Defining yourself (South Africa) and staying in touch with others (global community)

Much of life can be described as the challenge to balance the need to be separate with the need to be close. We need to be separate (to be alone, to stand on our own two feet) and to be close (to be together, to stand hand-in-hand). The two forces are in tension and they produce feelings of anxiety. The art of living good, productive and satisfying lives in many ways has to do with the art of facing the two forces and managing the anxiety of being in between well. It is true for individual human beings but it is also true for communities, societies, nations and even regions of the world.

People are different but so are communities, societies, nations and even regions of the world. The way we differentiate ourselves from others is visible (apart from physical features) in our preferred language, our culture, customs and habits. At a deeper and psychological level we find interesting patterns of thought and preferences. Carl Jung developed the theory about four primary modes of experiencing the world (thinking, feeling, sensing and intuiting). Studies of the brain helped us to understand its four-fold nature: the left brain control logical processes (thinking), the right brain is more metaphorical in orientation (intuiting), the cerebral cortex is concept oriented (sensing) and the limbic brain is emotionally centred (feeling).

As we grow up as teenagers and young adults we develop our preferences in terms of experiencing the world and work more consciously on defining our identity. Again, it can also be said of the way nations develop and grow. South Africa, it has to be said, is a young nation. How young? As a democracy we have to say only 12 years. In the mix are the identities of various peoples. But as a new democracy and nation it is early days for the formation of an identity. How will South Africa differentiate herself? One way of doing it is to say we are not from the North, the West or the East. Ronnie Lessem in his book The Four Worlds builds on Jung’s model to show that the world broadly has four cultural forms. It can be described in a number of ways. One is -

The North represents the belief: I am because I think I am (Jung’s thinking)
The East the belief: I am because I renew/recreate (intuiting)
The West the belief: I am because I do (sensing)
The South the belief: I am because we are – ubuntu (feeling)


Clearly, no one value is more important than the other. Rather, in building our organisations, our communities and societies, we look for and learn from the scientific and analytical contributions from the North, the innovation and process perfection from the East, the practicism and value creation from the West and the humanism and sense of community from the South (The contribution from the South can further be described as a powerful sense of the past and a profound feeling for community; organisation is a story involving people and events; a sense of rootedness of belonging to the soil).
If the North values conservation, the East values catalyzation, the West competition and the South co-creation. To quote one more of Lessem’s descriptions of types that fit the cultures of the four regions, the managerial types would be the Herder manager for the North, the Gardener manager for the East, the Hunter manager for the West and the Steward manager for the South.

As South Africans and a very young democracy, we need to both define ourselves and embrace our cultural strength as a Southern region, and stay in touch with others (particularly in the 21st global village) by learning from the strengths of others. While we might be stronger in one particular area of human existence, we latently have the same potential to reason with the North, innovate with the East and compete with the West. In the process of building this new South Africa we clearly experience a lot of anxiety and uncertainty about our future. In leadership I believe that, similar to the way we raise our children, we need to lay strong foundations of identity (as we know and understand it today as Africans – irrespective of race - and not as Europeans) and allow for the evolvement of that identity as we eagerly learn more of the world we live in. As leaders we give direction, not only to be more successful, more competent and more prosperous, but also to build and leave a legacy of civilization, social and spiritual well-being for our children and their children.

African Renaissance

Mo Ibrahim, former CEO of Celtel, offers a $5m prize for Africa's most effective head of state. With over 10 million customers and sold for $3.4 billion last year, Mo (a former Egyptian) said at a World Bank conference earlier this year that Celtel is is living proof that you can do clean business successfully in Africa. The company’s overriding vision is ‘Making Life Better’. The award will go to African heads of state who deliver security, health, education and economic development to their constituents. In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper, Mr Ibrahim, 60, said leaders had no life after office.
"Suddenly all the mansions, cars, food, wine is withdrawn. Some find it difficult to rent a house in the capital. That incites corruption; it incites people to cling to power. The prize will offer essentially good people, who may be wavering, the chance to opt for the good life after office," said Mr Ibrahim.

Whether this initiative will improve leadership and governance in Africa is an open question. However, I regard it as a good news African Renaissance story.

I trust you will enjoy a ‘good news’ November. End of November/December is a good time to consider your leadership plan for 2007. Since I’m not going anywhere during this time I would enjoy meeting with you and discuss future plans of development – just send me an email. Take a moment and visit my upgraded website www.neweraleadership.co.za.

Regards

Time for reflection. A life unexamined is not worth living - Socrates

My recent vacation in Italy has been a wonderful experience in more ways than one. The combination of beautiful landscapes, art, lovely food and wine, centuries and centuries of history and then modern living in between was also in a way overwhelming. As much as one can try to get a grip on the history and cultures of the Middle Ages and before, you realise that you can only scratch the surface… and then go back wondering about life, time, planet earth, the universe and how you fit into all of it. Since life is full of mystery, even in this age of science, information and technology, we all become philosophers (in search of wisdom) at times - perhaps more so now than ever before since the more we think we know the more we realise how much we don’t know! One area of our thinking is often that of significance. I think most people believe there is something like eternity and that you don’t stop existing after death. I then often wonder: if our lives (let’s say 70 – 90 years) as we know it hear on earth is so very very short in comparison to eternity, does it mean that it is also insignificant in comparison to eternity? Or does it mean that it is precisely for that reason very, very significant – that we only have so many seconds to experience this life and then there is eternity (whatever conception we have of it)? You could probably argue that my question is an example of typical Western (linear) thinking. You could also say it is one of the many paradoxes that make life so interesting – but then so many things that we may think of as only interesting could in fact be very important in the context of eternity! Enough of that … maybe I’ve given you something to chew on in December - the month many people reflect on and contemplate things they would not in the rest of the year.

On my return I felt sympathy with the traveling South African CEO in particular and leaders in general. Being exposed to very different worlds in the North, East and West, I can imagine how hard it is to re-orientate in a day or two’s time to the realities we have to deal with in a hectic business environment – not to mention the effects of jet lag. Physical distance from the office usually presents the opportunity to get better sight of the ‘big picture’. But as we return we might already be aware of and fear the very good possibility that all the benefits of that better vision will disappear very quickly in the sea of day to day realities we need to deal with back at the office. I can imagine that the CEO on his return flight might be thinking –

· How can I get people, my team in particular, to see the big picture and the need for change? Some really need a wake-up call. Some, I suspect, pay lip-service to the organisation and are only motivated by their own agendas. People whose main concern is to protect their comfort zones or little empires can drain one’s emotional energy in a second.

· I’m tired of crisis management, but the reality is that there could very well be one waiting for me on my first day back at the office.

· We’ve been so busy this year … which I suppose is a good thing. But were we busy for the right reasons, doing the right things? Is it possible to be true to oneself, one’s dreams, beliefs, values and uniqueness and stay in business?

· I feel sooo RESPONSIBLE for everything. Should I relax more … but then who will think about our next step? The moment I take my foot of the pedal, everyone always seems to freeze with a question mark on their faces.


And then of course I assume no crisis at home and only loving support. As you know, we can be surrounded by friends and colleagues and remain very lonely when we wake up day after day with the weight of being responsible for so many things we can’t really control. Do you have someone outside of your work environment with the necessary level of understanding of your challenges that you can trust and respect and at least share some of the emotions and thoughts that I have described?


My sympathy/empathy with leaders in general grows when I think about the pains of transformation in our society. The challenge to find and build enough unity and common purpose amongst people, who in many respects have different worldviews coming from their different cultures, is a huge one. (A recently published book by BJ van der Walt with the title: When African and Western cultures meet, from confrontation to appreciation, grapples with this challenge). 12 years into our democratic dispensation and one has to say that there is a lot of disillusionment. I believe that people of all different backgrounds will tolerate most of the problems we experience in the country, if they could only have the confidence that those people who are in leadership positions (all different levels and all different spheres) are morally strong, humble and committed to serve others. Therefore, if a person can make any contribution towards establishing that trust, he/she is indeed doing something very meaningful and significant for a future South Africa. By raising the bar for myself I also raise the bar for others.


So, that was my word of inspiration, encouragement and appreciation in my last communication of the year. May God bless you, your loved ones, our country and our Africa. May you enjoy a wonderful, peaceful and joyous Christmas time.



If you’d like to meet for a coffee and a chat in December, let us do so (if you are in Johannesburg/Pretoria). Send me an email.

Defining yourself (South Africa) and staying in touch with others (global community)

Much of life can be described as the challenge to balance the need to be separate with the need to be close. We need to be separate (to be alone, to stand on our own two feet) and to be close (to be together, to stand hand-in-hand). The two forces are in tension and they produce feelings of anxiety. The art of living good, productive and satisfying lives in many ways has to do with the art of facing the two forces and managing the anxiety of being in between well. It is true for individual human beings but it is also true for communities, societies, nations and even regions of the world.

People are different but so are communities, societies, nations and even regions of the world. The way we differentiate ourselves from others is visible (apart from physical features) in our preferred language, our culture, customs and habits. At a deeper and psychological level we find interesting patterns of thought and preferences. Carl Jung developed the theory about four primary modes of experiencing the world (thinking, feeling, sensing and intuiting). Studies of the brain helped us to understand its four-fold nature: the left brain control logical processes (thinking), the right brain is more metaphorical in orientation (intuiting), the cerebral cortex is concept oriented (sensing) and the limbic brain is emotionally centred (feeling).

As we grow up as teenagers and young adults we develop our preferences in terms of experiencing the world and work more consciously on defining our identity. Again, it can also be said of the way nations develop and grow. South Africa, it has to be said, is a young nation. How young? As a democracy we have to say only 12 years. In the mix are the identities of various peoples. But as a new democracy and nation it is early days for the formation of an identity. How will South Africa differentiate herself? One way of doing it is to say we are not from the North, the West or the East. Ronnie Lessem in his book The Four Worlds builds on Jung’s model to show that the world broadly has four cultural forms. It can be described in a number of ways. One is -

The North represents the belief: I am because I think I am (Jung’s thinking)

The East the belief: I am because I renew/recreate (intuiting)

The West the belief: I am because I do (sensing)

The South the belief: I am because we are – ubuntu (feeling)


Clearly, no one value is more important than the other. Rather, in building our organisations, our communities and societies, we look for and learn from the scientific and analytical contributions from the North, the innovation and process perfection from the East, the practicism and value creation from the West and the humanism and sense of community from the South (The contribution from the South can further be described as a powerful sense of the past and a profound feeling for community; organisation is a story involving people and events; a sense of rootedness of belonging to the soil).

If the North values conservation, the East values catalyzation, the West competition and the South co-creation. To quote one more of Lessem’s descriptions of types that fit the cultures of the four regions, the managerial types would be the Herder manager for the North, the Gardener manager for the East, the Hunter manager for the West and the Steward manager for the South.

As South Africans and a very young democracy, we need to both define ourselves and embrace our cultural strength as a Southern region, and stay in touch with others (particularly in the 21st global village) by learning from the strengths of others. While we might be stronger in one particular area of human existence, we latently have the same potential to reason with the North, innovate with the East and compete with the West. In the process of building this new South Africa we clearly experience a lot of anxiety and uncertainty about our future. In leadership I believe that, similar to the way we raise our children, we need to lay strong foundations of identity (as we know and understand it today as Africans – irrespective of race - and not as Europeans) and allow for the evolvement of that identity as we eagerly learn more of the world we live in. As leaders we give direction, not only to be more successful, more competent and more prosperous, but also to build and leave a legacy of civilization, social and spiritual well-being for our children and their children.

African Renaissance

Mo Ibrahim, former CEO of Celtel, offers a $5m prize for Africa's most effective head of state. With over 10 million customers and sold for $3.4 billion last year, Mo (a former Egyptian) said at a World Bank conference earlier this year that Celtel is is living proof that you can do clean business successfully in Africa. The company’s overriding vision is ‘Making Life Better’. The award will go to African heads of state who deliver security, health, education and economic development to their constituents. In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper, Mr Ibrahim, 60, said leaders had no life after office.

"Suddenly all the mansions, cars, food, wine is withdrawn. Some find it difficult to rent a house in the capital. That incites corruption; it incites people to cling to power. The prize will offer essentially good people, who may be wavering, the chance to opt for the good life after office," said Mr Ibrahim.

Whether this initiative will improve leadership and governance in Africa is an open question. However, I regard it as a good news African Renaissance story.

I trust you will enjoy a ‘good news’ November. End of November/December is a good time to consider your leadership plan for 2007. Since I’m not going anywhere during this time I would enjoy meeting with you and discuss future plans of development – just send me an email. Take a moment and visit my upgraded website www.neweraleadership.co.za.

Regards

Courageous leaders who routinely communicate about their core beliefs and values - personal values as well as universal human principles they endorse - have discovered a great source of organizational energy - Doug Lennick & Fred Kiel

Our beliefs determine our values, our values our attitudes and our attitudes our behaviours. Therefore, if all goes according to plan, our behaviour is supposed to mirror our beliefs, we live authentic lives and our societies will be harmonious, peaceful and full of goodwill – even when culturally and religiously diverse. Irrespective of the diversity of religions and cultures, people all over the world largely share the same moral values. What people believe about how we as human beings should behave and relate to one another, is very similar throughout the world. So, for instance, did a study comparing American children with Indian children show that their moral codes were virtually identical. Both groups of children believed that it was wrong to lie, cheat, or steal, and both thought that it was important to treat the sick or unfortunate with kindness. In another study researchers found the following principles espoused in common by all or most religions, as well as by secular organizations including American Atheists, Inc., the American Humanist Association, and the United Nations Declaration of Rights:

· Commitment to something greater than oneself;

· Self-respect, but with humility, self-discipline, and acceptance of personal responsibility

· Respect and caring for others (that is, the Golden Rule)

· Caring for other living things and the environment



The diversity of cultures and religions does therefore not explain why we often feel we can’t believe the inhuman things that other people are prepared to do.

Somewhere between our beliefs and our behaviour people, ourselves included, become immoral. Choosing among competing desires is the essence of morality. Since we always have the free choice to choose what we are going to do and what we are going to say, even if it contradicts our espoused beliefs, the question about morality is how firmly we are anchored in our beliefs. Do we want our words and deeds to be congruent with our beliefs? If so, we would be prepared to say what our core beliefs are and be held accountable for congruent behaviour. If not, we probably would prefer to avoid the subject of beliefs.

Against this background and the above quote from Lennick and Kiel, how easy or how difficult is it to talk about our core beliefs in the workplace? Is the democratic South Africa with her different religions inhibiting us from saying what we believe or is it liberating us to say what we believe? Does it make a difference to not only say what we believe, such as ‘I believe in absolute honesty at all times’ but also why we believe in it? When is it harmful to go to the level of our beliefs in the workplace? When is it harmful never to say what we believe? How do our answers to the above, impact on the morality of our society? … I’d like to hear/read your thoughts (or experiences)!

Leadership strengths and weaknesses

After the assessment of 70 leaders from different organisations by 420 colleagues - using my New Era Leadership 360° assessment instrument - the results indicate that in most organisations, leaders’ levels of commitment to the achievement of results are high. They also adhere to high ethical standards and show respect to people irrespective of race, culture belief or standing (although they rate themselves much higher on this than others rate them). On the downside, leaders don’t fare well in the facilitation of others’ participation, such as through brainstorming, don’t value the importance of strategic planning and are not as open, transparent and team-oriented as highly effective leaders would be. The biggest differences, on average, between the leader’s self assessment and the assessment of his/her colleagues (where the leader rated him/herself higher) were in the answers to the following questions:


· I express my views consistently, irrespective of the situation or audience (we would like to believe that we are consistent, yet others easily pick up the inconsistencies – we need the levels of trust that would allow feedback about our inconsistencies)

· I encourage openness and transparency by being an example (this determines the levels of trust)

· I show respect to people irrespective of race, culture, belief or standing (our disrespect can be very subtle, yet it hurts all the same)

· I facilitate better understanding by encouraging team members to share their different views (the leader’s trap: moving on to decisions assuming no-one has anything to say or contribute)


African Renaissance: Education


It is good to learn of the efforts and progress on the vital issue of Africa’s educational challenges:


First announced in 2003 at the Africa Summit of the World Economic Forum in Durban, the NEPAD e-Schools Project focuses on providing end-to-end ICT solutions that will connect schools across Africa to the NEPAD e-Schools network and the Internet. Solutions also include the provision of content and learning material and the establishment of health points at schools. In each country, the programme aims to transform all African secondary schools into NEPAD e-Schools within five years of implementation start date and all African primary schools within ten years of implementation start date. In total more than 600 000 schools across the continent will enjoy the benefits of ICT and connectivity to the NEPAD e-Schools Satellite Network upon completion of the project.

The AMD, HP, Oracle, Microsoft, and Cisco Systems consortia and a number of other private companies are sponsoring the demonstration project, consisting of six schools in each of the 16 participating countries, for a period of 12 months. Participating countries are: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda.



Best wishes for the month of October

If it’s going to be, it’s up to me – Robert Schuller

Most people view motivation of employees as one of the key responsibilities of leaders. But is it really possible? Can one person give a motive to another to the effect that he/she then will transform to a truely happy, energetic and satisfied worker? Furthermore, how much of leaders’ stress is not a direct result of the belief that nothing will happen if they don’t succeed in some or other way – even if it’s negative - to motivate employees, and employees’ belief and expectation that motivation for work is indeed the job and responsibility of leaders? I believe it is more correct to say that good leaders create an environment that is favourable for people to find and be driven by their own motivation. That is an environment where the free choice of an individual is respected and consciousness of it is encouraged. It obviously includes the reality that our choices have consequences for which we have to take responsibility and it includes the responsibility of leaders to ensure fair and firm discipline.


The problem is that we don’t believe that successful organisations can also have a high degree of freedom. We put great organisational effort into constructing a world of control, consistency, and predictability. We engage in planning that attempts to predict the future, we believe that structure and rewards drive behavior, and we trust that for every problem there is a solution. We hold this set of beliefs together by focusing on measurement with deep and abiding resolve. We act on the belief that if we cannot measure something, it does not exist. This set of beliefs is the engineering mind in action. It leaves little room for valuing the element of surprise, discovery, and creativity. If something does not show a result - for example, expressing feelings - then we think it is the wrong, or unwise, thing to do. This is why so many of us come to believe that we cannot be ourselves and be successful. To be successful means to either conform to the will of the boss untill you one day get his/her position, or to start something where others have to conform to your will. In both cases confrontation/conflict is avoided or discouraged at the cost of freedom, honesty and creativity – and ultimately productivity.


To transform organisations for more freedom for all is usually viewed as a frightening prospect. From the perspective of the boss employees cannot be trusted to use their freedom in the interest of the goals of the organisation. From the perspective of employees acting with freedom puts everything – meaning their job security - at risk. At a deeper level, whether we are bosses or employees, we tend to rather escape our freedom than embrace it because with freedom comes accountability (not only to superiors but to ourselves, our loved ones, God, society etc.), with accountability comes guilt, and with guilt comes anxiety. Since our freedom leads to anxiety it is easier to repress it than to live with it - easier to believe that we are not free. Science, in the sense of rational cause-effect thinking, has given us a magnificent excuse to exonerate us of being accountable. Environmental forces and unconscious motivations justifies that we need not feel responsible for the problems facing us and our world.


In the interest of developing leadership and our organisations, we need to find ways to enhance acceptance of the fact that as individuals we always have choices. We need to enhance personal accountability and responsiblity. As Peter Block (Freedom and Accountability at Work) states, by saying ‘I had no choice’, we have chosen to betray our human nature. He illustrates that choice is not an option with the following:


If I fall asleep at the wheel of my car and get into a serious accident, I have to accept the tragedy as the consequence of my free will, that is, my choice. As I got sleepy driving, I was confronted continuously by the alternatives of either stopping or moving on. And as the clock ticked away, I continuously and freely chose between the alternatives. However, the fact that I had to choose between these alternatives was not in turn subject to choice. Choice exists, it is not an option. In choosing to keep driving, I freely chose to take my chances. In other words, the careful analysis of the act of driving an act which may lead to death-shows that it contained all three elements of free will: spontaneity, self-determination, and choice. My possible death was thus a consequence of my free choice. To be equipped with the clear knowledge of the structure of one's free will gives one the maturity to avoid tragic mistakes. Our free will and our understanding of it are perhaps our greatest resources.


To make our choices count, we need to know what our visions and dreams are and then work and live with the knowledge If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.


African Renaissance



My contribution to African Renaissance thinking is to give the ‘podium’ to one of the dream’s biggest advocates, our president Thabo Mbeki. In the Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture this year he said, very much in alignment with the ideas of accountability, the following:



I believe I know this as a matter of fact, that the great masses of our country everyday pray that the new South Africa that is being born will be a good, a moral, a humane and a caring South Africa, which, as it matures, will progressively guarantee the happiness of all its citizens.


I say this as I begin this Lecture to warn you about my intentions, which are about trying to convince you that because of the infancy of our brand new society, we have the possibility to act in ways that would, for the foreseeable future, infuse the values of Ubuntu into our very being as a people. But what is it that constitutes Ubuntu – beyond the standard and yet correct rendition – Motho ke motho ka motho yo mongoe: Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu!


The Book of Proverbs in the Holy Bible contains some injunctions that capture a number of elements of what I believe constitute important features of the Spirit of Ubuntu, which we should strive to implant in the very bosom of the new South Africa that is being born – the food of the soul that would inspire all our people to say that they are proud to be South African!


The Proverbs say:


“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.


“Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.”


The Book of Proverbs assumes that as human beings, we have the human capacity to do as it says - not to withhold the good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of (our) hand to do it, and not to say NO to our neighbour, come again, and we will give you something tomorrow, even when we can give the necessary help today.


And then he deals with our value system:


Because the white minority was the dominant social force in our country, it entrenched in our society as a whole, including among the oppressed, the deep-seated understanding that personal wealth constituted the only true measure of individual and social success.


As we achieved our freedom in 1994, this had become the dominant social value, affecting the entirety of our population. Inevitably, as an established social norm, this manifested itself even in the democratic state machinery that had, seemingly “seamlessly”, replaced the apartheid state machinery.


I am arguing that the new order, born of the victory in 1994, inherited a well-entrenched value system that placed individual acquisition of wealth at the very centre of the value system of our society as a whole. In practice this meant that, provided this did not threaten overt social disorder, society assumed a tolerant or permissive attitude towards such crimes as theft and corruption, especially if these related to public property.


The phenomenon we are describing, which we considered as particularly South African, was in fact symptomatic of the capitalist system in all countries. It had been analysed by all serious commentators on the capitalist political-economy, including such early analysts as Adam Smith. Specifically, in this regard, we are speaking of the observations made by the political-economists that, since the onset of capitalism in England, the values of the capitalist market, of individual profit maximisation, had tended to displace the values of human solidarity.


Important and thought provoking views. Surely business leaders have a crucial role to play with regard to the values we want for our society.


I trust spring in the sense of warmer weather will arrive soon and that you would be able to enjoy it to the full.

Some say knowledge is power, but that is not true. Character is power - Sathya Sai Baba ( Part 2)

As promised in my previous communication, I would like to explore the importance of ‘character’ further. If you can remember, last month I compared the importance of character to qualities such as competence and charisma. Our society today, particularly the business society, is highly geared to value, assess and hire competence – especially technical competence. Technical competence means knowledge, speed and efficiency – the things we believe will give us the advantage over our competitors. Charismatic personalities in leadership positions can make us who are associated with them, feel powerful and important as their persuasive and captivating rhetoric rub off on us. They can lure us into the good feeling that we are winners. Character? Well… maybe it will be good to know we have some people with character on board for the tough times - as a kind of insurance. If I read our times correctly, people are slowly but surely becoming aware of the modern world’s spiritual bankruptcy, re-evaluating character. There is a desire to turn within.


As I said last time, I think that our optimism that the world, or at least our world, can be fixed through some heroic acts or words of competent, charming and seemingly powerful people is fading. No doubt, we will continue to pride ourselves on efficiency and no doubt we will always enjoy those who communicate in an uplifting, inspirational manner. But maybe we have been disillusioned enough (older as well as younger people) with what looks and feels good for a while but doesn’t help us to feel content and at peace with ourselves and others. It is nice to be surrounded by knowledgeable people, but it is more meaningful, more sustaining, to be surrounded by people with character and wisdom – not merely as insurance when all else fails but as companions on our journey in life, both in our friendship and work circles. What’s more, no-one will dispute the need for dependable and trustworthy people in our organisations! And after all, it’s not a trade-off. We can have character, competence and charisma (the good version of charisma that is grounded in the authentic desire to serve others – I’d say Mandela has real charisma).



How would you describe a person with character? And how is character built? Let me share with you some personal reflections. I think I have met a person with character when I sense that he or she has high levels of self-awareness, knowing his/her strengths and weaknesses, believes in him/herself as a unique and worthy person, is humbled by the knowledge and consciousness of the fact that life is full of mystery - and that we are ultimately only affirmed in what we believe spiritually. Such a person knows he/she is infinitely more than his/her history, roles in life, achievements, physical abilities or material acquisitions. Do we develop character over time or are we born with it? Since my understanding of character is directly related to the quality and outcome of a person’s inner dialogue, I obviously believe we develop character over time. Indeed, our earliest experiences in life, the way we are brought up by our parents or caretakers, give us the platform that helps us to greater or lesser extent to develop character. From being connected ‘to the heartbeat of the cosmos in our mother's womb’, as James Hollis describe it in his excellent book The Middle Passage - from Misery to Meaning, we were suddenly thrust violently into the world to begin an exile and a search to recover the lost connectedness. Experiences of neglect, abandonment or being overwhelmed by life result in growing fears to open ourselves to the world of pain, which growth requires. And that, I’m afraid, is what it takes to build character. Conversely, running away, trying to hide from pain, or projecting it onto others, does not help.



Reflecting on my own life experience I was fortunate to have been brought up with a solid platform of love, care and nurturing. With life’s first project, building ego identity (according to Holis we do this from years 12 – 40), I had a good time. As we try to impose or project ourselves on the world out there (it’s me versus the world), discover our potential, stretch ourselves, dream our dreams of becoming a Springbok centre, pop star, respected professional and/or perfect husband or wife, we also build character. We learn to be strong and determined, to have tenacity. We manage our disappointments, dig deep for that someting extra in the face of adversities, stay positive and self-believing while we are searching for the next exciting challenge where we can proof our competence and value to society. However, we are unaware of the fact that our commitment to this project is determined by the false belief that we can re-connect with our true self – not the one that conformed to the expectations of our parents or society - by controlling life. We live and work with a wide range of assumptions and unrealistic expectations. One of the most powerful shocks we experience later in life, in Hollis’s words, ‘is the collapse of our tacit contract with the universe - the assumption that if we act correctly, if we are of good heart and good intentions, things will work out. We assume a reciprocity with the universe. If we do our part, the universe will comply.’



With hindsight, the real character building experience for me was not with life’s first project – building ego identity – but to later humbly accept that while I can’t control life, I can dare to be open to learn from the messages from my body and emotions and thus discover new meaning and wisdom. Not that it is a comfortable experience! In order to embrace new thinking and new knowledge about oneself, the old thinking must die. It leads to a lot of anxiety and doubt. (Again with hindsight, it is comforting to realise that all great advances in human understanding have come out of doubt.) The issue is not the details of my story - as you would have your own to tell - but that character building experiences occur when we turn within. In the earlier part of our lives it has a lot to do with our resolve and self-belief to overcome adversities while we are developing our ego’s and skills. Later in life it is to deal with our dissillusions with life, realising and accepting responsibility that the unrealistic expectations were of our own making – and to courageously face the feelings of disappointment and desolation while trusting our inner voice to guide us to a life of greater wisdom and fulfilment.



As you know, there is a lot more to be said and learned about our experiences of life, change and growth, but let me share one more thought. Going through character building life experiences help us to appreciate others more – knowing that we all experience hurt and intense loneliness at times. If in our organisations we could succeed in building the kind of community where we can support each other not only functionally but also emotionally, we would surely reap the fruits of a strengthened organisational character.



I will leave my usual African Renaissance contribution for next month.



Best wishes for the month of August.

Some say knowledge is power, but that's not true. Character is power - Sathya Sai Baba

In our changing world, I think the above quote is validated more and more each day. With the internet and other effective ways of communicating knowledge and information with a growing percentage of the world population, the days when only a small number of people (the leaders) in communities were revered for having the knowledge and the keys to a better life, are no longer. When we think of the three c’s that would indicate a person’s quality, competence, charisma and character, it is the first two that we got used to admire and be influenced by. Those people who, based on their superior knowledge, know how to make things happen and produce the goods, and those people who can persuade or manipulate the masses were the hero’s of the 20th century. From them we received the quick fixes to our problems and the easy steps to our dreams of success and wealth. And indeed, particularly in the Western World, we’ve witnessed the creation of material wealth as never before. But we have also witnessed two world wars, outrageous levels of greediness, self enrichment, hedonism, apathy and depression. Externally, man has changed the landscape admirably to make life easier (for many), but internally there is an undeniable spiritual thirst. There is a longing for what is less evident with the first glance, competence and charisma, but what adds sustainable value to a more meaningful and fulfilled life – character. We are looking for men and now definitely also women, of character that can lead with balance and wisdom, who commit themselves in their daily work not only to the material side of life, but also the spiritual.

But how does one discern character and how is ‘character built’? … I will share my thoughts – and experience - with you in next month’s communication.

The Global Leaders Africa Summit was recently held in Johannesburg. At the cost of R 22 000 - or there about - for the three days, I could not attend it. However, I did get hold of some of the interesting and also important bits of information:


1 The primary reason for customers to quit a brand is not Price (9%) or Functionality (14%) but rather the “Attitude of Indifference of an Employee” (68%), according to a survey of 2,400 customers by IBM.

2 The cost of noncommitment averages between 15 to 25 percent of sales revenue – not the 3 to 7 percent many believe it to be.?

3 No matter how much you spend on advertising your brand, ultimately your brand image will depend on the level of commitment by your employees to deliver the brand promise.

All the more reason to develop leaders, since it is effective and real leadership – not management – that move people from compliance to commitment!! My New Era Leadership 360 degree assessment and follow through coaching include all the levels of development necessary to attain high commitment:

ASSURANCE - To feel certain about the Future

CHALLENGE - To attain a positive change from the daily routine; a new challenge

CONNECTION - To experience meaningful relationships with others

SIGNIFICANCE - To experience a sense of being needed, of making a difference

GROWTH - To be all that you can be; to grow both personally and professionally

CONTRIBUTION - To help others; to contribute to the community, to empower someone

HIGHER ASSOCIATION - The need to be part of a higher purpose; to join a movement

(IziCwe Academy)


African Renaissance

Some of the good news stories on Africa’s development that I can share with you this month are the following:

1 As I am sure you are aware of, Bill Lynch, CEO of South Africa's Imperial Holdings, was named 2006 Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year. After arriving in South Africa 35 years ago with ?2 000 and no job, Bill beat a strong field of 32 national winners to take the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. In 1990, Lynch became Imperial's executive chairman and showed his faith in South Africa's future - at a time when many were predicting the country's descent into political and economic chaos - by driving further expansion, transforming the core Toyota dealership into a multibrand network, among other initiatives.

2 Carol Pineau, made a documentary, "Africa: Open for Business" that was screened at last year's Cannes Film Festival in France. It highlights 10 entrepreneurs profiting in Africa, including a cellphone magnate in Congo who worked with local residents to scrounge parts for a transmission tower, which they constructed amid a rebel attack on the capital. Now there are legions of cellphone users in Congo. "Africa is shifting more and more toward becoming a business story," says John Chiahemen, chief Reuters correspondent in Southern Africa and chairman of the board of the Foreign Correspondents' Association of Southern Africa. Increasingly, he says, Reuters is focusing on "opportunities in Africa" because the continent "has never looked more promising as a business destination."

3 Contrary to the projections of the Afro-pessimists, a renaissance is emerging in Africa. This was witnessed during the deliberations of the Sixth Africa Governance Forum (AGF VI) that was held in Kigali, Rwanda in May. The theme for AGF VI was "Implementing the African Peer Review Mechanism: Challenges and Opportunities." This is an area, which symbolises African rebirth. Kintu Nyago, from Uganda, writes: ‘This was my first visit to Rwanda. Kigali is a small but orderly city. This probably has to do with their having a different land tenure system from Kampala. It also has good infrastructure, partially inherited and improved upon by the (RPF).My impression is that the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) is creating a development state that delivers in the social sector. Politically, they are promoting an alternative form of accommodative governance, where ordinary Rwandese are encouraged to participate in the political processes…’ (For an overview and news of real developments in Africa visit the http://allafrica.com/nepad/ website.)

4 Other snippets:

* Africa's economies grew by more than 5 percent last year - their biggest expansion in eight years. Central Africa's oil boom spurred 14.4 percent growth for that region.

* Ghana's stock exchange is regularly on of the highest-performing markets in the world; in 2003, it was No. 1, gaining 144 percent, according to one analysis.

* Exports to the US from 37 African nations jumped 88 percent last year, to $26.6 billion. Jeans made in Lesotho are sold in US stores. Also, flowers from Kenya and vegetables from Senegal are regularly available in European shops.

* Use of cellphones and the Internet is growing faster in Africa than anywhere else, according to the United Nations.




Have an inspiring July – the winter cold notwithstanding.

Best wishes