- When those in a vantage point fail to seek, and also to offer, mentorship, the missed opportunities yield untapped potential and unfulfilled dreams, impending societal progress.
- In this chapter, Dr. Orina shares her story with feel-able enthusiasm and genuineness.
- She firmly believes that the responsibility of guiding the younger generation to the greatest heights of its potential lies on the shoulders of those advantaged by age and experience.
As a leader with purpose, it’s imperative that you be a springboard for others to spring up
Dr. Edna Orina, Co-author, She Leads Vol 2.
It stands indispensably true mentorship has the power to change people, shape their approaches and inform their decisions, unearthing in them the best selves nobody else has ever noticed.
Mentors have a way of revealing us to ourselves and emancipating us, their mentees, from the shackles of self-doubt, fear and the desire to ensconce ourselves from the eyes of our dreams.
Simply, mentors are lifesavers.
Co-authoring for the She Leads Vol. 2 anthology, Dr. Edna Orina, now a mentor to many, delves into the Power of Mentorship and takes the reader through the gains of not just having a mentor but having a genuine mentor, to be able to snatch the best from them.
She introduces Chapter Seventeen, her chapter of contribution, with the acknowledgment that “Mentorship plays a crucial role in transferring knowledge, skills and wisdom from experienced individuals to those who are less experienced or seeking guidance.”
In his words, Bob Proctor sagely noted that “A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.”
Lost opportunities
Digging deeper into the topic, she notes that when those in a vantage point fail to seek, and also to offer, mentorship, the missed opportunities yield untapped potential and unfulfilled dreams, impending societal progress.
They fail to tap from those above them, and fail to offer to those below them, crippling knowledge transfer.
Dr. Orina reveals that over the years, she has realized that the world yearns for mentors who are not merely ready to pass the baton to those behind them, but willing to train those around and below them how to run the race successfully.
Sadly, it’s a lingering thirst that stands unquenched.
Turning to her life’s journey, she tells of how her upbringing soared a seed of inquisitiveness in her, building up her energy and desire to seek clearer pathways through which she can also mold those around and behind her.
Now a mentor with a long list of mentees looking up to her, “I know that little guidance and dissemination of critical information at the right time can change destinies forever and put one on a trajectory to success in life,” she writes.
Willing but held back
In a personalized way, well crafted to speak to your inner self, the co-author points out that despite the myriad vulnerabilities children and young people, especially teens, are exposed to, recognizing them early paves the way to deal with them correctly.
However, “This can only be done if we have an interested person in the growth of these youths as a mentor,” she writes.
An accomplished consultant radiologist, Dr. Orina says that despite her achievements, she has always felt the need to pull more people into her mentorship circle and help them grasp their paths to dependable careers and happy lives.
This was her desire from the past, given her upbringing in an entirely patriarchal society, a desire that came with its chunk of challenges.
“The solitary hospital wards and corridors of health facilities were not providing the desirable ambiance that would make my ambition thrive and relieve my strong resolve to give back to society in a way of mentoring young girls to take after me and other many successful cases before and after me,” she explains.
Bursting the bubble
Dr. Orina refuses to shy away from her struggle to deliver to the requirements of her profession while also giving her two cents to those yearning for direction from someone conversant with the route.
She tells of how the two desires posed a slippery slope to her.
With many thoughts playing within her mind, and the outstanding thought of abandoning the cause of mentoring others threatening to take over, she narrates that she was torn between many options.
Interestingly, she was sure that throwing in the towel wouldn’t give her peace.
“Ultimately, it was upon me to find a balance that allowed me to fulfil my professional obligations while pursuing my passion for mentoring,” she admits.
She chose to go back to class, get a master’s degree, and come back as a specialist whose work is clearly cut out.
This would give her elbow room to be a leader and a mentor to her colleagues, other professionals, and, most importantly, the younger generation.
Sinking into her passion
Upon returning after years of specialization, now earning the appointment as the Head of Radiology department in Kisii Teaching Referral Hospital, she had the leeway, the knowledge and the time to mentor more people within and outside her circles while also networking further and wider.
She tells of how her interactions were the doorway to meeting other trailblazers who were burning “…with similar ideas and desires to give back to society through mentorship programs.”
Ever since, she has gone to schools, institutions of higher learning, conferences, empowerment sessions and various other spaces, both as a mentorship speaker and as a participant, all meant to address her inner desire and equip her to touch more lives.
In this chapter, Dr. Orina shares her story with feel-able enthusiasm and genuineness, reminding us that “I realized that collaborative partnerships with like-minded professionals who shared my passion for mentorship to create a network of support and resources for young people would go a long way in achieving my dreams.”
It’s a chapter that will open your eyes to understand that you are only limited by your thoughts and fears, yet you are cut out for the task ahead of you.
It is one of the book’s chapters that will scare the fear and laxity out of you, disqualifying your excuses and sending you to a path of action.
More specialization in her career, which gives a professional a shoulder above their peers, has helped her to find time for her profession and also ably reach her hand to uplift those needing her.
Lessons
“I began by assessing my priorities and evaluating the importance of both my medical practice and my ambition to mentor,” she narrates.
This reminds you, passionate mentor, that there must be a balance between what you’ve trained for and are practicing, and the desire to mentor others.
Exploring opportunities outside your circle to impact others is another strategy she employed, volunteering and seeking initiatives gelling with her goals and connecting her to the right audiences.
Over the years, she has been living her purpose, which was significantly pegged on her indispensable desire to be of help to others, especially through mentorship.
She shares more about her experiences in the field of mentorship and how the journey has been fulfilling, revitalizing her as it impacts the young boys and girls listening to her, yet a journey not devoid of thorns.
Clarion call
To anyone with a mentorship desire seated within their beings, “As a leader with purpose, it’s imperative that you be a springboard for others to spring up,” she urges.
She firmly believes that the responsibility of guiding the younger generation to the greatest heights of its potential lies on the shoulders of those advantaged by age and experience.
She closes the chapter by reminding us that “Embracing mentorship as a personal mission can contribute to the development of future leaders and create a positive ripple effect in various spheres of life.”
This chapter on the power of mentorship encapsulates the cornerstone knowledge and hidden gems any leader, in whatever capacity, should have up their sleeve.
It triggers an urgent need for self-realization, sobriety in pursuing one’s purpose, and the energy to take action now.
To snatch even more from the wisdom of the chapter’s author and that of the other co-authors on their experiential leadership journey and other topics, grab yourself a copy of the She Leads Volume 2 book at Nuria Bookstore, Nairobi, or Amazon via https://www.amazon.com/She-Leads-Lessons-Women-Leaders-ebook/dp/B0BZJ6PBNN.
About the author
Dr. Orina is a Consultant Radiologist and the Head of Radiology and Imaging Department at the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital. She is also a Mental Health and Wellness Champion, a Mentor, Role Model, Transformational Leader and Public Speaker, among other titles and affiliations.
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She can be reached via email at orina65@gmail.com.
