Mentoring and Peer Support - AgriLife Extension Employee Website

Transforming the Workplace

“People don’t care how much you know
until they know how much you care.”
Theodore roosevelt

Employee Development is excited to begin to share its mentoring and peer support initiatives for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. The first step is to provide clarity to the roles and responsibilities of each role and to begin to recruit key stakeholders for each initiative. Please take some time to learn more about what it means to be a PEER, a coach, or a mentor below. We also hope that you consider which role you would be best suited to serve in because when it comes to employee development, we all have a role to play, we all have knowledge and gifts to share, and we all will benefit from a stronger agency.

PEER
We hope our PEERs help new employees feel like they matter and belong. Our PEERs will seek to provide a positive and welcoming connection to the agency from day one!

Coach
We hope our coaches equip all employees no matter the years of experience with the resources, knowledge, and skills needed to excel. Coaches will seek to increase the competence of our agency employees by providing more timely and specific learning opportunities.

Mentor
Our mentors address issues of retention, development, and advancement for all employees by offering guidance and a balance of challenge and support. We hope that mentees feel known and experience real growth in a strong mentoring relationship.

PEER

Helping employees to feel at home.

High Relational
Low Competence
Launching September 2022

Coach

Equipping each other for success.

Low Relational
High Competence
Coming Soon!

Mentor

Creating a culture of lifelong growth.

High Relational
High Competence
Coming Soon!

Overview of the PEER Program

Photo of hands spreading seeds in the ground — Wildflowers and grasses at The Gardens on Sept. 9, 2021. (Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)

Who is a PEER?

The PEER program is a way to ensure that new employees’ first week on the job is great. We strive to achieve a supportive relationship between the PEER team member and the new peer.

PEER team members should be supportive, kind, compassionate, and understanding of the learning curve that a new career and workplace bring. They should be positive individuals who enjoy getting to know people and helping them to connect with others. A PEER can be any role in Extension. The role, experience, and level does not matter, but having someone who enjoys helping and being a resource does.

PEER coordinators should have characteristics like those of the PEER team members, but they should also exhibit strong organizational skills, be well-connected, and be able to communicate well.

What does a PEER do?

The PEER program is going to look different in every office, but we want each new employee to feel welcome, connected, and comfortable in their new space. As soon as a supervisor knows they will be bringing on a new employee, they should contact the PEER Coordinator to allow them as much time as possible to coordinate their efforts.

The PEER coordinator and their PEER team will work to ensure that the following occurs:
– A new employee’s office is clean and presentable before their first day in the office.
– A new employee has the needed supplies to begin working.
– A welcome sign and a welcome package are awaiting the new employee on the first day.
– Extension employee(s) invite them to join them for lunch during their first week(s).
– As applicable, they are given a “windshield” tour of their community and provided recommendations on good places to eat, shop, etc.
– A colleague provides them with a tour of their office and the relevant staff.
– A colleague provides them an overview of office rules (coffee maker, supplies, printer, etc.).
– A colleague walks them through what the key meetings are like that they may attend and what to expect.

The PEER coordinator and team do not have to physically do these tasks themselves if a new employee is at a district office or works remotely, but they can work with staff in those local offices to ensure these items are addressed in a timely manner. The PEER coordinator will communicate their plans to the ADH/PL to ensure that each new employee is onboarded in a positive manner. All Extension employees should work with the PEER team to help ensure a positive start for our new agency employees.

Why does a PEER matter?

Most employees consciously/sub-consciously decide whether they are going to stay with an organization within the first week or so of employment. They need to feel like they matter, they have the resources they need, they belong, and they are needed and known. Our agency personnel are dispersed, but they need to feel seen and part of a family from day one. A supervisor and office manager alone cannot ensure this occurs. The PEER Coordinator and team help to coordinate the small things that make a difference during an employee’s first month on the job. Peer relationships help build a sense of belonging, increase job satisfaction, and motivate employees at all levels.

Overview of the Coach Program

Who is a Coach?

The role of a coach is low relational/high content knowledge. Excellence, expertise, and experience in a particular competency are key to this position. A coach is viewed as an expert in a specific professional skill or performance area. They can teach someone a skill, but don’t need to be relational or serving in a long-term mentor commitment. A coach is willing to answer any question or direct to relevant resources.

Proximity is not relevant as connection can be by phone/TEAMS. The relationship is based more on FAQs, and is a transactional, short-term time interaction with coachee. A coach is not necessarily a Regional Program Leader or Extension Specialist, but someone who excels in a given competency.

What does a Coach do?

A coach offers quick, informational teaching sessions for employees seeking growth in their specified areas of expertise. This may include topics like:
– Performance Evaluation Domains/Criteria
– Time Management
– Drafting Newsletters
– Written Communication
– Committee Development and Facilitation
– Developing Programs
– Professionalism

A person watering a young sapling with a hose — Moon Tree ceremony at the AgriLife Center on Feb. 8, 2021. (Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)

Overview of the Mentor Program

A row of vegetables being tilled — The Farm at Millican Reserve on July 23, 2021. (Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)

Who is a Mentor?

A mentor serves in helping to further an employee’s growth and development throughout their career. This is a highly relational/high content knowledge role.

Mentors should desire to invest deeply in a person and are considered an expert and distinguished in their field. A mentor excels in teaching and development. They ask good, challenging questions of their mentee–not simply providing an answer but forcing reflection. A mentor challenges and encourages.

Mentors will be for employees with all levels of experience within Texas A&M AgriLife Extension on an opt-in basis. Pairings will strive to be made based on mutual preferences, not proximity alone.

What does a Mentor do?

A mentor will meet on a regular basis with their mentee. They should be seeking to develop and discuss larger challenges in the mentee’s career, assisting in their ability to continue seeking growth and advancement.

Topics a mentor might discuss with their mentee are:
– How to Avoid Burnout
– Work/Life Balance
– Maintaining Positive Relationships with Stakeholders
– Personal Development
– Dealing with Conflict