coaching Program for local government professionals

Get more information about ICMA's 12-month Local Government Management Fellowship (LGMF) | Host a fellow or Become a fellow

Read David Street's professional development series on the ICMA Blog:

• Professional Development Plan Year-end Review
• Professional Development Goals in DEI
• Professional Development Plan Mid-Year Check-in
• What Is Your Professional Development Plan for 2021?