VentureSouq's Sonia Weymuller On Mentorship And A Soft Skill You Should Remember
As an outspoken advocate for mentorship of young innovators and entrepreneurship in the region, Sonia Weymuller, Founding Partner at VentureSouq, has had her fair share of guiding entrepreneurs and students.
In this #EntMETalks episode, as a third-time mentor of the e7 Daughters of the of the Emirates project, Weymuller continues to share her enthusiasm as a proactive and engaged mentor. Weymuller calls it an enriching experience from "an inter-generational and cross-cultural perspective," pointing towards the wide range of background among the 35 members aged between 18-25 years old across the UAE, and commending her mentees' growth in their ambition, drive and leadership capabilities for theirselves and society. "Mentorship provides a level of grounding," says Weymuller, and asserts that mentorship is a two-way street; while as a mentor you help others to navigate their journey, the mentor can learn from their mentees as well.
Weymuller points out that a common cultural narrative around leadership is the need to be determined and having certain grit, in contrast, she advises that vulnerability is actually a strength, as well as self-awareness, and empathy- embodying leadership. These soft skills, according to Weymuller, are highly developed in the e7 program. For entrepreneurs, Weymuller advises that, "You need to be flexible and adaptable- you may need to pivot your business plan, you may need to hire a co-founder, you may need to replace your entire team with another team that may be better and complementary, you may need to shift markets. You can't do that if you have a rigid outlook on life."
