TAKING ADVANTAGE OF
MENTORING NETWORKS
AMINA OYAGBOLA
A Presentation for the EU
Delegation to Nigeria as part of
efforts to reduce institutional
and cultural barriers for young
women’s entrepreneurship
FOUNDER, WISCAR
MANAGING CONSULTANT, AKMS CONSULTING LTD
.
www.wiscar.org
AMINA OYAGBOLA
» Founder WISCAR (Women in Successful
Careers) a women empowerment NGO
» Over 30 years work experience in Legal,
Banking, Oil & Gas, Telecommunications and
Consulting
» Held Leadership and Executive positions over
the last 20 years.
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» Chair, ALIWA (Africa Leadership Initiative West Africa Affiliated to Aspen Institute)
» Member, Business Day Advisory Board
» Member, Women Corporate Directors
»
Managing Consultant and Senior Partner Oyagbola
Chambers
»
Human Resources Executive - MTN Nigeria
Communications Limited Corporate Services Executive MTN Nigeria Communications Limited
»
Director, MTNN Foundation
»
Head, HR Strategy, Standards and Business Planning Shell Petroleum Development Company.
»
Head Private Banking – United Bank of Africa PLC
»
Head Capital Management - United Bank of Africa PLC
» Chartered Fellow, CIPD Uk
»
Head Legal - United Bank of Africa PLC
» Certified Ethics Officer 684
»
Group Head Consumer Banking- Crystal Bank
»
Counsel- Chief Rotimi Williams Chambers
» Member, IOD
» .. amongst others
» British Chevening Scholarship Award Recipient
» FRA Williams -Life time Achievement Award Recipient
» LLB, BL, LLM Cantab,, MBA
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
» Introduction – What is Mentoring?
» The Impact of Mentoring to Entrepreneurship
» Myths about Mentoring
» Winning with Mentoring Networks
» Taking Advantage of Mentoring Networks - The WISCAR Example
» Taking Advantage of Mentoring Networks via Social Media
» Conclusion
» Questions
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MENTORING
» “A Mentor is someone who takes on the role of a trusted adviser,
supporter, teacher and wise counsel to another. A mentor adopts
a primarily selfless role in supporting the learning, development
and ultimate success of another person.” Julie Starr
» Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen and a push in
the right direction.” John C. Crosby
» When you have a large pool of people collaborating in the Mentorship of others – you have a Mentoring
Network!
» Face-to-Face
» Technology Enabled
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THE IMPACT OF MENTORING TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP
» Mentoring relationships are critical for success, yet many people overlook the
benefits of a mentor/mentee connection
» Mentors serve as role models and provide mentees with support, acceptance
and personal counseling
» Many organizations facilitate the mentoring process by formally matching
potential mentors with potential mentees.
» Mentoring enhances productivity and performance of the individual and the
enterprise – enables them to grow
» Empowers women and contributes to socio – economic growth and
development
» Helps to strengthen women’s voice and participation – closing the gender gap
» Building capacity and skills to transform lives and make a positive difference
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THE IMPACT OF MENTORING TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP – DATA
FROM THE INTERNET
» Research has shown that 70% of small businesses that receive mentoring
survive for five years or more, which is double the rate compared with nonmentored entrepreneurs. Source: FSB (Fortune Small Business)
» Of those with a mentor 97% say they are valuable. Source: Sage.com
» 93% of small and medium sized businesses acknowledge that mentoring can
help them to succeed.
» A recent survey by the UK’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
found that 94% of SMEs using external support have seen benefits. These
firms are more ambitious and have higher relative turnovers.
» 67% of organisations reported an increase in productivity due to mentoring
Source: Mentorsme
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MYTHS ABOUT MENTORING
Mentors are not needed
when you are gainfully
employed
Mentors are only needed
at the start of your
career
A Mentor cannot be a
Mentee (Reverse
Mentoring)
Mentors must
choose their
Mentees
You must have only
one Mentor
Taking time to Mentor
or be mentored
decreases productivity
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A Mentor must be
older than the
Mentee
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WHY MENTORING IS IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN IN OUR
ENVIRONMENT
» Guidance to navigate identified barriers and stereotypes that exist in our
society
» Encouragement to “Lean In” and take a seat at the table
» Comfort from knowing ‘you are not alone’ – from shared experiences
» Support to dream big and grow overall scale of women’s entrepreneurship
» Enabling women to be Bold for change
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WINNING WITH MENTORING NETWORKS
Self Interest
• Increased
referrals
• Enhanced
opportunities
• More
connections
Personal
Development
• Giving &
Receiving
Advice
• Satisfaction
from Helping
others
• Building long
lasting
friendships
Professional
Interest
• Raising your
profile
• Formidable
partnerships
• Increased
confidence
through
interactions
..is a WINNING FORMULA
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THE WISCAR EXAMPLE
Inspired by ALIWA
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ABOUT WISCAR
» An NGO, founded in 2008 by Amina Oyagbola
» WISCAR is a formidable mentoring network of successful professionals empowering women and
facilitating a new chapter of the female experience in the workplace and business in Nigeria.
» The W.I.N with WISCAR Mentoring Programme is a 12-month Mentoring and training
program in which mentors and mentees are selected and matched through a well-defined and
robust process. A tried and tested Model that works and has become a reference point!
» The 12-month Mentoring program includes a structured competency based development career
program designed to enhance strong leadership skills, build individual capacity for personal mastery
and improve overall workplace effectiveness.
» As part of the program curriculum, the mentor is required to spend quality time through one-onone sessions to share their experiences with the mentees mostly by face-to-face interaction and
where not possible through the use of technology during the calendar year.
» Networking is a critical feature of the WISCAR program. It encourages and enables interactions
amongst mentors, mentees and across both groups. It is a platform for mentees to network and
connect with other professional women to build lifelong alliances and connections that enable
progression and career success.
» WISCAR creates endless possibilities for women and enables them to succeed.
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THE WISCAR MENTORING PROGRAMME
» All Mentees are required to complete the approved WIN with
WISCAR program requirements in a given calendar year to be
certified for graduation. These present huge networking
advantages and include the following:
» Three Career Seminars- WISCAR School of Excellence
» 4 Face to Face Meetings (technology may be deployed)
» 4 Book Reviews
» 2 Book Readings with subject matter experts
» 3 Mentoring Circles (Meet-A-WISCAR & Speed Mentoring)
» Mid Programme Review
» Complete End of Programme Evaluation
» Graduation/Induction Ceremony @ Annual Leadership& Mentoring Event
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THE EXPANDING WISCAR MENTORING NETWORK
Board of
Directors
Advisory
Board
Patrons
Sponsors/
Donors
Mentees
Staff
Mentors
Alumni
Partners
Faculty
Media
Govt
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Sub
Committees
Volunteers
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THE IMPACT OF THE WISCAR NETWORK
WISCAR Alumni
Community
Mentees/Mentors
volunteers
Corporate
Organisations
The Board,
Sub-Ctees
& Staff
WIN WITH WISCAR
Mentoring Journey
The HBC Series
McKinsey Partnership
Internal Faculty
Speakers & Panelists
Lagos State Govt
Advocacy and
Outreach enabled
by Technology &
Social media
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TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE WISCAR MENTORING
NETWORK
» KEY BENEFITS: A focused Group of successful and experienced professionals, who serve as role
models in their fields, committed to the development and empowerment of women and nation
building through mentoring. A strong support network for mentees and mentors.
» 153 young professional women mentored directly through its intensive 12 month program.
» 5000 young and aspiring women developed through its high-quality training programs at the
WISCAR School of Excellence in partnership with Habiba Balogun Consulting who delivers the
HBC Series which provides structured competency based development career seminars.
» A growing and progressive WISCAR Community and ALUMNI network mentoring others
» Members of the WISCAR Advisory Board/Mentors/Speakers are very accomplished and continue
to inspire others by their achievements. Ms. Funke Opeke-CEO Main One ( Africa Tech Award),
Mrs. Hajara Adeola- CEO Lotus Capital (Africa Deal of the Year), Mrs. Maryam Uwais-SA to the VP
(McNulty Prize Laureatte) and the list goes on…
» WISCAR continually recognizes and celebrates successful women making an impact and presents
the Distinguished WISCAR Award annually to showcase exemplars and learn from their
experiences. They include: Hon Justice Aloma Muhktar, Ayo Obe, Oby Ezekwesili, Ifueko OmoiguiOkuaru and Rear Admiral Itunuh Hutonu.
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TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE WISCAR MENTORING
NETWORK – MENTEE ACHIEVEMENTS
» Two WISCAR mentees were nominated for the 2013 YOUWIN! (Youth Enterprise with Innovation in
Nigeria) Women Award.
» A member of the WISCAR Alumni, Amara Agbim- CEO/Founder of the Nanny Academy was nominated
for the Building Entrepreneurs Today (BET) Award and is now a fellow of the Cordes in 2016.
» A WISCAR Alumnus is now the CEO/Founder of M.A.A Initiative- A social enterprise committed to clean
environment and create wealth & art from waste through the active involvement of young people (women
and girls in communities) while also solving environmental issues and creating solutions to other social
problems.
» A 2014 mentee was selected to represent Nigeria in the 2014 International Lawyers of Africa (ILFA)
program.
» A mentee on the 2014 WIN-with-WISCAR Mentoring Programme progressed during the program year
from being a class teacher to Head of School. The 2014 Mentees were inspired to write a book for
WISCAR- Briefcases and Blenders!
» A WISCAR Alumnus was selected as a global change leader and Fellow by the Coady International
Institute.
» A WISCAR Alumnus in 2016 received the coveted Chevening Scholarship award to pursue a one-year
master’s at Leeds University, UK. Another progressed to Harvard for a Masters program in Law
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TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MENTORING NETWORKS – USEFUL
TIPS
• Useful Platforms: Take advantage of women’s networks and other platforms. Join
WISCAR, WIMBIZ, other women’s organisations, associations and personally
connect on social media- LinkedIn, Facebook etc. to find mentors, peers and
connect with people that can enable your career. Attend Conferences, training
programmes (WISCAR/HBC Series) or sign up for relevant online courses to build
your competencies.
• Specialist Advice/Guidance: Actively search for experts in your field of interest
or specialisation. Join the relevant associations and deliberately cultivate and
connect (informal mentors) to progress your career
• Clearly define your career goals and expectations of your perfect Mentor and
how you would like to interact to get the most out of the unique relationship
• Mentors benefits too!- Fulfilment, sense of wellbeing- touching others positively,
reverse mentoring and development, expanded network and circle of influence.
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TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MENTORING NETWORKS – USEFUL
TIPS CONT’D
» Access to Multiple Mentors: This should be a deliberate strategy. It is
unlikely that you will find all you require in one mentor.You may require a
different mentor at different stages of your career. I have 3 mentors
» “ having someone who has been there and done that successfully in your
network can be very powerful” Palaniswamy said
» Connect, collaborate and partner with others where possible. The future is
shared. WISCAR has collaborated with Habiba Balogun Consulting, McKinsey,
NECA, CIPM, other women organizations amongst others.
» Take charge of your career: it’s up to you to make the most of the
mentoring relationship – take advantage of mentoring networks!
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TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MENTORING NETWORKS VIA
SOCIAL & ELECTRONIC MEDIA
» Get Involved: Finding a mentor on social media is a process. Tweeting “Be my mentor” to the
head honcho in your chosen industry is unlikely to get you the close personal mentorship
relationship you need. Instead, the first thing you need to do is get involved in your industry.
Volunteer your services where possible. Serve well, build trust and get noticed. Knowing your
chosen industry is essential for any startup or entrepreneurial endeavor.
» Connect personally using Social Media: Just because you and your ideal mentor have
exchanged a few tweets back and forth or connected on facebook doesn’t mean a mentorship
relationship is established. Such platforms as whatsapp can be used to establish a deeper
connection and to build trust. You need to reach out, engage professionally, respect boundaries and
form a personal connection before you ask for mentorship. The alternative is to take advantage of
established mentoring networks by joining them.
» Skype, Instant Messaging systems (WhatsApp) and social media make it easy to quickly
connect with your mentor. Whether your mentor sends a long, informative email or spends
10mins talking to you on Skype- It’s the quality and not the length of the interaction that counts.
Someone might agree to mentor you, but if you don’t form a personal connection and use
convenient channels to communicate you may not get much out of the relationship.
» Remember that Mentoring is a labour of love, done by people with the special gift of giving.
Don’t abuse the access and make it easy for them to help you and others
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IN CONCLUSION
Excelling in a career is a
journey. Joining a
mentoring network will
fast track and enable that
process and your success.
Begin the journey
NOW!!!
Take advantage of a
formidable Mentoring
networkJoin WISCAR
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QUESTIONS
THANK YOU
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HOW TO GET INVOLVED – SUPPORT WISCAR
» Become a WISCAR mentor.
TO SUPPORT WISCAR
» Become a WISCAR volunteer.
Cheques should be made payable to WISCAR:
» Recommend outstanding candidates to apply
to become WISCAR mentees
Acct Name:
» Donate funds and/or assist with fundraising.
Acct Number: 2009347618
» Provide technical expertise through
facilitation or consultancy for WISCAR
events.
Bank:
First Bank of Nigeria
Sort Code:
01154123
» Donate equipment and materials and other
resources.
For More Information Call the
WISCAR OFFICE: 08066452894
» Apply to become a WISCAR member.
» Sponsor a WISCAR mentee.
» Sponsor or attend WISCAR events.
» Visit the mentoring center and utilize our
business and conference facilities.
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