Why I started Beyond My Circle?

I am a strong believer in helping people grow professionally. I love watching people transform from managers into leaders, I get a buzz out of this. From lecturing at university and seeing where your students end up, to watching optometrists build their practices and breaking down siloes and developing leaders at General Motors it has always been rewarding. I am passionate about organisational and employee development. Throughout my career I have found the most valuable development strategies that have the greatest impact are the ones where a person can look in the mirror, get out of their comfort zone and see their true reflection. It’s at that point where growth takes place. That’s why mentoring is such a fabulous development strategy. It allows a mentee to be vulnerable with a completely objective mentor (who has the benefit of hindsight) to help the mentee navigate their way through a problem or situation. There are no politics at play, no one is seeking acknowledgement for their contribution, it is just two people helping each other grow.

I personally was a mentor for young people at risk, with Whitelion, a fabulous organisation, before I had children of my own. I had a young person who had experienced a pretty tough life, she had a lot more strength and resilience than I did. I helped her find employment, navigate difficult conversations, all the while she was teaching me how to be strong. When I was put in situations at work where I felt uncomfortable I always thought about how my mentee would handle that, she is a very resilient young lady. It’s amazing the impact a positive relationship can have on a person. I am forever grateful for the relationship I had with my mentee and what it taught me. That’s right as a mentor you can learn too. Mentoring isn’t just about the mentee. The mentor will get a lot out of that relationship as well.

So, the reason I started Beyond My Circle is I have a very talented network of professionals, all over the world many different professions, they are born leaders, and I thought why not share their talent on a global scale. We have the potential to positively impact and change the world by helping each other grow. Imagine if this network could help someone in Tanzania or the Kimberly set up a business to help their whole community. Or we could simply help small business right here in our backyard, by allowing them to connect with professionals that have seen it all!

My hope for this community is to realise the synergy we can create amongst ourselves and professional problems we face can be shared. I essentially want to change the world with this technology through sharing knowledge. My objective for this business is not to generate profit, but to help people who are committed and driven to developing themselves. I want to introduce you to people, ideas and concepts you may not have come across before. I believe we never stop learning and should never stop learning and who better to do this with than a supportive, trusting community.

So, whether you’re a mentor or a mentee, come and change the world with us, join us today.

Suzi Ralph