The Mentorship Challenge - Behind every great leader is a great mentor

In a country facing what is commonly termed a ‘crisis of leadership’, the moment has arrived for business leaders to step into the breach and become aspirational leadership models for future generations. This is the true power of mentorship, which delivers not just a public service, but a significant social intervention.

With this in mind, Redefine Properties is proud to sponsor The Mentorship Challenge – with Marc Wainer, a weekly television show that unpacks the notion of social upliftment through mentorship.

Redefine Properties, a JSE Top 40 Index-listed Real Estate Investment Trust, is committed to delivering sustained value for all our stakeholders. Our people-centric strategy is what sets us apart in the property industry. The Mentorship Challenge is a perfect fit for Redefine, as it demonstrates just how people-centricity translates into social upliftment.

Launching on Wednesday, 4 October 2017 at 20h30 on CNBC (DStv Channel 410), the show will be hosted by the inimitable Marc Wainer, executive chairman of Redefine Properties, and will unpack the notion of mentorship, providing an unparalleled, enabling platform for top leaders to create a legacy through shaping the journeys of the budding business trailblazers of tomorrow.

Marc is the perfect host for the show, as he embodies the idea that, even when faced with few resources or having tread a less than orthodox path, you can still succeed. In a country where so many eager youngsters simply don’t have access to resources, raw talent, sheer guts and the guiding hand of a leadership guru can carve you a path out of poverty to success.

Armed with a matric and enough confidence to fill a mall, Marc grew from humble origins to the industry giant he is today. But his extraordinary journey to success is not the full measure of the man. His true strength lies in his belief in people and in his passion and generosity in sharing his hard-earned life and business lessons with others. Because, in Marc’s view, what is the point of amassing a wealth of skills and insights, if you are not prepared to pass this on to others, pay it forward and build a legacy? That’s just leadership in a vacuum.

Marc says, “I am passionate about mentorship. The purpose of this programme is to connect as many people as possible with our guests and their associates. The advice, guidance and support that our mentees will receive is priceless, so if you have not yet registered on our website, do so now... It could change your life.”

But The Mentorship Challenge delivers something invaluable for mentors too – an opportunity to give back and make a difference. Thought leaders and captains of industry often work within narrow organisational constraints, inwardly focused on steering the organisation towards growth and sustainability. The Mentorship Challenge remedies this – by taking entrepreneurial insight beyond the boardroom to a place where bright young minds meet seasoned leadership legends in an exchange of ideas and perspectives The Mentorship Challenge provides the perfect platform for thought leaders to share those nuggets of wisdom, insights and lessons learnt on the path to success that you won’t find in any business manual.

Redefine CEO, Andrew König, agrees: “We believe that, in our socio-economic climate, this show is particularly relevant, given the unemployment challenge – especially amongst the youth – in South Africa. The Mentorship Challenge is an innovative way to make a real difference in people’s lives, and demonstrates our commitment to our country and its future leaders. Mentorship serves as a guiding hand out of poverty to success – securing a better and stronger future for all South Africans. The show also offers us, as a responsible corporate citizen, an opportunity to inspire our fellow corporates to take up the mantle of mentorship and give back to communities in a meaningful and sustainable way.”

The mechanics of The Mentorship Challenge are simple: There’ll be a topical conversation with Marc on the pressing issues of the day, followed by a detour of a more personal nature, where Marc will engage his guests on the mentors, moments and chance meetings that moulded them into the titans they are today.

Perfectly positioned to become the most exciting part of the show, Marc – with incomparable charisma – will challenge these mentors to pledge personal time to carefully chosen mentees in their particular areas of expertise. And he’ll also be encouraging his guests to throw down the gauntlet to their peers to match their mentorship pledges.

The show will be supported by a microsite (www.mentorshipchallenge.co.za), where mentors and mentees will make contact and schedule time together. And these stories of both collaboration and mentorship will be incorporated into the show.

The Mentorship Challenge is a true embodiment of Redefine’s brand positioning – ‘We’re not landlords. We’re people.’ – and our commitment to sustainable social initiatives. We believe The Mentorship Challenge will serve as a catalyst towards creating a culture of mentorship in corporate South Africa, where the mentorship hours accrued will proliferate into an ongoing resource available to all aspiring bright young minds of tomorrow, no matter their background.

In the time-constrained world of business leadership, The Mentorship Challenge provides a bank of beneficial hours to help build future leaders and businesses. And, beyond that, it is mentorship, finally, that is at the heart of good business.