Navigating careers with support: Mentorship, wellbeing, and professional growth

Hear from our panel of both mentors and mentees as they share their experiences in overcoming imposter syndrome, navigating mental health challenges and developing supportive networks.

We recently held a webinar hosted by Buki Ishola CA, a professional coach and ICAS Black Members Network member, exploring the benefits of mentoring for professional and personal growth. The panel featured mentees Chris Good CA and Jonny Mills CA as well as Jonny’s mentor, Heather Mckay CA. 

During our conversation, Chris shared how the ICAS Mentoring Programme provided the support and connections he needed to grow professionally that he had previously been missing. 

“At the time I signed up, I was working for a really small company which didn't have a huge support or networking offering. So, the Mentoring Programme with ICAS really allowed me to tap into support that I didn't have accessible to me on a day-to-day basis.” 

For Jonny, having Heather as a mentor empowered him to deal with fear – something we all experience. 

“Fear is obviously a big hurdle to overcome - and one that I continue to grapple with. I think everyone does. I suppose the best way we dealt with it was just through frameworks and taking action. 

“So, I had this notion that I wanted to go out on my own in some capacity - whatever that meant - and Heather, having been through it, was able to say: ‘Well, think about the ideas you might want to pursue in this way.’ Or ‘Let’s break down this fear and why is that fear there? And actually, what you need to do is XYZ.’” 

Heather highlighted how effective mentoring can be as simple as giving a mentee a safe space to talk. 

“The biggest thing I would say is just to listen to somebody and provide that safe space for them. Listen to them without judgement and remember the importance of just allowing somebody to be able to talk. You know, as a mentor, you're not there to try and fix things or come up with answers. And that's not necessarily what somebody's looking for from you anyway.” 

So how do you best approach a mentoring relationship? Chris sums it up:  

“I guess being willing to be vulnerable and open up. Of course, that takes a little bit of time to build a relationship with the person and feel that you trust them and you're confident to share things.” 

“In my case, that happened quite quickly, but I think there's a benefit to being willing to be honest and open up.”