Few career relationships are as quietly transformative as the one between a mentor and their mentee. A good mentor doesn’t hand out answers but helps you work them out yourself. They provide perspective, reassurance and, at crucial moments, a nudge to take the next leap forward. The best are sounding boards – they’ve been through similar challenges themselves and can share what they’ve learned, including the mistakes.
For Enyinnaya Nwaka FCCA, who works at the World Health Organization, mentorship ‘has been one of the most transformative experiences of my professional life’. He met his mentor, Rhonda Best FCCA, at a crossroads in his career.
‘Her guidance came when I needed it most, offering encouragement, perspective and hope,’ he recalls. ‘Even her practical advice – such as interview tips or how to manage complex situations – has played a vital role in my professional development and confidence.’
‘It helped to expand my perspective and mature my thinking process’
Others describe mentoring as an accelerator. TJ Lew ACCA, who has been both mentor and mentee and is now a confidence and emotional wellbeing coach, says the experience ‘helped to expand my perspective and mature my thinking process’. Having someone outside your line management chain can open new ways of seeing the world of work, she says. ‘It also helped me to build relationships beyond my immediate team, which was invaluable for stakeholder management and career progression.’
Mentors can also act as accountability partners. Professional accountant and career coach Edel Walsh says: ‘They keep you on track with your goals, which might be completing exams, making a career move or developing confidence.’
Different routes
Mentoring can take many forms, from structured programmes to spontaneous workplace relationships. Melbourne-based CFO Dipin Chhabra FCCA has experienced both. ‘The informal relationships have usually been with senior colleagues I look up to – people whose achievements inspired me and who became sounding boards when I needed clarity,’ she explains.
The formal programme came later in her career, when she was preparing to become a CFO, and brought a more deliberate focus. She was matched with a mentor outside her organisation through a professional body.
‘One reach-out message changed the trajectory of my career’
‘We did a competency gap analysis to identify blind spots,’ she recalls. ‘The formal process made me concentrate on specific goals, while the informal ones were more reactive – someone you could call whenever you needed advice.’
Chemistry matters too. Chhabra stresses that the relationship must feel right. ‘You get the option to meet them first and decide whether there’s trust and chemistry. I was lucky to click immediately with the mentor I was paired with, which helped me build my professional network as well.’
Finding a mentor
Not everyone is lucky enough to have mentors appear naturally. The good news is that there are plenty of routes to finding one. Many organisations, including ACCA, run formal mentoring schemes. Others are industry-wide or locally organised through professional networks.
For those without access to such structures, initiative pays off. Lew says she learned to approach people directly. ‘I started paying attention to individuals whose qualities I admire. They weren’t necessarily within my function or even my country. I’d tell them what I appreciated in them and what I hoped to learn. Most of the time, they said yes.’
Nwaka’s experience reinforces this. When he moved to Denmark, he didn’t know anyone in the profession locally, so he reached out cold via LinkedIn. ‘To my surprise, Rhonda responded warmly and offered to take me under her wing,’ he says. That one message changed the trajectory of his career.
‘Being prepared and engaged is part of the mentee’s role’
Make the most of it
Once you’ve found a mentor, success depends on how you work with them. ‘Being prepared and engaged is part of the role of the mentee,’ Walsh says. ‘Always come to meetings with questions, updates or challenges to discuss, rather than expecting your mentor to drive the conversation.’
Preparation was key for Lew. Before each meeting, she reflected on her progress and came armed with questions. ‘I’d also provide an update on what we discussed earlier. Scheduled sessions work much better than ad hoc ones because when work gets busy, it’s easily forgotten.’
Chhabra agrees that mentees must take responsibility. ‘It’s your career – you have to get the most out of it. Be proactive. Don’t expect the mentor to tell you everything; it’s a conversation.’ For her formal mentorship, she prepared an agenda for each session, ensuring discussions stayed focused and productive.
It also pays to be open. Mentors can only help if they understand your real situation. Walsh advises being honest about both ambitions and obstacles. ‘A mentor will provide constructive feedback and help point out your blind spots, but only if you let them see the full picture.’
‘What makes it valuable is the honest, personal feedback’
Feedback
That willingness to hear constructive criticism can be what makes mentoring so valuable. Indonesia-based Natasha Kimberly ACCA found her mentor through the ACCA network and later at work. She says: ‘What makes it valuable is the honest, personal feedback. My mentor takes time to share how they see me at work, what I’m doing well, and what I can improve. Having that kind of guidance has helped me see myself more clearly and grow with purpose.’
Feedback also builds self-awareness, something Chhabra credits with helping her develop a stronger professional brand. ‘As accountants, we can get stuck in the details,’ she says. ‘At senior levels you need to be strategic. Talking to someone who’s been there helps you see how to do that.’
Mentoring is a virtuous cycle. Motivated to help others, many mentees carry forward the insight they once received, adding their own experience along the way.
‘I wish I’d done it earlier. Sometimes all it takes is one good conversation to open a door’
Chhabra now mentors staff she has hired. ‘It’s informal, but it’s rewarding to see them grow.’ It’s the same story for Nwaka. ‘Having benefitted from such guidance, I’ve always felt a responsibility to pay it forward,’ he says. ‘My approach begins with listening – truly understanding the mentee’s challenges before offering guidance.’
Any time is right
No matter where you are in your career – studying, newly qualified or aiming for leadership – a mentor can offer clarity and perspective that’s hard to find alone. As Walsh puts it, mentoring ‘only works if you put ideas into practice’. Done well, it can change how you see yourself, your potential and your path ahead.
For Chhabra, perhaps the only regret is waiting too long to start. ‘I wish I’d done it earlier,’ she says. ‘You learn about your blind spots and start thinking differently. Sometimes all it takes is one good conversation to open a new door.’
More information
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