Jane Karuku: A lot of change is happening in Kenyan Boardrooms
When we talk about Motherland Moguls and #BossGoals, Mrs Jane Karuku is the perfect definition of just that. Currently sitting at the top of the corporate ladder as the Managing Director of Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL), Non-executive director of East African Breweries Limited (EABL) and Barclays Bank Kenya, and a member of prestigious boards such as the Global Sustainability Index board among others. Mrs Jane Karuku has over 20 years of expert experience in the consumer-goods industry and is not looking to slow down anytime soon. Her passion and energy for great leadership tells an enticing story of grit, consistency and sheer hard work. SLA contributor Diana Odero had a quick sit-down with Mrs Karuku to learn about her current role now and what keeps her going in the cut throat business world. As an African woman with over two decades in corporate leadership, what does leadership mean to you? Leadership is getting people to do what’s good for an organization and more importantly what’s good for them. Leadership is unleashing the potential of people. Therefore you need to have great influencing skills for moving anything or anyone from point A to point B. What is the biggest misconception people have about your job? I don’t think there’s much of a misconception. For me, I have never seen myself as just a woman, I just see myself as a leader. Once you see yourself as a leader, you get what you give. Within my job, my career, I consider myself a leader – I see myself as a woman in different places outside the professional aspect. I always tell my fellow women – don’t look for favors because you are a woman and expect diversity to help you. Just turn up and do your job as a human being and you have a better chance to succeed. [bctt tweet=”Jane Karuku from @Diageo_News talks about leadership, her experience in the business world, and manufacturing in #EastAfrica” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Following the production of fake alcoholic products in the Kenyan market, how do you ensure that these illegitimate products do not get into the market especially working with a brand as big as EABL? We try to work with government agencies, there’s no knowledge management because people don’t know. Also, we work very closely with Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and with enforcement agencies just to educate them about our products and the systems we’ve put in place to make sure that these are legitimate products. We also work with IT solutions, which are mobile based so you can check every brand online and see its legitimacy. Our borders are very porous but in Kenya we have different classes. You can have a class of genuine products that come in with no duty paid, and that’s the bigger problem with our brands more than the fakes because we have very serious security features. With lots of surveillance placed around, we can spot something that’s fake and sort it out before it gets to consumers. The only challenge we’ve had so far is the imported products which belong to Diageo and are under-called in duty value therefore underpriced and not able to compete in the market and this in turn loses revenue so it’s quite a big challenge. [bctt tweet=”I always tell my fellow women – don’t look for favors because you are a woman and expect diversity to help you – Jane Karuku ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What do you think are Kenyan’s attitudes towards alcohol and alcohol production? How can we make these attitudes more positive? Kenya is quite interesting in that we have a big population of religious people, both Muslim and Christians so there’s a lot of people who do not take alcohol based on their beliefs. There’s also a big proportion of women who just do not want to drink. I would say that Kenyans are not the biggest consumers of alcohol per capita, we are actually behind other East African countries such Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. But in terms of responsible drinking, we do a lot of work on that. One challenge we have is the presence of so much bad alcohol all over the place, therefore people consume or overuse alcohol which demonizes it. We spend a lot of time on alcohol education, we call it drink IQ – how you should behave and drink responsibly, we press in our campaigns the importance of eating and then drinking, drinking a lot of water after indulging in some alcohol and drinking alcohol within the recommended portions. We don’t advocate for binge drinking but we do advocate for responsible drinking. What are some of your favorite products that you manufacture/market and why? Tusker Cider would be on the top of my list, I think it’s a very good drink and in the spirits section – the Ron Zacapa Rum, it’s a very gentle nice rum. What trends do you see within the East African region that you find interesting? Some new trends would be the places that people drink at first of all. There’s a lot of innovation around bars, a lot of work is going into how bars look – we are starting to get very sophisticated for consumers. Food and alcohol pairing is becoming a very big deal, it’s an enjoyable and social experience. This is mostly throughout Kenya, wherever you go you can find a nice location where you have a good meal and a drink with ease. Another trend I have taken note of is the cocktail culture – it’s interesting to see the many new ways of taking alcohol. It’s exciting and different. This is already a big global phenomenon, East Africa is quickly catching up on that trend. There’s also a lot of innovation in alcohol production with a lot of new alcohol products coming in, we are becoming very globalized which is good progress. What do you think has been most difficult for you to deal with as a woman rising
How Perseverance Hadebe is empowering special needs learners in Zimbabwe through education
Perseverance Hadebe is the dynamic headmistress of King George VI in Bulawayo. This school is a revolutionary school that for 60 years has continued to break new grounds by providing a sterling education for learners and children in Zimbabwe with disabilities from kindergarten to the fourth form. She is also a pastor at Apostolic Church Of Pentecost, which was founded 68 years ago as one of the first Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe. In this interview, we learn more about her passion for education. Where did you get your passion for special education? During my training to become a teacher, I requested a post at Sir Humphrey Gibbs, a local special school. It was then that I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I find special needs learners very inspiring. It is so satisfying to see someone who at face value seems incapable of so many things and watch them grow from strength to strength and exceed all expectations. I have always been drawn to the downtrodden, the unwanted and the unloved. At church as a pastor, I find myself reaching out to the disadvantaged there as well. I want to help them improve their lives and become successful in their own right. What do you want people to understand about those who are different? I want people first and foremost to look at them and see them as complete. They must be respected, loved and appreciated. We must look at them as equals and not assume we know better than them how things ought to be done. I would like people to give them a listening ear, really hear what they have to say, truly you’ll be amazed! How do you keep the children of KGVI feeling empowered and confident in themselves? We encourage and believe in them. We give them the opportunity to do various activities like drama and public speaking. In addition, we put a strong emphasis on how they should present themselves and how they should be groomed. We even have slogans like- “Given an opportunity, what must we do?!” “We must take the shot!” Why does KGVI have an inclusive policy? We are an inclusive school. We have the physically challenged, deaf and non-disabled, with most of our non-disabled being vulnerable learners. Most of them have sad backgrounds and we feel they fit in extremely well here as the ethos of the school is one of respect and acceptance. For example, I taught a little boy in kindergarten once who went home after his first day of school and asked for a ‘pram’. He didn’t realize his fellow pupils were disabled and in wheelchairs, he just wanted to fit in and be like his friends! It would certainly be gratifying if the mainstream schools included children with special needs. However, it would need careful consideration and planning. Teachers and heads need to be well equipped to deal with the demands of special education. As children inherently lack prejudice, they can be taught to appreciate everyone from the beginning through inclusive education. What setbacks have you faced while running the school? We have limited resources. A number of parents are struggling to pay school fees (primary is $92 a term and secondary it’s $102.) The demands of a special school are diverse and the failure to pay school fees severely affects the smooth running of the school. From simple things like detergents to keep the toilets clean, to the specific education materials needed to support our learners, there is a lot that is needed! Do you feel the government is supportive enough of special education? To a great extent, the government is supportive. They pay teachers and a huge number of our auxiliary stuff for which we are grateful. I would suggest that they take some time to come here to give themselves the opportunity to be able to identify our other needs and to see how they can best continue to support us. As citizens, we can also do more to be supportive and inclusive. There are lots to be done to help the school and so we can’t rely on the government alone. Everything from sponsoring a student, to buying school uniforms or even donating food for the pupils will be appreciated. What do you want every child to leave KGVI believing about themselves? Our motto is never to give up! I want them to never give up on themselves; they must believe in themselves and know that they can do anything as long as they don’t give up. We make sure to equip them with various skills so they can earn a living. What is the biggest lesson you have learned from the children? I have learned that they are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God and that they are gifted in a manner which sometimes blows my mind. I remember once we had a brilliant student, she didn’t have her upper limbs so she used her foot for everything. One time I walked into a fashion and fabrics class and she was threading a needle with her foot! I really saluted her that day. I was very impressed! Ultimately what is your vision for KGVI? What do you want its legacy to be? I would like us to expand to include a tertiary college. This would not only be a crucial complement to what we already teach but would also provide necessary employment opportunities for many of our students. I would also like to partner with companies and organizations that can engage our students after they are done being educated here. Name an African woman (past/present) whom you admire. Why? My provincial education director, Mrs. Kiara. Starting out as a primary school teacher, I really respect how she rose through the ranks. She is my mentor and she has to lead us exceptionally in the province. I also love Maureen Shana, co-founder of World of Life Fellowship Church. I like her creativity and the way
Michelle Ndiaye: Driving the Peace and Security Agenda in Africa
Michelle Ndiaye is the Director of the Africa Peace and Security Programme (a joint programme with the African Union Commission) at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) in Ethiopia. Ms. Ndiaye started her career in 1995 as a program officer at the African Institute for Democracy (IAD), a UNDP project based in Dakar, Senegal that promotes democracy and governance in Africa and particularly in 15 West African Countries. She is also the Head of the Tana Forum Secretariat, an annual high-level gathering of African decision makers in peace and security in Africa. She has worked on a variety of projects with local and international organizations in the fields of peace and security, democratic and local governance, post-conflict and community recovery, sustainable development and environmental issues, transitional justice, communication for development and research. Before joining IPSS, she was the Managing Director of the Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS) in South Africa. Prior to joining MINDS, between 1999 and 2011, she consecutively headed several African and international organizations as Executive Director of Greenpeace Africa, CEO of the African Institute for Corporate Citizenship (AICC), Founder and Manager of Africa Projects for Akena Research and Consulting. [bctt tweet=”Having implemented projects in 48 countries in Africa made me wonder what a waste it is that Africans do not know Africa – @MichelleNdiaye1″ username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] You play a leading role in peace and security, a field normally perceived to be a preserve for men. What is your take on this? The area of peace and security has for a long time, been considered as an area where only men have a say. However, in recent times this perception is changing because of the initiative and role played by women. Whether at a community level (grassroots level) or international level, women are voicing their concerns. There is evidence that shows that women play an important role as drivers of change in achieving sustainable peace and development. For instance, women have been involved in peace negotiations in many African countries as well as led development efforts at the grassroots level. The Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 is one example. I believe now is the right time for women empowerment and the right time to prove ourselves. Every woman should be able to reach the forefront in any field. What would you have been if you had not pursued this career path? Perhaps a diplomat. However, my work today involves socio-economic, human rights, socio-political and developmental aspects of society so I have no regrets. Who influenced you the most in your professional life? Aside from my family, my largest influence was my first supervisor at the African Institute for Democracy (IAD) in Senegal. Professor Babacar Sine, a brilliant Senegalese intellectual, taught me that leadership can only have an impact when it is a leadership of service. What would you say is Africa’s greatest strength? Our resilience and our capacity to absorb shocks. We face so many societal and developmental challenges in our nation-building processes that we have developed the ability to find solutions even in situations where we are threatened. Have you encountered any challenges in your role as a peace and security professional? Penetrating and making an impact in a male-dominated field has various challenges, from changing people’s perceptions to taking decisions and standing by them. You have to focus on demonstrating strong leadership and rigor in whatever you do. What would you tell a young person seeking a meaningful and successful career? Have a vision, believe in it and share it with others. I also believe in ethics and professionalism at all levels of my work. What do you consider to be your greatest professional achievement to date? I have worked on a variety of continental programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa with both local and international organizations in the fields of peace and security, democratic and local governance, post-conflict and community recovery, sustainable development and environmental issues, transitional justice, communication for development and research. But I must say, having implemented projects in 48 countries in Africa made me wonder what a waste it is that Africans do not know Africa! Have you ever received a painful rejection in your career? How did you handle it? I face painful rejections all the time. It’s part of how you build yourself into a strong leader. I handle it by having clear objectives, relying on my team, and being driven by professionalism and ethics at all times. Do you have any regrets? Looking back, what would you have done differently? I have no regrets when it comes to my professional career. I believe I embraced the right career path and I also feel that I have achieved most of my objectives in my field of work. As a lesson to any young person starting a career, I would say be focused, be professional, be rigorous and allow yourself to dream big. What have you learned in your career about women in leadership? Any advice for women who aspire to leadership positions? As a woman in a leadership position, you are expected to deliver 10 times as much as a man and be able to sustain it. No failure is allowed. You have to be resilient and strong. Women are increasingly facing burn out trying to juggle career and home lives. What can they do to prevent burning out? Have clear boundaries between your home and work life. It’s impossible to do both. Deal with one expectation at a time. As we live in a digital world, what is the one website that you must visit daily? IPSS and Tana Forum websites. I also visit the African Union website almost daily. Do you have a must-visit destination list? Too many! Ile du Saloum, Senegal; Lake Malawi shores, Malawi; Gorée Island, Senegal; Drakensberg and Paris (North West), South Africa; and Bahir Dar and Hawassa, Ethiopia. Which book is currently on your reading list? Winnie Mandela, A life!
Babalwa Fatyi: Serving my Purpose with my many hats on
Meet Babalwa Fatyi the South African Environmental Scientist who is a wife, mother, poet, author. She is also the managing director for Myezo Environmental Management Services Consulting company, Myezo growth and development institute, and co-owner of the ZenQ fashion line. In recognition of her outstanding contribution towards the development of the economy, Babalwa has been awarded various accolades. She won the Standard Bank 2016 Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015, and in 2016, she won the Most Influential Woman in Business and Government Award. What factors have helped you achieve as much as you have? The biggest factor that has contributed towards my success is not contradicting who I am. I aim to produce outputs that are authentic. My outputs should be aligned with my inner being and bring me peace. To ensure this, I’ve made sure that I understand my purpose and that I align my goals with that purpose. That way when I’m faced with challenges, I am strengthened by focusing on my purpose which God revealed to me. Therefore, when I feel out of tune with what I need to do, I talk to friends and to God. They remind me of purpose and keep me on track. Secondly, I am driven by serving others. I see my gifts and talents as a means to achieve greatness. You wear many hats, tell us your secret ingredient for achieving it all. The things that I do revolve around my core and serve my purpose. My responsibility revolves around showing gratitude and taking care of the environment that has been entrusted unto us. Poetry allows me to respect and feed my soul, by nourishing it. My ZenQ clothing line in an expression of my artistic creativity through clothes. I believe clothes can reflect the essence of who we are. They can show how we feel as well as how we wish to be viewed. All these different things are just a tangible expression of who I am. My gifts and talents, which are given to me, to fulfill my role as an environmental ambassador and a steward. So I do not wear many hats but I wear one hat: I wear me. What led you publishing your poetry book “Greetings from My Core”? Poetry to me is an expression of who I am and a conduit through which I could find my voice and reach out to others and request them to engage with me on some of the matters that affect our society. Through poetry, I could share my authenticity, experiences and love my surroundings, including its beautiful diverse people I encounter, who inspire me or bring life to those experiences. This enables me to be more conscious and is also an opportunity for me to give reverence to God. What can you tell us about your company – Myezo Environmental Management Services consulting? At Myezo, we seek to serve the environment, communities, and developers through guidance on how to best take care of the land we have. We help developers with regulations and assessing the impact of developments on both the land and the communities. Through our work, we learn’t that our solutions must be tested by our clients who are our partners. As respect, empathy and listening to others are key in what we do, we must incorporate all the diverse views we face. How has Myezo developed in terms of creating jobs? Our greatest strength is our heart for youth and solidarity to the challenges our country face in terms of unemployment and poverty alleviation. We aim to bring to life the National Development Plan goals by playing a role within our areas of influence and capacity. Through providing a platform, we’ve helped youth penetrate into the job market and therefore provided them with the needed resources to improve their lives and their families. The youth were not only exposed to scientific knowledge but also to self-awareness, project management, and organizational skills among others. What does the Myezo Growth and Development Institute do? At this institute, we do coaching and mentoring through our collaborations with some universities. We contribute to ensuring that there are no wide gaps between what is taught at schools and what industries expect from graduates. Our other collaborations with other organizations include projects such as the Princess D Menstrual Cup. Through this, we hope to put girls back to school and not miss out on learning due to natural biological processes. This is aligned with our environmental stewardship role as this cup reduces the sanitary pads that go to the landfill or medical waste disposal sites. Finally, together with the Tsogang Re Direng Youth Foundation, we empower girls with career selection decisions and also help connect them to skills development opportunities. These include skills such as events management of vintage recycling where they learn practical environment-friendly skills that generate income. What do you do to relax? I’m a very outdoor kind of person. So for fun, I take walks at the nature reserves around my neighborhood. This helps me find peace and tranquility in just giving my self-time to be alone at times and just recharge. I also believe in being spiritually fed and therefore fellowship with other believers. Other than this, I spend time with my husband, family, friends. Listening to the sound of my kid’s laughter and running around brings joy to my life.
Francisca Ogunlade: My Scars are My Strength
Francisca Onyinye Ogunlade is a car crash survivor who decided to make her second chance at life very impactful and interesting. She is also known as the “Side Business Queen” because she helps corporate employees leverage their strength to start and grow a profitable side business in 90 days or less. She is a banker with 12 years experience, a founder of an event tech company and a business coach. In this interview with Francisca, she talks about surviving a car crash, and how she got into the business of event planning and management. [bctt tweet=”Your location should not be a hindrance to your dreams. The internet has made life easy” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Having being involved in a car crash, what impact did this have your life and business? The car crash turned my whole life around. I had two fractures in one leg and also a cranial injury. As if that’s not enough, I had to carry my pregnancy to term on crutches and a cane. The biggest blow was that I lost the use of one eye – imagine having to be very careful when applying eyeliner because you only have one eye! This accident taught me that life and business are always full of twists and turns. Sometimes, you lose almost everything (like I almost lost my life) and you are left with deciding either to remain conquered or rise up to fight the storm. For me, I chose to live and live well. I charge you to do same. From your experience, how can young women maximize their locations? On July 16, 2017, I changed the narration of the events and wedding industry in the Southwest of Nigeria. My team and I planned and hosted a beauty and bride exhibition, and this event has created so much ripple effect within and outside the many states in Nigeria. The interesting thing about launching out from your location is that you are probably one of the few people with that idea and boom, you are in the limelight. In the last year too, I created Nigeria’s first events budgeting app on the Google play store (Eftinzz Events and Budget Planner). All this taught me that your location should not be a hindrance to your dreams. The internet has made life easy. Make your dream clear enough and your location will be your Launchpad. How do you create a balance between your day job and your business? I must confess that this has not been a box of chocolate. I had to identify my support system and carry them along with my plans. They are a part of life. On my part, I had to make some sacrifices which include reducing my social life. Unfortunately, I lost some few friends who couldn’t understand the new direction I was going but we are now on the same page. What are some key lessons from your journey you’d like others to learn from? I could never have imagined that I would go through some of the things that I have been through. However, through every experience I learned the following lessons: Your scars are your strength Your dreams are valid You must be crazy enough to believe in your craze You are human – it’s okay to ask for help What advice can you give young ladies building their careers or businesses? I won’t tell you it will be easy because it won’t be. But the good thing is, even if it is easy, you can do it. Be true to yourself. Never be scared to dream and make sure you live an enjoyable life because your dreams are valid. If you’d like to get featured on our Facebook page, click here to share your story with us.tory here.
Being a Woman in leadership: How to Change the Narrative
Being a ‘Woman in Leadership’ comes with certain not so pretty narratives. I remember listening to Mrs Ifenyiwa Afe’s story, a recently appointed managing director. She was accompanied by some male staff on a scheduled trip to meet another male executive in the industry. As they met the executive, he immediately walked over to the male staff assuming the ‘Managing Director’ was a man. The embarrassed staff immediately corrected the shocked executive. Imagine the awkward moment! These are relatable workplace realities, that spring from a culture that limits the capabilities of women. I look forward to a society that’s where women in leadership are expected and supported. However, the part that women have to play in driving home this new narrative; is owning it. I have a critical role to play in owning the new narrative myself. I am General Manager at African Women in Leadership Organisation (AWLO). Sometimes, it is possible to slip into these limitations by the society. But being conscious of who you are, and not cautious is a huge step in changing the narrative. Here are a few tips: Be Assertive One of my friends used the phrase; “He was expecting me to be docile” to imply that a male colleague hadn’t expected her to communicate assertively. Being assertive is an attitude, and it doesn’t mean domineering. It is portraying confidence, and presence and very essential in leadership. As women in leadership, being feminine does not mean not being assertive. Be Professional It is so easy to cross the line of professionalism with women. I was in a skype meeting with some male colleagues and I was the only female. With a switched off camera, the convener kept referring to me as male. He made the move to apologize as soon as the impression was corrected. Do you know what he did? He waves a teddy bear in a gesture of apology! People expect that women are meant to be cuddled. Though we may be in certain scenarios, women are also logical beings. Do not compromise ethics for sentiments in the workplace. Women must insist on this. Set Healthy Boundaries I offer to shake hands with a male colleague one day, and he was already gesturing to hug me. What! A male colleague should be able to shake hands with you just as he would a male colleague. That’s not to say that work friendships cannot exist, but let that be clear. Are you cool being identified as dears? Many times, as females we tend to be susceptible. However, you can stay true to your values and communicate as opposed to getting warped in the idiosyncrasies of being female. Focus on your superpowers Being part of a movement that says; ‘beauty lies in the heart of the possessor’ has been much more empowering. It doesn’t just focus on men’s role in helping or stopping us from attaining our full potential as women. Being a by-product of the mission of AWLO has influenced a developmental process that is centered on me. It is true that beauty lies first in the heart of the possessor. It’s about being our own super-heroes first, and concentrating on our superpowers. This does not negate the fact that people may or may not contribute to gender issues. Finally, it feels much more empowering to have great self-talk, self-belief, and self-love, rather than getting caught up in a battle of genders. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
5 Things a Motherland Mogul Leader is Not
Leadership is an art. It means taking courage to maneuver a group of people with common intentions, goals, and objectives in an organized manner. Not everyone can be a good leader! Of course, you have to bear in mind your follower’s individual strengths and weaknesses while walking on eggshells trying not to annoy this group of people – even when they throw their frustrations and aggression at you! With all these pressures, leaders quite often fall into bad habits as they struggle to achieve their goals. To avoid this, as a Motherland Mogul and leader, you are probably asking, what is a leader not? Bossy There is a wide difference between being a boss and being bossy. A bossy person is a maniac! They operate like a machine put in place to juice their subjects in order to extract what they want for the company. A great leader is none of these. They are diplomatic and understand that more is given willingly than forcibly. A good leader is compassionate. They do not exclude others from contributing their part towards the common goal. Nepotist Yes. We all have that cousin or friend that we think would be the best at this job. But what would your followers think if this was the case? Would they be committed to your family company? It is very sad that nobody nowadays values meritocracy. Leaders give more attention to those who massage their ego, than those who tell them like it is. However, true leadership requires building the right team that will challenge you and helps you grow your organization. A jolly old person The truth is, great leaders do not try to keep friendships with others by satisfying their needs at the expense of their followers and the common purpose. When you start pleasing everyone, you start compromising. This then causes your standards to get a tilt and you’re not the same leader anymore. It doesn’t hurt to make friends, but don’t let your friendships compromise your value and your objectives. A Narcissist. Have you ever heard the tale of Narcissus? According to Greek Mythology, he was cursed by a God to look at his reflection in the water and fall in love with it every day. He fell in love so much that it actually ruined him! As slay queens, we need to love ourselves. But we shouldn’t let our self-love turn into overconfidence, self-adulation, and self-centeredness at the expense of our followers and the common purpose. A prejudiced discriminator. In 1949, sociologist Merton illustrated prejudice and discrimination with four categories of people: Unprejudiced non-discriminator Unprejudiced discriminator Prejudiced non-discriminator Prejudiced discriminator The prejudiced discriminator is the worst kind of leader to experience. They are a chooser and not a trainer. This kind of leader doesn’t believe that followers of a particular sect, religion, ethnicity or region can offer the common purpose any productivity due to insufficient justification and undue prejudice. Great leaders do not just build visions, but they also build people. If one doesn’t avoid these habits of bad leaders, they end up attracting the wrong crowd, or no crowd! As Motherland Moguls, let us strive to make sure we are not bad leaders. Build your dreams on the right and with the right attitude. Let’s make Africa better with the advent of good leadership and fellowship. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Rinae Sikhwari: I want to be a change driver
Meet Rinae Sikhwari, a 26-year-old young woman from Tshikwarani Village in South Africa. She currently resides in Polokwane finishing off her BCom Economics and Business Management from UNISA whilst working at New Leaders Foundation. She is a fan of reading African literature books, watching series, traveling and discovering new places. Her favorite pastimes include going to food markets, organizing activities for the children in her home church, as well as watching TED Talks and writing. Rinae describes herself as a change driver and a learner at heart. She is an advocate for providing quality education, especially for children in disadvantaged communities. Education has always been one of Rinae`s biggest passions and she strives to gain a stronger understanding of the complexities, challenges, and milestones of the South African Education System. Part of this is to not only be a solutions bringer but also a change agent to see the education system transformed to cater to the needs of all the children across the country. The South African Education Government spends 6.4% of its GDP on education, however, performance levels are lower than many other countries in the region. Not all children have access to the same quality of education, a legacy left behind by the apartheid government. Rinae is a consultant at New Leaders Foundation, a non- profit organization that is committed to transforming South African Education. The Organisation founded the Data Driven Districts Dashboard Programme, an approachable, highly intuitive dashboard that displays appropriate education-related information to education officials at all levels in the South African Schooling system. She emphasizes the importance of data – “Having accurate data ensures that informed decisions are being made, data determines all the decisions and interventions that need to be undertaken.” Her work involves a lot of interaction with stakeholders from the department of education in driving data-driven conversations and decisions. Engagement with these stakeholders is based on data attained from schools through the South African School Management System. “I’ve learned to understand how essential it is to have people skills and managing working relations with officials of different levels and rankings”. Her work ranges from assisting Department of Education officials from district directors to curriculum advisors and school principals attain data that will assist them to make informed decisions.Her work also takes her into the field where she can see firsthand how the policies of the Department of Education affect local communities. “Working in the field has offered me the context to understand the data we extract from schools on a daily basis.” This has brought visibility of complexities of the department and an understanding of the massive gaps and inequalities in the education sector. Central to her beliefs is the importance of advocating for the education of young women especially those that are growing up in areas where they are faced with so many socio-economic issues, who face so many challenges and a lot of the times education becomes a pillar and an enabler for them to defy the odds against them. Her own upbringing in a rural village made her understand that it is through education that a woman becomes independent and attains opportunities. “I am still such a firm believer that not only does education enable one to critically think and analyse but also education gives one the opportunity to be inquisitive, seek to explore and know more and the more you can do better, a learned/well-read/educated woman is able to challenge the status quo, I believe being educated gives one option and looking at how marginalized women are in society particularly black women it is imperative and essential for women to be educated.” Rinae established a reading club in the township of Seshego in 2015 for children aged between 4-14 years old, currently, the club has over 50 children and has strong support from the parents. She describes the reading club as a platform for children to learn to read and write for enjoyment, it’s a space in which children learn mathematical, social and literacy skills. “I’ve just observed how children enjoy our sessions and most of them have become avid readers, I love how they speak their minds and express their opinions that is actually what’s important for me.” Rinae has always wanted to do work that has a meaning to her and her development as someone aspiring to be a change driver. What does this mean? Being a change driver means doing more to better her community whether it be through mentoring and tutoring or supporting community development initiatives started by her peers or young people from her village. It also means giving a voice and a platform to those who need the change most- raising awareness about initiatives and shinning the spotlight on the developments in the community. Know of anyone impacting your community? Share their story with us here.
Thembelihle Khumalo: I never want to look like I feel apologetic for being African
Thembelihle Khumalo is a branding guru with 20 years experience in the media industry. She specialises in translating the stories of individuals and corporates into compelling brands, through her consulting firm Brandbuilder. She is also the founder of Labour of Love, an organisation contributing to the financial empowerment of African women artisans. What are you current career goals? My main career goal is to build my businesses in order to provide multiple streams of income in the short and long term. These businesses are strategically independent so that the problems in one sector don’t have a ripple effect on the other businesses. Would you say multiple sources of income are necessity for the average young woman? For an ambitious entrepreneur you need multiple streams of income because you need to be able to cushion yourself against financial peaks and troughs. Established and experienced wealth builders tend to employ this strategy. What are 5 insights you think every young woman should know early on in their career? Get rid of any psychological and emotional issues you have with money. Start investing immediately, invest in both long-term and short term goals. Leverage your assets, if you are talented at something, find a way to make it work for you. Understand how to get along with people, and that anybody can add value to you and vice versa. Learn how to make smart decisions quickly, by deciding on your set of values and vision for your life, then narrow down your options based on this. How did you create “Labour of Love”? My grandmother was a talented seamstress who passed these skills down. Initially I made a few things to sell in high school, and then went on to create a short-lived start-up with my sister. Labour of Love only became fully operational in 2015. The advent of online shopping and social media created new opportunities, and tremendously heightened the global appetite for all things African. Subsequently changing the ball game for entrepreneurs and marketers. Hence my current business model of creating opportunities for African women artisans. To use their homemaking and craft skills to increase their financial well-being, build their individual self-esteem, provide for their families and develop their communities. Tell us about Brandbuilder I’ve worked in media and advertising for more than twenty years, but left full time employment to pursue a passion project. I realised that I was leaning on the skills that I have expertise in – brand building and storytelling. I then spent a few months figuring out exactly what my value proposition would be, where my competitive advantage lay, in essence, developing my own brand. How does one get to a place of consistency in business? Timing is one of the factors that largely influence the success of a business. This encompasses the market you intend to service and timing in your own life. You have more resources to input into your business when you are single with no children; responsibility has a way of diminishing your willingness to take risks. There are also political and economic factors that affect your timing and at the end you have to listen to your gut. What are the top three places on your travel list? Definitely Morocco, Zanzibar and Nigeria. What tops the list of African countries you’ve been to and why? Definitely Rwanda! It’s well-led, that’s an important factor for me. The seriousness about achieving the vision they have for their country is seen in the mechanisms and systems they have in place to enable that. A close second is South Africa, the land of my ancestors and for its very cosmopolitan pulse. Would more women leaders make a difference to the African economy? Better, braver leaders would make a difference. If women are better and braver, then yes, more women in leadership. If women are not already competent, then we make them competent and compete on a level playing field. Competence and character should be the only things that decide those best suited for leadership. Tips for a woman trying to enter a male-dominated industry? I’d give her Lloyd P. Frankel’s book “Nice girls don’t get the corner office” and tell her to focus on doing the job properly because we can get distracted by the whole gender conversation. If you don’t get an opportunity, don’t assume it’s because you’re a woman. Ask yourself what you could have done better, where were the opportunities for improvement. What’s your take on leveraging your femininity in a business setting? It’s capital – employ it! It’s no different from your intellectual capital; if you have morals and ethics that can create boundaries for you, you shouldn’t have a problem. What governs your style, what you choose to wear, how you choose to wear your hair? I’d like for anyone who sees an image of me to see a proud African. I never want to look like I feel apologetic for being African. Seasons in your life tend to govern this and they can be different. Some require healing, nurturing and mending bits that have been chaffed and bruised. Then there are other seasons, where you are chasing something so big that you might even forget to brush your hair, and that’s okay too, for a season. What are the biggest relationship lessons you’ve learnt? Listen to hear, as opposed to listening to answer. Understand yourself and the lenses through which you understand what people say. Invest in knowing yourself. Embrace pain and understand that life is going to be difficult, you’ll have painful experiences and that shouldn’t be the end of the world, learn from it. If you were to have dinner with anyone, who would it be, where and why? I would love to have time stand still and spend a few hours with Malcom Gladwell on a beach with the drinks flowing and take time to understand his mind. He is a real
5 tips on how to handle difficult clients as a startup business owner
As someone in the business of cloth making and operating a business which is barely a year old, I have had to deal with some clients who are the human versions of ‘bitter pills’. If I did not absolutely love my business, I would have closed shop the first time a client made me cry. Yes cry. And I know that a lot of us as start-up business owners can actually relate (if you can’t, then I hail you). The good thing about having difficult clients, as a start-up business, is that they toughen you up. They teach you lessons and help you create boundaries and principles. Here are some tips that have helped me deal with difficult clients as a start-up business. 1. Understand your clients Your business will attract different personas with different values and backgrounds, and all of this will play a part in their business interaction with you. At your first meeting or consultation try getting a feel of your client, they are most likely there to try/ figure you out as well. Your first job for them might not turn out right, but the feeling they have around you might bring them back for a second try. 2. It is not worth the effort. I am talking about screaming. Sometimes I think the bane of the cloth making business is when styles are being referenced in pictures. When your client has made a request, which you then try your best to fulfill, it can be pretty frustrating when they begin to have an attitude. The worst is when the client says “this isn’t what I wanted”. Oh boy! There are so many sides to this particular story and so many ways this can go. But, despite the strong need to defend yourself and react in like manner, don’t. Yelling right back at them will solve nothing and frankly is not worth it. 3. An apology does not make you foolish Even if you are right, a riled up client is not going to listen to your explanation and definitely not to excuses. Apologise and apologise again. Eventually they will calm down (even if it takes days) and may realize their mistake. Don’t hold your breath though. 4. Agree to disagree. Sometimes we come across clients who seem to block out all explanations and suggestions. Agreeing with them in the moment will save you the headache. You can drive your point home, later, with facts. 5. Be honest no matter what It can be difficult sticking with the good side when your client acts like ‘the boss of the underworld’. But, I have had really annoying clients come back and say they appreciate my honesty. In spite of who your client is, compromising on morals is never the best route to take, for any business. P.S: Remember: your client is your boss! What are your top tips on how to handle difficult clients? Let us know here.