‘Often our time and effort is shared without reward except for the greater reward that we have been instrumental in developing someone within the company who becomes an essential member of the ‘family’ and who can be recognised for their potential in our field of expertise.”
Pam Golding, chairperson of Pam Golding Properties, believes that mentoring is a valuable relationship in the development of others.
‘Throughout our lives, we learn not only from our own mistakes but we learn from other people. A mentor shares their wisdom of experience for the benefit of others, assisting and enabling them to gain and grow from our lessons and experiences. It’s an adventure in discovery — discovering the value in others and thus their incredible potential.”
Golding is in an automatic mentoring position as the founder and chairperson of Pam Golding Properties and as a member of various women’s groups such as the International Women’s Forum of South Africa, being an honouree of the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World and a member of the Women’s Leadership Board of the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Boston.
‘Our training manuals and business values are focused on the way I have run my business with honesty, trust and sincerity since 1976 when I established my real estate business. Relationships are essential to our business and the way we behave with our clients and each other,” she says.
While Golding does not personally mentor individuals these days — her company’s training academy has developed its mentorship programme on the ‘I am Pam” principle, using her mentorship skills as an example — in the initial stages she worked with staff and thus automatically mentored them. From this she learned that mentoring needs commitment and dedication, and therefore one needs to be available at all times.
Today, as back then, Golding’s aim is to produce staff who achieve the company’s strategy and she believes it’s best to mentor within your own industry.
‘Like every company we have an ultimate strategy and thus every person is a cog in that wheel to achieve the company goal and ethos. Our training programme is specifically targeted to our particular business and ensures that our executive, management, agents and staff are developed and equipped to deliver the high standards of professionalism and service expected of ourselves. More importantly they are able to grow and reach their full potential,” she says.
Golding further lists monitoring of performance and behaviour, recognition of achievement and accountability as imperative to successful mentoring.
‘Do my staff and agents represent the brand, the professionalism, integrity, sincerity and caring? Do they put our clients’ needs first before their financial reward? Everyone likes to know how they are performing and love receiving praise for successful achievements. Recognition of achievement is the key to a very motivated staff and agent team and hence a successful business. Within PGP recognition and reward is a key business value.”
On the issue of women’s empowerment, Golding says she is ‘very appreciative” of former president Nelson Mandela for initiating the appointment of women in Parliament.
‘Through our PGP Empowerment division, our enterprise development has enabled black women to be introduced to the exciting world of property on a franchise shareholder, managerial and estate agent level. Our aim through the business format of franchising is to create sustainable wealth and skill and knowledge transfer.”