“…I would be honoured to have you as my mentor…” are the words I uttered about seven years ago, when I first met Dr. Debisi Araba. I was unsure of myself and unsure of whether he would accept my request. I took a shot and as they say, the worst you can get is a “no.” I knew of him was yet to have met him in person up till that point. His reputation preceded him and I, young and googly eyed in the international agricultural development space, had nothing to lose by reaching out.
In his book, The Monk who Sold His Ferrari, Robin Sharma writes of a man who traded the trappings of success for a life of meaning that mattered more than the car itself. To give you a synopsis, a high flying lawyer collapses under the weight of his own ambition, gives up the house, the car and the status that came with it, and travels to the Himalayas in search of something he cannot name. What he returns with is not a new fortune but a set of disciplines; mastering the mind rather than being ruled by it, living with a clear sense of purpose, practicing small daily improvements that compound over time, respecting time as the one resource that never returns and choosing, again and again, to serve others before serving the self. Those lessons come to mind when I think of mentorship, because the best mentors I know have lived some version of that same trade. Every mentor who has shaped me has, in their own quiet way, foregone some things in exchange for the harder and more lasting work of investing in another person’s growth. They have set aside seen and unseen things in order to pour themselves into someone else’s becoming. They have understood, the way the monk in Sharma’s story eventually did, that the wealth worth keeping is not measured in what we own but in who we help become.
Mentorship has shaped not only my career but my perspective on life, people and how I show up for myself and for others. What started as a professional journey has grown to become one of my closest ties, akin to a blood relation. From boardroom presentations to tough conversations on forgiveness, redirection and swallowing the bitter pill that the world and its people can be evil.
Mentorship is a prescription I will gladly give to anyone who is willing to challenge themselves and to anyone considering becoming a mentor, I encourage you to take the step because the investment you make in someone’s journey will outlast you. I’ve experienced first hand how good mentorship accelerates one’s professional growth by offering direction and confidence. That impact multiplies when mentees become mentors, creating ripple effects of change, and that sustainable transformation happens when we invest in people.
I am thankful to my mentors for lighting the way and letting me stand on their shoulders. I vividly remember my first mentorship session with Dr. Debisi Araba. He emphasized the importance of having vision and clarity, challenging me to think beyond my goals and understand the larger systems I could affect. Another mentor of mine, Ms. Robynne Anderson, told me at some point, “Your voice matters, use it to help others.”
Years later, I seem to have come full circle, as I am now a mentor myself to a handful of incredible young leaders across the globe who are determined to transform their communities. That they reached out to me and found me worthy to hold their hand as they navigate their professionally journey, is a matter I do not take lightly. My mentees inspire me with their passion, courage and tenacity.
Here’s to building bridges, lifting others and creating a chain of impact that spans generations.
Amanda Namayi
Leave a comment