ESA Mentorship Program Launched at ESA Leadership Summit

Irving, Texas (February 11, 2016) - The 2016 ESA Leadership Summit played host to the beginning of the ESA Mentorship Program; the Electronic Security Association’s newest effort to help spur the growth of the industry’s rising leaders.

Mentors met with their mentees at the annual leadership event, held this year at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino on Jan. 31 – Feb. 3. ESA staff, along with the Young Security Professionals Council, matched those mentees looking for guidance and growth in their security industry career with mentors from ESA-member companies eager to share their experiences and perspectives. Pairs were matched based on developmental goals and areas of interest indicated in applications submitted months earlier. 

The ESA Mentorship Program is off to a phenomenal start. We witnessed mentors and mentees bonding with one another throughout the Leadership Summit. 

“It was amazing to see how mentors and mentees naturally connected with each other throughout the event. Their dedication to one another already brings credence to this program and its need in our industry,” said ESA Mentorship Program Facilitator Robert Few with Time Warner Cable IntelligentHome. “I’m honored to be part of this program and look forward to serving the group to ensure the inaugural Class of 2016 is a resounding success,” concluded Few.

The cornerstone of the mentorship program is the comprehensive Professional Development Series, in which mentors and their mentees will meet a minimum of two hours at least once per month either in person or via phone/video conference. Mentorship pairs will also meet again at ESX taking place June 8-10 in Fort Worth, TX and at the YSP Rising Leaders Forum taking place October 11-13 in Stevenson, WA.

Participants will also read and review two books over the course of the program: Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers: Developing Change-Driving People and Organizations by Robert Kriegel and David Brandt, and Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis.

Mentorship pairs are also encouraged to participate in philanthropic efforts to give back to their communities and/or industry. Pairs are welcome to support ESA Gives Back or volunteer for national or local causes. Pairs are also strongly encouraged to take an active role in local government relations activities, which may include organizing a government relations event in their home state, setting up meetings with elected officials to discuss topics important to the industry, or simply staying informed on legislation that could positively or negatively impact the industry.

To learn more about the Mentorship Program please visit www.ESAweb.org/MentorshipProgram. Applications for the Class of 2017 will be accepted starting this summer.