Life at Work

This blog reflects on life at work at comments on the latest news that shapes my 9-5 working day in a Corporate Communications consultancy.

About Me

I am a born and bred South African who has always loved to read and write. As a child my mother used to read to me and my siblings, from classics like the “Lord of the Rings” but later also from her own stories. She would write children’s stories and then use us as her test audience, but I loved to hear what she had written long after my siblings had tired of it. So I grew up in an environment of reading and writing, which inspired my love of these things. I hope to write a great book some day, and have learnt first hand the determination and will that it takes. My love of English inspired me to continue my study of it at university. I majored in Law and English in a BA degree at UCT where I found that I took to English much more than law. I enjoyed learning about South Africa’s history and the development of our liberal Constitution, which increasingly made me committed to the hope this country has for the future. Ideally, I’d like to find myself in a job where I am able to write; that allows a good mix of time spent with people and being able to work on my own.

Wednesday, 24 October 2007

forgetting my lessons in conflict management

I forgot my lessons in conflict management and was reminded:

1. If you have a problem, voice it - or it will just get bigger.... and bigger.

2. If a team member approaches you about a mistake you've made, apologise and rectify as soon as you can.... rather than being rude to the person who raised the issue with you.

3. Put your personal differences aside for the sake of a healthy working relationship and a well functioning team.

A few years ago, I shared a flat with a friend from varsity who proved very difficult to live with. Rather than approach her about things I was unhappy with, I kept quiet, and the issues got bigger and bigger and we ended up having a huge fight.

I realised then that it was much better to talk about things as they arose. My natural inclination is to avoid conflict, though. But I've thought back to WoW and the conflict - productivity graph...

A lesson I'll keep having to be reminded of until I put it into practice!
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Tuesday, 02 October 2007

Here at last...

Godfrey Chesang has arrived at Brunswick at last! I know many WoWers know him as he has spent several years at Wits studying his PhD in politics. I look forward to getting to know him and working with him.

It's nice to be working for a firm that is happy to employ people from a range of different backgrounds - English, politics, economics, law... and that they don't feel people like Godfrey or myself, with postgrad humanities degrees, are "overqualified"!
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