We can already see the infrastructure – which would not have been prioritised otherwise. We know the tourism – and other – benefits will start to be felt, within the next few years. And Spain is now inexorably linked to South Africa.

We have hosted visitors well. Even foreigners living in our country have felt welcome, many for the first time. Before, every dark-skinned person unable to speak isiZulu (read isiXhosa, seTswana etc, as appropriate) was viewed suspiciously and treated disrespectfully. Having corrected this national bias briefly, may we maintain the correction? Siyacela! What’s the worst that could happen?

May I also encourage exposing and abandoning the racism inherent in the misconception whereby “black  foreigners” receive different treatment to “white tourists.”  We need to know our own history – none of us is from one, “pure” heritage -and need to embrace the challenges of constant change. I am South African:  English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa-speaking. Yet my family is originally German and English. Fully “rooinek”.  I cannot blame anyone for being born in Nelson Mandela Bay, globalisation, recession nor a lack of clarity on my unique value proposition.  Neither are individuals to blame for national policies or porous borders.

We have a responsibility. To our own potential, and purpose. If we are true to these – and embark on our own journey of discovery – we will not be threatened by others, but rather create new opportunities and invite the valuable perspectives that “outsiders” bring.

Yet if one considers how top management in the self-same organisations measure their benefits – and salaries – in millions, I believe there is another view.

In Jim Collins’s ground-breaking book “Good to Great”, he mentions how Nucor Steel survived the previous recession:

Top management took a 75% pay cut, middle managers chose 50% and the “workers” only lost 25% – the equivalent of short-time – for a season. Unsurprisingly, they were soon back on track, and remain highly productive, as well as profitable, as they engendered a sense of trust, and unity of purpose that makes for brand engagement. No-one is denying that “a worker is worth his wages” – and that paying “peanuts” only gets you “monkeys”. Who wouldn’t admire such courage, though, and a tangible commitment to staff retention?

I don’t see this kind of sacrifice in the leadership of any of the organisations that regularly face strike action. There is a commitment, but it is not to the organisation, or the nation.

And it makes me wonder.

Last week, I was disappointed by the fact that the urgency I felt was not shared by my client. I had done everything in my power to make progress simple and – I thought – natural. Yet the phone didn’t ring – even when I stared at it – and the email didn’t arrive. My expectations were too high, perhaps, and I found myself sinking into negative thought patterns.

My lack-lustre Wednesday – spirit down, hands-in-the-pockets – was partly a result of realising that progress was no longer within my locus of control, but nested in the hands of others.

One day later, I received the call that all was well, and I could begin my new role. What a joy! And how remarkable that a little bit of good news could literally transform my week. I found myself sporting a spring in my step, a smile on my dial and noticing the needs of others more.

I really believe that we should not “despise the day of small beginnings,” but rather delight ourselves in every piece of positivity.  Celebrate even little successes – and keep encouraged. If we allow ourselves to be taken in by the atmosphere of cynicism that so easily surrounds us, we will cease to be effective catalysts.

By also being with “encouragers”, and praising others for acts of excellence and endeavour, we will find ourselves more relaxed, more productive and less volatile.

We are, perhaps, only one day away from our breakthrough.

I was struck once again (if you’ll excuse the pun) by a particular scene, where Adam Sandler’s character is hoping to be relieved of his need for therapy, but instead finds himself really worked up.

With apologies for the occasional misrepresentastion, it goes something like this:

The context is Jack Nicholson’s polite facilitation of the request, “Tell us who you are.” Sandler begins with the standard “I’m (insert name) and I work at…” and is interrupted by Jack, who says, “No, not what you do; who you are”. Sandler tries again, this time with, “I’m a people-person…” or such-like, which is again shot down. “Not your personality; who you are.” An outburst was almost guaranteed to follow, wasn’t it?

The reality is that most of us have defined ourselves by our work, our spouse, our personality, our status, culture or some other important aspect of our existence. It’s difficult to separate what I do, where I do it and why I do it from who I am. Yet this is an important distinction, for who I am needs to drive the other domains. Who I am should inform my choices.

Bob Buford, in Half-Time, shares a metaphor he was given. A mentor told him that there was a box in his lounge / living room, containing the most important thing in his life. The question is, of course: what’s inside the box? Is it God? Is it family? Business? Really? Evidenced by what I spend my time, energy and money on the most?

Why not join me in the search for better answers to the Big Questions?

We can only become more of who we alone can be, and achieving more of our wonderful potential.

A server does not do everything. It enables knowledge-sharing across diverse levels of an organisation, without being precious about information. It will pass on whatever is needed, unless security would be compromised.

Servers are also made to allow redundancy (usually with RAID configuration). In other words, they allow for quick, real-time, backup and swap-out of drives. This ensures that data is protected, and the business can function efficiently, even if a harddrive fails. In that case, another takes over the missing drive’s load, until it can be restored.

Does this sound at all like good leadership?

No, nothing spiritual here (welcome though that is); rather, I am referring to a case of exceptional service, from a JHB North plumber.

The background: I am notoriously inept when it comes to being a handyman. Yet I am the best equipped to facilitate practical things around the house. Net result? I have great friends who assist, and I’m not afraid to ask for help. What a delight, though, when you encounter assistance without asking!

In my quest for a solution to a leaking cistern, a plumber from JHB North Plumbing heard my parts request from a supplier and asked what the problem was (he was waiting for his order to be fulfilled, too). Not only did he help to establish the REAL issue, but also offered hemp from his own supplies, and a quick lesson in how to use it to seal the pipe connection. What a star! Dude, I never got your name, but you are noted!

The point, of course, is that I was not seeking a new plumber. But I have found one. I have been touched by an individual act of kindness, which informs my emotional connection to the brand he represents. And I do mean represents. This person was the sum total of the brand, its personality and values, yesterday. I have seen their advertisements often. But I have now experienced their brand, care of Mystery Man. Oh, and the leak is history

My son’s drawings, enshrined on our fridge, are memorable and delightful. They are also soon blocked out, unintentionally, for I see them a few times a day. This is the mind’s focus weapon at work. If we were to be cognisant of everything around us simultaneously, we would make Hannibal Lector look sane. So we focus on what we want, or tell ourselves is important to us – see the role of the Reticular Activating System. The childhood game of “I-spy” relies on this, as do advertisers, who never remind us of the positive attributes of our current vehicle.

If this is a feature of our mind’s inner workings, should we not be changing the way we display mission statements? If they are not in the heart, they are not there at all! If we do not know what we are looking for when studying, little – if anything – is absorbed. Every course, lecture and communication needs to blast through the filter and scream at us, “I’m new, interesting and important!” before we take notice.

I might also add, here, that we often distract ourselves, allowing interference and postpone-able data to mute our own excellence. We keep ourselves from delivering our very best, by letting “good” things -even “urgent” things – stop us from doing what is really of the highest value. Most meetings are unfocussed, as are most email newsletters, presentations and courses, though they need not be.

Why not our business cards, emails, meetings – and homes – reflect innovation, creativity and fun, in the interest of achieving our true potential?

No matter how lovely it is, however, the sad reality remains that a ceiling is designed to be an end – a limit – and not to encourage growth. It resists further advancement and development, other than maintenance of the status quo. Perhaps this is why Michelangelo is known to have resented the commission, believing his work would only serve the Pope’s needs. I wonder if we, too, are involved with our life’s most memorable work, yet without love or passion, due to being flat-out on our back, staring at a ceiling?

I model my future on audio equipment, as a musician and creative person. Audio equipment is built with headroom in mind, that is, the difference between the current output and the maximum output possible. An amplifier is often linked to more powerful speakers than it needs, to create breathing space, and the option of expansion, as appropriate, without internal damage. Unlike a teen with an i-pod, trying to get his neighbours to enjoy his music from a 6-watt speaker system, audiophiles choose clarity of sound as the standard, and this is best engineered with matched systems.

If only most careers and organisations were built with headroom in mind, matching output to stress-free clear parameters, and optimising systems to bring out the best in their (human) resources. Containment is not ultimately clever. Growth is.

Note, for instance, Marti the zebra’s feeling that he was made for something different to the pampered lifestyle in a zoo. Out of interest, National Geographic, in its documentary on stress, mention that zebras live long lives, because they only stress when in danger, as opposed to living in a constant state of adrenalin. Alex the lion, too, senses what he was really made for when he is ravenous. Even his close friends become potential prey, which is what they would normally be.

I am not suggesting we procure a zebra sandwich, but rather that we all have an authentic “hard-wired” talent system resident within us. We may neglect it, and thus live mediocre or unfulfilled lives, but it rewards us with “flow” (see the seminal work of Cziksentmihalyi) and effortless high performance when engaged. Authenticity surpasses “Windhoekness” – keeping it real – and encompasses the style, flavour and finesse which we bring to a project. Ten accountants could be assigned to a project, yet each would have different talents (natural strengths combined with skill and knowledge). Tom Peters has for years been promoting the “PSF”, or professional service firm. He encourages the “portfolio” view of work – having a variety of skills or interests, and thus being approached for different projects, dependent on demand. This implies that we should be professional enough to be selected, and remunerated, on a project basis, as opposed to salary.

Do we know what makes us valuable? To our market? Sustainably?

Few of us know our authentic voice, or have practised using it to impact others, and indeed, make a living. Our authentic voice is who we are when we strip away the status, power, wealth and achievements that so often define us. It is the soul behind the social-approval masks, the self truly worthy of respect and dignity. And it has a purpose. One which it longs to fulfill. One which makes it feel alive and energetic. And causes us to desire growth, excellence and ongoing achievement.

Once we have uncapped WHO we are, the other questions become relevant, particularly WHAT we do, WHY and WHERE we do so. There is no shortcut to Discovery. If we take time to reflect on our essential biases, our history of flow and successes, we will become aware of the gentle patterns of genius embedded in our make-up. Best we align ourselves with our magnificent, original design.

After all, who will wear our fingerprints, if we do not?

I am convinced, now more than ever, that diversification is the key, in our South African economy at least.

This means refusing to ever be employed again,if if you work for a boss. In other words, it’s a mindset (Tom Peters calls it a PSF or Professional Service Firm) of rendering your services to a company. You are not dependent on them. You add value to them, through your transferable skills, knowledge and natural talent.

Of course, passive income is part two of the equation. Without this, you are limited in your impact. When you think of your past, it is littered with examples of effectiveness and passion, sometimes even being “in the zone” for hours at a high level of excellence. This experience can be brought to bear as an alternate career, whether it starts by making you R20 a month or more.

It is time to set up multiple streams of income, whether by writing, walking dogs, or using musical and other skilss and talents we have honed over time. BOTH / AND, not EITHER/ OR.

And it is time to be generous, with our time and money, helping others and expanding our influence and network. What we give away makes us more desirable.

Then we will be on our way to the kind of freedom we desire, to be the head, and not the tail.