My head is still in South Africa. The challenges at work seem small now. I am still grappling with the contradictions of what we saw – sophisticated savvy businesses and widespread poverty in peaceful co-existence.
I learned a lot about strategy and financial service firms. I was very impressed by how sophisticated South African businesses like Old Mutual, Sanlam, Standard Bank, and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange – they knew a lot about the U.S. economy, and it was interesting to see how savvy they were. It was clear that many of these companies were better positioned than U.S. companies to invest in emerging markets like India and Brazil having the financial resources and the capabilities and confidence to manage the risk and opportunities there. It made sense what the U.S. Commercial Service said – U.S. companies underestimate the competition. I learned that in emerging markets you have to bring all your business analysis and sophistication to the table – don’t assume that they are less sophisticated and you won’t need to bring all that to bear. I also more fully appreciated how the position of the U.S. in the world can shift as these emerging markets grow and these companies expand their global presence.
I learned a lot about leadership and leading large-scale change. I am still pondering about Mandela. I am impressed by his self-awareness, self-control I am sensing what lies behind his self-control is a deep commitment to the collective, to his people and a larger goal. Based on what was shared of the community at Robben Island, and in seeing the attitudes and behaviors of key people we have met (e.g. the ex-prisoner who guided us at Robben Island) it seems that there was a team and community that chose self-awareness and self-control as the path forward to their goal of reconciliation. I am so inspired by Mandela as a leader and in how effective the transition from pre- to post-Apartheid was in South Africa. Given the history, I am impressed by how a nation was led peacefully through this process to a state where there seems to be little resentment borne, and mutual respect. There’s a lot to learn from this country!
I was also inspired by the king of the Bafokeng Nation, another great visionary leader. So forward-thinking with the ability to put real plans in place to fundamentally change his community through education. I am impressed by his stance in using the wealth from the mineral resouces for the beneift of his people.
It was also a surprise to discover that many of the South Africans I hear sound like Aussies! I learned that this is the accent of South Africans that speak Afrikaans as their first language. Other South Africans sound very British – I could be in London! I can hear the legacy of teachers that taught them to annunciate English in that proper British way! I had expected to see signs in multiple languages like Hong Kong – however nearly all the signs for the stores and businesses we saw were in English.
South Africa has changed me – I was confronted by the faces of poverty, lack of education and HIV/Aids that we saw and the sheer scale of it all. Even more so than in India. It is more confronting to me because these problems are clearly human creations – the deliberate exclusion of math and science from education, the resulting lack of skills among generations, the spread of HIV. This poverty and these challenges are not due to lack of resources, or over-population. I learned a lot from seeing Soweto and visiting a township. I am so glad that we got to not just be in a bubble.
I also learned a lot about Africa’s hopes for the World Cup. I expect and hope it will open doors for South Africa and that visitors will be as impressed, touched, and amazed as I was.
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