Stand in Your Own Power

I spent this afternoon with a remarkable group of women professionals in my company. Outside of the limelight of deals, and discussions on finance, return on equity, revenues and all those good things, they deal with the part of financial services that our narrow world does not say exists. For the purposes of this conversation, let us say they look at the environmental issues that impact on how we do business now and how we will do it in the future.

Naturally, the discussion evolved to how they would see their worth in a financial services institution like ours, especially one that would place a lot of value on technical skills around financing. It was clear that there was a concern as to whether they would feel valued and be able to thrive in it.

Our discussion touched on many related topics and the challenges of one’s existence in such a large institution. One thing I observed in the dialogue, though, was how they took for granted what they knew or brought as a value-add to the work environment. How they looked at their work relative to the core technical financing work that they perceived the employer focuses on.

In our conversation, we started challenging each other on how one ensures that their value is realised even by those with a narrow view of the finance world. We spent time trying to unpack the meaning of value creation, and what the value of specialist knowledge is in such an environment. And we started to focus on the issue that captured our conversation today: Standing in One’s Own Power. I felt this was such a powerful description of the nature of the conversation.

As our discussions progressed, we concluded on the issues that emerged that would be of value to all of us. The first was the importance of acknowledging the value that one brings. Important in this aspect was not to worry about the things that one did not have. It was clear that based on the conversation, we realised that one could Stand on One’s Power by also acknowledging the value that one brings. In essence, we focused on the uniqueness of the value of each one based on what each brought. I felt this observation brought a different level of confidence amongst the participants in terms of worth.

We also spoke about the importance of owning one’s space. This may sound simple, but in an environment of many supposedly technically proficient people, how do you allow yourself to emerge? We reflected on the importance of ensuring that one’s area of competence and value is recognised. How this would impact on the individual’s own perceptions of worth. We reflected how this complements the issue of acknowledging the value one brings. We concluded that you could not really Stand on One’s Own Power without occupying one’s own space.

We then moved to discussing the value of knowledge. And the value of trusting that what one knows has value. We saw the importance of one thinking very deeply and bringing out what one really knows. And we reflected on the importance of being very clear about the real value of the knowledge that one brings. And we could see clearly that, in order to Stand on One’s Own Power, one had to be very clear and trust the fact that the knowledge they have has value.

And we concluded on the critical value of authenticity. That in reflecting who one is, it was important not to try and imitate others. Because that route would lead to a display that lacks authenticity. Authenticity means also to reject the urge to be what one is not in order to be seen to belong. That it required one not to try and show a being that was not genuine just to make others happy. It was very obvious to us that, in order to Stand on One’s Own Power, one had to ensure they do not imitate others and behave as if they are something they are not. To Stand on One’s Own Power is to be truly authentic.

We left having encouraged each other to focus even more on bringing out the authentic self of each one. And to use this to bring out the inner strength that each one had. To display the strength and the value we bring. We were inspired with the idea of being able to Stand in One’s Own Power.

A Colleague’s Achievement and The Historical Normality of Women Leadership

This past week I was asked to give a few words in a small celebration we had to honour a female colleague who had received a promotion to lead a particular sector of our business in South Africa. Significant in particular because in our environment, and noting the historic conditions in South Africa, it is not usual to find African, let alone African women, leading such a sector in financial services. This we were conscious of as we reflected on the transformation journey, and how such achievements give us hope noting the words we find in the song “Inde lendlela…” (“ the route is long…”). And noting her position, and how she represents the hopes of many, we were not just happy with her achievement, but ecstatic.

I indicated that we are being made to see as normal what the world in general and South Africa in particular wanted us to believe is not normal. I indicated that if we spend a little bit of our time thinking of other women who have made similar achievements, and we learn from their journey, we should not be surprised. I thought I should share some examples, some of which surprised my colleagues.

I started by mentioning the name of Dr Thandi Ndlovu, founder of Motheo Construction, a former freedom fighter in our country who went to exile after 1976, joined uMkhonto we Sizwe, studied medicine in Zambia, and after working as a doctor on her return to South Africa, established this company and has become a leader in a male-dominated sector. I mentioned Daphne Mashile-Nkosi, who has single-mindedly overcome all sorts of obstacles, and a painful family loss, to advance a manganese project in our country that is the biggest manganese sinter plant in the world. I noted Indra Nooyi, who has grown from her humble beginnings in Madras (Chennai) in India to become the Chairman and CEO of the world’s second biggest food and beverage company, PepsiCo. I mentioned the name of Kathryn Bigelow, filmmaker who became the first and currently only woman to win an Academy Award  for Best Director. I mentioned the names of Helen Joseph and Lillian Ngoyi, best friends and amongst the four leaders of the historic 1956 Women’s March in South Africa, who gave the best example of character, courage and non-racialism, and are buried in the same grave at the Avalon Cemetery in Soweto.

I also decided to share some names from centuries ago. Like Cleopatra (69-30BC), the last Pharoah of Ptolemaic Egypt, who we read about more for her love affairs with Roman leaders like Julius Ceaser and Marc Anthony, but in fact was also known for her superior intelligence and her work to improve her country and its economy as leader, naval commander, linguist, and medical author. I thought the example of Maria Theresa of Austria (1717-1780), the Hapsburg Empress and only female rule of the Hapsburg dominions, whose 40-year reign over large parts of Europe including Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia and parts of Italy, saw reforms such as making education mandatory including permitting non-Catholics to attend university, establishing the Royal Academy of Science and Literature in Brussels, promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, and supported scientific research. My historical examples ended with Hatshepsut (1508 – 1458BC), the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, regarded as one of the most successful Egyptian rulers, who oversaw major military campaigns unto Nubia, Syria and the Levant, launched major building projects and rebuilt trade networks that had been disrupted during the Hyksos occupation of Egypt.

I reflected how what we were celebrating was a representation of the triumph of the human spirit, the value of resilience and an example of the meaning of commitment. I noted how our colleague had shown success in her previous assignment that gave real credibility to the promotion. But I noted that she was moving to a new territory where her past successes provide the foundation but not necessarily the assurance of future success. And I noted that all of us, knowing what was required in her new assignment, know that she will face numerous and different challenges.

I reflected that we were not really worried as she possesses these beautiful qualities of character, commitment and integrity. In order to emphases our confidence in her being able to meet the enormity of the forthcoming challenges, I decided to borrow from a statement that OR Tambo made in January 1985, addressing a people yearning for freedom at the height of repression by the apartheid state, expressing confidence in the people as they “…not only have the resilience that defies defeat, but also the capacity to rise to the challenge of the hour and move on to the offensive, a people with a glorious future to fight for… an assured and epoch-making victory to win”. I felt those words were an apt description of how we thought about our colleague.

I noted that the progress our colleague had made represents a gradual change in the character of a previous period and the emergence of another. In such a period of change, I highlighted that the key in going in the right direction is that those given a responsibility should be acutely aware of their place in history. I noted that they need to realise that, in the context of a transforming country and society like ours, their achievement is less about them but rather the continued opening up of opportunities for others, and ensure that there is no reversal to a previous epoch. In such people, I highlighted, faith and trust is placed that they will represent the best efforts, the most selfless attitudes, the best leadership, to defeat entrenched behaviours that result in the unacceptable discrimination that women in particular face in the workplace. I noted the words of former Wits historian, Arthur Keppel-Jones, referring to the situation in apartheid South Africa, whose conclusion was that “…the salvation of the country can only lie in the reversal of historic tendencies, a reversal so thorough as to constitute a revolution”. I thus emphasised that my colleague’s appointment in the sector she was asked to leaded was in our case a reversal of existing historical tendencies and we should see it as revolutionary.

I ended by highlighting that our colleague represents the best amongst us. In our world there would be lots of questions about business achievements in the form of new revenues gained et al, but I highlighted that these should be seen as only one part of the human achievement. I noted how in our celebration we know that our colleague’s appointment means to the current generation and the ones that follow, and our wish for more to happen for women.

I challenged my colleague to ensure she takes many along in this journey.

When Things Change, Grab the New Opportunities

This week. Thursday the  I facilitated a mini-workshop with an important product area at work, and we were looking at whether we are doing enough to grab the opportunities that are possible. Before I began my input, I asked my colleagues to reflect on any change that had taken place in my country. Of course, everyone could remember that the previous evening a President resigned, and on the day we met, our Parliament would later be electing a new President.

I then asked my colleagues what are the implications of the changes taking place to the business we were looking at. It was much harder to start. With probing, and allowing all of us to make mistakes, the answers started coming think and fast. One colleague admitted that she had not considered that these changes have anything to do with her business. But when she listened to all the different answers, she could see how her business could be impacted. And the powerful observation she made was that, because she gets so busy with the DOING, she does not do enough of the THINKING and REFLECTION that could make her see what are the implications of things happening around her.

I then moved and asked that people reflect what the changes could mean for themselves as individuals. And in this article that is where I want to place emphasis. We tend to exist in the environment and adopt a posture of people who are recipients of what happens. And it may be possible that we may not always be able to influence what happens. But certainly we have a lot of power to decide on our response to what happens and to the changes around us. But in that little exercise I realised two of the major inhibitors that cause us not to do that.

The first is in that powerful observation that my colleague made. We need to spend time thinking and reflecting on what we see. That requires that we get out of the noise of the present, and observe what we see is happening, rather than always occupying our minds and time with doing. This is because when the changes happen, we end up being surprised because we had not prepared our minds enough for them. Even in the examples I made, because there was a perception that the previous President could never resign, the relevant individuals in that room had not spent time thinking about the implications of the person resigning.

The second inhibitor is that we sometimes see the changes as things that exist in the abstract, and we are not players in them. When they happen, we think all we need to do is continue with what we were doing before. At an individual level, we never ask enough of their meaning for each one of us. Again taking the example of the change to a new President, with a different style and responding to new demands in society, very few of us will say what opportunities does this new environment provide at an individual level. When this President quotes a song that has a phrase “SEND ME”, we never sit and think what new avenues does this open that were closed before. We never ask what new skills will be needed that we may have but never had the chance to use.

I use the above examples merely to illustrate the importance of observing change, and responding to it in a way that ensures that one advances their interest. A critical skill that we need to develop there is something I learn from a marketing professor. He said, in the context of business leaders, it was important for them to have a peripheral vision, and the ability to detect the weak signals that could impact one’s business. Paraphrasing this to that of the individual, and again using the examples we have cited here, it could be argued that long before the actual events, there was a period of six weeks in the country where there were signals that the old would be replaced by the new. Most of us did not know the exact timing, but we certainly knew of the possibility.

Those who have a better head start of responding to this change are those who factored the potential for it, and started thinking about the opportunities that might arise should the changes occur. Of course, if nothing had changed they could still have continued on the path they were on. What is certainly not a good building block is to deny oneself the time to reflect, think and observe what is happening, and then also have a plan to respond to changes that occur.

Otherwise what one gets is nothing but missed opportunities. And I am sure there are many reading this who do not want to belong to that group.

Think, reflect, observe and act on changes around you. Opportunities beckon.

Leadership and the Courage to Confront

Recently I had to reflect on the meaning of leadership, responsibility, trust and confidence. I was confronted with a moment that called on me to think seriously about how much I attach importance to values and principle, and how prepared I am as a person to accept something that I may feel is not properly thought through. And when this impacts both the decision of others or other interested parties, how much are you prepared to withdraw your specific interest for the benefit of a bigger group. As I went through these thoughts, I was concerned about causing unnecessary conflict. I tossed and turned, thinking how do I deal with a vexing situation that I knew would not necessarily make everyone happy.

I spent time thinking a lot of what is the right thing to do. I had to draw on all my learning and understanding of what leadership and responsibility is about. That it is called upon not when things are easy, but in very difficult and tough moments. And it requires a lot of you in order to either communicate what you want or effect the change that you see. But the more I thought about the situation I was having to deal with, truth and responsibility took me to one decision: rather than simply keep quiet in order to have an artificial peace, it was critical for me to raise the issues and challenges I was seeing.

It is easier to talk about what is the right thing to do than to always do it. Especially when one thinks that it can cause conflict. But I had to tell myself all the time that I needed to have the courage to confront. This is not the confrontation of a person, but to confront the issues. As I thought of the best way that I could approach the problem and communicate it, it became clear to me that I could never live with myself for not speaking my truth. Regardless of how potentially damaging it could mean in terms of how one is seen, I had to draw on every strength I had to raise an issue that I felt could have worse consequences if not addressed.

What did I learn? Most importantly, I learnt that courage is something that draws from another very important aspect that I sometimes take for granted: being principled. It was my understanding of the importance of principle that allowed me to have a voice that allowed for the expression of the courage needed to resolve the issue that I was dealing with.

Secondly, that, even if people may not always like what you say, there will be an ear if the issue comes with clear reasoning, and explanation of the consequences if a particular course of action is taken.

Thirdly, that not every issue arises because people have a wrong intent. They may arise because people make mistakes, overlook something or just do not have enough information. Sometimes they underestimate the consequences. Thus, I learnt that I have more courage to highlight an issue if I speak about the impacts on me rather than worry about the reason why people may have done something. Otherwise I become totally paralysed into inaction.

Fourthly, I learnt that one must always accept that things will not be immediately accepted, and therefore I had to be prepared for a negative response. And also that, if you have the reasons for raising an issue, it allows for people to reflect and review any course of action they have taken.

Lastly, I learnt that one’s own record tends to have an impact especially where people have prior knowledge. It is much easier for people to deal with you on an issue if you do not have a track-record of raising frivolous issues than if you are always seen nagging negatively. Related to this, if you have developed the relationships of trust over time, people will always listen to what you say even if they do not agree.

But I would not have reached where I did if I did not, in the first instance, have the courage to confront.

Package Your Value and be not a CV Bullet Point Prisoner

Continuously in mentor journey I meet a lot of people who are in transition either to the next stage of their career or preparing to get into a different job. I have recently interacted with three where I found they faced a common problem and had to answer a fundamental question: "what is it that I am capable of?” But what I have found missing is the second part to that question that I think is even more revealing: "who is likely to value what I can bring".

The difficult thing with being in transition is that you need to convince others you are capable of this new step. In functional organisations, if this means taking a promotion within the same function, then it tends to be easier if you have been "selected" as either a top-performer or part of a talent pool. The limiting factor though in this case being that you can only really be considered within the functional framework that the superiors have defined for you, which may also be limited by what tends to be their narrow view of capability.

It becomes more complex if one decides to either take a job outside the previous functional lines, or even in a different organisation or industry where it may both be a different technical area or even a different level. How does your previous functional experience show your credibility for this?

I have my own personal experience with this, having transitioned industries twice in my career, and changed functional groups within organisations as part of my growth. How do you even begin to do this in a way that does not lead you to take backward steps since the new people may be telling you that you need to "learn" first? How do you find the kind of opportunities that will play to your strength, and for which you will be valued.

Since a résumé or CV is the tool most used to identify who we are and what we can do to the outside world, I asked my mentees to think very critical how they project what they are capable of or competent in when they write it. The question I ask is whether they expect the the CV to speak for them, or they speak for themselves through a package, of which a CV is but a part. And I ask them to look at a package as broader than what you could write in a CV.

.

In the complex world we are in, we are finding that tasks increasingly need people who can think and solve interrelated problems than perform straight-line functions. In this instance, a list of functional tasks on a CV will serve to only illustrate the work that one has done. Sadly, a lot of us assume the reader can then get a sense of the actual capability of the person. In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth.

Packaging involves the painful process of asking the difficult questions of one’s potential value. I link this to a comprehensive understanding of one's competency. Competency can get be proven through experience, which should not be limited only to that which one gains through a job function.

Let me make an example with myself in this instance and the lens that I adopt. I trained and worked as an engineer, and spent time also in economic development through working industrial development. Layered with experience is a career in a financial services organisation that has given me an understanding of both the process of the flow of money as well as the key issues involved in the financing of projects. Outside of work, I am involved in a lot of economic policy formulation work, which gives me interesting perspectives of how issues of development and financing interface with the economy. It would thus be foolhardy of me, for instance, if I only defined myself around my job function, when my overall competency includes this external work and networks through my non-job activities. I have to package myself around this overall, this combination of experience and networks, and ensure it is projected in the way I act, solve problems and pursue business opportunities.

What makes this difficult for many of us is that we tend not to spend time thinking about ourselves that way, and also allow modesty to interfere with an honest assessment of what it is that we have done and achieved. This is further compounded by the narrow focus of recruiters, who even in this complex world tend to have a very narrow defining of the competencies required for what they are recruiting for. But their narrow focus should not be a reason to understate one's competence and limit the scoped of opportunities..

The first article that I read that gave me a hint of this was actually one focused on the value of competence for corporations. Written by C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel and published in the Harvard Business Review © in May-June 1990, the article entitled The Core Competence of the Corporation is one of the most cited HBR articles ever published, and highlights the importance of companies knowing what is it that they have in terms of capability rather than just what they functionally do or produce. Imagine if all of us spent time thinking about ourselves that way! We would not only have a better appreciation of what we are worth, but also a much wider view of the potential opportunities that may be available to us.

Packaging themselves and what they offer as value is what I advised my mentees to focus on doing as they seek new opportunities.

A Bad Boss Should Not Lead You to Abrupt Decisions

I was recently contacted by a friend on a matter that concerns someone close to him who was going through a major dilemma at work. The problem is one that many who read this would be familiar with. Essentially, it revolved around a boss that the person could no longer work with. Of course, I know only one side of the story, but in my understanding the relationship had broken down to the point that the person hoped to move to a different department within the employer or just resign from the job with no immediate alternative. However, with everything seemingly staked against him, as he was much younger and had a shorter history with the company than the boss, he felt that he could not win.

Based on what he had seen, the boss had the capacity to derail any attempt for him to move to another department. Oddly, but something that did not also sound unfamiliar, this boss tends to rely on this person for the most complex assignments, but behaves as if this person is not a valuable member of the team. Layered with the race dynamic that is so prevalent in corporate South Africa, this young person, who had grown up in a world that was supposed to be free of racism and discrimination, felt that he was up against it. In his training and development, he had assumed his historic good grades at school and diligence at work was sufficient for him to succeed.

This caused enough stress on the person that he thought it was better to simply resign without a job. My friend was asking what I would say in that situation, and whether it was not better for the person to simply up and go. I indicated to my friend that in these matters one needed to understand the complexity of things, including the environment that the person was working under. In addition, from my experience there is no right or wrong answer, but an appropriate answer for the context. However, there were fundamental principles and approaches that I use to help me get to the appropriate decision.

Fundamentally, I always ask myself why I am in employment and not running my own business. This is a critical question that informs the choice one makes in terms of pursuing a career. If the reason I am not running my business is because principally I am not attuned to creating and running my own business, then my record as a professional is something that is important to me. In a country that has a high employment problem, keeping a good job, not necessarily under any circumstance, is something that I value. Therefore, I tend to be conservative and not want to take decisions that affect my ability to have an uninterrupted record of employment, because I know interviewers read a lot into unexplained gaps in a CV.

The other aspect I think about is that I pursue my career for myself and not for my boss. It may be that at a particular point in time I may be working for that boss, but I am always clear in my mind that I do not belong to that person or dependant on him or her. We have a relationship that arises out of my contractual relationship with the employer, and my being employed is a function of the value the employer wants me to add rather than the feelings of my boss. Important as they are, I refuse to allow them to determine who I am. In order to even be assured of this, it is important for one to create a professional network that transcends one’s current function, and build relationships independent of your immediate superior. Then the world can really appear in your eyes for what it is: a complex place with abundant opportunities and multiple potential relationships through which one can unlock the next opportunity.

Related to the above, I always think about what to do to draw on every inch of personal strength I have. This can come from me directly, but also from my support network. It is those who really care for you that can provide an anchor in the most difficult of moments. Whilst it may be true that you may face problems with your immediate superior alone in terms of direct work interface, it does not follow that in seeking to find solutions, you have to do the thinking alone. Getting others to co-reflect with you is an absolutely critical part of the process, and the answers that may come through would not have been possible alone. I never want to be an island.

Part of drawing from your personal strength requires you to have a multiple approach to dealing with the challenge you are facing. I have written before on this topic in 2014 (No One Should Have the Power to Derail Your Progress), where  I outlined a six-step process that includes self-reflection, understanding the opposition, sense of own value, trusted and value network, confrontation and owning the solution. If the problem is also to do with an insecure boss, I can refer to my other article on some tactical approaches to use (Asserting Self to an Insecure Boss).

Lastly, one of the most important things to do is to focus on what has made you get where you are, and how you can use your strengths to leverage for another opportunity. That means starting to get out of thinking that the future will start and end with the current boss. In the interim phase, though, one will have to be patient in working under such a boss, but in knowing that this is a situation in transition, your mental state will not be the same as one who thinks they are in a hopeless and permanent situation. My experience has shown me that such bosses tend to have the naive assumption that they are the beginning and end of one’s career. Nothing could be further from the truth and I always want one to understand and internalise this simple yet powerful truth.

In essence, my response to my friend is that the person should not be making abrupt decisions, but applies a series of problem-solving tools and engage in conversations to look at multiple solutions to their current challenge. Fundamentally, it is about changing the people one works with if the relationship with a superior is irreparable. But simply leaving a job out of anger or emotion, because of someone who does not care for you or your family, may be satisfying temporary emotion, create a negative long-term impact.

I hope the person reflects.

Making Your Growth Natural: How A Friend’s Experience Brought This Home

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?

Avoiding the Failure of Success

A colleague was sharing with me her joy in having won some excellence award at work. It was interesting for me to listen to her reflect on her journey over the last year and the things that changed in mind-set and attitude that set her on a journey that culminated in this excellence award. I then asked her what she saw as the meaning of this, and how it impacted on the way she would be seen in future. This was an aspect that she had not given herself the luxury to think about, she said, at which point I asked her to reflect on some of those she knows had won this award. She felt some of them had built on this recognition, but some seem to have disappeared from recognition. This was not so much whether they would win awards again, but more that their impact at work was no longer being felt.

We broadened our discussion to examine the phenomenon of some reaching a high point of success and the inability to maintain that. I told her about the leadership professor who once told me that “nothing fails like success”. It took me quite a while for me to grasp the meaning of what he said, but he explained it to me.  And the key point he made was that when you reach a very high point, it is not easy to stay at that level forever. His advice was that one could use the analogy of sports; where some are one season wonders, yet others find a way to display a level of consistency over time. They will have moments and seasons where things do not go well, but notwithstanding, they continuously exhibit the behaviour of champions.

For those who have been able to do this, we recognise them not so much for the triumphs, but for the consistency in terms of effort, determination, hard work, drive, initiative, engagement and many other similar traits. Interestingly, in organisations, we do not walk around with the results of our performance evaluations written on us. People see us for the manner in which we approach things, and conclude about us based on that, than some mechanical view of our performance. Those who are success-minded are never victims of negative results, but rather victors over the challenges they face.

The great Brazilian footballer Pelé is not recognized simply because he was a world champion at seventeen, but for the efforts that he put over many years. These were seen by an admiring public even during the times Brazil could not win the championship. Pelé himself said that “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”

Bill Gates warns that “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose.” Those who maintain consistency and success over time understand fully that they need to have the ability to journey on undulating paths, and survive different seasons. They fully appreciate that failure is a key component of the success journey, from which great champions learn. In our conversation, I emphasised to my colleague that the recognition she had received was not the final destination, but simply a platform on which to build. But, as we reflected on the experience of others we observed, she was alert to the risk of her being lulled into a place of complacency, thinking that things will happen easily for her.

The biggest lesson from our conversation was that we never forget those things we did to get to a point of recognition. Whilst those would not be a guarantee of results in future, at least we know we have something that we can build on. Being a one-season wonder is more dangerous than maintaining even an average performance over time. Performing with the characteristics over a champion consistently, even during the periods where things do not go according to plan, is likely to result in the success we aim for.

Reflections on Success Factors in my Leadership Journey

This past week I was honoured by colleagues who were celebrating my being given what they said was a significant new responsibility at work. Noting my being in the banking industry for only six years of a career spanning some 22 years, one told me that I should not underestimate whatever achievement was being celebrated. One of the points that came out of the many discussions I have had was, what I think are the key things that have enabled me to be given the leadership responsibilities I have assumed over the last 14 years, including being able to do that whilst changing industries. One colleague said I should throw away the humility and speak about myself in this way. And so here I am being the proverbial fool.

It is trite to say that one has maintained this level of consistency by working hard and having the right skills and competence. But those are things that anyone can really have. In my case, I would like to highlight those other things that have allowed me to find routes to success and consistency in corporate leadership. I list them in no order of importance.

Curiosity: keeping my mind curious about things and never stopped asking questions not just why are thing the way they are, but, borrowing form George Bernard Shaw, asking why not things could be.

Humility and respecting other: It is a claim that many make, but my colleague who spoke at the celebration event we had said that his experience of me with respect to this is something that I should keep. It has enabled me to access people across different levels and find support in ways that I could never have imagined.

Being generous: My learnings and life experience have given me gifts that are of value to others, especially on issues of their personal growth. I have remained generous in sharing my knowledge and guiding others. I have through that deepened my appreciation of my leadership potential, and also become priviledged to understand very deeply the challenges that others face for their own growth. They also have given me so much back without me asking, and that has lifted me in ways I could never have done on my own.

Not obsessed with title or office: In my journey I have come to appreciate that it is not the title or the office that define me, and I refuse to let that define how I relate to people. I have to thank the boss from my previous company, who said this when I got my first executive job in 2002: “never confuse yourself and the chair that you sit on”.

Value talent: we speak about this a lot but never pay enough attention to the challenges of having talented people around you. Sometimes we get threatened by having people reporting to us who are smarter. From my first executive job, the people that I worked with and reported to me were always better than me in their specialised areas.  When you have better people around you, there are bound to be better outcomes with which you are associated.

Valuing diversity: diversity is a broad concept that cuts across issues of race and gender. It also includes working with people who come from different professional and life perspectives, and who see the world differently to you. I have found having a melting pot of different people incredibly powerful, and a great source of learning. I want diverse teams all the time.

Reading: linked to my curious characteristic, I continue to read as if my life depends on it. I have found value in dedicating a lot of effort in having a deep understanding of the issues that I have responsibility for, and also how they connect to the world. I do not know of any great leader who does not like reading.

Building and maintain a value network: A key part of my growth has been enabled by me being able to build networks across industries, professions, age groups and globally. In this I have also been privileged by studies that have taken me to different parts of the world. Networks have value that naturally multiplies. But for this value to be realised, I have had to continuously invest in these networks.

Taking responsibility: I learnt early on that in the teams I work with, I must be the first to take responsibility for any errors and omissions, as people do not like leaders who make themselves look perfect when, like any human being, they are fallible.

Presence and voice: I have always tried to make sure that my presence is felt and that in situations of leadership I have voice. Voice is not just about speaking, but also being felt to be present. Being present and purposeful is an important leadership responsibility, and I have found that it draws people in a very positive way. Through voice, I have found that my character has been able to show. People like to see your character.

Encouraging dissent: in working with people from different perspectives, I have refused to only work with those who will praise me and say yes to everything I say. I have found it valuable to encourage contrarian perspectives. It is through that process that the creative ideas with which I later became associated arose.

Empathy: an understated but very important character, I have always felt it important that those who work with you should feel you, understand that you are with them even if you are not physically with them. Empathy is a great tool to use to create shared meaning, and helps build that most elusive ingredients called trust.

Energy: I have been given this feedback all the time by people, that they have found my energy inspiring. It is an inherent part of my character, and I infuse every little work or assignment I do with it. It has helped build my credibility and allowed others to trust me with assignments that possibly they could have doubted me on without it. People do not want leaders who do not inspire and energy is an important aspect.

Hunger for success: A colleague told me that when he engages me he does not have any doubt that I want to go far. He also said that my humility helps in managing my own ambition. But he felt this hunger for success meant that the teams I work with would also be motivated to do more, as this was likely to rub off on them.

Celebrate others’ success: People do not like leaders who are jealous, and it is absolutely vital that we celebrate others’ success, especially in those cases where it surpasses ours. It just engenders trust in an inexplicable way.

Principled: I have never hidden what my fundamental principles are in any environment. Of course I have been comfortable with taking in new ideas. However, I have always felt it important that these cannot be at the expense of critical values and principles that define you. People do not appreciate leaders who do not have a backbone.

These traits do not represent the sum total of those things that have enabled me to be where I am. But they have been absolutely fundamental to the journey and I hope they provide interesting lessons. It is still a long journey to travel.

Asserting Self to an Insecure Boss

I have previously written about growth in the context of an insecure boss. I have been I inspired to revisit this theme based on a conversation with a very smart young professional. One of her major issues was having to deal with a very insecure boss and her frustrations with what she saw as an illogical behaviour. And you could add to this her challenge in being able to assert herself.

When I listened to the story, I was amazed at how her frustrations were driven by assumptions that the other party is supposed to know what is good. That in her shining with her work, her boss would be happy as that would also positively reflect on him. And how she was battling to deal with his reaction to her increased exposure, including having access to senior people that she would not be expected to have.

So her discussion with me was mainly about how to change her boss so that he could see things differently. She was hoping for tools that would make her superior see the error of his approach. And from the tone of conversation it was clear that she had been troubled about this for a while, that her discussions with him on it had not yielded success and was yearning for the freedom to be herself without having to fight with her boss.

My response to her I could say was unexpected. I asked us to role play situations similar to what happens between her and her boss. The only difference was that in this instance she would play the role of her boss, as she knows how he frames things, and I would be her playing a more assertive role than she normally would. We did this with two examples of situations, and in my response I showed how she could state her perspective without being arrogant. And I framed this around how in her functions the organisation is expecting her to perform and the stakeholders that she would ordinarily have to interact with without her boss being there. And all I did was to show her that she could use all the structures created for the area of work she is in to her advantage. And that in this process she would make the boss see the illogic of his thoughts without her saying so. I said she must never forget the power of exemplary conduct, especially if it is observed by those she interacts with.

This conversation also highlighted for me the danger that organisations, through poor managers and leaders,  can pose to the careers of young people. And how these young people yearn for support from their superiors, but which support does not come. I related to her a personal experience where someone sought to destroy my career. And how, after consultation with an older friend, he showed me a quote from a Jim Collins book that indicated research he had done on organisations in the US and found a high percentage of managers spending their time to ensure their subordinates do not succeed. And this friend then said to me why did I assume the same thing was not happening to me.

This quote really shocked her but more importantly made her realise the danger of the assumptions she had made of what her boss was meant to be like. And at the end of that conversation she was clear that her relationship with her boss would need to be reframed, that she needed to worry less about him that about herself and that she would also start to be more assertive about things without showing any disrespect. Her energy was better spent on the positive aspect of her mastering her work and deepening her network, being assertive about what was correct than the negative focus on the feelings of her insecure boss.

I do not know if all what we discussed will work in her environment. But I do know she has taken the very important step of assuming full ownership of her growth story. It will be interesting to watch.

Fear: The Growth Inhibitor

Due to very interesting conversations I have had this week, I wonder how many of us go through the challenge of dealing with the internal conflict of showing self and at the same time trying to become what our bosses expect us to be. How many of us have to live with the edict that "this is how we do things here"; "do not rock the boat";"questioning is a career-limiting move".

This has occupied my mind because this experience that many have to go through shows the contradictions that are inherent in organisations. Almost to a fault, all of them will proclaim that they seek to have the best people; they want people to be free to express themselves and contribute to new ideas; that they want to create the best environments for their people to succeed, and thus want the best of their minds and creative potential. Some actually do try and get the best people. But what we often forget is that organisations do not, to a fault, only reward the best amongst the best. Being a social being or system composed of people with different interests, and having an environment external to itself to which it must respond, an organisation will not simply behave the way it proclaims through some form of religious edict. It will respond to the culture that has developed, and that culture itself is informed by the behaviours that are rewarded, or those that are disincentivised. Paying a critical role in this, given their role in shaping the mannerisms through their control of reward systems, are those who have been given supervisory responsibilities, whom we call managers. Sometime people think these managers are leaders, but as we know, the 'leadership' honour bears no relationship to the title but is informed by the behaviour of the individual over time.

In this environment, what happens to you as the individual who thinks that your voice is an important part of your character? If this organisation has recruited you on the basis of your character, and gives you this promise of an environment that allows you to realise who you are, get involved in shaping an important dialogue and make you feel like a valuable member of a team? How do you respond when you think that this character that you have may not always be aligned to the culture that has developed either in the whole organisation, or that part that you are exposed to? Would it be fair to your family that you stop worrying about any negative impact to your reward or growth if you act as per an organisation's promise when you know this is not rewarded in practice? Does it not mean that you should change and try as much as possible to 'fit in' so that you can succeed?

Dealing with this issue in my view requires that we appreciate the paradoxical situation that the individual has been placed in. In order to succeed, the individual has to not only perform, but also show how they are different to others. This difference cannot happen without the individual displaying their unique strengths and capabilities, which may include showing those things about an organisation that the seniors may either be blind to or not understand. Some of these things may go against the assumptions or plans that the seniors have of the business, but the individual,  because of character, ability or principle, will not want to hold back from expressing what he or she sees. If, on the other hand, the individual decides to hold back, if it happens in future that which the individual sees really does have an impact that would have been foreseen had the individual spoken, they are unlikely to be recognised. Paradoxically, keeping silent has a short-term benefit, but potentially a long-term negative consequence. This is because, at a time when an organisation goes through very difficult moments, and now starts to really exhibit the behaviour of seeking ideas, that individual would not be on anybody's mind because there will not be a record of them showing leadership, notwithstanding the fact that in the past that may not have been rewarded.

Hence my approach is to err on the side of originality. That means being true to one's beliefs, opinions, observations and thoughts. It also means being open to a dialogue that may make you change your perspective. The alternative is suffering from a huge internal conflict because you are now trying to become something you are not, and over time this impacts your own morale, and thus your work. You become one of those individuals so defeated by situations that your head is always down, and everyone sees you as a source of demoralisation. The same seniors who wanted a meek behaviour from you start to judge you as an individual who lacks energy and enthusiasm.

In his book, Strong and Fearless: The Quest for Personal Power, Phil Nuernberger warns us about the twin demons that may inhibit us from displaying the best of ourselves and inhibit us. These demons are self-hatred and fear. Self-hatred is about guilt which reflects the past. Fear is about the future and reflects a response to an anxiety of what may happen. He tells us that an inherent characteristic of those who seek to control others is to instill fear, which leads to stress, and builds on the myth some managers have that stress drives performance. He tells us that fear destroys concentration, and when we go through fear, our minds are not as conscious and thus not focused. Why would I want to have a less conscious mind at work and how can I produce the best in that situation?

I like the advice he gives that we should focus on the present. What is it that I can do now that makes me build to the future I want to create? My words I always give in conversation are: "do now that which you want to become". And you will not do that by simply following a script that someone else has written and which has a very limited shelf life. You will not do that by closing your eyes to what you see which is not to the benefit of the business in the long term, no matter how uncomfortable to those who hold a senior responsibility in an organisation at present. The alternative is you being part of a slow decline that may eat both you and your seniors. It is a tough place to be in, but better than being one of the "timid souls" that, in the words of former US President Theodore Rooselvelt in "The Man in the Arena", "neither know victory nor defeat".

Do not be timid. Let your growth not be inhibited by fear.

Remaining Relevant for Sustainable Growth

I had a very revealing conversation with a colleague recently about the meaning of staying relevant as a root for a sustainable and growing career. This conversation was triggered by reports of leadership changes in a leading South Africa-based corporation which has operations both throughout our continent and in other markets in the Middle East. The vexing question for us was why did it seem that most people that were being sourced to lead its strategic business transformation were all coming from outside, some who were seen to reverse its progress towards a more diverse leadership.

We reflected how it had become successful by growing people from within. We could only speculate as to why but it seemed obvious to us that the answer was much deeper than we could know from outside. This discussion was also more relevant noting this apparent reversal of progress towards a more diverse leadership group, a critical question for a South African business in particular noting our apartheid past and the aspirations expressed in the 1996 Constitution.

Whilst we did not know what could have caused the internal candidates in that situation not to be the ones considered for the new roles, we reflected more in other situations that we know. We noted situations where people get to join or grow in organisations because they have particular characteristics, knowledge and potential for further growth. How sometimes these individuals show a depth of excellence that builds a promise for the future. In some cases, the organisations they work for do give them the support they need to grow, or sometimes the situations are frustrating for them.

But we then could see there are situations where some individuals become comfortable where they are, because the trappings of success start to consume them. The hunger for learning starts to fade away as they start to enjoy the material benefits of what they have achieved. The yearning for further development starts to disappear as they start to believe they have arrived. In a changing and complex world, which requires ongoing understanding of the external impacts on the business, they build on past success and internal relationships, blind to all that is happening around them. Holding to all they know and the relationships they have built to where they are now, they forget what had gotten them to the successful position they would be in.

Suddenly, the organisation faces an external shock so deep that it starts to look at ways to change its trajectory dramatically. And as it starts to look at its next generation of leaders, it finds that it cannot rely on them to deal with this new world. That they have not build the necessary complex set of skills or process of understanding new questions enough in a way that will help lead to the critical answers needed. That its next generation of leaders have been so internally focused; so driven by building internal power bases; so taken up by the ego of position, that they cannot be trusted with the critical transformational tasks that are so necessary for the organisation not to self-destruct.

And in many cases, as we proceeded with the dialogue, we could see that, as people grow, they forget that they need to stay relevant. That always they need to be who they always thought they were. And they cannot be that unless they continuously re-invent themselves; deepen their learning; always seek to understand the changes that are taking place in the world around them; build new external relationships whilst strengthening the existing ones; and take new opportunities that stretch their lateral experience which is a key building block for the future.

We wondered whether in the organisation we started conversing about it was not likely that some individuals did not continue to stay relevant. All we could was speculate. But more importantly, we could draw comfort for ourselves that this was a critical lesson nonetheless.

For you to have the staying power necessary for growth, it is critical to stay relevant. It is not only in the successful execution of the tasks of the present that this will happen. It is also in showing readiness to deal with the changes that come with an uncertain future that this will happen. Otherwise, the forces of change will cause you to miss out on growth opportunities which would have been yours for the taking.

Learn. Discover. Connect. Stay relevant. Grow.

Be the Creator of a Happy Career Future

I have had the fortune of truly revealing conversations that focus on the issue of happiness in a career. Truly revealing for me as I realised how much one can take this for granted.

From my own personal reflection of where I am and where I want to be; to the young professional who indicated her desire for her chosen long-term profession and is preparing to take a salary cut to get to where she wants; a friend who has gone through a negative experience in her company but in the process discovered a gap in organisations that requires her skills and experience, which is leading her to create her own advisory business; a friend who is about to embark on a career change so fundamental it both scares and excites her; a young man about to leave a lucrative career in investment banking and join a leading strategy advisory consultancy because that will stretch his mind more.

In all this, I learnt that the real issue we face is not always about the frustration of the present; it is not on the inability of others to give us what will make us happy. It is not in the failure of organisations to advance our careers and interests the way we would have expected. In saying that, I am not discounting the long-term risks that organisations face by failing to take care of their people. My reflection is on you and me as individuals who exist inside organisations and not just because of them.

The real issue is that we should focus on that which we desire, rather than that which we do not like. As one leadership professor told me, “If you get rid of what you do not want, it does not follow that what remains is what you want”. If it does not exist but is desired in society, how do we make sure that it is apparent and we get an opportunity to do it? Focus on roles, responsibilities and opportunities that we will both have an impact and enjoy.

The most profound lesson for me though is from the friend who is about to embark on a fundamental career change. She has been working for about twenty years. Having consulted a career counsellor, a retired university professor, he has told her she will never have a happy corporate career. And he emphasised that this was not about competence. That she is likely to thrive on a different environment which he has given her useful ideas on. At the end of their dialogue, he gave her this simple but powerful conclusion: “you must know if you are going the route I advise, you might earn less money than you earn now. But the guarantee is that you will be happy." She is now on a different journey altogether and creating a path to real career happiness.

Each one of us reaches those moments where we need to let go of the frustrations and apparent stability of the present for a happy yet unpredictable future. It does not all have to result in sacrifice of income. All of us as individuals actually did this when we looked for our first job.

It is better to spend your energy on positively defining your future than on the challenges of the present. Lest you lose your confidence, creativity and character.