This month we had the pleasure of catching up with the following mentor/mentee pairs to find out how they’ve navigated the current world we find ourselves in and how the programme has helped them either in their personal or professional lives – or better yet both.
Mentor: Colleen Kanniah from Guy Carpenter Africa & Mentee: Tsholofelo Morake from Nedbank Insurance
First, we caught up with mentor Colleen Kanniah from Guy Carpenter Africa who had this to say:
“The beauty about a mentorship journey is that it breeds a culture of character which allows one to constantly reinvent and adapt to meet the other person where they are. As we entered into another year of succumbing to a lockdown lifestyle, I found that it had me established in a deeper way. The capacity to always be busy has transitioned into being consumed not by the desire to do more, but rather to do less and get the job done in a meaningful way. Simplistically, I have become more enriched and fulfilled. If one thinks about all the different relationships you represent, how we show up is critical and consequentially has a huge impact on the outcome in relationships. I am resolute and more determined than ever as I embark on a new season for myself, and re-direct my focus on the script of a new chapter. I find that looking ahead means that I really want to focus on each day and live it to the best. I am refreshed and embrace the coming days with vim and vigour.”
Colleen mentors Tsholofelo Morake from Nedbank Insurance, and Tsholofelo shared the following with us:
“Personally, the Roots and Wings programme has helped me discover my self-awareness, I got to realize what my weaknesses are, and how my weakness are affecting both my personal life and my professional life. Professionally it has helped me discover my strong points, I now know the focus areas in my career. I am currently in discussion with my manager in terms of my future at Nedbank, they have considered entering me into a leadership programme. I have gained valuable advice from a more experienced person, my mentor of course, and she has taught me to value and respect time not only for me but for other people too. Meeting with different people in the programme has helped me get out of my comfort zone and do things that I never thought I would do. I now know and trust that I can do anything that I want to do. I am still looking forward to growth in terms of grasping more knowledge out of the programme, learning from other mentees.”
Mentor: Wilmine Prinsloo from King Price & Mentee: Kholofelo Sengani from Discovery
Our next mentor Wilmine Prinsloo from King Price had the following to share on her journey:
“My mentoring journey thus far has been an exciting one. It all started with an introduction, goal setting for 6 months to a year and also to get to know each other. I can with great pleasure say that she (Kholofelo) has exceeded her own expectations by already achieving these goals and more, which just shows the fantastic success of a program like this. With tough conversations, she has been able to achieve what was actually always there but just needed the required “push”. I can’t wait to see the full journey she has embarked on, as I think she even surprises herself.”
Kholofelo Sengani from Discovery is Wilmine’s mentee, and she had the below to say on her experience:
“Over the years I was told that I carry lots of potentials. It however was not enough for me as I had struggles converting that potential into results. When my manager told me about the IIG program, something inside confirmed it was for me. From the first meet up I was reminded how limitless life is. I felt as though I got a wake-up call. Being partnered with my mentor Wilmine was like adding the perfect piece to a missing puzzle, she keeps going the extra mile and holding my hand throughout the journey. She challenged me to think out of the box and reminded me how powerful one could be if one used their uniqueness to stand out. From that day onwards, I have never looked back. The testimonies have been endless, and the achievements are even much more than what was expected. I am grateful to the IIG and I look forward to what the remaining months have in store. I will forever cherish what I have learnt as it has impacted me for a lifetime.”
Gugu Kunene from HIC Underwriting Managers let us in on her trip so far as a mentee:
For the past few years, I have been on a journey faced with challenges and efforts. It hasn’t been what I expected and certainly not easy. I have been previously riddled with self-doubt that crept up all the time. Part of the reason why I chose to work on myself so that I can overcome and defeat this uncomfortable phase.
I was parked in my comfort zone although I always knew that I was destined for more. Through this incredible experience, I have stretched myself to confront barriers and explore my interests. This has been so gratifying and self-empowering. My mentor has been helpful and beneficial in steering me into positive ways of thinking that have influenced me significantly. I have also learned that self-reflection is a school of wisdom. I’m humbled to say that my internal dialogue has transformed immeasurably. This opportunity has pushed me into a more meaningful and fearless approach. I have further allowed myself to be vulnerable in order to grow in all areas of my life. I’m undoubtedly looking forward to a great ride ahead.
The Roots and Wings Programme is proudly sponsored by:
