“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” — Bob Proctor, author of best-selling book You Were Born Rich

For the third year Constantia has been not only the host, but also a sponsor of the Roots & Wings Programme, through the Insurance Institute of Gauteng (IIG). The name of the programme has such significant meaning; providing mentees with a solid foundation and the wings to fly towards their dreams and personal goals. 

The emphasis of the programme is to provide a platform for personal growth, to enable the young, bright future leaders in the insurance industry to learn from people who have walked the path before, and who have the knowledge and expertise to share.

The Roots & Wings mentorship programme has three elements:

• The first is cross mentorship, which means mentees are not paired with a mentor from their own company but a mentor from a different company within the insurance industry. 
• Secondly, it is a formalised mentorship programme, where mentees are taught how to get the most value out of this mental material relationship, and the mentors are provided with the skills needed to help and guide the mentees as they navigate their careers. 
• The third element is that all individuals on the programme get to learn from each other, the pairs of mentors and mentees get together to exchange ideas on what works well and what doesn’t work well, and here the facilities at Constantia are essential in hosting these events.

Thabo Twalo, the current president of the IIG, had the following to say about the motivation behind hosting such a programme: “In order to meet the challenge of retaining the best talent within the insurance industry, it is important to constantly develop that talent and to ensure that the talent is engaged. One of the ways in which we, as IIG, can assist with engagement levels is through the Roots & Wings mentorship programme. This programme cross pairs mentors and mentees from different companies within the insurance industry, where these mentors help them navigate their careers within their companies.”

Building careers 

Roots & Wings is a unique mentorship programme that provides mentees with a competitive edge and access to experienced professionals within the short-term insurance industry. This is the seventh year that the IIG is running this programme, facilitated by Linda Coetzee and Associates. It has seen more than 150 mentees and mentors complete this programme.

The need for mentorship to foster career development in the insurance industry and the number of applicants received for this programme every year, is testament to its success. The insurance industry in South Africa and on the continent faces many challenges, not least of which is low levels of insurance penetration. 

To tackle these challenges, it is important that the industry not only attract the brightest minds but also nurtures and keep the minds that will find solutions to these challenges. The Roots & Wings programme assists with the skills transfer required to move the short-term insurance industry forward and pairs young talent with seasoned practitioners who can offer guidance, accountability and be a sounding board for the career-building mentees.

The importance of chemistry

As in the past, matching the twenty-four mentors and mentees is the responsibility of Linda and Jenna Coetzee and, as mentioned in Linda’s address to attendees on the launch day, chemistry is the most important ingredient. It is essential that when hosting these events at the Constantia offices, pockets of opportunity are created for the mentors and mentees to mingle “speed-dating style” and discover who they click with. 

“In order to get this programme and the relationship going, there is a need for chemistry, and for chemistry we need face-to-face interaction. Also, we need space that will allow this, as the central facility to the building of this chemistry and these relationships. And this is where Constantia Insurance Company has played a vital role. They have allowed us to use their world-class facilities, which are conducive for this chemistry building and we are really grateful for their efforts, hospitality and support towards our industry,” said Twalo.

The results of the pairing exercise were released at the official “mentor/mentee pairing event”. Linda Coetzee (Roots & Wings partner and coordinator) provided the mentees and mentors with a detailed brief of how the coordination behind the programme will work, including details of the mentor and mentee training and monthly face-to-face meetings, emphasising the importance of these meetings taking place in a neutral and respectful environment. She also explained the importance of the quarterly check-in process between all parties, to ensure that the progress is on track, that the relationship is working effectively, and to provide any interventions if needed.

The value of collaboration

When asked for her opinion about this programme, Coetzee had the following to say: “The IIG Roots & Wings mentorship programme has grown from strength to strength in the seven years since its inception. This is due to the commitment of the participants and the sponsors who are invested in the growth of young people in the insurance industry. Constantia has been a very generous sponsor in the last few years. They have nominated mentors and mentees every year to participate, and they have all built lasting partnerships. They have also generously provided their beautiful building as the venue for launches, programme functions and graduations. In particular, the 2021 graduation stands out – a white stretch tent, covered chairs, orange carpet and an effervescent DJ made this event the best event ever in the history of the Roots & Wings programme. I know that Constantia prides itself on being authentic and values collaboration – these are two of their company values. I applaud them for bringing these values alive in the way they consistently support this wonderful IIG programme.”

Mentees are matched to a mentor who will both challenge and encourage them on their personal journey to success. Mentors have been identified and carefully selected as individuals who have demonstrated leadership and/or specialist skills in the insurance industry and who are willing to impart their knowledge to the next generation.

Twalo had an opportunity to address the mentees and mentors on the launch day and he highlighted how important it is that once they have completed the programme, they must remember to put their hand up and mentor others when they are ready. 

Alex Taljaard, the head of marketing at Constantia said that Roots & Wings is a programme that is very close to their hearts. “It’s all about the people of our industry. People make it happen. This is one initiative that is not focused on anything else except developing our people. We are also immensely proud of our own Constantialites attending the programme this year as mentors (Clive Jainarain, Bevan Manchest, Michele Barclay) and mentees (Warren Michael and Precious Shongwe),” he said.

As a company, IIG cannot stress enough the importance of initiatives such as Roots & Wings. The key pillars of the IIG, being education and skills development, provide the perfect platform to gain personal experience but still leaves the responsibility with the mentees to drive the agenda and push the mentors to learn more and grow. Thank you to all the mentors for their participation and for putting up their hands to give back to the industry.

“We have no doubt that this year’s pairs will make the most of this amazing opportunity and, whether physically or virtually, will engage with purpose and continue to be the difference,” said Twalo.

If you would like to keep up with the initiative, follow IIG via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, as well as on their website.