Hanifa Itani on her Mentorship journey so far

– Hi! She said

– Hi! I replied.

– Did you study at the American University of Beirut (AUB)?

– Yes…

– What’s your name? she asked.

– Hanifa Itani. I replied

And she hugged me fondly.

– I am Racha!

The last time Racha and I met was 16 years ago, in 2002 at the AUB campus.

Where did we meet again?? On April 25^th, during the 4^thArab Women in Leadership Summit in Dubai.

What a coincidence!! No, it was meant to be.

As part of our mentee-mentor relationship, Samia and I were helping each other during this event. She got me a complimentary pass to attend both days while I helped her research on the inspiring Arab women she was interviewing during the summit. That is leverage, a notion which Samia introduced to me during one of our mentor-mentee sessions. In their book “How Women Rise”, Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith state that building rather than leveraging relationships is one of the habits that is hindering some ladies from rising to top leadership positions. According to them, leverage is always reciprocal, based on a quid pro quo, used to achieve both tactical and strategic goals, is highly intentional, and brings distinctive rewards (pp99-101). It is at the base of any successful mentorship relationship.

On February 25^th2018, I attended the UTG mentorship program and Samia and I were paired as mentor-mentee. Since that date, we’ve been engaging in a rich and solid mutually beneficial relationship.

Actively looking for a job, taking a proactive approach in connecting with professionals in my field, networking, going outside my comfort zone, and attending several workshops to cover gaps in my strengths are some of the many benefits I have gained through our mentor-mentee relationship. I’ve attended the Career Takeoff workshop provided jointly by UTG and LinkedIn (Amel Ait Ahcene)  where attendees were provided with precious tips on how to connect with recruiters and professionals in their field, how to approach them and how to make their LinkedIn profile appealing and speaking about them. In addition, they were coached on working on their elevator pitch, personal brand and thought leadership.

Moreover, I have attended a full day of Impactful Public speaking workshop provided by Andrea Zoia, through Briar Prestige and Deals in High Heels, whom I met the night of April 25^that the mentorship program. Andrea, captivating and energetic, has a unique approach to public speaking: know thyself. I have learnt to use my voice properly to create more opportunities and to channel myself with any audience before I can have any impact. The optimum combination between voice, emotions, self-image and the subconscious craft the perfect voice formula.

In our next mentorship session, I would like to approach my specific coaching needs! I look forward to it Samia!!

To be continued…