Amachie Ackah is certainly someone who gives credit where it is due – with grateful passion. His grit, hard work and determination are behind his assent to Co-Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Clay Cove, a real estate private equity firm.

He is forever thankful for the contribution educational scholarships and mentors have had on his journey to the top. The lessons he learned have helped shape his business and the way he leads, and understanding the mentorship interaction in a different way has shaped his growth.

“Everyone thinks being a mentor is a seniority thing, like, ‘I’ve made it!’” Ackah says. “I don’t think mentorship starts when you’re age 40.

“The opportunity to teach and mentor when you are young means that you’ve enhanced your perspective on what you’re doing. Mentorship, to be effective, must be reciprocal. You have to listen. It’s not just about dispensing wisdom. It’s about context.

“I learn just as much from my mentees as they learn from me. At Clay Cove, teaching is part of our culture. I spend real time with our associates, and not just on transactions, but on leadership and how to work with aligned partners. That’s how we build capacity. That’s how we build a firm that is bigger than any one person.”

We are all teachers – and students

Ackah believes everyone at every level of a company can mentor, irrespective of age or job title. In fact, rather than framing it as an act of service to those coming up the ranks, mentoring should be viewed as a learning experience for both parties – something Ackah has seen work brilliantly through his career.

“My mom is a schoolteacher, I come from a long line of educators, and something I enjoy tremendously is teaching in a mentor–mentee relationship where you have to listen as much as you instill, because you too are learning,” he reflects.

“True intellectual capital is not always who is the loudest or smartest in the room, it’s who is listening the most.”

Speaking to Ackah, it is clear how the time taken by others to mentor him throughout his career has been formative.

“Mentorship has shaped every stage of my life. I’ve been fortunate to learn from some of the most respected names in the business,” he says, smiling.

“The only reason I was able to rise was because people, many of whom I didn’t even know, invested in me. Those opportunities created an arc of upward mobility that would not have been possible otherwise.”

From professors to business leaders in their field, the lessons from their exchanges has been transformational for Ackah. Certainly, their insights not only broadened his mind to approaches in industry, but also what really matters as a leader.

“Those great mentors taught me lifelong lessons and left an indelible imprint on how I’ve made my career, I made my business and built my culture,” he says.

Mentorship builds strong companies

As well as leading to deeper understanding and learning for all in the process, Ackah has noticed the positive effect mentoring has had on the dynamics of the companies he has worked in.

“When you listen and ask the right questions, you create a space for everyone to really be their best, to feel there is an ability to contribute,” he says.

“As a leader, the goal was not command and control, it was to promote creative environments for flourishing, to allow you and your team to contribute in a dynamic way rather than just linear.

“It helps create that family environment, because that’s where real teams are made, where real authenticity happens and that’s where people bring out their best.”

And in a world where there is more information and change than ever, Ackah predicts this way of working is going to become even more important.

“When you have that quiet time with another person or a group, when you’re actually trying to communicate, you realize what will always be valuable is creativity, communication skills, critical thinking, collaboration – and all those things happen in those quiet times,” Ackah insists.

“I think they are going to be more important in the future than ever. Those are the things we’ve dedicated ourselves to instilling in our team.

“If we can do that, we’re better at our leadership, because you’ve created people who are better suited for cutting through the noise in a time when it is louder than ever – people notice that and you’re really creating value for all your stakeholders.”

Lifelong learning is key

With this outlook on life and building a business, it comes as no surprise that Ackah is a member of YPO, the global leadership community of 35,000 members in 150 countries who strive to become better leaders – and better people.

The peer-to-peer learning relationship that the organization promotes aligns beautifully with Ackah’s views and never fails to enhance and guide his leadership.

“Any time I am with YPO it is truly, absolutely inspiring,” he explains. “The experiences I’ve had through YPO, whether it’s attending the Harvard Presidents’ Program, serving as chapter chair or helping lead the real estate industry network, have all deepened my ability to think strategically and to grow both professionally and personally.

“The YPO culture also reinforces how we lead and scale at Clay Cove. We don’t build around a single person – we build systems and teams. Peer learning, shared wins and long-term capacity building are part of our playbook, not just our values.

“But most importantly, YPO emphasizes developing the whole person. It helped me see that being a great leader is not just about performance in the boardroom. It’s also about who you are at home, in your community, and when no-one is watching.”

So what advice would Ackah give anyone who has yet to mentor?

“Everyone has something to give and I deeply believe every encounter you’re making in your day can be truly meaningful and beneficial,” he says.

“If you see me walk around the office, I’m talking to everyone – I don’t care what your title is, it doesn’t matter. You’ve had life experiences, and if you’ve been thoughtful, humble, been someone who’s hungry to make things happen, even if it’s great or small, then you have something to give.

“I’ve learned from people who have had the most menial labor, and they’ve taught me great lifelong lessons. Maybe they didn’t know they were mentoring, but they took the time to tell me some things about themselves. That’s mentorship. I don’t think that there’s a person who can’t do it, and I also think there’s not a person who can’t receive it.”