Mentoring Matters - Dr. Maimoona Salim

The L3 Alliance is the women’s group for the?Wells International Foundation. We believe that mentoring is one of the premier ways successful women can give back to the world. It is a fundamental part of the legacy that we encourage our members and like-minded women to build. We are featuring stories about women and mentoring in the article series called?Mentoring Matters.

Today's Mentoring Matters article features Dr. Maimoona Salim, a social entrepreneur, mentor, and philanthropist with experience in operations management, fundraising and strategic business development. With a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organizations and private sector, Dr. Salim has executed skills training programs for unemployed youth and women, trained and facilitated diversity, management, and leadership programs, and volunteered her services to various NGO'S focused on human rights, sustainable economic development, and skills acquisition.

I call myself a philanthropic leader because of the time I give to mentoring, upskilling, and empowering women and youth from mainly marginalised communities. No amount of money can quantify the value that I add to others because giving of one’s time for the benefit of others and expecting nothing in return is invaluable.

Growing up I had taken a lot for granted. I never understood the role that my dad played in my life and the impact he would have on my career and my outlook on life. I always felt like my dad was difficult and expected me to be perfect. However, looking back now I fully understand that he was one of my first mentors.

Over the years I have had at least eight different mentors in my life.?Some are still part of my journey, and others came for specific reasons and have fulfilled their purpose.?I learnt from being a mentee that while the journey I take may be directed by my mentor, my ultimate destination is in my hands.

While appreciating the mentorship I have received throughout my life, I had this unfulfilled feeling that I had not gained enough from these experiences. Years later, I realized that this was because I had come across as a strong, focused go-getter with great leadership qualities, so my mentors only focused on my career ambitions. Nobody took note of my psychological challenges. Once I realized this, I made a conscious decision to seek a mentor who would help me deal with my emotional wellbeing.

I have been mentoring since I can remember.?Sometimes I would not realise that I was acting as a mentor until individuals whom I had assisted started referring to me as such - especially when they achieved their goals and became successful.

I remember when I trained a group of youth on personal mastery. After the lesson, I was overwhelmed because at least 18 out of a class of 25 approached me to be their mentor. I then started a mentoring group through which I initially offered group sessions and thereafter individual sessions. Most of these youth were highly intelligent and driven, and yet they had no sense of self-worth. This made me realise that every young person transitioning into the formal economy needs personal mastery training because nobody prepares them for this change.

Months after launching the mentorship program, I created peer-to-peer mentorship groups where youth were able to mentor each other, identifying each person’s strengths, challenges, and areas needing development. This was a great lesson for them because from the feedback given, they came to realise that there is no instant gratification. Rather, there is a need to diversify their skills, so they can find their purpose more easily and understand that their emotional wellbeing is imperative to function optimally in this fast-paced digital world.

I also mentor young girls from abusive homes.?This has been one of the most challenging and emotionally daunting tasks I’ve undertaken. To do so, I had to involve counsellors and psychologists to teach the girls self-worth, help them find their voice, and educate them about their rights. It’s been two years and out of the 30 girls who originally joined us, 22 are still part of the group.?They are healing from their emotional scars and some of them are now able to tell their story to encourage others.

From this experience, I consciously decided to mentor youth and women starting with their emotional wellbeing, before addressing the other aspects of their lives. At first it took a lot out of me emotionally; however, I have learnt how to listen, internalise, guide and lead. This has made my mentoring journey much more pleasurable and fulfilling.

Through being a mentor, I have learnt to understand people’s emotions, handle situations, and get my mentees to achieve the best results within their capabilities. I have been successful in assisting some of them to discover their inner being, their purpose --something that most individuals either never achieve or fear taking the leap of faith to embrace. ?

Part of my success comes from the realization that I can’t fix everyone’s situation because every individual has a choice. Another part comes from understanding that to be effective as a mentor, my emotional wellbeing, and physical health need to be in check. I know that though the impact a mentor has on someone’s life may not be seen immediately. in the long-term, it will make a great difference to the life of the mentee.

Mentoring is a calling for me. and over the years it has increased my emotional, spiritual, and psychological wellbeing.?This has made me a more focused leader and a better parent. To this day I am a mentee and a proud mentor.