Last weekend when I was at the movies and an on- screen advert got me thinking. It was for “Spud: The Madness Continues”- the second instalment of “Spud”, the South African book that has been on the Exclusive Books bestseller list since its release in 2005.
The first “Spud” has been an incredible success, selling 56 000 copies to date, when the definition of a South African best seller is 10 000 copies. Penguin has recorded that 30 000 copies of “Spud II” have been ordered since its release just over a month ago. It will be interesting to see how well the sequel fares, but this figure is already an indication of its anticipated success. South Africans are not known to be great readers, and there are even less who actually buy books. That one home-grown novel is doing so well is encouraging.
The advert for “Spud II” was the first time I have seen a South African book advertised at the cinema. It was part of a larger “Homebru” campaign to promote local literature, running in May- but “Spud II” is at its forefront. Nu Metro cinema and Exclusive Books are both owned by Johnnic, so the partnership probably meant that the cost of the advert was affordable.
“Spud” is a wickedly funny novel that is accessible to all ages- anyone who’s ever been to boarding school will identify with the boys’ antics. John van de Ruit, its author, was already a fairly well known South African personality because of his two plays, “Black Mamba” and “Green Mamba”, which he performs around the country. John ‘Spud’ Milton, the book’s main character, is likeable, and his dilemmas often evoke feelings of pathos in the reader. He has many awkward moments during his descent into manhood and is continually embarrassed by his less than orthodox family. The things Spud and his dormitory mates get up to provide endless fuel for entertainment.
John van de Ruit has his own theory about his book’s success. He thinks as a nation we are hungry for literature that moves away from traditional “South African genre”- stories about apartheid laden with white guilt. “Spud” doesn’t carry any baggage, despite being written by a white male. The young boy going to boarding school and learning to survive there is also a story that can come from our country. Our literature needs to diversify the narrative of the past and locate stories that step away from the nation’s suffering.
Seeing the advert at the movies prompted me to consider what “Spud” has done for South African literature. It is possibly the first fictional bestseller not written by one of our literary ‘heavyweights’, such as Nadine Gordimer or Andre Brink. The story is currently being made into a movie, which indicates that South African writing is becoming a commercial success. And it’s also been adapted for an American market and has been given a huge release in Barnes and Noble bookstores. The novel will draw attention to our country in a positive light, and begin to break the association of our literature with apartheid and human rights issues. The roaring success of “Spud” indicates that there is hope for South African literature. Let’s hope the Americans agree.
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Teamwork- lessons from the bush
This weekend I was privileged to be able to spend some time in the bush with my family. While we were there, we saw the extremely rare sighting of a leopard – and a leopard in action to boot. Our game ranger drove like a bat out of hell to get there in time once he’d heard about it on his radio. Two vehicles were already there, and it was just as well we’d raced as we only saw about five seconds of the big cat. The leopard was running across the plain towards a group of impala, and as it came for them, two males headed up the team and ran towards it. The leopard retreated back into the trees. The impala, obviously very distressed, continued to sound alarm calls and the air filled with their tension. They had escaped being a meal for a few seconds.
It was fascinating to watch the bucks’ behaviour and the way they functioned within their team. Two obvious leaders stepped forward and took charge, while the rest of the group made sure that the babies were protected. All the buck were alert and watching out for themselves and each other. Without the support of those behind them, the males would not have been able to challenge the leopard.
The impala taught me some important lessons about the value of teamwork:
In teams, the individuals look out for each other and warn one another of danger
The team ensures that they protect the weakest of their group
In a group, you are capable of doing much more than if you were just on your own
Many eyes see more than one pair is able to
There is safety in numbers
Times of crisis brings out the best in the group and the individual- the strength of a leader is proved when they are under stress
It turned out to be a lucky morning as, twenty minutes later; we came across two lions basking in the sun on a plane, eagerly watching some zebra and wildebeest some distance from them. The zebra were too far away, though, to make an easy meal, and the lions gave up on their half -hearted attempt at stalking them and decided to attend to their morning grooming. Our vehicle was about twenty metres from them, which was all right as they had their backs to us and seemed in no mood to take up a quick chase. That is until my cousin dropped his cap onto the grass and quickly lent over to retrieve it. The disturbed lion walked straight toward our (open) vehicle and we all held our breaths as he loped past.
Second and most important lesson for the morning: Respect nature!
These are two of the many sightings we had during the weekend. It was wonderful to spend some time away from the busy city and draw some inspiration from animals and nature.
It was fascinating to watch the bucks’ behaviour and the way they functioned within their team. Two obvious leaders stepped forward and took charge, while the rest of the group made sure that the babies were protected. All the buck were alert and watching out for themselves and each other. Without the support of those behind them, the males would not have been able to challenge the leopard.
The impala taught me some important lessons about the value of teamwork:
In teams, the individuals look out for each other and warn one another of danger
The team ensures that they protect the weakest of their group
In a group, you are capable of doing much more than if you were just on your own
Many eyes see more than one pair is able to
There is safety in numbers
Times of crisis brings out the best in the group and the individual- the strength of a leader is proved when they are under stress
It turned out to be a lucky morning as, twenty minutes later; we came across two lions basking in the sun on a plane, eagerly watching some zebra and wildebeest some distance from them. The zebra were too far away, though, to make an easy meal, and the lions gave up on their half -hearted attempt at stalking them and decided to attend to their morning grooming. Our vehicle was about twenty metres from them, which was all right as they had their backs to us and seemed in no mood to take up a quick chase. That is until my cousin dropped his cap onto the grass and quickly lent over to retrieve it. The disturbed lion walked straight toward our (open) vehicle and we all held our breaths as he loped past.
Second and most important lesson for the morning: Respect nature!
These are two of the many sightings we had during the weekend. It was wonderful to spend some time away from the busy city and draw some inspiration from animals and nature.
Sunday, 20 May 2007
Blog awards
With great fanfare, Roy tore the envelope and piece after piece of paper floated to the floor. The imaginary drum roll sounded and then came the announcement: “And the two best blogs of the WOW group 2007, as voted by their peers, are…. Ijeoma and Susan!”
Ijeoma and I beamed. We went up to shake Roy’s hand, and then we realised we needed to climb onto the table to receive our prizes. With some difficulty, we hoisted ourselves up, conquering the distance without the aid of a chair; we smiled for the camera and congratulated each other, before relinquishing our brief moment in the limelight and descending again.
It was a great honour to be voted one of the two best blogs in our group. It was even better to stand on the table to receive the award. It was fun and different, but more importantly, it was an extension of the blogging process. Standing up there, everyone in the room could see me, and for a moment, everyone was honouring me for who I was. Writing my blog was about standing up and saying, “Here I am” - a platform for self- expression and an opportunity to showcase what’s important to me. Sharing and reading each other’s blogs created a sense of community in the group, where we were able to bounce ideas of each other and receive useful feedback on our thoughts. Blogging about WOW has been a great way to think through what was most meaningful and useful for me. Having one also committed me to writing with some regularity.
Blogs have been very much in the news lately. It’s great to know that as a group we are part of that secret bloggers’ club, and part of the debate that rages on caused by well- known media personalities such as David Bullard.
Our Friday night graduation ceremony was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on WOW and to honour each other for the contribution we’ve each made to the group. Thanks to everyone who voted for my blog - I am proud that you chose to affirm me in this way.
Ijeoma and I beamed. We went up to shake Roy’s hand, and then we realised we needed to climb onto the table to receive our prizes. With some difficulty, we hoisted ourselves up, conquering the distance without the aid of a chair; we smiled for the camera and congratulated each other, before relinquishing our brief moment in the limelight and descending again.
It was a great honour to be voted one of the two best blogs in our group. It was even better to stand on the table to receive the award. It was fun and different, but more importantly, it was an extension of the blogging process. Standing up there, everyone in the room could see me, and for a moment, everyone was honouring me for who I was. Writing my blog was about standing up and saying, “Here I am” - a platform for self- expression and an opportunity to showcase what’s important to me. Sharing and reading each other’s blogs created a sense of community in the group, where we were able to bounce ideas of each other and receive useful feedback on our thoughts. Blogging about WOW has been a great way to think through what was most meaningful and useful for me. Having one also committed me to writing with some regularity.
Blogs have been very much in the news lately. It’s great to know that as a group we are part of that secret bloggers’ club, and part of the debate that rages on caused by well- known media personalities such as David Bullard.
Our Friday night graduation ceremony was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on WOW and to honour each other for the contribution we’ve each made to the group. Thanks to everyone who voted for my blog - I am proud that you chose to affirm me in this way.
The universe of YES!
Last night I went to watch the movie “Freedom Writers” with Hilary Swank. Hilary Swank plays Miss Gruwell, a young, idealistic teacher whose first job is at Woodrow Wilson High school in Long Beach, California, at a time when the area is racked by gang violence. She is assigned the “dumb” group- a bunch of thirteen and fourteen year olds who have all been directly affected by the violence around them, and many of them are members of gangs or have been to jail. Gruwell sets out to make a difference in their lives. From the first day her project is seen as naïve idealism and she is met with little support from all sides- her head of department, her principle, her husband and her father all criticise her. Despite these ‘no’s’, with time she gains the respect of her pupils and she continues to choose to see the best in each one of them. She buys them books with her own money, organises and personally pays for a trip for them- things which no one had thought to do because they didn’t choose to look at this group as ‘worth’ the effort- they were always branded the ‘delinquents’, the ‘losers’. “I couldn’t believe that Miss G would do all those things for us,” a touched student wrote in his diary.
Miss Gruwell’s vision for her class was always in the ‘YES’. Ignoring the resounding ‘no’s’, she looked for the endless possibilities in the people around her. Her attitude inspired a force of change in her students, who took her positive vision and ran with a project that sprang from their own initiative. The group took her belief in them to heart and were able to exceed her expectations.
Watching this movie, I learnt that to really make a difference requires getting into that universe of yes. During Roy’s creativity session, we used the concept of Edward de Bono’s six thinking hats of creativity, and had to ‘change hats’ during the day according to what we felt we needed to do. At one time, I chose white- the mode of yes: answering, “Why will it work? What’s right about this?” I realised that I have a tendency to knee-jerk into negative thoughts, automatically thinking why something won’t work. To inspire change, requires learning to quieten the little voice of my inner critic, to put it under the table, so that I can inhabit the universe of endless possibilities, the world of YES!
Miss Gruwell’s vision for her class was always in the ‘YES’. Ignoring the resounding ‘no’s’, she looked for the endless possibilities in the people around her. Her attitude inspired a force of change in her students, who took her positive vision and ran with a project that sprang from their own initiative. The group took her belief in them to heart and were able to exceed her expectations.
Watching this movie, I learnt that to really make a difference requires getting into that universe of yes. During Roy’s creativity session, we used the concept of Edward de Bono’s six thinking hats of creativity, and had to ‘change hats’ during the day according to what we felt we needed to do. At one time, I chose white- the mode of yes: answering, “Why will it work? What’s right about this?” I realised that I have a tendency to knee-jerk into negative thoughts, automatically thinking why something won’t work. To inspire change, requires learning to quieten the little voice of my inner critic, to put it under the table, so that I can inhabit the universe of endless possibilities, the world of YES!
Sunday, 13 May 2007
The WOW experience
The World of Work programme is over, but, as Lesley emphasised in our final session, it’s not the end, but only the beginning. This weekend I’ve been thinking about what I’ve found to be the most valuable aspects for me.
In the first few days of the course, Ijeoma and I both agreed that we found it difficult to talk about ourselves, particularly to people who we (then) didn’t know so well. But the one thing we’ve all done a lot of in this course is talk about ourselves. Every time a guest lecturer arrived, we almost always had to say briefly who we were. Most wanted our names only; others wanted to know a bit more. And through the course I’ve learnt how important it is to be able to present ourselves to the world confidently and openly, especially to potential employers. If I’m not able to share with someone what I’m really interested in, they usually won’t spend too much time worrying about drawing the information from me.
The simple act of repeatedly introducing myself has really helped to build my confidence, and learning about the current trends in the work place has helped to provide a solid platform from which to launch into the “big bad world”.
As a group we’ve been really interactive, as one of our speakers commented. I particularly enjoyed Kuseni Dlamini’s session, where he encouraged us to participate in discussion with his provocative suggestions. The discussion he facilitated brought out each person’s particular strengths, as we all spoke with passion and insight into the questions at hand. We participated as intellectual equals, while each person was able to make a valuable contribution to the group, as we were all encouraged to speak.
It was a privilege to be part of a group of people who comes from all over Africa and other parts of the world. Previously, I hadn’t had the opportunity to mix with such a diverse group- everyone brought to the table a different perspective, yet will still managed to form a cohesive team and build some good friendships. Dlamini’s session showed me that our disagreements and differences of opinion were valuable because they stimulated debate, and that it is possible to challenge each other but still form a connected group.
The experience helped to prepare me for the variety of people I will no doubt interact and work with when I enter into the world of work.
These two things speak simply to the process of being part of this programme, without even beginning to touch on the lessons learnt on a content level. It’s difficult to place a value on these things in monetary terms, but the course was worth much more than the R1000 we all paid for it.
In the first few days of the course, Ijeoma and I both agreed that we found it difficult to talk about ourselves, particularly to people who we (then) didn’t know so well. But the one thing we’ve all done a lot of in this course is talk about ourselves. Every time a guest lecturer arrived, we almost always had to say briefly who we were. Most wanted our names only; others wanted to know a bit more. And through the course I’ve learnt how important it is to be able to present ourselves to the world confidently and openly, especially to potential employers. If I’m not able to share with someone what I’m really interested in, they usually won’t spend too much time worrying about drawing the information from me.
The simple act of repeatedly introducing myself has really helped to build my confidence, and learning about the current trends in the work place has helped to provide a solid platform from which to launch into the “big bad world”.
As a group we’ve been really interactive, as one of our speakers commented. I particularly enjoyed Kuseni Dlamini’s session, where he encouraged us to participate in discussion with his provocative suggestions. The discussion he facilitated brought out each person’s particular strengths, as we all spoke with passion and insight into the questions at hand. We participated as intellectual equals, while each person was able to make a valuable contribution to the group, as we were all encouraged to speak.
It was a privilege to be part of a group of people who comes from all over Africa and other parts of the world. Previously, I hadn’t had the opportunity to mix with such a diverse group- everyone brought to the table a different perspective, yet will still managed to form a cohesive team and build some good friendships. Dlamini’s session showed me that our disagreements and differences of opinion were valuable because they stimulated debate, and that it is possible to challenge each other but still form a connected group.
The experience helped to prepare me for the variety of people I will no doubt interact and work with when I enter into the world of work.
These two things speak simply to the process of being part of this programme, without even beginning to touch on the lessons learnt on a content level. It’s difficult to place a value on these things in monetary terms, but the course was worth much more than the R1000 we all paid for it.
Sunday, 06 May 2007
Jacob Zuma: A great African Leader?
Fiona Macdonald’s session (Fiona Macdonald consulting) encouraged us to think more broadly about the concept of leadership and the need to develop a model that focuses on Africa. In our discussion, the topic of Jacob Zuma came up. There are many ideas about why he would or wouldn’t make a good president. Some think he is inadequate because of his lack of education. But there are many leaders who are not highly educated and still were successful. And in his time as a political prisoner on Robben Island, Zuma studied and learnt from his fellow prisoners, suggesting that he is self-motivated and disciplined. Another reason people site is that it will be bad news to have a president who has been involved in rape and corruption trails and who mobilised his supporters by singing, “Bring me my machine gun”. Many say that the day Zuma rules will be the day they leave the country.
Fiona’s theory is that Zuma’s presidency will be a bad idea, as he does not have a followership as a leader- he hasn’t earned the respect of a sufficient number of people who will stand behind him. We know from the thousands of people who gathered outside the courtroom during his rape trial last year that he does have a large following of supporters. But there are an equal number of people who do not support him. In the 21-22nd April edition, the Weekender carried an article on the possible candidates for presidency (www.businessday.co.za/Articles/TarkArticle.aspx?ID=2658448). It said that the ANC was divided on the issue of Zuma, and where he to be voted into leadership the party may reach a deadlock. Similarly, South Africa would become a country split down the middle, rather than a unified rainbow nation. The article identified three “compromise candidates”, Kgamela Motlanthe, the ANC’s secretary-general, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Foreign affairs minister, and Joel Netshitenzhe, the “perhaps government policy chief”.
The issue of who our next president will be is an extremely contentious one, and I thought Fiona’s theory of followership provided an interesting new way to consider the increasing debate around what makes a good leader.
Fiona’s theory is that Zuma’s presidency will be a bad idea, as he does not have a followership as a leader- he hasn’t earned the respect of a sufficient number of people who will stand behind him. We know from the thousands of people who gathered outside the courtroom during his rape trial last year that he does have a large following of supporters. But there are an equal number of people who do not support him. In the 21-22nd April edition, the Weekender carried an article on the possible candidates for presidency (www.businessday.co.za/Articles/TarkArticle.aspx?ID=2658448). It said that the ANC was divided on the issue of Zuma, and where he to be voted into leadership the party may reach a deadlock. Similarly, South Africa would become a country split down the middle, rather than a unified rainbow nation. The article identified three “compromise candidates”, Kgamela Motlanthe, the ANC’s secretary-general, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Foreign affairs minister, and Joel Netshitenzhe, the “perhaps government policy chief”.
The issue of who our next president will be is an extremely contentious one, and I thought Fiona’s theory of followership provided an interesting new way to consider the increasing debate around what makes a good leader.
Thinking creatively about creativity
Roy’s seminar on creativity got me to think far more broadly about the subject than I had previously. In the game at the beginning when we had place names stuck to our back, I think we all learned that as a group our geography is very flawed. As a group of mostly foreigners, I wouldn’t have expected anyone to know where Howick was- the place Ijeoma had to work out. It is a small town, a ‘dorpie’, in Kwazulu-Natal that has become like a retirement community. It does have a tourist attraction: the Howick falls, where the Umgeni river drops 300 feet. So Ijeoma was getting very frustrated when she got conflicting answers as to where this place was- some in the group had told her it was in Europe! Eventually she worked out the answer by finding that the name sounded like “Horlicks”.
Playing this game taught us that we needed to find other strategies for arriving at a solution, particularly when we find one – such as relying on geography- isn’t working. I have played a similar game on long drives with my brother. He will think has of a celebrity’s name and I would guess what it is by asking ‘yes no’ questions, and then we would swap. I remember getting quite frustrated playing this, particularly at the end of a trip when I just can’t get the answer. Next time, I hope I’ll be able to think of more strategies, and beat my brother by asking the least questions!
As Roy defined it, creativity is applied problem solving. So now I think of creativity not just in the context of writing poetry or painting, but also as a vital skill that can be cultivated in life and particularly in business. For example, an advert for Investec Asset management says, “You’ll be expected to zig when others zag”. Part of their job is to bring a mixture of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial thinking to the table.
What I most appreciated was the various tools he gave us to help us step- by- step through the creative process. The workshop reinforced that taking action is an essential part of this. An idea that is not acted on is a lost idea, just floating around in the air. Many times I’ve thought of things and not written them down. I think I’ll be keeping a notebook in my bed from now on! Thanks Roy for an informative, fun and very practical session.
Playing this game taught us that we needed to find other strategies for arriving at a solution, particularly when we find one – such as relying on geography- isn’t working. I have played a similar game on long drives with my brother. He will think has of a celebrity’s name and I would guess what it is by asking ‘yes no’ questions, and then we would swap. I remember getting quite frustrated playing this, particularly at the end of a trip when I just can’t get the answer. Next time, I hope I’ll be able to think of more strategies, and beat my brother by asking the least questions!
As Roy defined it, creativity is applied problem solving. So now I think of creativity not just in the context of writing poetry or painting, but also as a vital skill that can be cultivated in life and particularly in business. For example, an advert for Investec Asset management says, “You’ll be expected to zig when others zag”. Part of their job is to bring a mixture of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial thinking to the table.
What I most appreciated was the various tools he gave us to help us step- by- step through the creative process. The workshop reinforced that taking action is an essential part of this. An idea that is not acted on is a lost idea, just floating around in the air. Many times I’ve thought of things and not written them down. I think I’ll be keeping a notebook in my bed from now on! Thanks Roy for an informative, fun and very practical session.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
