Mentorship Is a Win-Win

By Carl Smith

Think of mentorship as an advanced step of training, which gets to be one-on-one, instead of training in a group atmosphere. It involves dedicated, detailed attention to one or possibly two young officials. It is as much a privilege to be a mentor as it is a benefit to be mentored. It is truly a “win-win” situation. Why then is it so difficult to start and maintain a mentorship program? Let’s break it down.

Get Started

As a member of the board, you must back the program. Provide both the oversight (doing what’s best for the association), and help provide materials, funds and any other needed support. To be successful, mentorship must be encouraged and discussed at general membership meetings and training sessions. The board also needs to be involved in the matching up of mentors and “mentees.” That is probably the most critical phase of the program.

Your program must have the support of your veteran officials. Without them, it won’t work. That is a good way to have your “sunset” officials stay involved. Many senior varsity officials no longer have the legs to maintain a full schedule of high caliber, high speed varsity ball. They are still very capable of working C and JV games, handling game management situations, managing people and personalities on the court, and showing younger officials how to develop those skills.

You must have new or newer, trainable officials. In other words, you need officials who want to improve. In my experience, most young officials thrive on the attention from officials who have already “made it,” and will continue a relationship with those officials who have shown a genuine interest in them as people, not just officials.

You Need Strong Leadership

You must have a strong leader for your mentorship program. It needs to be someone who has the time, the passion and the persistence to “make it happen.” It may be someone who has recently come off the court or field due to injury, age, etc., but still wants to be involved. That leader needs to maintain an accurate, active list of who’s mentoring whom, what they are doing to mentor their charge and what they need in the way of support.

Find the Right Mentors

Here’s where the biggest potential for conflict occurs, and it needs to be handled delicately. Some “senior” officials say they want to be a mentor, but are they the ones you want “teaching” your young officials?

Here are some questions to ask about potential mentors:

1. Do they have the type/style of game that you want passed on to your new officials?

Mentors need to have the type of “game” that the board wants taught. Do they consistently show up on time for assignments, have a good pregame and postgame discussion, manage the assigned games well, and not receive a lot of complaints from league administrators, coaches, athletic directors, etc.? Do they use approved mechanics and only insert themselves into the game as needed? Do they have good rules knowledge, combined with a solid philosophy of officiating? Do they know the difference between the “letter of the law” in rules and common sense (doing what’s best for the game)?

Good mentors are officials who are passionate about officiating, who show up for training sessions and general membership meetings. They consistently portray the desire to continue their own improvement as an official and receive constructive criticism well. They have a positive mental attitude. That is the cornerstone and where you start to build the program.

2. Do they have the time to contribute?

The mentors selected need to have the time to “work” with their mentees, either in a game situation, phone calls, pregame or postgame discussions, observing, etc. That is another strong point of having the board involved. Your assigner can put you with your mentee in lower level game situations, where the mentor can take an active role, providing instant feedback in a game situation and in helping to smooth over the rough spots in a game. The mentors need to be willing to be assigned lower level games occasionally, knowing it’s for the benefit of their mentees.

3. Do they have the skills necessary to be a good mentor?

We’re talking about people skills here. Is the mentor capable of handling different mentees in different ways, depending on the mentee’s personality, potential for growth and enthusiasm? Many top professional people make good mentors, as they’ve developed work skills in their day jobs that help them be a good teacher.

It’s imperative to match mentors and mentees effectively. Some new officials like or need the “in your face” feedback, because they’re a strong, opinionated person. They may be brash and cocky and will need a strong mentor to take them down a peg. Others need the “kid glove” approach, because they’re more timid, or take a little longer to process stuff mentally.

Good mentors need to be able to work with who they’re assigned, to the best of their ability, and “walk the walk,” not just “talk the talk.” It’s important that new officials who see you (the mentor) on the floor in a game situation observe that you do what you’re teaching them to do. It’s definitely not a “do as I say, not as I do” approach. Mentees see the mentor’s commitment and consistency, and then want to emulate that, especially when they see it’s successful.

Grow With Mentorship

Local associations need all new officials who are willing to come out and spend time learning. New officials need to be nurtured and encouraged. They need to be brought along at the rate that they’re comfortable with and capable of.

Many top officials are in their final years on the floor. Without mentorship programs, we lose those highly valued game management skills to retirement. With mentorship, we can use the strong to build, and keep them involved in giving back to a game they have loved for many years.

Carl Smith, Anchorage, Alaska, is the treasurer and assigner for the Anchorage Sports Officials Association.