Be An Opener of Doors
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Guidance and breakthroughs. Encouragement and connections. So much is gained by becoming a mentor or protégé. Open doors for others, and doors will be opened for you.

As a protégé, you can expect help with career development, encouragement, honest criticism and feedback, and advice from someone with real-world experience. Become a protégé

Mentors also receive important recognition and feedback, a fresh perspective on the industry, and insight into basic or new research programs. Become a mentor

Together, both protégé and mentor will be exposed to a new level of professional contacts.

Sponsored by the Product Development Panel

Suggested Activities for Protégés and Mentors

Interact in whatever way makes sense but interact frequently.

Many mentor-protégé pairs may not be located where it is convenient to interact directly. However, being together at the AACC Intl. annual meeting may be a possibility and the myriad of activities associated with it would afford an excellent venue to establish and maintain a relationship. E-mails, connections through social media, phone calls, and letters are all primary means of communication and should be engaged at least every couple of weeks.

So…what are good subjects for discussion and what are some good things to do to foster a mentoring relationship? Here are a few ideas:

• Talk about the things on your information sheets.
• Discuss the mentor’s career path.
• Discuss the protégés career aspirations and how the mentor might help.
• Serve on an AACC Intl. committee or panel together.
• Discuss the companies, universities and government laboratories in the food industry and the people you know that work in each.
• Find out about research programs in the companies, universities, and government laboratories.
• Network with other mentor-protégé pairs.
• Evaluate new trends in grain-based products.
• Discuss the protégé’s current activities.
• Read CFW and Cereal Chemistry articles of interest and discuss them by phone or e-mail.
• Collaborate on something where you have a common interest.
• Share information on your hobbies.

Program participants will be matched by the Professional Development Panel, and sent information about the person with whom they have been matched. Mentors and protégés will have a chance to meet in person at a special breakfast during the annual meeting in October, but mentors and protégés are encouraged to introduce themselves over the phone or internet prior to the annual meeting. Mentors and protégés from previous years are also welcome to attend the breakfast. However, you need not attend the annual meeting in order to participate in this program. Mentors and protégés should interact by whatever means is suitable for each pair.

Fill out the online form to become a mentor or a protégé. (PDFs of the mentor or protégé forms are also available.) Applications for the 2010 program are due August 20, 2010.

For more information on this program, please contact Bill Atwell, Mentoring Program chair, at +1.952.238.4890 or bill_atwell@cargill.com.