Part 2
BaldOpinion
12 c
08
May 2013
“Morning
Cynthia”
“Morning…”
is her soft reply. I have never understood what follows when she says morning; it is
something though…, more than “morning.” She
mumbles. You see, I greet first because in my perceived simple mind it is “the
small things that are important” – Tolstoi.
For
the rest of the day we pass each other in the office, passages and in the
garden. At lunch-time I step out, find her: “You can eat Cynthia”, to which she
whispers a reply, “Yebo” followed by a softer sounding, “eat.” I’ve been trying
to fatten Cynthia for the longest time. To be skinny must be how she is.
Weeks
would go by and the same routine repeats.
One
day though, and without thinking about it much; Cynthia and I were in the
kitchen when I asked, “What do you think of President Nelson Mandela – Madiba?”
“I love Madiba” was
her quick, loud and very decisive reply.
That
reply was not what I expected. Prior to this I’ve not heard Cynthia speak that
loudly.
On
returning to the office there was a feeling, one not dissimilar to
embarrassment – it was my thoughts, perhaps also my negative expectation. See, I expected Cynthia to mumble, “Madiba…” rather than be so definite.
Though
they hail from the same region Cynthia has never met Madiba and; though they share the same language and traditions,
Cynthia never saw Madiba in the flesh - for when Cynthia was a girl Madiba was
in jail.
Madiba
is not a hero to Cynthia. He is more - he
informs her sense of pride. Do we need a
reason to be proud though, or is it our pride, the self-worth, that shapes our
destiny? This is a big question. This
article is riddled with big questions.
We
need jobs and a purpose in order to earn dignity. We also need pride, to emulate
and; we want inspiration so that we can always do better.
To
some Madiba is a role model, a mentor. People want to be like him - forgive, and
believe that we are at peace with the past.
“Without peace you cannot enjoy the future” –
Nelson Mandela.
- Can one be a mentor to others without ever meeting;
- maybe I conflate mentorship with people who are role models;
- are mentors not invariable role models too?
The
Greek anthology of mythical characters includes one named Mentor. It is said
that Athena used the decoy of Mentor as a disguise to hide herself from the
suitors of Telemachus' mother, Penelope. Why, I wonder?
Yes,
they were a bit odd, but the character of Mentor and modern day mentoring is
derived from the Greek character reference that represents the sharing of
wisdom.
Does
one need an interpersonal relationship in order to share wisdom?
What
is a teacher then?
Is
a teacher one who shows how something is done and coaches to near perfection?
How
do we learn to think, I again wonder, and; do teachers teach us to reason
instead of to think? How does the ability to reason inform the way we learn to
think? This is woo-woo stuff to me and as a result I have no answers. I was at
university for too long, but I never studied psychology.
Some
say that we go to school in order to learn thinking skills. Others claim that
we need only be alive in order to acquire thinking ability, but the majority
feels that we go to school in order to get information. My view is that
thinking evolves as determined by how much you challenge yourself – the sense
of dignity and pride (= class) too have a role to play.
Organisations,
businesses – everything becomes different all the time. The reason for change is determined by factors
that we have no direct control over. When there is no longer a demand for pairs
of black shorts, then those who manufacture will be out of business if they
continue to produce only this item. The producers have to diversify in order to
meet and create new demand.
Leadership
therefor includes having the foresight to change before it becomes an
inevitable requirement.
“Create
a new demand, or become extinct.”
In
order to harness opportunities rapid change is required. Breaking away from the past / accelerated difference
/ transformation / a revolution, these are labels we attribute to conditions
that result in doing things differently quickly.
The
other day, whilst tagging along in a curios shop, I read a notice:
“Unaccompanied children will be given an espresso and a puppy!”
If
the usual plan, notice, or warning is no longer effective then get one that
attracts better attention.
Don’t
take too long to introduce difference, but also note that haste is very often
the reason why new approaches fail. The reality is not only about white or
black, but more about grey.
Frequently
we use fashionable phrases instead of those that say what we really mean. Words have differing connotations to those who
hear, compared to those who speak them.
The
creation and application of rules serve to pre-determine how we behave. If we want to change behaviour then we have
to create and apply different rules. In business we constantly prepare to meet
the demands of ever changing global expectations. We try to do so without
losing our identity.
In
one instance we use supply chain management tools in order to make businesses
more effective and sustainable. Supply chain techniques are derived from a
series of wisdom imparting initiatives. A history of best practice is
contributed to by experience. Supply Chain Management is therefore a
combination of wisdom imparting mentoring - together with practical strategies
to implement and coach / teach. That is one way of attaining the illusive best
practice. Others use more elaborate words to define, but is it understood and;
is this definition understood?
Some
old ideas and experiences do not flow today as they did yesterday. The answer resides in the act of leadership. Each
person is a leader – each therefore has an obligation to understand how past
experience can influence the decisions we take today. I refer to this ability by
coining the phrase “lateralism” - but there is no term like that in the
dictionary!
No
worries, someday I shall write a Cape based dictionary. It will probably be
banned, but shall contain a number of very interesting new words.
As
a boy I was very fond of Dorothy Smith. I had five aunts. Each aunt presented
differently. My Aunt Martha could knit the most complex embossed cable-stitch
garments; she taught me too. I must be one of a few bald men who can knit -
image that!
My
Aunt Dotty though, she smoked Lexington cigarettes and had a pellet gun. Back
then, like now, it was okay for adults to do stupid things. The Lexington
advert - “…After Action Satisfaction, Lexington, That’s The One!” Maybe that is
why she had need for a pellet gun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzUArvNm_u0
Well,
during my early formative years I often would sit on my adopted Aunt’s knee. It
was okay; she did not feel my weight, for all five my aunts were paraplegics.
There
was a series on the radio each weekday afternoon. Springbok Radio was a
national radio station in South Africa when I was a boy. My Aunt Dotty had a
transistor radio. The PM 10 battery was bigger than the radio it powered. At
three fifteen, all five my aunts would park their chairs in a tight circle
formation around a little coffee table.
The radio sat on the table. Their formation resembled a rugby scrum as
they sat poised to get the next installment of the radio story. I could never understand. It was too
complicated. Yet, my Aunts were excitable and Aunty Dotty gave advice to those
radio people when she disagreed with the direction the story was headed. Something must have happened, or was about to
happen, I’d think; or maybe the plot finally unraveled?
At
a quarter to four my aunts debriefed each other about the radio story. The way they spoke, sounded like these radio people
were coming to dine with us that night. “I best bath first. Wheelchair people
spend a long time in a bathroom. I never had shoes, but I could hide my feet
under the table and sit quietly, then the radio people wouldn’t know”, were
among my thoughts.
Jet
Jungle followed, or a radio series named “Hospitaal Tyd” (Hospital Time)
presented by Esme and Jan. I could not understand that either - on discovering my
lack of comprehension Aunty Dotty took to storytelling. The vibrato of her Lexington voice had a
timber, an almost baritone sound when she spoke, but her stories… they taught
me to think, I think.
Some
years later and I could no longer fit on her knee. In any event, by then Pettles, the staffie,
would growl when I came near that wheelchair.
Much
later and I was a factory worker at an electro-plating plant in Voortrekker
Road, Salt River. I bought a car. At the
time my Aunt was convalescing in the Conradie Orthopedic Hospital, Thornton,
near Pinelands in Cape Town, South Africa. I visited to show her my first car. It was an
old car, but it was my first and I felt like sharing it with Aunty. I parked opposite the water towers outside
the hospital ward where she was in traction. Inside, with the help of the nursing
staff, we strategically arranged mirrors so that Aunty Dot could see my new
wheels. She approved, “That’s a nice car my Boy, congratulations.”
By
then the Lexington and pellet gun had long gone and the wireless was replaced
with a TV. The stories though, no… they had not left. That night Aunty Dot
moved the four fingers on her right hand in a familiar gesture. It meant, “Come
hither and sit up.” I knew it was story-time! Even then, I continued to get
excited, like the Aunties did when they scrummed around the Springbok Radio:
“You
know Boy,” she started “there’s a constant battle inside all of us.” I nodded
whilst she continued. ” The battle is between two wolves.
One
wolf is Evil - It presents as anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride,
superiority, and ego.” Then she paused – long enough for me to take it all in.
“The
other wolf is The Spirit - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility,
kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
All
the while I sat alongside her on the hospital bed waiting for the conclusion
and wondering how my Aunt, who did not have much schooling, how she could
remember all those big words – I knew that Aunty Dot always had a curious turn
of phrase and she’d wish for the pellet gun should I interrupt. This night
though, it was a Maundy Thursday night, I remember - the night before Good
Friday. Aunty Dotty did not look
good. It could have been her last, I
thought. I held her hand and caressed her set hair.
Eventually
I said, “Aunty, those battling wolves inside all of us, which of the two wins?”
“The
one you feed..."
Aunty
Dotty is no more, but I remember. I
remember the hours spent playing table tennis, basketball, many other board
games, particularly during the winter when it rained like it does in Cape Town.
She taught me to ride a wheelchair like few can. “We can listen to music”, she
would say – the Beatles, Elvis, but Jim Reeves was her favorite. “Jim Grieves”
she would say – “his songs are always sad!”
‘These
were a few of her favourite things…’ and I thought that as this is my last
BaldOpinion article that I should share her with you. Aunty Dot loved The Sound of Music and
together we watched the film screening down at the De Novo Community Hall many
times over. Afterwards I’d push and sing
my way down the dirt road to the worker house we lived in near Stellenbosch. Neither
of us knew the lyrics much, but it did not seem to matter, for the journey was
always too short.
However,
when mentoring and coaching happens at work how do we determine whether the
imparted ideas / methods are current and relevant to the challenges today in
preparation for tomorrow?
What
about learning to think, or does this ability dawn when we look at the world
through the filter of our own experiences – our literalism? Does coaching and
mentoring lend itself to innovation and is innovation the serum applied when
preparing for tomorrow?
I
think that swimming pools can become self-sustaining. It can generate its own
electricity; clean and self-heat. Spurred on by my own excitement I tore out to
meet engineers and tell my story. After all, why would you want to consult a
dentist if you have a heart condition?
After
listening to my story the engineers laughed. When the laughter subsided and, after
straightening his back against the rest of the chair one engineer rubbed his
chest and said, “Great idea, but it won’t work.”
I
gathered myself and smiled politely. One can catch more bees with honey than
with vinegar, I thought, whilst nurturing the Cape Flats in me who needed to
present. After shaking hands my car
radio and I drove back home.
Some
day we will wonder why this simple method of water reticulation was never
applied. Today they laugh. Engineers
laugh at the prospect of creating newness.
Here’s my thought - this laughter stems from never having been taught to
think. To understand is not a
demonstration of thought. It is about how you apply your understanding.
Experience
too cannot be taught.
Who
says that we cannot ask what the better solution is?
From
time to time we make plans and develop strategies. Sometimes we fail. If we make the plan then
it is not the plan that fails, it’s us – one way to earn experience.
Maybe
we should learn to think differently and to utilise our experience so that we
can learn how to share it with others.
We have to develop an ability to understand what is relevant and what is
not. Leadership must include the act of stepping back, or to stand on the proverbial
balcony, look around, ahead and then at the present with informed eyes. The past is old hat. This is a discipline
that each should convert into a habit and apply regularly - directional
insight.
Fast-tracking
is the root of many evil. There is no
short-cut to competence. Recently South
African Airways sent five fast-tracked aircraft technicians for training in
Vienna. They returned, all having
failed. Why, well, because they lack
technical basics. When compared with their fellow students they paled.
Ok,
maybe my use of the term pale is a bit naughty! Of course, on their return it
is proclaimed that the Viennese are racists. How bizarre.
By
2014 the bastard, Natural Attrition, is set to claim 300 qualified and competent
aircraft technicians when they retire.
Increasingly
we live in an instant society. We pour from a bottle and order via the internet.
We transpose this reality to impact also on how we skill people. We fast-track
and this is the order of today. We forget that short-term gains result in long
term losses. Who do we blame when business sustainability dwindles – the
Viennese, of course, who else?
Certain
leaders of corporate transformation have become business legends. Companies
that consistently transform before a crisis achieve unprecedented competitive
power and advantage. The consistency of change is an important realisation.
Pride in every initiative is an essential ingredient. Set aside enough time for
plans to be realised. Outsized returns are frequently a misguided objective
when long term goals are exchanged for short term gains.
The
leaders of companies in crisis are best placed to consistently create new
direction. David Simon and John Browne could transform British Petroleum (BP) from
one of Britain's weakest industrials to a world force. After the recent
incidents on the American west coast BP again faced imminent ruin.
Steve
Jobs rescued Apple from certain collapse. Had Apple not been in crisis would
the recovery have been this successful? At the time of writing Apple again
faces similar strife. Will it survive
this time?
Most
transformations undertaken when crisis conditions are not evident fail because
of poor leadership. Where there is no pressing need for change new plans are often
neglected and later abandoned. Such companies are worse off than before.
When
things are going well business leaders become reluctant to undertake
transformation programmes - even though they know that failure to act may
condemn the company to a slow decline and eventual collapse. There is need for constant change, but
leaders fear the introduction of difference.
“Why…” they say “must I fix something that is not broken - work harder.”
By the way, it is a myth that we have
to work smart and not hard because there is no substitute for hard work.
Maybe
we should introduce change as a form of maintenance. People fear change, but are only irritated by
the discomfort of maintenance. Irritation
is better than fear, but “Where there is no pain there will be no gain”, said
Joe Weider of Gold’s Gym. Regular maintenance makes radical change organic.
Maintenance
is an enabler. We don’t fear maintenance as much as we do change.
Change
tampers with routine and it is unsettling.
Madiba
said that routine was a coping tool he applied whilst in prison.
Oh,
and I sang for Cynthia before Christmas – I chose the descant, a tempo of four
beats to the bar and a swing from the note C. Like me, Cynthia would have none
other than the swing sound to bring on festive cheer:
“… he sent you to give the good news to the poor,
tell prisoners that they are prisoners no more,
tell blind people that they can see and set the
downtrodden free…,”
By
the time I had finished Cynthia stood aside and just looked at me with glassy
eyes. I also do not understand how singing works. It creates a mood. Like there’s a God in your throat. The taught
me and tell me; they illustrate and explain, but yet I cannot understand how
the sound is produced.
Nonetheless,
Cynthia wore a happy wonder expression on her simple, yet beautiful older face
and I was taken by the moment when she softly said, “sing nice.”
Aunty
Dotty Said that my car was nice and Cynthia says that I sing nice. It feels
good to be nice. Like the song I sang is Idyllic, so too I wish that I can
always be nice.
Then
we wished each other a merry festive season, hugged and off she went to make
the Christmas journey from Daveyton to Mvezo in the Eastern Cape, a province of
South Africa.
Thank
you all for reading the BaldOpinion. It was a wonderful journey. We laughed, we cried and we had music that some enjoyed. Thank you for allowing me to use many of your ideas. From all the thousands of readers out there, if one has grown then the series was worth the effort. Thank you for the opportunity.
Good
Bye.
