Seek and you shall find

''A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself'' Oprah Winfrey

I receive numerous requests from young professionals who wish to share their experiences in the work place or to seek guidance on how to maneuver the work place maze. I am excited by the opportunity to connect, listen to these experiences and explore how best to support these young professionals achieve their goals and objectives. As executives in the workplace we spend a significant amount of time, effort and costs to attract talent to the workplace but once there, we do little .... sometimes nothing at all to motivate, grow, nurture or retain this talent. I am interested in hearing from young graduates entering a formal workplace what their expectations are of their leaders and their contribution to the partnership. I will continue engaging with young professionals to review , share and discuss research outlining work place dynamics and provide access to resources to navigate the corporate journey.

Maya Angelou says that ''In order to be a mentor , and an effective one , one must care. You must care. You don't have to know how many square miles are in Idaho, you don't need to know what is the chemical make up of chemistry , or of blood, or water. Know what you know and care about the person, care about what you know and care about the person you're sharing with''. This is the foundation on which the Mentorship Circle was founded.

The programme launched on 7 March of this year and was developed by me

(Cisco), Sharmla Chetty (Duke CE), Sindi Mabaso-Koyana (AWCA Founder and Chair of AIH), Lesego Sennelo (AWCA President) and Grathel Motau (AWCA Board of Directors). This initiative matches senior leaders with 30 mentees. The goals for this initiative is to expand the scope and circle of the mentees, provide mentees with a stimulating learning journey for them that is personally fulfilling and to groom mentees into future leaders.

the founders realized that they are all sponsoring mentees individually, and decided to combine forces to encourage innovation and diversity amongst the mentees. This would serve to better address the critical issues faced by companies, communities and even our country since it is proven that diversity and inclusivity encourages innovation. The programme will develop, grow and form new networks in the mentees’ respective professions, through focused sponsorship and mentorship.

The objective is to ensure that these future leaders identify a legacy project through a clearly crafted problem statement - preferably one that is top of mind for the country and work with an ecosystem of stakeholders including other future leaders from other industries, to implement a sustainable solution to the identified problem statement. Young professionals are currently seeking out mentors and sponsors to brainstorm their ideas and projects, as well as to have access to senior professionals who may assist them in navigating within their companies and communities, in terms of the information and resources required to flourish. This approach,will enable the future leaders and Ambassadors to live the multiplier effect by paying it forward and sharing their experiences with other young professionals.

Looking forward to connecting and exploring how best to work with you and your support system to achieve your aspirations.