What if we led like Madiba?

We were conversing this evening at dinner about how far South Africa and South Africans have progressed in only 14 years of independence (which is what 1994, the year of their first democratic election is called). To achieve this level of pride, racial integration and yes, harmony, in just 14 years is truly incredulous. I have been trying to comprehend the mindset shifts, nay lunges and leaps that individuals have had to make – total destruction of fundamental beliefs they have long held, and new ones in their place. People’s worlds have been shattered and shaken to bits. When this happens, even though the new world is acknowledged to be a brighter, better one, the shock of the change is such that people are disoriented and shaken, trying to come to a place of understanding, balance and equilibrium in the new paradigm. And yet, the people of South Africa are adjusting, learning and growing.

What has caused the blossoming of the “Rainbow nation”? For me, there is one fundamental element – the tone set by the leadership, in the person of Nelson Mandela.

I was thinking – what if he had been bitter and vindictive when he was released from prison? What if he had brought hate, negativity and fear to his presidency? What if his words were words of revenge, retaliation and vengeance? That would have been easy and understandable, after all he had been through. Just think how different South Africa would be today.

Yet Madiba or Daddy Mandela as he is lovingly called chose another way of being, speaking words of love and forgiveness, and acting accordingly. This made all the difference to the lives of the 47 million citizens of South Africa. It has made all the difference to the rest of the world – to remind us that it IS possible, and that one person CAN make a difference! What does it take, to make this type of difference in the world? A choice – to act from a place of love or hate. Madiba chose love, and the world feels this love and loves him back! But more importantly, we are inspired to be the love ourselves and to make a difference in our own world.

So, my question to you is: if South Africa can experience this level of transformation in just 14 years, what would be possible in our own organizations and countries IF we led like Madiba?

Meet the GF team - Alysha, the intern

Each summer, GF "adopts" a few interns for "work experience".

So, meet Alysha, one of our interns this year. She will be returning to university in Florida shortly - and we sure will miss her! The photo above shows how distressed she is at having to leave us!

1. If I were a fruit I would be a mango because Auntie Marguerite loves me! Kidding, because there are many different sides to me, just like the different types of mango
2. If I were a colour I would be red because I am vivacious
3. If I were an animal I would be dolphin because I love to swim
4. The most difficult decision I have ever had to make was what subjects I was going to do at CXC level
5. If I knew I would not hurt myself I would jump off of Rick’s Cafe
6. If I had US$1,000,000 to give away I would give it to the children in Somalia
7. I laugh really hard when me and my friend are tipsy
8. I cry when I feel unwanted and worthless
9. If I could travel in time I would go to the Elizabethan era
10. The question I most want answered is “ Was I reincarnated, If so, who was I and would I as Alysha, have liked me?

Carnivore strategy

As facilitators and students of strategy formulation and implementation, we are constantly on the lookout for examples of flawless execution of strategy. It is not difficult to spot – you know it when you see it. It is simply when everything works; when all the parts of the organizational machinery come together and work as one.

Last night was one such experience. We dined at a restaurant in South Africa called “Carnivore”. From beginning to end, it was a delight – not just the food, but the entire experience.

Firstly, the name of the restaurant states exactly what it is – a restaurant that serves and specialises in meat of all kinds (see the photo of the menu). Even so, they are careful to tell you in their promotions that they cater for vegetarians as well, thus ensuring that all in the party have an incredible experience.

The décor of the restaurant – African motif, carvings, heavy wooden tables and chairs, zebra patterned chair cushions and dining ware, rustic metal plates for the meat.

The staff know that their guests come for more than the food. They are on stage, full of drama – their costume, the way they serve the meat – walking around with it on spears shouting out “Chicken! Pork! Impala! Ostrich! Antelope! Crocodile” and then stabbing the spear on your plate and slicing off a portion of the heralded meat with a huge, very sharp knife! Even their playful disdain, yet caring concern, for vegetarians adds to the experience. No one feels left out. All are included.

Someone thought through this concept very carefully. Someone designed the parts in total alignment with the concept – the people, the processes all aligned with the desired customer experience. All executed flawlessly! Carnivore is theatre, experience, entertainment; strategy execution at its best!

Growth Facilitators in South Africa

To prove that Robert and Marguerite are actually working in South Africa, here are photos of them presenting at the International Association of Facilitator's Conference yesterday. They presented the GF process for facilitating Strategic Planning in Secondary Schools in Jamaica using the Balanced Scorecard. It was very, very well received! Who knows - maybe GF will soon be in Africa helping schools there to be the best schools in the world!

evolution

The weekly Monday morning planning meeting at GF is called "EVOLUTION". We decided when we developed our Balanced Scorecard, that we would devote one day per week to planning, scheduling and most importantly, learning. The aim of these meetings is to learn more about our strategy, our clients and ourselves. It is a time to reflect on and grow ourselves and the business. We view this time as critical to our clients' delight and the prosperity and growth of their, and our business. Evolution is fun, serious, plodding, challenging, insightful, frustrating, breakthrough, humdrum, off-the-wall - all of these make it an experience of learning and growing.

Meet the GF team - Sharon

"di Trini", Sharon is one of our Client Managers.

1. If I were a fruit I would be a banana because it is has a bright and cheerful colour and so good for so many things
2. If I were a colour I would be red because it is bold and daring because
3. If I were an animal I would be a beer because it is cuddly
4. The most difficult decision I have ever had to make was to leave my entire family and all my friends and move to Jamaica to live
5. If I knew I would not hurt myself I would make lots more friends
6. If I had US$1,000,000 to give away I would give it to eliminate the abuse of children
7. I laugh really hard when my son Jordan makes some really profound statement that is really funny
8. I cry when I feel frustrated and distressed
9. If I could travel in time I would go to 20 years ago so I would take better care of myself
10. The question I most want answered is “ what is God’s will/purpose for my life ?”

Meet the GF team - Ulla

Ulla is one of our Client Managers, who the rest of the team look to for her order and discipline from her German heritage!

1. If I were a fruit I would be a mango because it is nourishing, delicious and sweet
2. If I were a colour I would be blue like the sky because it has no limits
3. If I were an animal I would be a dolphin because they are fun loving, caring and playful
4. The most difficult decision I have ever had to make was to file for a divorce
5. If I knew I would not hurt myself I would give more feedback and coach more!
6. If I had US$1,000,000 to give away I would give it to persons I care about
7. I laugh really hard when I feel the child in me
8. I cry when I am personally overwhelmed by emotions
9. If I could travel in time I would go to the moon with Armstrong
10. The question I most want answered is “What is the question I most want answered?”

Meet the GF team - Camille

Camille is the GF Business Support Manager, but who is lovingly known as the Prodigal Daughter, due to her "sabbatical" from us for a year.

1. If I were a fruit I would be a Julie Mango because one can’t resist licking every ounce of juice that comes from the mango. I NEVER wash the juice of a Julie mango off my hand – I lick it off. It’s so tasty!!!
2. If I were a colour I would be black because my faults would be easily hidden and difficult to see
3. If I were an animal I would be gazelle because it is beautiful and moves gracefully
4. The most difficult decision I have ever had to make was the decision to confront a friend about my decision to change the nature of our relationship
5. If I knew I would not hurt myself I would spend a day underwater and admire the beauty and grace of the fishes and underwater creatures
6. If I had US$1,000,000 to give away I would give it to my mother
7. I laugh really hard when I mis-pronounce a word and the correct pronunciation is far from what I said (like when I pronounced ‘Chopin’ like ‘Choppin’ instead of “Showpau”)
8. I cry when I am moved by stories of triumph and where one overcomes an adversity
9. If I could travel in time I would go back to the days when Jesus walked the earth. I would have also loved to have witnessed Moses’ parting of the Red Sea
10. The question I most want answered is “Did OJ REALLY do it?” J On a serious note, I would really want to know, “if the Bible was assembled using EVERY account recorded by EVERYONE who made a record during his life on earth, how would it influence a lot of what is taught today?” Why was Mary Magdalene’s account omitted?

Prof. Charles Ogletree visits Jamaica - facilitated by Growth Facilitators

Growth Facilitators was instrumental in the recent visit of Harvard Law School professor and Barack Obama Senior Advisor Charles Ogletree to Jamaica. Professor Ogletree was a guest of SET (Students Expressing Truth), as very successful project in the Jamaican prisons. Growth Facilitators arranged for Prof. Ogletree to be the guest speaker at the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica Speaker Series luncheon. In the photo above Prof. Ogletree greets Richard Chen of Super Plus and his niece Katherine Chen, while Marguerite Orane, GF partner, looks on happily!

Below is the guest speaker introduction presented by Marguerite:

The second of 6 children born to an African American couple in California in 1952, Charles Ogletree had instilled into him very early the transformative power of education. His parents, now deceased, did not complete high school, and were therefore delighted that they lived to see their second child graduate from Stanford and Harvard universities and go on to a stellar career as the Jesse Climenko Professor of Law at the Harvard Law School.

Author of numerous publications and recipient of countless honours and awards, Prof. Ogletree is a prominent legal theorist who has made an international reputation by taking a hard look at complex issues of law and by working to secure the rights guaranteed by the Constitution for everyone equally under the law. He has examined these issues not only in the classroom, on the Internet, and in the pages of prestigious law journals, but also in the everyday world of the public defender in the courtroom and in public television fora where these issues can be dramatically revealed. He furthers dialogue by insisting that the justice system protect rights guaranteed to citizens by law and to this end, he established the Charles Hamilton Institute for Race and Justice at the Harvard Law School.

It is this perspective and passion that piqued his interest in the prison system in Jamaica, the plight of prisoners and the possibilities for their rehabilitation. First involved in 1989 in the Reverence For Life prison project, Prof. Ogletree continues today to play an active role in the SET project.

Prof Ogletree and his wife, fellow Stanford alum Pamela Barnes, are proud parents of two children. They are true friends of Jamaica, visiting and vacationing here regularly. Enjoying our beautiful beaches in Negril and fishing in Portland, they particularly savour our spicy cuisine, hot pepper, coconut water and of course Red Stripe beer!

In 1988 Prof. Ogletree met a young student in his Harvard Law class. He saw something in that young man then, both having come from disadvantaged backgrounds, yet ending up at the most prestigious law school in the United States, and, many would say, the world. Prof. Ogletree became that student’s mentor, navigating him very successfully through the maze that faces an African American at Harvard. When that former student decided to run for the presidency of the United States, Charles Ogletree stepped to the plate as one of his senior advisors. That presidential candidate is of course, Senator Barack Obama.

Please join me in welcoming Prof. Charles Ogletree Jr., advocate for equality and justice for all and a friend of Jamaica.