Powerful Lessons Learnt and Meaningful Take-Aways

Fortune/U.S. State Department Global Mentorship Exchange Program (Part 2)

Date: Work in progress since 1 May 2013 till published

Place: New York to Johannesburg - from office desks, hotel rooms to lying in bed

So after a 4 week overload of information, stimulation and inspiration, I’ve finally managed to take some time to process and reflect on the extraordinary happenings during the program. It’s easy to go from meeting to meeting, workshop to workshop and feel great about it afterwards. But for me it’s about so much more than just that. It’s about consolidating the learnings and information and really thinking about how has this process enriched my life, what did I really learn and what is it that I am going to do with all of this?

Writing this blog was part of the answer to each of those questions. In order to write this, I really needed to sit down and think about what’s changed in me over the last month. Instead of just having pockets of knowledge and advice in separate areas, the process of writing required me to consolidate my learnings and draw a holistic overview of how everything is connected. And most importantly, writing this blog is the first part of what I plan to do with all of this – and that is to SHARE my learnings.

There are some parts of the learning that are very hard to describe in writing, but these will be shared in my “doing” as I go forward on my journey. For now though, that which I can share in writing, is presented here.

The Power of a Brand

In all honesty, before I embarked on my time spent with the company, I very much thought of IBM as a computer and software company. Little did I know that they’re world leaders in technology, innovation, business consulting and so much more! And at first I questioned the way the brand was represented. But I soon discovered a very different and powerful branding strategy.

Considering that the entity that IBM services is not the average man on the street, but rather institutions such as businesses, corporations, banks and governments, their brand marketing is not focused on the individual consumer like you and I. But when you look at the magnitude and calibre of the clients that they do service, you realise that they do indeed have a very well established brand in the relevant space that they play in.

But that is not the powerful strategy I was referring to. What I was more impressed by was the focus on which IBM puts on establishing a respected brand internally, to its very own employees. I mentioned the term “IBM’er” repeatedly in my previous blog. This is because the concept of the IBM’er came up repeatedly, from everyone I interacted with at the company - be it the man on the ground or the most senior leaders. This sense of identity, of belonging, for a company that’s over 430 000 employees strong, is simply astounding!!  It is the finest example of “Brand around product vs Brand around purpose”. At IBM, the employees I interacted with all spoke about a sense of purpose, and with that purpose came the sense of pride to be part of this “family”. It’s often said that it’s the people that drive a company’s success, and if you look at IBM’s success track record, the power of internalising a brand to such an extent could not be more evident!

The Power of You

Keeping in line with the Power of a Brand, this is not just limited to companies or products. This is equally, if not more, important when it comes to your Personal Brand.

If there was one clear message that resonated in all the discussions with a multitude of leaders, both with IBM and through the Vital Voices program, it was certainly around The Power of YOU!

We often spend so much time and energy trying to be who we think our boss, our partner, the world wants us to be, that we rarely ever stop to understand who we really are and what potential lies within us. There is nothing more powerful than being your authentic self, and once you embrace that, you have freed up all that energy to contribute to something more meaningful and constructive.

Continuously seeking the approval of the masses is frivolous and exhausting. Chris Quinn says, “Don’t spend so much time thinking about what people think about what you do, just do it!” I will admit that this is easier said than done and I too still struggle with this. The need to be liked, to desire to have people agree with me, the fear of negative criticism – I am still finding my way through it all. But having heard these amazing women, even during the tough times, all embracing the concept of the Power of You, was certainly a powerful affirmation to stay the course and keep focusing on getting myself in this space.

Susan McPherson spoke of the concept of “onlyness” – that which distinguishes us from others. It is this “Onlyness” that we should be celebrating, and not trying to change.

A large part of being successful is knowing who you are, because only once you understand the Power of You, can you build your reputation, your Personal Brand.

(From Left to Right) Lounging around with Gerri Laybourne, Founder Oxygen Media and her bosom buddy Donna Orender, past WNBA President; Pattie Sellers, Senior Editor in Chief of Fortune interviewing New York Council Speaker, Chris Quinn; Alyse Nelson, CEO Vital Voices moderating a panel discussion with Senior Vice President Fenton Media and the extraordinary Beth Brooke, Global Vice Chair E&Y; Christiane Amanpour of CNN

The Power of Choice

With the hot topic for many career women being around “work-life balance”, or rather the existence thereof, it was interesting to hear what these extremely successful individuals had to say. What came through was that the first thing to understand about “work-life balance” is that is actually more about“work-life choices”.

“Balance” means different things to different people. The world has this perfectly painted picture of what a “balanced” life looks like. And the minute we deviate from it, everyone points fingers judgmentally and says, “Look, it’s all about her career!”, or “Shame, she gave up an amazing career and is now stuck as a house-wife.” But at the end of the day, it’s not about pleasing the world. It’s about making choices and being comfortable with them. Just because your choices lead to a life which does not fit your neighbour’s definition of “balanced”, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t the right choice for your life in your context. And more importantly, having a life that isn’t “balanced” doesn’t have to necessarily be a negative thing. After all, the extremely successful Gerri Laybourne emphatically said “I have lived a joyous life of imbalance”.

Yes, with ambitions of a successful career, there will no doubt be challenges and sacrifices that need to be made. There should be no delusions around this, but giving these the due consideration that they deserve is an integral part of the “work-life choices” that one makes.

The Power of Discomfort

This one was very clear and succinct: If you’re comfortable in your job, then you’re not growing!

Few things offer better growth than a new challenge. Yes, it’s very easy to fall into a comfort zone, and more dangerous is that often we don’t even realise that that’s what has happened. That’s where the importance of rotation programs, having a good manager, being on good development program and/or just being proactive has the most value.

Both IBM and Sasol, where I currently work, have a fantastic rotation policy. Being matrix organisations, they encourage lateral movement to enhance vertical growth.  A rotation model is not always easy - both for management, where it means they have to allow talented individuals to leave their teams; and for individuals, where it means moving out of a comfort zone. But the results often speak for itself.

Depending on the company structure and/or programs, this may not necessarily be the way new challenges and opportunities are presented to you. But that’s when you need to either find an environment that cultivates this, or be proactive about seeking new challenges outside of your current space.

  

The Power of Sharing Power

Often in very male dominated environments, when women do succeed, they hold onto their success. Sometimes so tightly, that they make it even more difficult for their female counterparts to progress. I asked a number of the leaders I met about this and I received some great feedback on why, as leaders, they choose not to do this.

Many of these leaders spoke about how “inclusive leadership” is a more progressive style of leadership and something that women are inherently better at. In the past women often felt like they had to lead like men in order to succeed in a man’s world, and often that was what worked against them more than anything. This was largely as a result of the fact that this kind of leadership style was not necessarily one that came naturally to them (and this again speaks to exploiting the Power of You, instead of trying to be someone else).

They went on to share that most successful people will show that power is more likely to expand when shared. When you shine a light on someone else, it reflects positively on you too. Often, it enhances your reputation as leader when you celebrate the successes of those around you.

Or quite simply put, Susan McPherson says “It’s easier to be nice than to be mean.”

Unfortunately this is not always the mind-set of the leaders we are exposed to in our everyday lives. But being exposed to leaders who do actually think this way, has really got me thinking about how do we spread this message? How do we encourage this to become the norm? I am determined to delve more into this and do some work around promoting inclusive leadership, and also looking into ways on how, as women looking to succeed and grow, do we tackle leaders who don’t practise this?

  

The Power of Paying It Forward

When people hear the phrase “paying it forward” they often think it needs to be in some huge, complex,  magnificent way like starting a Non-Profit or a Movement of sorts that tackles massive, life-threatening issues around the world. If one has the capacity, resources and passion to do just that, then that’s great. But “paying it forward” is no less valuable when it is done in your immediate space, in an unstructured manner, integrated into your day-to-day activities by just yourself or a handful of partners. It simply means finding a way to help make a positive change in your own life, and the lives of those around you.

It doesn't even have to be in the form of a novel, grand idea. Take the concept of the Bottom Closet, which was started off by affluent executives donating business attire to the less privileged to help these women enhance their confidence and create a better impression when interviewing. This is such a reproducible concept – something that we can each easily do by ourselves, and not even limited to just women. This is certainly something I am going to start encouraging in both my work and community environment.

More so, sometimes “paying it forward” is as simple as getting a conversation started. My personal area of interest in doing so is around people development and women empowerment. Now in a country plagued by BEE and quota’s and diversity incentives etc, a term such as women empowerment is often misunderstood as getting the numbers of women in relevant positions up for the sake of compliance. I’m saying NO, women empowerment actually means investing in women, enhancing their skills, expanding their exposure, encouraging them to learn and grow SO THAT they can then build up the right skills set, experience and qualifications to be excellent at what they do and get into relevant positions based on MERIT! And thereafter encouraging these women to use their success to help those around them succeed to create a positive change reaction of success. This is the conversation that I want to get started and this is where I plan on directing my mission to “pay it forward”.

The Power of Mentorship

When you interview for a job, one of the first things the interviewer usually asks about is what experience do you have. In a world where competency is measured by experience, why would you limit yourself to only your own? By of having a mentor, you’re able to leverage off their experiences, and learn from their successes and failures. Imagine the value that this adds to your competency measure!

Mentorship can take place in various forms - oftentimes it’s through structured programs in the workplace, through organised programs, or certainly through exchange programs like this amazing one - and that is really fantastic and powerful, but mentorship doesn’t always have to be through formal or structured channels. Mentorship can be any engagement with an individual or group of individuals who you can learn from and who are willing to guide you in their expertise of choice. Sometimes this kind of mentorship can be the most powerful, but it’s up to us to be open to mentoring that happens inadvertently/naturally. Be willing to learn from other’s to help you grow. As Beth Brookes says about learning from others, “I steal everything. I’m an amalgamation of everyone I meet.”

We also need to learn to pick up cues on when people are opening themselves up to help us. That conversation can be the start of great things to come!

And as valuable it is to have a mentor or mentors is in your own life, in line with Paying it Forward, it’s equally important, and a tremendous learning and growth experience to mentor others. When mentoring others, take some advice from Christiane Amanpour. She says “Always be your best, and make other’s want to be their best”. But remember, mentoring is more than just inspiring others, it’s about being there to guide your mentees along the way and as Alyse Nelson says, “The best gift that you can give your mentee is to still be there for them when they fail.”

Being both a mentee and a mentor is one of the most invaluable gifts you can give yourself!

The Power of Networks

With the high level of corruption and fraud taking place in South Africa, the term “It’s about who you know” is very often seen in a very negative light, and rightfully so under these circumstances. But the Power of Networks looks at “It’s about who you know” in a very different context. The networks that I’m talking about are built on credibility, reputation and trust. If you are able to build this kind of network, you have just extended the boundaries of possibility infinitely.

The power of having networks calls on everything I have already spoken about – it’s these networks that you can call upon when you find yourself in a comfort zone and you’re looking for doors to be opened to a new challenge. It’s these networks that you can call upon when you’re looking for a mentor or someone to guide you in making critical decisions. These are the networks that, because they’re built on trust and common ground, you can turn to when you find yourself losing the Power of You or looking for guidance on making your “work-life choices”. It’s also these networks that you can call on to help you find ways and means of paying it forward and possibly even doing so together.

Part of practising the Power of Sharing Power can be the opportunity to share your networks with those who you trust and believe can use them for good. And most definitely these networks, these allies are the people you can call on to help you promote both the brand of your company and yourself.

I have had the unique opportunity to expand my network to include some of the most extraordinary people through this program. The possibility for collaboration, shared learning, assistance, and potential is unlimited! 

Don’t ever underestimate the Power of Networks. This is your opportunity to have levers of influence within reach and using these to your advantage. But at the same time, remember, networks are kept alive with integrity and trust, and the minute this is broken, it is very hard to re-establish.

The Power of Friendship

Over and above everything else, one of my greatest take-aways from the program is the set of friends I have made. I specifically call them “friends” because the relationships that were built with my 26 fellow mentees extends far beyond just a network. There we were, from 17 different countries, an age range spanning almost 20 years, and from a multitude of cultural backgrounds, yet there was a golden thread that bonded us all. These phenomenal women, each no doubt the next leading CEO’s, President’s, Change-makers in their own countries and beyond, have each enhanced my life in such a special way. 

Building friendships and making memories with my 26 fellow mentees from all around the world

I look forward to growing these relationships and extract a great deal of comfort knowing that I have so much support from all 4 corners of the world as I take these powerful learnings into my own endeavours!! This is only the beginning...