Starting off in a new career with the Forest Service can be overwhelming. As a new employee, you are entering into a new work environment and culture. You do not yet have the skill set to navigate all available resources. The Forest Service provides support through mentoring and coaching programs to new employees or employees who are looking to progress further in their careers.

Jeremy Camara, partnership coordinator for State & Private Forestry in the Pacific Southwest Region, shares his story as a participant in the Forest Service Middle Leader Program in 2017. 

“I learned about the Middle Leader Program, and it seemed like a good next step for me and my development,” he said. 

The Middle Leader Program is one of four leadership programs offered through the agency and is based on the concept of leadership with a coaching component. A Forest Service employee in the Coaching Program was assigned to Jeremy and met every month virtually through Microsoft Teams. His coach provided many tools and assignments for him to work on and discuss when they reconvened. The goal was for him to reflect on his professional skill set, “I had to share some of the areas in which I felt I could improve on.” 

Starting a new position can often feel intimidating when working with professionals who have been in the agency for 30 years and can sometimes be difficult to communicate. Jeremy explains how helpful it was to learn that his coach had a similar experience: “I was reassured that it's OK to speak up and it's not a bad thing.” 

In combination with courses and coaching, the MLP was a great resource for his development. Now 8 years into his FS career, he has worked on many projects that require communicating with partners, FS staff and supervisors from different departments. He has shown leadership skills by supervising and mentoring FS staff and Resource Assistant interns.

“The purpose of MLP is to understand your leadership style and sometimes channel different styles, especially if the team you're leading responds better to a different style that maybe you're not as comfortable with leading out on.”

Jeremy’s advice to future mentors, coaches and proteges is to take advantage of these programs and learn from each other because everyone brings their perspectives and set of challenges, whether you are seeking or giving advice. 

The Forest Service mentoring and coaching programs are good resources to set a foundation for your ongoing development. This applies to both mentors, coaches and proteges. 

“Just knowing these kinds of programs exist is a huge benefit. I don't think it's something that's widely shared.”

For more information on becoming a mentor or mentee, visit the Leadership Programs or the USDA FS National Mentoring Program site.

For those who would like to coach participants in the Leader Programs, you can apply by visiting the Coaching Program site.