How mentoring can help people and companies develop

Many people would secretly admit that there have been times when they doubted whether property was for them. I know I have – on a number of occasions.

From the fear I felt as I warily emerged from Bank Station’s spiderweb of tunnels for my first City job in 2007, through to toying with an alternative career as a yoga teacher while on maternity leave for Willow, now five, I could have quite easily succumbed to the dreaded imposter syndrome – which is cited as an issue by two thirds of women in the UK workforce.

Yet, despite how uncomfortable these times were, I wouldn’t trade them for all the square feet of ‘safe space’ in the world. For while my formative years in property were far from smooth sailing, sticking them out meant I went on to find my feet in what is the most rewarding career in the world.

One key advantage I enjoyed was never once being left to flounder on my own. The support and mentoring I received throughout was absolutely mission-critical in equipping me with the tools, strategies and resilience I’ve needed to handle stressful and complex challenges. Indeed, I have been truly privileged to work alongside and learn from some of the most talented women and men in the industry.

But, of course, my experience and good fortune when it has come to mentoring is not representative of everyone else’s – and I am certainly not representative of all women.

According to RICS, qualified female professionals made up only 18% of the built and natural environment workforce in 2022, up from just 5% in 1990. Worse still, just 4% were in senior leadership positions.

I find this reality extremely perplexing as I have always been of the mind that property is, at its core, about making things better for people.

Even today, the reality is that barriers to women’s professional progression remain numerous and, unfortunately, continue to stand the test of time. Unconscious bias, gender stereotyping — of both men and women, it should be stressed — as well as outright sexism are all insidious, contributory factors to the reinforcing of glass ceilings.

There are few professional upsides to being away from work for between six and 12 months, an inevitable inconvenience of bearing a child, not least because of the cost of child care. Yet, there are myriad benefits from the chiselled abilities parents acquire through having to multitask and work through problems with a renewed sense of patience.

Having an educational and childcare system that promotes and encourages diversity in all aspects regardless of class or gender is a critical barrier to overcome. For the diversity debate to be anything more than a box-ticking exercise, we need to understand the nuances and be more respectful of different requirements, whether around someone’s background or physical or non-visible disabilities. Otherwise, all we’ll do is create echo chambers, ignoring the essence of the problem.

The reality is that the single most important factor preventing women – and indeed any other under-represented group – from reaching their true potential in property  is the self-perpetuating absence of those groups in the first place. Speaking personally, I haven’t come up through the industry seeing very many women.

Herein lies the game-changing value of mentoring. It can be the crucible in which bright, new futures for people are forged, giving them real-life examples of who they can be and how they can get there. And it should be for everyone regardless of skin colour, class, schooling, sexual preference, gender, choice of football team and anything else people discriminate against.

As a mentor with Mentoring Circle (founded by the inspiring Vanessa Murray), I have seen first-hand the transformative effect mentoring can have on someone’s self-esteem, confidence and determination – instilling in them the knowledge that they have what it takes to get to that next level and beyond. Mentoring Circle is now entering its fourth year in 2024, having supported around 350 mentees and mentors.

This is not just about equality in the property sector alone; it’s an investment in the future of society.

The property industry arguably has more of an impact on people’s lives than any other. We shape everything, from how and where we live, shop and socialise, to whether people feel safe and protected while walking the streets after dark — a byproduct of poor urban planning that many women are all too familiar with.

If we are striving for a society that works for all, then it must be built for all. But this can’t happen if those doing the building represent just one part of society. It is no stretch to say, then, that our success tomorrow hinges on whether we double down on diversity today.

Thinking back to when I first stepped out of Bank Station, I now know that potential imposter syndrome was unfounded. However, I personally have only been able to reach this conclusion because I was lucky enough to be surrounded by bright, passionate women and men who were more than willing to be a mentor to me. Not everybody is.

So, why leave it to luck at all? The case for making mentorship mandatory is open and shut. Of course, there will be some who don’t need it – but it’s worth remembering that the benefits flow both ways. Let’s commit to doubling down on mentoring our bright and brilliant women and men of all backgrounds to truly unlock their full potential and, in turn, the industry’s.