The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands. Robert M. Pirsig

As we progress into the second month of 2007, the terrible crime situation in our wonderful country is on everybody’s mind. The news about more and more killings and violence we hear and read about daily is overwhelming and discouraging, to say the least. How do you process the wave of information and negative experiences when people share stories and views about crime in SA? To what extent does this current situation impact the vision and goals you have for your organisation? And your family?

Our reactions probably vary from feeling aggressive and angry, ready to take matters in our own hands, to feeling disempowered and defeated. What is clear is that the problem we face as a nation is a big one. A problem that exists at various levels of our society and won’t be solved simply by jailing as many criminals as possible in the shortest time possible. I am not going to try and analyse the problem (I do believe there are many signs that point to widespread moral degeneration), but I would like to suggest that if we can only point fingers and join the bandwagon of negativity, things will only get worse. Nothing happens without personal transformation. In this regard I’d like to share with you the ideas of the Seasoned Campaigner about successful people (people who refuse to be intimidated by negative environments):

• Successful People are a little Crazy: The ‘craziness’ doesn’t manifest itself in the form of mental illness, but commonly takes the form of unconventional thinking - a rejection of traditional beliefs, a lack of concern for what others might think, and the confidence to take on ambitious projects from which more ‘sane’ people would shy away. These high achievers are poised between average people and true psychotics, possessing just the right amount of ‘weirdness’. They are strange enough to come up with odd ideas, and then to pursue those ideas no matter what the rest of the world says, yet they are not that outlandish that they lose all contact with reality. Mavericity, the property of making unusual associations in ideas, of doing the unexpected is a hallmark trait of successful people!
Think differently from the crowd!

• Successful People are Overly Optimistic (as seen by others): Highly successful people tend to be less accurate in their perceptions of themselves and the world around them. They tend to disseminate positive information about themselves while suppressing negative information, constantly casting themselves in a positive light.
Have at least twice as many positive thoughts as negative ones!

• Successful People are Flexible Thinkers: Research confirms that flexible thinking is a prerequisite for creative thinking - something our ancestors knew instinctively. In situations requiring group decision-making, flexibility is often induced by assigning one individual to the role of ‘devil’s advocate’, repeatedly questioning the assumptions of the group, and constructively pointing out possibilities contrary to those being considered - the objective is to make more effective decisions. Successful people are on the continual alert to ensure that their self-talk is geared toward constructive settlement of the debates that continuously rage in their heads. They consider various options, always examining both the downside and the upside of every option, whilst never allowing themselves to become ensnared by procrastination. They will always devise three or four strategies to achieve a given objective, with tactics aligned to each, so as to give themselves situational as well as mental flexibility. They never allow themselves to become bored and will always find the opportunity buried within every problem.

Always examine both sides of the coin and don’t restrict yourself to just one option.

• Successful People look to Mentors and Role Models: Trial and error is an extremely inefficient way to learn life lessons simply because the learning always precedes the lesson. Successful people prefer to learn from others such as mentors and role models. Successful people are adept at combining unusual ideas in unique ways, and combining several role models can be an effective strategy for ensuring that you become an innovator, not an imitator – creative combinations can lead to new insights. Running with this learning technique, it is important to understand that by having a sophisticated, multi-dimensional self-concept enables people to deal with negative or potentially stressful events more easily.
Identify people (both current and historical) you admire and make it your business to ‘mine’ for their ‘secrets’.

• Successful people Take Risks: Uncommon accomplishment requires uncommon ambition – only those who are prepared to pay the price of failure can expect to enjoy the sweet taste of success. No highly successful person was ever risk averse! In fact, great leaders typically earn greatness by making bold decisions in difficult times – times of great risk. This is not a “throw-caution-to-the-wing” type of risk, which is essentially just foolhardiness, but rather recognition that life often involves a risk-reward tradeoff and a willingness to take high risk for the potential of high rewards. There is a strong correlation between your willingness to take financial risk and your level of wealth – it is less about investing in the stock market and much more about investing in yourself, your career, your professional practice, your business … investments in improving your personal product! In order to accumulate you have to be prepared to speculate!
No risk … no gain! Identify the price you are going to have to pay to achieve what you want to achieve, and if you are prepared to pay that price, commit yourself without compromise!

• Successful People Ask Questions: Socrates, the great Greek philosopher, taught his students not by giving answers, but by asking questions. Rather than categorising their answers as right or wrong, he asked even more questions, continually pushing them to think more deeply and question their own assumptions. This method of teaching is to this day used extensively in law schools, and the most effective salespeople have mastered the technique of asking the right questions in order to uncover the needs and desires of their prospects. The ability to ask the right question is more than half the battle of finding the right answer, and successful people habitually ask questions. These questions are not in any way threatening or directive (“Don’t you agree?”), they are the types of questions that facilitate communication (“What issues do we have to focus on?” or “Can you help me understand?”). Obviously you have to know when to stop asking questions and start taking action!
People always feel compelled to answer questions – always ask questions that will force people to think deeply. Your reward is greater clarity as to your direction, your strategy for getting there, the tactics you need to deploy and, most important of all, your supporters.


African Renaissance

Dr William F. Kumuyi from Lagos, Nigeria wrote an article about leadership in Africa that I agree with wholeheartedly. I only quote his introductory paragraphs:

Just any leader won’t solve Africa’s problems. The leaders that the continent needs are people who understand its problems and will sincerely employ leadership to solve them. The leader and his turf must match. Thus, who is good for Europe may not be so good for Africa.

In my last column, I stressed the dearth of leaders in Africa and argued that the acute shortage is responsible for the continent’s unmitigated misery. I stated that if Africa were furnished with competent leaders, the continent would leap from the depth of despair to the apex of affluence.

Now, granted Africa’s need for leaders, we should characterise the type of leaders that the continent needs. Just any leader won’t solve Africa’s problems. The leaders that the continent needs are people who understand its problems and will sincerely employ leadership to solve them. For leadership is contextual activity; its rules and principles are context-sensitive such that a leader moved from one place to another may not find his bearing on arrival unless he can adjust and fit in.
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So what type of leaders does Africa need? ANSWER: LEADERS WHO UNDERSTAND AFRICA’S PROBLEMS AND CAN APPLY THEIR PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS TO SOLVE THEM. THEY DON’T HAVE TO BE BLACK, HOME-GROWN, ANTI-WESTERN RADICALS. HUMAN PROBLEMS DON’T RESPOND TO SHEER ETHNIC AND COLOUR BARS. AFRICA’S LEADERS ARE PEOPLE WHO CAN MAKE LEADERSHIP LOCK ON TO THE CONTINENT’S ACHES AND CURE THEM ALL.

Let us apply ourselves to the unlocking of our individual and collective potential as Africans. I would like to be your partner in doing so.

Best wishes for the month of February.

Regards