Challenge me to grow

Today, I was part of the Lean Thinking Operations Program for one of our big corporate clients based in Johannesburg.  Whilst I had studied the concept a couple of times at undergrad level during Operations Management class; during MBA program and implemented the principles of JIT stock management and continuous improvement when me and my family operated a franchise restaurant – observing my esteemed colleague Stefan Cronje, CA (SA) providing an experiential learning platform for our clients was an AHA moment.  We know how the Japanese car transformed the automobile industry just by the way they decided to approach their processes and systems.  It takes courage as a leader of a large enterprise to re-inject a company with a new vision and way of doing things.  CEOs and world leaders face this choice all the time.  Should they face their debilitating failures or surround themselves with people who will worship the ground they walk on.   

Lou Gerstener, turned around IBM, as he set about the task of transforming IBM culture and policies. Stock prices were stagnant and Wall Street was disparaging to say the least.  He was deemed the personification of failure.  Years later, IBM was leading in its field again. 

The start of ECONET by Strive Masiyiwa, was far from glamorous.  Masiyiwa approached ZPTC, Zimbabwe’s only national telecommunication company at the time.  The company showed no interest and passed the final discouraging statement to Masiyiwa saying that cell phones had no future in the country.  Masiyiwa then decided to create a cell phone network on his own.  After selling Retrofit Engineering in 1994 and started to finance Econet Wireless through his family company, TS Masiyiwa Holdings (TSMH).  He was opposed by ZPTC which told him he held a monopoly in telecommunications and second from the Zimbabwean government which imposed on his red tape and demands for bribes.  After a four year battle that reached the Supreme Court, Econet finally won a license to provide cell phone service in Zimbabwe.  In 1998, Econet’s first cell phone subscriber was connected to the new network.  Econet went on to establish presence in 15 countries including other African nations, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.   Econet headquarters moved to South Africa in 2000.  “Strive is driven by focus, determination and passion,” Norman Nyazema told Financial Mail.  “Failure is not an option, no matter how many obstacles are thrown in his way,” (December 5, 2003). Nyazema Chairman of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe and had gone to school with Masiyiwa.   Masiyiwa has become an inspiration to young and budding entrepreneurs in Africa and around the world and continues to speak word of hope and the importance of persistence in the pursuit of your goals.  Both these people had succeeded where people either feared to tread or struggled because they were challenged to grow. 

I took skiing lessons for the first time ever in Davos earlier this year.  Have falling more times than I can count in addition to numbing my foot as a result of excessively tight ski shoe as a result of my instructor insisting that it was just the pain of trying on "new shoes"  almost 3-months later by left-foot has not restored its full "feeling" functions despite the trip to the emergency room upon returning.  Inspite of the uncomfortable experience, would I skii again? Yes. Just in better fitting shoes! 

“What’s your priority?  If you had to choose, which would it be? Loads of success and validation or lots of challenge,” asks the Author Carol Dweck in her book Mindset.  I just came from an experiential learning event were I was both stretched mentally and physically.  Whilst, I had already been embarking on learning journey, the growth to accelerating my career had been riddled with my own self-doubt as a result of noises that insisted on playing a bigger role in my head.  However, I was able to quieten the noises once I was far removed from the environment and was in the same company of those who were in the same learning journey as me.  No judgement, no egos, no entitlement, no seniority – just good old fashioned learning.  I wanted to be around people who wanted to foster my development and I want to be challenged to be a better version of me so that I can contribute meaningfully, deliberately and purposefully to the ecosystems I am privileged to be part of.  However, what does one do when you find yourself back in the environment that fosters mediocrity, promoting corporate-cliques and political systems and silo cultures? I am reminded by the inspirational words of Dr. Philious Andreu Sphika, President of BTS Other Markets during our year end function last year which I summarize in 10 points in my own words as follows:

1. Start doing the small things right – Get the small things right.  You can only eat an elephant bite size at a time
2. Can’t do things alone – Find someone to help you paddle or mentor you
3. Measure a person by the size of their heart – you might not be talented or skilled in your craft but if you have the will to learn the job at hand then your heart is in the right place
4. Get over being a ‘sugar cookie’ – sometimes no matter what you do in life, no matter the effort you will not be recognized nor rewarded for it.  Sugar cookie is  process in the army were a junior army ranked officer was initiated through many forms and one of them was to swim in the ice-cold ocean water in their army uniform and then had to roll their wet-body in the beach sand and walk around most of the day in that state. 
5. Don’t be afraid to fail – Be open to learning by not getting it right the first time
6. Sometimes you have to slide down head first – Some obstacles require you to slide down head first. Its uncomfortable but it’s part of the process
7. Don’t back down from the sharks – When you see the bullies are coming after you just go facing them head on
8. You must be your very best in the darkest moment – It’s easy to be happy in the good times.  The question is can you be happy in the saddest of times.
9. Start singing when you’re up to the neck in the mud – When you feel like you have landed in a sink-hole and can’t get out – start singing out loud. It may just save your life.
10. Don’t ever, ever ring the bell – Don’t give in and don’t give up.