The CDSUA’s Mentorship Program

The CDSUA’s Mentorship Program

Mentors play important roles in helping people advance in their careers. Through providing insights and advice, they help others develop professionally. Learning about the common characteristics of mentors can help you develop these traits so you can succeed in building a positive relationship with others and build a safe environment for learning and officiating. In this handout, we will discuss what mentors do and list qualifications to become one.

The CDSUA Mentor’s Role and Responsibilities?

Mentors share their knowledge with those looking to advance their skills. They provide others with the tools and support to help them succeed in their careers. This involves helping their mentee overcome challenges and providing insight into advancing and reaching professional goals. Job duties may include:

• Modeling officiating for new mentees
• Observing the officiating of new mentees
• Developing a relationship with their mentee and building trust
• Helping a mentee develop communication, personal/social and professional skills in relation to their officiating.
• Being a source of support and guidance for their mentee
• Peer Coaching
• Committing to a schedule for meeting with their mentee
• Maintaining confidentiality
• Orientating mentee to officiating culture
• Assisting with routines outside the lines
• Attending mentorship training sessions

1. Relevant expertise and knowledge

To be a CDSUA mentor, it’s important to demonstrate the following:

• Success as an official as determined by the CDSUA mentor Committee.
• Effective communication skills
• Knowledge of and proven ability to implement current standards for officiating softball.
• The willingness and desire to share professional expertise.
• Knowledge and understanding of CDSUA/NYSSO goals.
• Enthusiasm for your officiating.
• Commitment to CDSUA and officiating.
• The Respect of your colleagues and administration.

This will allow you to provide insight into challenges that may arise in the future and share how you have achieved your current role. 

2. Devotion

Being a mentor will involve a time commitment for getting together with your mentee. This usually involves meeting up/zoom/phone conversations at least once a week to discuss their progress. The CDSUA Mentorship Program will last for the duration of a set period, or continue long term. The main objective is to get the mentee to develop the specific skills it takes to be an outstanding official. When agreeing to be a mentor, make sure you can be available to meet their needs.

3. Leadership skills

Having experience as a leader helps mentors guide their mentees. You should motivate your mentees and make decisions to help them grow. Another objective of the CDSUA Mentor Program is to help you, as a mentor, develop your own leadership skills further since it will provide you with practice leading others.

4. Empathetic

Being empathetic and socially aware helps mentors relate to those they are guiding. Having an awareness of how others may feel can allow them to make decisions about how to best help their mentee. It’s beneficial to be aware of their different learning styles so you can find the best approach for teaching/training a new concept.

5. Active listening skills

A good mentor listens to what their mentees are saying so that they can help them. This will allow you to answer questions and provide suggestions. When talking with your mentee, they remain focused and free of distractions. Active listening also includes asking thoughtful questions related to what the mentor/mentee discusses.

6. Technical skills

As CDSUA Mentors you will need a level of advanced knowledge of skills in officiating. Having this expertise is beneficial in assisting those looking to improve their skills. For example, a softball official may want to improve their proficiency in plate mechanics rule implementation or interpretations so… we will provide them with a mentor to help develop those skills.

7. Patience

Since it takes time to see progress in mentees, it’s helpful to be patient and understanding. As a CDSUA Mentor you will need to provide a certain level of understanding that it is important to not rush the learning process. Instead, you wait as your mentee tries to apply what they learn and seek their mentors’ feedback.

8. Respect

Since part of a mentor’s role is building a relationship with their mentee, it is important for the mentor to show respect to those they are helping. During your work with your mentees, please try to be free of judgment in order to let your mentees flourish. Showing respect will create a trustworthy environment to help others learn.

9. Eagerness to invest in others

Since this role can sometimes be unpaid, it’s important for mentors to have a passion for guiding others. Seeing others grow can be a rewarding aspect of this type of role. It may also be helpful to be enthusiastic about officiating so that you find it enjoyable.

10. Ability to provide corrective feedback

Mentors try to give their mentees constructive feedback to help them improve. When providing feedback, please do so positively. This includes telling the mentee about the error in private and providing them with useful suggestions for correction. As a CDSUA Mentor you will be required to give your mentees feedback regularly to help them identify corrective actions for success in the future.

11. Growth-focused

Keeping a growth mindset helps mentors focus on developing their mentees. In addition to investing in the advancement of others, you will also be focusing on your own advancement. Great mentors are lifelong learners who are continually looking for ways to improve professionally.

12. Adaptable

Mentors are adaptable in the advice that they give others. Instead of providing a single solution to a problem, they offer several options for how to proceed. This will give your mentees the tools they need to help them make their own decisions.

13. Networks

An excellent mentor has a strong professional network. You have developed these networks through years of experience in officiating. When you, as a CDSUA Mentor, encounter particular subjects, you can and do consult your network of officials to connect their mentees to individuals with other helpful resources.

The CDSUA Mentee’s Role and Responsibilities?:

• The mentee will complete the necessary classroom sessions, mechanic sessions, study materials, tests, and meetings in collaboration with the assigned mentor, and develop a plan based on the date obtained.
• The mentee will review said data on a weekly/bi-weekly basis with the mentor to assess their progress and modify their plan if needed.
• Mentees will meet with their mentor every week for an agreed on period of time.
• When feasible, mentees will observe the on field officiating of their mentor and/or other CDSUA officials.
• Mentees will create and implement a program with their mentor based on rulebook study, mechanics sessions, and on field experiences, which will provide for the opportunity to reach active status.
• Mentees will complete an overall program evaluation at the completion of the regular season.
• Mentees will complete a confidential mentor evaluation survey at the completion of the regular season.