SSC Spring Speed Mentoring Event Broadens Knowledge Sharing and Bridges Generational Gaps

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Space Systems Command --  Career choices, professional and personal goals, and the importance of having professional and personal mentors were among the topics shared by senior U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force, and civilian leaders during the Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Spring Speed Mentoring Event held virtually March 1. 

Among the nearly 100 mentors were program managers, materiel leaders, senior materiel leaders, program executive officers, and many others who joined more than 125 mentees to participate in four unique 20-minute virtual sessions. Mentees received discussion topics and guidance on how to maximize their sessions prior to the event. 

Lt. Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, SSC commander, opened the event and welcomed participants, thanking both mentors and mentees for making the time to join in and referred to the event as a great opportunity to expand their network. He shared that it’s vital to be able to manage “by name,” meaning understanding each individual’s priorities, their personal life, and career objectives and goals. Understanding each other at an individual level is even more important under the COVID environment, which has increased isolation for many. 

Guetlein also stressed the importance of not only having mentors, but finding the “right” mentors. “Right,” he said, “is defined, in part, as being someone whom you trust and respect, is open to listening and sharing perspectives and thoughts, and has a wealth of experience and diverse perspectives to offer.” The “right” mentor, he said, can also help a mentee build a roadmap toward professional and personal goals. “The roadmap doesn’t have to be deeply detailed, but it can be a vector on where you’re trying to go.”

The mentor-mentee relationship is one that can be beneficial well into the future, Guetlein shared. But to get there requires ongoing effort to maintain and nurture the relationship. The benefits, he said, of having mentors extends from guidance on professional challenges such as difficult workplace issues and long-term career planning to personal challenges such as stress management, work/life balance, and interpersonal relationships. Mentors also provide the opportunity for increased networking.

Guetlein shared his own experiences with mentors who were influential in guiding him along his career path. One, a high school teacher, took the time to mentor him in his junior year and encouraged him to become more extroverted by taking up public speaking. Another mentor stepped in when Guetlein was a junior officer and was struggling with possibly taking an inter-service transfer to another military service branch. Guetlein said, “After a lengthy discussion with this mentor, what I thought I wanted to do wasn’t really what I wanted to do after all.”

With a large and diverse military and civilian workforce, mentoring programs help address the challenge of ensuring that deep technical knowledge as well as valuable soft skills are passed down and across the organization. Better connecting employees of all ages and career levels is also the first step in bridging generational gaps. 

“Strong mentor relationships can help individuals navigate the challenging and complex acquisition world, resulting in effective leaders and good decision-makers,” said Guetlein.

He explained that mentors also help Guardians, Airmen, civilian personnel and contractors better manage personal issues so that they can stay healthy physically and emotionally, thus remaining fully committed to the fight. 

This event was the third for mentee Alan Leung, chief, SSC’s OCONUS (Outside the Continental U.S.) Fielding, Special Programs Directorate. He said that the all-virtual event went very well. “The interactions we have with our senior leaders are invaluable,” said Leung. “I’m impressed with how much we’ve been able to scale-up the participation. It shows that we’re committed to sustainably growing our future leaders.”

As a seasoned professional, Leung said he always learns something at these mentoring events. “One of the mentors really stressed the importance of taking time to assess a new situation or challenge, not rush into failure,” explained Leung. “It’s best not to make any changes until you have a deep understanding of the facts and flow for how your team or organization operates.”

Barbara Baker, senior materiel leader, SSC C2 Systems, one of several senior level mentors at the event, said she herself has benefitted from having several mentors along her professional path. 

“Some of whom I have intentionally sought their advice and others who were role models that I emulated. I would not be here today if it wasn’t for mentors along the way taking a chance on me or showing me the way,” she said. 

Baker had high praise for the event. “Events like this unveil the mystery behind how leaders get to where they are in their professional career and the opportunity to get advice on a number of different subjects,” she said. “There is no one career path at SSC. Acquisition is a team sport and we need everyone, military, civilians, and contractors across all functional expertise including our amazing Los Angeles Garrison team to help us get after the threat by 2026.”

Mentee USAF 1st Lt. Caleb Walker, Space Acquisitions Intelligence Analyst, in SSC’s S2 Operations, said his goal in participating was to establish an ongoing mentor-mentee relationship with each of the mentors he met with. Walker said although he has had some informal mentors before, “this was the best opportunity I have seen in the military, as a young officer, to help establish mentor relationships across SSC. Keep this up!”

SSC’s Spring Speed Mentoring Event was sponsored by the Civilian Leadership Development Council and the Company Grade Officers Council (CGOC) and was open to all SSC personnel across the Command’s operating locations. 1st Lt. Gabriele McStanislav-Cudjoe, the CGOC Professional Development chair, was the event’s lead organizer.

Mentoring programs are one of the ways SSC demonstrates its commitment to developing its workforce and preparing them for the challenges now and into the future. 
 

 

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