Annual DCG Mentorship Program Benefits Colleagues and Clients
DCG recently wrapped another successful annual mentorship program.
For the last seven years, colleagues have joined together as mentors and mentees, working toward a common goal over the period of two months, with an optional one-month extension. This year, there were 16 pairings focusing on objectives like expanding knowledge of government contracting, project management, client communications, strategy, and planning.
During a kickoff in April, mentee and mentor responsibilities and goal setting were defined. Participants from previous years offered advice on how to optimize the program and suggested activities to undertake, like problem-solving sessions, discussing a book, listening to a podcast, role playing, and shadowing.
Mentor Kim Van Wyngaardt helped mentee Gaby Vera work on her goal: Project greater confidence during virtual presentations and meetings.
“Mentoring Gaby was an incredibly rewarding experience, and my favorite part was getting to know her and hearing her life story. She’s truly amazing! Her enthusiasm and eagerness to learn were refreshing, making me look forward to our weekly sessions,” said Kim. “Gaby’s positive energy is infectious, and she is an extraordinarily talented artist. A few of us were fortunate to catch glimpses of her non-work-related artistic endeavors, and we were absolutely blown away by her talent.”
They met weekly to discuss articles on public speaking best practices and role play various scenarios. Their efforts culminated in an extremely well-received presentation delivered by Gaby to her colleagues.
“Kim is an incredible mentor with a kind heart and so much knowledge to share. I had a much easier time than I had expected working on my confidence in public speaking thanks to her valuable tips and genuine care for my professional development,” said Gaby. “I deeply appreciate the lessons she shared with me and have seen improvements in myself that would’ve not been possible without the mentorship program and Kim. Not only that, but I gained a friend beyond the professional world!”
New to the program this year was “Mentorship Pods,” groupings of two mentees and one mentor. This allowed for peer-to-peer learning among mentees with similar interests, as well as learning from the mentor.
The program will be back in spring 2025 for another round of professional development and new friendships.
“The mentorship program is a great way for more seasoned staff to share their knowledge with colleagues who want to build new or expand existing skills. Over the years, the program has exceeded its goals in that bonds are formed among coworkers who might not have ordinarily worked on client projects together,” said Shari Lerner, DCG’s director of operations. “Overall, the mentorship program collectively benefits mentors, mentees, and clients by helping to build a warm company camaraderie and a shared and constantly growing and evolving skillset among DCGers.”
