Godliver says mentorship is important in career growth

Dar es Salaam. One of the things that can elevate women in their career journeys is mentorship.

Godliver Mashele, Manager of International Development Advisory Services at KPMG says mentorship is vital to career advancement because it helps mentees remain grounded and perceive their careers from an experienced mind.

Before she graduated at the University of Dar es Salaam (Udsm) for a bachelor’s degree of commerce in accounting, Godliver joined a graduate recruitment programme for career affairs which led her to land a job at Delloite as an audit assistant.

In her position, Godliver was able to work with a number of several clients in different developmental industries in a period of about three years.

In 2011, Godliver decided to go for master’s degree at Malmo University in Sweden, a decision she had made earlier during her university days.

“Since early days of my first degree, one of my goals was to get my masters out of Tanzania because I wanted to get a different life and studies perspective in other countries. I understood that the two also came with my exposure to the world,” she says.

By the time earning her masters was just a drafted wish, Godliver had no means to pay for her studies. She started applying for masters from the time she was a first year to the time she joined Delloite.

“I would randomly browse scholarships in other countries, until when I came across one in Sweden. A short while after I applied, I was accepted,” she details.

According to her, it took God’s grace, hard work, determination, a good support system and right attitude to get where she is.

“As I was growing, I did not know who I wanted to become in my future. I only wanted to be good at something that would make me successful enough to support my family. After having experienced the schooling life, I was able to build my network by connecting with the right people and that eventually revealed a path I wanted to pursue,” she unveils.

As she worked hard to bring her dreams to life, Godliver was faced by a number of challenges that enhanced her goals to form thick skin due to their intactness despite of the barriers.

“My parents were peasants who worked hard to make sure that every need that my siblings and I had were met. They were business people selling different products including maize, raw coffee and tomatoes. I supported them whenever I got the chance to. Of the few things that I did includes volunteering at a church and a convent nearby.”

She continues “When I passed my form four exams with flying colours, my parents could not pay for my studies, this made me rethink of the convent I was volunteering at. One day I told the catholic sisters at the church of my desire to continue with education and that I lacked funds to support me with my high school education.”

The sisters at the convent could not support her with cash but they connected Godliver with a family of a leader from the district she resided in.

“The family was delighted to support me. I recall I was two weeks away from reporting to school when I received their request of spending a week with their children so that I could teach them mathematics as well as inspire them about excelling in school, which I happily did. I was afterwards supported by their family to join form five including school fees, bus fare and other things,” she recalls.

One of the most vulnerable time in Godliver’s life is when she fell sick during the time she was pursuing her master’s studies in Sweden.

“I was hospitalised for quite a long time and I had not even finished my studies. Going through that situation and being far away from home was not easy but I endured it all,” she explains.

When she came back to Tanzania, Godliver joined KPMG as an assistant manager and later on she climbed the ladder to the position of Manager of International Development Advisory Services, a position she serves to date.

“The people at KPMG were so supportive and welcoming and that made it easier for me to navigate my career, it has been a beautiful journey in deed,” she says.

In early years of her career, Godliver had a mentor who paved a way for her to explore her work and life even better.

“My mentor’s support, insights and challenges really helped me grow. Mentorship is one of the most important things that can assist one to be grounded and well-crafted in their careers because they provide guidance and knowledge that enlightens the mentee in question to make informed decisions and grow career wise,” she explains.

Being in a managerial position herself, Godliver understand and acknowledges gender inequality in the society.

“For generations, gender diversity has been an empty arena in the society. Women have been perceived as incapable especially in leadership positions. This is caused by traditions are knitted in the veins of the society,” she explains.

Godliver further says that “Within some of the traditions lies gender roles that somewhat limit other gender to fully explore them and this causes people to grow us seeing those roles are specific for them or not for them because they have been brought up with that perception.”

In a society that is still grasping the meaning behind gender diversity, Godliver advises women to stand up to their values, believe in themselves and be open to learning and unlearning ways circling life and their careers.

“Of many principles of life, women should have integrity and honesty. They should also be confident in themselves because that on its own paves a way towards greatness in both life and career,” she says.

She also urges dissemination of awareness in the communities to speed up on gender diversity in work spaces and in the societal levels.