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Our story
The idea of a support structure by women for women was born in April 2020, during stage five of the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is a well-known fact that all humans need more support during times of forced change. Rinet Griessel, leader of In SA for Inclusivity, had the foresight that relationships would be challenged during this time. We all knew how to leaveour homes and spend long hours away at work every day. We still had to learnhow to stayat home together for all those long hours.
Women of Wisdom – a Mentoring Well (WOW) was birthed with the purpose to offer working and businesswomen access to top mentors to support, guide and assist them with professional growth and transformation to reach their full potential.
Who we are
We are a community of professional women supporting professional women in a network of professional relationships. Here we share and find common stories in a sisterhoodwhere we all have each other to lean on.
- About WOWMW
Mentoring
Mentors have a serving and inspirational attitude. Mentoring is a dynamic, shared professional relationship in which a more experienced person acts as an advisor, guide and role model for a less experienced person.A mentor shares knowledge, experience and advice.
At In SA for Inclusivity (PTY) Ltd – www.inclusionsouthafrica.co.za we believe that one of the ways to heal and grow South Africa is through diversity appreciation, inclusion, collaboration and interdependence.
Women need women and we should help each other grow, develop and flourish together.
Benefits of participating
Members who fully engage in the Women of Wisdom experience will benefit in substantial ways.
All professional members can seek mentoring; all mentors need a mentor too.
| BENEFITS FOR MENTORS | BENEFITS FOR MENTEES |
| – Connect with women of similar interests, careers, fields of study and more. – Share industry passion with others. – Provide and/or gain career support and guidance. – Pay it forward. You know what it feels like to be where they are at now. – Make a positive impact. – Develop sustainable connections with other businesswomen. – Volunteer with a premier women’s organisation by offering support and mentorship. – Build your clientele by receiving referred mentees and networking with like-minded women. – Have access to a well of information on Mentorship – Access to inspirational monthly webinars | – Access to a different mentor every month. – Gain career support and guidance. – Tap into the know-how of women who have been through the mill to forward your career. – Improve your confidence. – Experience a network of sisterhood way beyond your organisation. – Benefit from the expertise offered by industry leaders. – Form lasting connections with other women in business. – Be referred to a trusted specialist by the mentor if you need support in a specific area of your life. – Access to inspirational webinars. – Get honest critique and advice from an objective professional. – Build trusting relationships – Match yourself with a mentor in your dream industry |
What we offer
Mutually beneficial mentorship partners are helping one another find success and career advancement.
Mentoring conversations may centre on concerns such as professional identity, work-family integration, and professional confidence in the workplace.
Female mentorship is defined as the mentoring of women by women to further their career and development prospects.
WOW aims to provide support and insight from the mentor’s experience in the field she is a master in. This is also an opportunity to provide access to experienced professionals that younger women would not normally have, and to share insights on business-related matters.
This is also a great space for reverse mentoring. Reverse mentoring pairs younger women with executive team members or mentors, to mentor them on various topics of strategic and cultural relevance. This approach has precedent: in the late 1990s, GE’s Jack Welch used reverse mentoring to teach senior executives about the internet. Older women can use this opportunity to learn from younger mentors.
It is a safe space in which to connect and possibly create opportunities to give back in meaningful ways that are interactive, engaging and flexible.
What mentoring is not
Mentoring is not coaching. The purpose of coachingat work is to equip coachees with tools to improve their work performance. A Life-coach will provide a listening ear and guide you to insight with thought-provoking questions for you to help you get to your own answers. Life-coaches can also support you with life-skills to improve all your relationships.
Your mentor will refer you to a trusted coach who is competent in the area you need help with.
What mentoring is
According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, mentoring includes:
Mutual listening and affirmation: In high-quality mentoring, both members learn and grow from the relationship. There is fluid expertise between members. Generous listening, avoiding assumptions, and patiently drawing out the other person’s authentic self and genuine aspirations are hallmarks of reciprocal mentorships.
Humility: Truly transformational mentors are humble. They recognise that their vulnerability and imperfection serve as an empowering model, levels the playing field, and opens the door to building their empathy and wisdom.
Shared power: Genuine reciprocity requires even high-ranking mentors to reject hierarchy and emphasize power-sharing. This can also be about sharing social capital; including influence, information, knowledge, and support with mentees. The finest reciprocal mentors are interested in helping mentees achieve self-efficacy, professional intelligence, and resilience in the face of stress.
- Mentees
Become a mentee
Membership Options
| Package R100 per month to belong | ||
| Access to all Mentors | ||
| Access to monthly webinars on topics most raised by members of WOW in that month | ||
| Access to all information on relevant topics as raised by WOW members to enrich your capacity as a woman in leadership |
Mentee agreement
By signing up as a mentee, you fully agree and can honestly say: “yes!”to the following:
- I am motivated and committed to succeed
- I will budget time and be on time for my 30-min sessions
- Positive Attitude:I will come prepared to every session with my mentor of choice, with:
- clear expectations for each session,
- honest communication to communicate my needs and receive honest, constructive feedback,
- goals and deadline setting.
- Respect: I will respect myself and everyone belonging to the sisterhood of WOW,
- Willingness to learn: I open myself to grow and learn as much as I can from each session and webinar put together with love,
- Honesty: I commit to communicate with the highest level of honesty and respect when I interact with anyone, in any way, belonging to this community of support. This includes my 3-minute feedback on the survey at the end of every 30-minute mentoring session
- Clear Communication: I will be prepared and commit to communicate in a crisp, clear and brief manner to respect my own and others’ time
I say yes! – Sign up
Belong as mentee
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