Halleluya! Yesterday marked the end of my long walk to graduation... and what a journey this has been! As I walked down the aisle to pick up my graduation certificate, something in me leapt and screamed, “...it is finished!”
The crowning moment of the graduation ceremony was when a Wits alumnus, (with the presence of those filthy-rich and powerful matriarchs cast in the South American soaps. You know... the kind that run companies whose turnovers could run a small third-world economy and have change to spare...) took to the stage to deliver her low-toned speech. Anyway, by the time Maria Theresa Heinz-Kerry, (Head of the Heinz Endowments, a trust that has given over $57 million to charity)was done speaking, you could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium as she dropped gem after gem of her wisdom and experience, “as a fellow traveller in the journey of life”.
Jo, when I grow up I want to be her speech-writer!
She said two types of people made history in the world: the sages and the small men. The 'sages' are the Mandelas of this world (and other ordinary folk), who are persuaded by the power of their own convictions to stand for up for something. This lot is willing to put their lives on the line to see change in society. On the flip side, there are the 'small men' (still ordinary folk), who are driven by self-interest or at best, are perpetuators of the status quo at the expense of others.
Then, she pointed out that there is a third category of people. These pitiable souls are the 'by-standers', - regular folk, who, consumed by indifference and/or ignorance, watch as events unfold and do nothing. This sorry lot does not even make it on the pages of history.
In short, we have a choice as to which side of the divide we will stand.
By the time she was done speaking, I was panting... not so much from my earnest fast-tracked scribbling, but from the soul-searching gymnastics that were bringing to my full view the glaring gaps in my own life that need fixing, fast!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Retracing my steps to the blogging-fold
I wandered off from the blissful world of blogging nearly three months ago, and like a repentant sinner, I have been up to loads of stuff and a little mischief too...
I never intended to deal my beloved blog a fatal blow or burn my blog-bridges through my on-again and off-again relationship with my blog. We are back... (until the next time, anyway). I am aware that this kind of behaviour can bring blog-traffic to a screeching halt, when you, my fellow blogee, in sheer frustration, decide to de-blog me from your blog-consciousness...
All this blog-talk is making me 'bloggy'... Over-compensating perhaps?
Anyway, let me bring you up to speed with what I have been up to:
a) I have put on a solid 10 pounds since my last blog post (I can still hear Beauty screaming in pure horror when she saw me after three months. She nearly shocked me into dieting...).
b) I have since finished my three-month internship at AICC, and been granted an extension until December, thankfully.
My spell away from the blog-hood has taken me on a serious learning curve.
Lesson learnt and worth sharing:
There is truth in the pidgin wisdom: “The world is go buy you the way you sell yourself” (sic!). Jo, people, there is this former staff member (pioneer WoWer), who left AICC to pursue his MBA in the U.K. Upon his return to S.A, Nkosi Ndlovu has become hot property, with some seriously attractive job offers throwing themselves at the brother.
Picture this: No sooner had the guy recovered from his jet-lag last week, than it was time to sign on the dotted line of a very lucrative contract the AICC had carefully drawn up for him.
Possible question: Are the Laws of Attraction (as in Rhonda Byrne's bestseller, The Secret) at work here or is it simply that the world loves a confident and skilled professional?
Is it perhaps that his qualifications now affect how the world sees him or does his education affect how he sees (and sells) himself, and therefore changing the way we see him?
Positive vibe: I have since come to the conclusion that there is a domino effect and relationship between how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. Yes, we can appreciate in value. If we change the lens through which we see ourselves, the world around us will follow suit... most probably.
I never intended to deal my beloved blog a fatal blow or burn my blog-bridges through my on-again and off-again relationship with my blog. We are back... (until the next time, anyway). I am aware that this kind of behaviour can bring blog-traffic to a screeching halt, when you, my fellow blogee, in sheer frustration, decide to de-blog me from your blog-consciousness...
All this blog-talk is making me 'bloggy'... Over-compensating perhaps?
Anyway, let me bring you up to speed with what I have been up to:
a) I have put on a solid 10 pounds since my last blog post (I can still hear Beauty screaming in pure horror when she saw me after three months. She nearly shocked me into dieting...).
b) I have since finished my three-month internship at AICC, and been granted an extension until December, thankfully.
My spell away from the blog-hood has taken me on a serious learning curve.
Lesson learnt and worth sharing:
There is truth in the pidgin wisdom: “The world is go buy you the way you sell yourself” (sic!). Jo, people, there is this former staff member (pioneer WoWer), who left AICC to pursue his MBA in the U.K. Upon his return to S.A, Nkosi Ndlovu has become hot property, with some seriously attractive job offers throwing themselves at the brother.
Picture this: No sooner had the guy recovered from his jet-lag last week, than it was time to sign on the dotted line of a very lucrative contract the AICC had carefully drawn up for him.
Possible question: Are the Laws of Attraction (as in Rhonda Byrne's bestseller, The Secret) at work here or is it simply that the world loves a confident and skilled professional?
Is it perhaps that his qualifications now affect how the world sees him or does his education affect how he sees (and sells) himself, and therefore changing the way we see him?
Positive vibe: I have since come to the conclusion that there is a domino effect and relationship between how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. Yes, we can appreciate in value. If we change the lens through which we see ourselves, the world around us will follow suit... most probably.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Skills-infested NGO environment
It has been a fortnight since my internship started, and what an incredible two weeks it has been! During this time, I have been assigned three main tasks, and these have called for some seriously out-of the box thinking and time management skills. One of the tasks required that I draft a proposal to the media. And so, I did. Many hours later, I presented my “labour-of-love" to my supervisor.
He worked his magic all over my original draft by re-wording and re-packaging it in sheer brilliance that when the final document finally emerged, it just blew me away. This episode reminds me that I still have a long way to go before I can get a handle on this skill.
Another thing that I have observed at AICC is the value of team work. When someone is handling a project and there are deadlines to beat, it is amazing the swiftness with which the staff rally around each other. Terms like ‘organisational fit’ and ‘team-player’ begin to make sense when you are part of a small outfit (less than 10 members of staff on board) like ours (did I say ours?).
But, it is not all desk work at the AICC (yup!) We had a two-day breather when we hosted a multi-stakeholder round table meeting (that is NGO-speak for you. I picked up another term as well, ‘beneficiation’). These people! Anyway, this event was held at the South African Human Rights Commission where I met a whole range of these NGO-types who are involved in tailoring a South African self-assessment tool on human rights for businesses. I actually got the opportunity to witness some high level brain-storming session in action... Yo, I tell you, there are some seriously brilliant minds out there.
Whether it is contagious or not, I am determined to catch (or learn) as many skills as I can from these skills-crammed individuals.
He worked his magic all over my original draft by re-wording and re-packaging it in sheer brilliance that when the final document finally emerged, it just blew me away. This episode reminds me that I still have a long way to go before I can get a handle on this skill.
Another thing that I have observed at AICC is the value of team work. When someone is handling a project and there are deadlines to beat, it is amazing the swiftness with which the staff rally around each other. Terms like ‘organisational fit’ and ‘team-player’ begin to make sense when you are part of a small outfit (less than 10 members of staff on board) like ours (did I say ours?).
But, it is not all desk work at the AICC (yup!) We had a two-day breather when we hosted a multi-stakeholder round table meeting (that is NGO-speak for you. I picked up another term as well, ‘beneficiation’). These people! Anyway, this event was held at the South African Human Rights Commission where I met a whole range of these NGO-types who are involved in tailoring a South African self-assessment tool on human rights for businesses. I actually got the opportunity to witness some high level brain-storming session in action... Yo, I tell you, there are some seriously brilliant minds out there.
Whether it is contagious or not, I am determined to catch (or learn) as many skills as I can from these skills-crammed individuals.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
My ship finally docks
When Paul Kapelus, CEO of the African Institute of Corporate Citizenship (AICC) made his presentation on mentorship at the Growing Tomorrow's Leaders workshop in June, he said that interns at his organisation were thrown to the deep-end of the business and they were expected to learn the ropes and swim to shore... quickly.
Fast Forward... 30 days later... and believe me, Paul meant business...
This week marks a new dawn in my career. The first day was a time of induction into the organisation. I spent a good chunk of my time hoping from desk to desk interacting with my colleagues and getting the low-down on the on-going projects. On the second day, I was assigned the task of drafting AICC’s Communication Policy along with a more seasoned colleague. I am still getting my head around this task.
In an organization this tight, there is no falling through the cracks!
Something else:
It is possible that I took to AICC like a duck to water because of its family-like bond (you should have seen the reception the 6-month old baby of a colleague got yesterday from the staff... yo! Did I mention our happy faces and merry chatting that fills the boardroom over lunch?) or perhaps it is because the AICC canoe is paddled by half-a-dozen Wits alumni... (mostly WoW-graduates, if I may add).
Something in my heart tells me that I am in the right place. The truth is, I have mixed feelings - a part of me is excited immensely and yet another is intimidated by the challenge ahead...
Fast Forward... 30 days later... and believe me, Paul meant business...
This week marks a new dawn in my career. The first day was a time of induction into the organisation. I spent a good chunk of my time hoping from desk to desk interacting with my colleagues and getting the low-down on the on-going projects. On the second day, I was assigned the task of drafting AICC’s Communication Policy along with a more seasoned colleague. I am still getting my head around this task.
In an organization this tight, there is no falling through the cracks!
Something else:
It is possible that I took to AICC like a duck to water because of its family-like bond (you should have seen the reception the 6-month old baby of a colleague got yesterday from the staff... yo! Did I mention our happy faces and merry chatting that fills the boardroom over lunch?) or perhaps it is because the AICC canoe is paddled by half-a-dozen Wits alumni... (mostly WoW-graduates, if I may add).
Something in my heart tells me that I am in the right place. The truth is, I have mixed feelings - a part of me is excited immensely and yet another is intimidated by the challenge ahead...
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Bursted bubbles
When the sun finally set upon the one-month info-packed internship programme, we the interns were ready to be unleashed upon the workplace. I felt like all my ducks were in a row, and that I was ready to plunge into the world of work, head first.
Sure enough, things fell into place quite nicely. The following week, I had three interviews lined up. In fact, my schedule to meet prospective employers was so tight; two of these interviews were scheduled on the same day. Yes, I took it all in my stride and marched into the future with a bit of a spring in my walk... things were coming together quite nicely...
By the end of that week, I spared some time and thought to consider the feelings of the two employers whose hearts I might have to 'devastate' by turning down their job offers. (Laughable!) With great compassion, I drafted a generic “corporate” Dear John letter - in my mind. I was going to let them down… gently.
But alas! By the end of the following week, my prospective employers beat me to it and completely burst my bubble. They sent me not one, not two, but three “Thank you for your interest in our company, but regret to inform you that…” sorry messages. Grrhhh!!
But all was not lost. You see, the prospective employers were gracious enough to point out areas where I was completely out of my depth and their constructive criticisms will help me improve and better prepare for my next interview. (... have I acquired a taste for limonade or what?)
Fellow intern, be fore-armed with a thick skin to survive the interview process and its possible outcomes.
Tip: Your job has your name on it. If you do not succeed to bag the job after the first, second, third… interviews, don't despair! Stop. Breathe. Focus and march on to the next interview... the pot (job)at the end of your rainbow beckons!
Sure enough, things fell into place quite nicely. The following week, I had three interviews lined up. In fact, my schedule to meet prospective employers was so tight; two of these interviews were scheduled on the same day. Yes, I took it all in my stride and marched into the future with a bit of a spring in my walk... things were coming together quite nicely...
By the end of that week, I spared some time and thought to consider the feelings of the two employers whose hearts I might have to 'devastate' by turning down their job offers. (Laughable!) With great compassion, I drafted a generic “corporate” Dear John letter - in my mind. I was going to let them down… gently.
But alas! By the end of the following week, my prospective employers beat me to it and completely burst my bubble. They sent me not one, not two, but three “Thank you for your interest in our company, but regret to inform you that…” sorry messages. Grrhhh!!
But all was not lost. You see, the prospective employers were gracious enough to point out areas where I was completely out of my depth and their constructive criticisms will help me improve and better prepare for my next interview. (... have I acquired a taste for limonade or what?)
Fellow intern, be fore-armed with a thick skin to survive the interview process and its possible outcomes.
Tip: Your job has your name on it. If you do not succeed to bag the job after the first, second, third… interviews, don't despair! Stop. Breathe. Focus and march on to the next interview... the pot (job)at the end of your rainbow beckons!
Behold, an idea is born!
Breaking News:
It is now official; the ‘Book project’ was born over the weekend.
This news was divulged at the Wits Alumni Club, where the proud parents, the “Fabulous-12”, aka the WoW-2007 interns met to share their joy with the world at a media briefing today.
The '007' family has agreed to nurture to maturity, this publication that will assist in preparing South Africa’s future workforce for the world of work. This noble idea will involve processing the knowledge the interns gleaned at the month-long WoW internship programme through the eyes of an intern and presenting the results in a ‘fresh-graduate’ friendly publication.
This is the first joint venture for the interns, in what they hope will be the dawn of a creative phase in their union. There was boundless enthusiasm at the meeting, as the team fired ideas across the table.
If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, then the proof that these interns are ready for the world of work is in the execution of this idea.
South Africa awaits to receive this pet project – the internship publication by interns and for interns.
Susan Mwangi,
Johannesburg,
WoW-TV reporting.
It is now official; the ‘Book project’ was born over the weekend.
This news was divulged at the Wits Alumni Club, where the proud parents, the “Fabulous-12”, aka the WoW-2007 interns met to share their joy with the world at a media briefing today.
The '007' family has agreed to nurture to maturity, this publication that will assist in preparing South Africa’s future workforce for the world of work. This noble idea will involve processing the knowledge the interns gleaned at the month-long WoW internship programme through the eyes of an intern and presenting the results in a ‘fresh-graduate’ friendly publication.
This is the first joint venture for the interns, in what they hope will be the dawn of a creative phase in their union. There was boundless enthusiasm at the meeting, as the team fired ideas across the table.
If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, then the proof that these interns are ready for the world of work is in the execution of this idea.
South Africa awaits to receive this pet project – the internship publication by interns and for interns.
Susan Mwangi,
Johannesburg,
WoW-TV reporting.
A night of song, dance and… some star-struck dudes
Last evening our very own ‘Bulgarian Stallion’ - Valentin treated us (about half a dozen WoW-2007 interns) to a funky night in town. We watched the musical, “The Heart is Round” by the UJ Song and Dance Company at the University of Johannesburg. The story line revolves around people daring to follow their dreams and possibilities in life. There was a good dose of romance, disillusionment, love-found and love-lost. We were also served with a good helping of tragedy, comedy and mysticism. This musical was a buffet for the senses.
The music, the choreography, the circus routines and the overall production of the show were exceptional. It was obvious to me that the students had poured their hearts and energies into the production. I absolutely loved it. (The musical’s refrain, “I am so sorry…” is still playing in my head).
On our way home, we passed via Campus Square, for the ‘post-musical’ analysis over a bite and drink. Well, while there 'Madam Fortuna’, the star of the show, joined our table briefly for a chat… and left some among us quite star-struck (no naming names -as agreed, what happens at Dros stays at Dros)!
This blog-post is my gift (community service) to the 007-WoWers who were missing-in-action, and therefore unable to indulge in the unfolding events of this jolly evening. Big thank you Valentin.
The music, the choreography, the circus routines and the overall production of the show were exceptional. It was obvious to me that the students had poured their hearts and energies into the production. I absolutely loved it. (The musical’s refrain, “I am so sorry…” is still playing in my head).
On our way home, we passed via Campus Square, for the ‘post-musical’ analysis over a bite and drink. Well, while there 'Madam Fortuna’, the star of the show, joined our table briefly for a chat… and left some among us quite star-struck (no naming names -as agreed, what happens at Dros stays at Dros)!
This blog-post is my gift (community service) to the 007-WoWers who were missing-in-action, and therefore unable to indulge in the unfolding events of this jolly evening. Big thank you Valentin.
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