Last
week I had the honour of giving a speech in which we said farewell to a
colleague, mentee and friend who was leaving one part of our employer for a
significant promotion to head a department in another part of the business. In
doing so, she also had effectively jumped levels and given new meaning to
growth. I was also personally touched as I had been involved in mentoring her
over the years, but I am humble enough never to claim to be the reason for her
success. In fact, she is the reason for her success and her lessons are the
subject of this writing, which is drawn a lot from what I said when we honoured
her.
I
started by talking about how, as we gathered there, we all saw her appointment
as a natural progression. I can say without any fear of contradiction that all
of us felt she had reached a point where the coming assignment was well-deserved
and timely. In order to illustrate the point, and how we were all in one mind
of her deserving it, I opened my talk by making reference to an event that occurred
100 years ago, which was the sinking of a ship of African soldiers from South
Africa who had been drawn to assist our then colonial masters in the World War
I efforts.
I
borrowed from the words of the great writer S.E.K. Mqhayi (wase Ntabozuko), in
his great Xhosa poem Ukutshona Kuka Mendi
(“The Sinking of the Mendi”), written
in 1943 (translated for convenience).
Ewe, le nto kakade yinto yaloo nto.
Thina, nto zaziyo, asothukanga nto;
Sibona kamhlophe, sithi bekumelwe,
Sitheth'engqondweni, sithi
kufanelwe;
|
Yes, this seems normal.
Those of us who know, are not
shocked;
We see clearly, and say, things have
happened as they should have,
Through our thoughts we say: it should
have been so;
|
In
the statements and reflections made by others, to which I also added, it became
clear that my friend had made the choice to exhibit leadership in the manner
that she had carried herself in a function that was, at best, middle
management.
In
order to better understand the nature of the person, I drew on the lessons and experiences
of two very important women in South Africa’s history, being Lillian Ngoyi (1911
–1980) and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn (1938 - ). They both were leaders of the
historic Women’s March of 1956. Comparing my colleague to the strength of the
person that I understand Lillian Ngoyi was, I also felt important to quote from
what she said after she was banned by the then apartheid government in 1957:
I
must say I had a tough time, but my spirits have not been dampened. You can
tell my friends all over the world that this old girl is still her old self.
I
then reflected on the experience of Sophie De-Bruyn, who was 18 when she was
one of the leaders of the Women’s March of 1956, and as of this writing is the
last surviving member of the leaders of that historic march. Using the metaphor
of the experience of such historically significant women was all the more
appropriate also given my friend’s passion for the advancement of women in business,
which was also the subject of her master’s thesis.
In
them I found a representation of the kind of spirit that has given rise to a
woman such as my friend we were celebrating. They both defied the unfair rules
that seek to keep women in the background, and were prepared to sacrifice
themselves for the greater good.
I
felt in them one finds a representation of the voice of both militancy and
empathy; friendship and conflict; independence and dependency; war and peace.
But importantly I felt one sees the endurance of a spirit that defies the
difficulty of a moment, and sees into a future that many so desire but do not
really want to fight for. And I found the mixture of youth and maturity at the
time of the march quite instructive.
Speaking
of youth, I felt my friend also challenged many of us to realise that age
should not be a reason not to give people responsibility when they show they
are ready for it. And this she had done by firstly being there to assume
responsibility in the most difficult moments, but also showed preparedness to
take on tasks that were beyond her simple function. As I have written
elsewhere, she was “practicing that which
you want to become”.
I
reflected on how she had become an inspiration to her colleagues, her
generation and those who follow her. I spoke about how she could engage those who
had more experience than her, and, in this instance, show the youthfulness of a
Sophie and the maturity of a Lillian. I spoke about those who had come to
observe and admire the fire in her belly, her drive and determination. But
above all I spoke about her selflessness, her willingness to grow others, and
share her experiences.
Some
also admired here thirst for knowledge, and the ability to use her curiosity to
build enduring relationships. I spoke about how my friend did all this and her
work with absolute professionalism.
When
all the above is noted, we could not but be describing someone who had the
aptitude to lead others. Even though her behaviour had shown her leading
others, in the corporate world it becomes important that this also gets
recognised through formal appointment. Being confident that she would make
success of the new task that she had been given, I was bold enough to quote
this Ethiopian proverb:
Where
a woman rules, streams run uphill
Many
of us always wonder where and how the next growth point in our careers will
come from. Not as a matter of praise for a friend, but as a form of learning, I
thought the experience I have outlined shows how growth can seem natural. This
does not mean that in her journey my friend did not meet hurdles. It does not
mean she had been perfect in what she did. But to me her experience shows how
your next assignment or growth point can be determined by the manner in which
you carry yourself; how you impact on others; how you invest in learning; and
also practicing that which you would like to be. Having put her energy into her
growth agenda, she made true one of the 7 Huna principles:
Energy
flows where attention goes
Where
is your energy focused?
