Topic: Professional mentorship programs

[Mike]

Any of you ever participated in a professional mentorship program?  As either a mentor or mentee?

I'm starting one as a mentee with MS-ISAC for their security leaders program.  First time doing one on either side.

[ober]

Depends on what you mean by mentorship.  I'm currently in a work-sponsored leadership program and have been through similar ones in the past.  The one I am in now is with Debbie Waggoner (sp?).  She wrote the 'Connection Blueprint'.  Frankly, I'm not impressed and not getting anything out of it.  And she is annoying.

[Mike]

This program is a 1:1 pairing with another professional in government.  I'm paired with the CTO of a nearby county.  It has been helpful so far in that I have someone to talk with, ask questions of, and bounce ideas off of.  An example, we talking about our plans for cybersecurity training and the plan to do some phishing simulations in Oct/Nov and he let me know that October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month.  When then talked about what his county did this last year for it and I got a flyer detailing it.  I can then use that to maybe do something similar at my org.  It is also helpful to just have someone to sanity check you and to see that other orgs are facing the same problems.

[jkim]

I had began applying to one internal at my old job, but rescinded because of the commitment and I was going to be out on leave for 4 months. It was angled for hospital management growth and building understanding with other working areas. I think I would've really enjoyed it! Nothing currently though.