As a member of the Wits Mentorship Programme, I have been invited a number of times to speak on the topic of mentorship. It is a topic I am passionate about more so because I live by the notion that “no one has ever made it alone and success is a sum of many variables. The stars have to align, the right people have to be in your team and the timing has to be right”.

As you develop in your career, you will be assisted, guided and challenged by a number of people. Mentors are top in the list of those who will push you to realize your potential and sometimes it is painful. You will shed many tears. You will ask many questions and some will remain unanswered.

I have been privileged in my career to have a number of women and men who have mentored me and assisted in taking my career to the next level. Some have mentored me even without me knowing I was being mentored, and their pearls of wisdom have anchored me through many stages of my career.

What is Mentorship?
Margot Murray in Beyond The Myths And Magic Of Mentoring defines mentoring as “a deliberate pairing of a more skilled or experienced one with the agreed goal of having a lesser skilled person and develop specific competencies.” For a mentoring relationship to be beneficial, there must be:

• two individuals;
• who agree to work together;
• on agreed goals; and
• to develop certain competencies of the mentee.

The Nature of the Mentorship Relationship
Mentorship is a “relationship” where:

• the mentor is usually more senior than mentee;
• the mentor is willing to assist the mentee to achieve specified goals;
• the mentee is usually less experienced than mentor and requires guidance in a specific area of expertise or generally; and
• the mentee is open and willing to learn from the mentor.
• The mentorship relationship is not always one-sided it can be mutually beneficial. The mentee may very well have a competency that the mentee requires assistance on. The mentee may have a network that the mentor can tap into.

Guidelines for a Successful Mentoring Relationship

• Both parties must agree on an action plan and process.
• The mentor may ask the mentee if they have a pressing issue or wish to develop a specific expertise and what they expect from the mentorship relationship.
• The mentor must set clear expectations.
• The mentor must insist on the mentee showing commitment.
• Both parties must emphasise confidentiality.
• The mentee and mentor must hold each other accountable.

What Mentoring is Not

• Mentoring is not consulting
• Consultants act as experts and provide solutions. Mentors allow mentees to find solutions and consider options available to them.
• Mentoring is not managing
• Managers tend to provide instructions, the mentor suggests options or alternatives and asks the mentee to consider them in order to make an informed decision.
• Mentoring is not autocratic
• An autocratic relationship is one where one person takes decisions on behalf of others. Mentors allow mentees to make their own decisions and take responsibility for their decisions.

How a Mentee Can Maximise the Mentorship Relationship

• Be proactive – approach a mentor and request to be mentored.
• Show enthusiasm and commitment.
• Understand the legal environment and the culture of your firm.
• Own up to your mistakes and work on your areas of development. This shows accountability and maturity.
• Be aware of self and be aware of others!
• Respect confidentiality – mentorship is a relationship based on trust.

What Not to Do

• As a mentee, you must not be unclear about what you require.
• You must ensure that you are not late or not show up for meeting with mentor, particularly the first meeting. If something is beyond your control, communicate it so that the mentor is aware and can adjust their schedule accordingly.
• You must not be unprepared. If the mentor had given you something to consider prior to the meeting, ensure that you have done so.
• Do not use the mentorship session to complain about your firm, your manager, colleagues.
• Do not expect mentor to solve all your problems. The mentor is merely a guide.
• Mind your language and dress sense. When communicating with the mentor do not use social media language. Dress appropriately, as mentorship is a professional relationship.
• Mentors are typically senior in the firm and therefore very busy. Do not be arrogant and seem ungrateful of the time the mentor spends with you.

Conclusion

A good mentor can open doors for you in a firm. They can assist in making life easy for you. They can assist you to navigate the choppy waters of being a junior attorney. If you treat the mentorship relationship with the care it deserves, in the long run, you may gain not only a mentor but a lifetime friend.

As you grow into your career, may you know that you can rely on angels often disguised as mentors.

Good luck.

~ Belinda Mapongwana
Ms Mapongwana Speaks

A few weeks ago, many of us law students at Wits attended a gathering with the Managing Director of Mapongwana Attorneys, Belinda Mapongwana…

She spoke about the legal profession and the role of mentorship. It was nothing but great to listen to somebody who had indeed practiced in other countries and successfully started her own practice.

Belinda had an amazing ability to merge the gap between herself, as an experienced practitioner and the new generation. She managed to explain the all important concepts of company culture, understanding the environment and avoiding career limiting moves. The opaque unwritten rules of corporate! She explained very well, why and who was most likely to mentor a junior lawyer. Lastly, she struck a keynote by merging the law profession with the reality of
being a woman in business.

I would recommend her to anybody for mentorship and corporate commercial legal work. Being black African and given our backgrounds, Ms Mapongwana, is a rare individual!

– Nqaba Malghas