Leadership 101: Lessons learnt from my first leadership roles
[bctt tweet=”This was leadership in a world where your juniors are old enough to be uncles or aunties” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] In 2012, a few weeks shy of my 22nd birthday and armed with my freshly bestowed degree, I was given a leadership role. Leadership was nothing new to me because I had enjoyed a couple of governance roles in school; but this was starkly different. This was the real world. This was leadership in a world where your juniors are old enough to be uncles or aunties. Though the task was formidable, I accepted the challenge. Four years later I am still in a leadership role and I am actually at ease with it. I still have my fair share of challenges, but I must admit that I have come a long way from my early days. So without further adieu I present my top 5 tips for acing your leadership role. Be authentic For me, I think this is the most important aspect of your leadership journey. You need to understand that it is not a copy and paste type of role. It requires actual effort and analysis of the make up of your team. You need to exert yourself to find out what leadership style works best for you. In the early years of my leadership journey, I struggled with my leadership style. I realized all too often that sometimes decisions I made were not reflecting what I truly wanted and my team could sense that. Once your team senses that you are uncertain of yourself they begin to become unsure of themselves and their work! Always ask yourself if a decision made really reflects the values of the company; but also importantly reflects your values and what you wish to achieve. Once you hone your leadership style, your skills will transcend to every interaction you have with your team. Your co-workers become more trusting of your decisions because you trust and they can definitely perceive that [bctt tweet=”Being authentic is very important aspect for your leadership; figure out what style works” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Create an open environment Get it from me folks, this works. An open environment is a system that allows for open communication between leaders and their juniors. An open system facilitates better work relationships and ultimately leads to greater accomplishment of desired results. So how can you put it into practice? Well these days, when something goes disastrously wrong I bite my tongue, hard. Instead I ask; “What went wrong”. By doing so I am able to identify the root cause of the problem but I am also allowing my colleague to express themselves and identify for themselves things they could have done better. Additionally, also allow for your team mates to fully own the processes they initiate. Don’t you just hate it when your boss polices every single one of your tasks? Allow your team to discover what works for them and what doesn’t. In addition to that, have regular ‘check in’ meetings. Ask the team what challenges they are facing during the meeting. Praise employees who have done exceptionally well and also show gratitude to the entire team. Have intention If you wish to achieve a goal for your team, make it a core part of your day-to-day work. Leading with intention entails taking steps towards achieving a set goal or target for you and your team. One way I try to lead with intention is jotting down my plan of action; it worked great for me. Every day I try to identify a step that will help me achieve my set goal. And every day, I encourage my co-workers to do the same. A couple of years ago, one of my superiors told me; “Kuda the corporate world does not award effort, it awards results”. And boy this is the truth! So always focus on the goal ahead whatever it may be and lead your team towards that goal with intention. [bctt tweet=”Always focus on the goal ahead and lead your team towards that goal with intention” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Keep a leadership journal Yes, that’s right a journal. Whenever something major at work happens, document it. I promise you, your future self will be so happy and glad you did it. A journal acts as a medium of venting and letting everything out. But it can also provide a solution to hurdles you may be facing. As you write (honestly) you begin to brainstorm solutions and logically think through a problem. Journalling my leadership came naturally to me but it did not come easy. It was hard for me to write about my own mistakes and literally face them. However, once I overcame this, my journal provides me with a plethora of insight into problem solving and people management. Remember that leadership style I mentioned earlier? A journal will help you realize that and more about yourself. So don’t dismiss journalling as an activity of hormone crazed teenagers because it sure isn’t. Take an interest in your co-workers Because work is essentially work, it is very easy to see your co-workers as merely means to an end, or as people you are forced to be around. You would be so shocked to realize how interesting many of your co-workers are if you simply take an interest. Also, this gives you a better understanding of what roles are fit for people. You don’t have to literally hang out the office and become overnight besties; a few simple changes can help. For example, why not ditch your regular lunch partner at least once a week. Instead sit on a different table with a different colleague and get to know them more. This strategy has helped me tremendously. Not only do I get a feel of the office relationship dynamics but I get people to open up more especially about how they really feel about the work they are handling. [bctt tweet=”All in all, leadership is a process. It is more the journey than it is
More than business: Having a life outside the office
[bctt tweet=”How do you keep your life in check when it feels like work is the only life you know?” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Work can be overwhelming especially if you work long hours. It takes a lot to get up in the morning and when you get home, you drag yourself to bed. So how do you keep your life in check when it feels like work is the only life you know? It is so important to have an active life outside of work as our lives outside the office do effect our careers. All our facets of life are intertwined and it is important to make sure that we do things outside of work continue to bring positivity into our lives. Be organized After a long day at work you don’t want to go home to have to clean, do errands or go shopping. You just want to get home and relax. Being organised definitely makes life easier. One of the best ways to stay organised and to monitor and track your activities is to use a bullet journal. Setting aside a particular day to do your weekly grocery shopping and housecleaning take away the stresses of having to run around during the week worrying about small things. Leave work at the office It is important to distance your work life from home life. This means you have to be as efficient as you can be at work so you aren’t tempted or required to take any work home. If you have to work from home, then try make sure that you work until a certain time and then take a break. That way you create an area that’s just for you that isn’t filled with the stresses of work. Make your home a place you won’t dread to come back to after a long day. [bctt tweet=”Perfect the art of keeping your work life and your home life far apart” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Keep motivated At the start of the year create a vision board setting out what you would love to see yourself achieve in the year. It may be planning for a girl’s trip away or setting career goals. Vision boards are a great way to stay inspired because you are reminded of what you want when you see it. Keeping a coin jar can help you have something to look forward to such as a trip or those shoes that you wanted for the longest time. Empty your handbag at the end of each day and whatever change you have in there put it in your coin jar and you can add up and you have something to look forward to. We all need a creative outlet to stay vitalised and motivated in life and at work. One of the best ways to spend your time could be to take get active or pick up a new hobby. This give you something to look forward to outside of work. Be social A lot of people struggle with making friends outside work because they spend a lot of time at the office and just go home. So how do you build up your social life when you feel isolated? Get out of the house! If you are a sporty person join a gym and go to classes or find park runs where you could meet people with similar interests. Joining a book club can also be a great way to meet new people. Volunteering is also a great way to do something good with the potential to meet new people. Make time for friends and family if you live near them, even if it is just for a few hours. They will keep you sane. Treat yo’ self Make the most of your weekends! What you do in your spare time and the attitude you have will impact your overall character and attitude. You have to make time to make sure all the facets of your life are enriched especially keeping an active social life. Schedule self- love appointments even if it is only for an hour or two. Set aside time to reflect, journal, get a haircut or read a book. Spending a day or weekend with family or friends is very important for making sure you stay positive. Make time to do the things that make you happy. So set aside a day when you do exactly what you want. TREAT YO’ SELF!
Rose Njeri: My clients become family once they start training with me
[bctt tweet=”Fitness helped Rose Njeri gain confidence & she knew she had to share this with others” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Rose Njeri runs things at RoseFit, LLC. She’s always played sports and credits her love for exercising to her passion for being a personal trainer. Though she is a certified personal trainer, Rose does not limit herself to one project; she is also a face of Kenya ambassador, model and actress. In addition to that, she is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Fitness is something that has helped Rose gain more confidence. Seeing what positive impact fitness has on her life, she knew she had to share it with others. Read on to find out how Rose Njeri is motivating others to live a happy, healthy and positive life. When did you realize it was your passion to help people live a healthy life? I enjoyed helping people around me get into fitness and shortly came to realize that I could help more people. I also saw a need of teaching people live a healthy life. Considering the abundance of businesses and services in the health industry, what makes your brand stand out? What makes my brand stand out is the relationship I build with my clients. They become family once they start training with me. I become their biggest fan! I want them to win. All they have to give me is a 100% and I will help them accomplish their fitness goals. I do my best to teach my clients to see working out as a lifestyle and not as torture. I always wish to leave a positive impact in their lives. [bctt tweet=”I see a lot of opportunities in the health and fitness industry – Rose Njeri” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How did you come up with the RoseFit brand? RoseFit came from my amazing friends and family. They would call me “Rose, the fitness guru” and from that I came up with RoseFit. Also, having my name on the brand makes me work harder because I want it to mean more and stand for something bigger. What do you think of the health and fitness industry as it now? The health and fitness industry is growing! More people now understand the value of it. I believe there is a need for it! I’m constantly learning new ways to make it easier for people to learn more about health and fitness. There are variety of opportunities beside training in health and fitness industry. I’ve gotten to be a motivational speaker, sell fitness gears, host 5K Runs and be a mentor, all in the health industry. I see a lot of opportunities but it all requires hard work and commitment. You offer diverse services including gear, how do you manage them all on your own? It goes back to working for my brand; I’m willing to do whatever it takes for RoseFit to grow. I am learning to balance it all out but it takes time. Can you tell us about being an award winning fitness coach? It was a surprise for me when I won an award. When I started out as a trainer I did free boot-camps in my community. They brought a lot of people together and were a great way for me to network. I saw that fitness brought people together and so I wanted to create more opportunities for the community to stay active. Also, I participated in Face of Kenya USA pageant and one of the tasks we had to do was to raise money for a charity of our choice. I came up with the idea of having 5K runs to raise money and it turned out to be very successful. The community got to know me as a trainer and they would turn to me for any help concerning health. I was invited to a community event as Face of Kenya ambassador and there, I was awarded a fitness award for influencing people in the community to workout. It was a blessing because it was women-focused event named “Queens Night” and I love events that aim to empower women. [bctt tweet=”Rose Njeri: When I started out as a trainer I did free boot-camps in my community” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] You’re a woman of diverse talents as a model and actress too, how do you balance it all? Honestly I am still learning how to balance it all but I take any opportunity that I’m given and give it a 100%. I am truly blessed and that is the best way to describe it. How do you keep the passion alive in everything that you do? I pray for everything I do and trust God’s ways for my life. When God is involved anything is possible. Also, I enjoy it all and make sure I’m having fun. When you’re doing something you love, you enjoy it! If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Am I supposed to be sex-starved as a career woman?
[bctt tweet=”I never believed that my job that I enjoy a lot could bring me to an unfulfilling sexual place” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] I can undoubtedly say that I love my job a great deal and it has brought nothing else but joy and unspeakable gladness of heart —being blessed with such a wonderful career. I never thought I could get to a place in my life where I would wish for a different kind of life. I never believed that my job that I enjoy a lot could bring me to a place where I felt sex-starved. Never knew I could get to a stage where I would wish or make fantasy about sex in my head. Fantasy is all I was reduced to having; it’s all I could do. I would compare my sexual libido to that of a hormonal teenager, and I am not mincing words. I am a woman blessed with great sexual desires, I had such an amazing sex life with my husband when I still had lighter work schedule. My sex life was great and always so electrifying until… Until I got promoted at work and had more meetings to attend and deadlines to meet up with. At first, it was nice and satisfying. At the time, I didn’t know that I was waving a goodbye to my amazing sexual life. In the words of Billy Joel; “There’s nothing better than good sex. But bad sex? A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is better than bad sex”. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich was now so much better than my sex life; I didn’t want to admit that but it was true. I didn’t want to believe that my steaming exhilarating days are practically over. I didn’t want to believe that my successful career could have such a terrible impact on my sex life. I knew I just had to do something, my sex life represents a huge part of who I am, and I can’t fake that! So, I couldn’t submit to defeat! No, instead I took some daring steps which helped me realize how I could enjoy an exciting sex life and still be a badass career woman. [bctt tweet=”I realized I could enjoy an exciting sex life and still be a badass career woman” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Quickie, not such a bad idea, right? A quickie is a spontaneous act, though it’s quick, women believe that it can’t be extraordinary. You are wrong, you can make it all that you want it to be! Quickie sex is designed to bring a new whole dimension to your love life; you don’t have to hold back when you know there is no time, remember? Just have it and be done with it, but don’t forget to make it fun. I say a quickie is way better than no sex at all. As a career woman, you don’t have to deceive yourself into believing that you can have frequent sex life. I don’t think that’s feasible, only if your work schedule is not as tight as I imagine it is. If it is, then you would want to do this instead of being sex-starved till eternity. Let your body do the thinking for once Planning your sex can go a long way in satisfying your sexual desires as you have always wanted with your partner. Look forward to an ecstatic day of your choice and make every second of the love making count. Don’t over think things, forget about that workload sitting at your desk, ignore that misunderstanding you have had with a colleague at work. Just ease yourself into the sexual pleasure you are receiving and forget everything in your head. Your head isn’t supposed to be in the “work” place now, let your body do the thinking. Run from it all You don’t deserve to be this emotionally or sexually frustrated, however you want to call it. You deserve all the happiness in the world, do you know why? Because you are a strong, hard working and gorgeous Motherland Mogul, you literally deserve the best. You don’t have to finish your work in a day; you can always finish it up tomorrow. Plan a weekend getaway with your partner if possible, pamper yourself with some invigorating romantic pleasures, your body deserves it. Sex is a good thing; don’t you know God designed it to be beautiful and relaxing? So, why be unnecessarily sex-starved? Your body doesn’t deserve this. It’s high time you stopped blaming your career for ruining your sex life. Take action today in liberating yourself from what may be a dysfunctional sexual life; I know you can do better than this!
Gbemisola Isimi: Our mission is to preserve and promote African languages
[bctt tweet=”Gbemisola Isimi hopes to make learning African languages a fun & interactive experience. ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Gbemisola Isimi is the CEO & Founder of CultureTree and she wants children to learn African languages. We can’t ignore the importance of speaking your mother tongue(s) but in a globalised world, many children are losing touch with their languages. CultureTree provides a solution to this problem. At present, CultureTree teaches children the Yoruba language through popular nursery rhymes, folk songs, stories, games and other educational resources. They plan to expand and introduce other African languages in the near future. What would you say is the innovative idea behind CultureTree? The idea for CultureTree was birthed when I had my first daughter who is now 3 years old. I wanted to teach her Yoruba but I couldn’t find anything online. I noticed she loved watching nursery rhymes on Youtube and could sit for hours watching it, even the ones in foreign languages. So I searched for Yoruba nursery rhymes but there was only one at that time and it wasn’t an animated cartoon but someone singing. That was when I thought of creating them myself. Kids love our nursery rhymes because they are already familiar with most of the songs. Baba MacDonald for example is particularly popular because kids love the Old MacDonald had a farm nursery rhyme. They are simply learning the Yoruba version of it. We hope to make learning African languages a fun, interactive and natural experience. Children are more likely to be curious when presented with songs, rhymes, stories and games and therefore are more likely to learn and retain knowledge. [bctt tweet=”I searched for Yoruba nursery rhymes but there was only one at that time – Gbemisola Isimi ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Can you tell us more about your business as a social venture? As Africans, our language is a very important part of our identity. Yet I noticed that a lot of us (Nigerians especially) living outside of Africa no longer speak to our children in our mother tongue. Even those of us who do speak our language to our children don’t get a response from them in our language but rather in English. This is because English is what we are surrounded with and unless parents have the tools and resources to help with teaching our languages, it will be a continued struggle (especially for those in inter-marriages, non-speakers etc.) Our mission is to preserve and promote African languages and also reignite the love and passion for our languages. As I mentioned earlier, we hope to provide as much educational resources as possible to teach children African languages. We believe it is very important to catch them young because children are so intelligent and can learn multiple languages very easily. As parents it is our duty to educate our children on our culture and language. If we don’t pass our language on to the next generation it will surely die. What four skills have you found yourself using/learning frequently since starting Culture Tree? There are so many but the four that stand out for me are: Discipline I’ve had to be very disciplined with my time, money, efforts, everything! Usually when working 9-5, you really don’t think about this because everything is so much more scheduled. As an employee you start work at 9, have your lunch around maybe 1pm then finish at 5/6-ish. When I first started working for myself, I used to think, “Yes I’m my own boss now, I can do whatever I want, even sleep till 10am”. I’d start working around 1pm but before I could even type one full sentence, the day would be gone and I’d have achieved nothing! Same with money, I can’t walk into Reiss and buy that expensive top any more without thinking about my bank balance because there’s no regular salary at the end of the month (at least till I hit the big-time). To cut a long story short, I’ve had to apply self-control in everything and work out a routine that allows me to be productive. [bctt tweet=”Gbemisola Isimi: I’ve had to apply self-control in everything and be productive.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Time-management and planning skills This follows on from being disciplined. You know that saying, ‘time flies when you’re having fun’? Well, I’ve learnt that time also flies when you’re not planning your time! I’ve learnt to prioritise my time and also plan ahead. I now set time aside each week to plan for the entire week and also make daily adjustments. I know when my peak energy times are so I work during those times and also keep a to-do-list. Communication I can get in about 20 words in one sentence because I talk very fast! And yes that is a skill! But that is not the kind of communication skill that has come in handy strangely. We are surrounded by noise everywhere, in person, online, on TV, etc. People can easily switch off if the information you’re giving them is too much or too long. I’ve had to work on being able to express the idea of CultureTree in a clear and concise manner. It is very important to learn to pick out the most important concepts of ones’ ideas and speak about them with clarity. I am also very enthusiastic about the business and I think this shows when I talk about it. If you are not enthusiastic about your idea, it is hard to persuade others to believe it is good one. Learning skills: Learning is a skill and one should never stop learning! I’ve always been a quick learner but there are so many technical skills I lack that I want to learn. It is very important to be willing to learn new skills constantly. For example, I’m learning how to create children’s games. I can easily hire someone to do this but it’s also useful for me to know how to do it myself, not to mention the fact that it’ll
Ramadimetja Makgeru: Your business exists to please your audience
[bctt tweet=”Ramadimetja Makgeru’s interest in entrepreneur grew from her financial struggles as a student” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Born in the dusty village of Mohlaletse in sunny South Africa, Ramadimetja Makgeru —better known as Rami— is a simple girl who has always enjoyed serving others from a very young age. From winning awards for community service in primary school to being involved in various initiatives as a young adult, making a difference runs in her blood. As a financially struggling student at the University of Witwatersrand, Rami’s interest in entrepreneurship started. She started attending business seminars during her spare time to learn about the world of business and how she can start making money. Through these seminars, Rami met a lot of budding entrepreneurs and realized that they all faced a similar predicament —they lacked personal and business branding skills. Not just that, they also lacked basic financial skills to enable them to do business financials. That’s when she decided to assist start-ups with bookkeeping and tax as a freelancer. Rami eventually decided to invest time in learning about sales and marketing too. Later on, she then designed training material to train small businesses on sales under her company Competent Creations Agency (Pty) Ltd. The company was registered when Rami decided to make her services more accessible to make more money from the venture. It now has its own agents distributing products on behalf of other companies. Why do you think entrepreneurs lack knowledge on branding, bookkeeping and sales strategies? Entrepreneurs don’t utilize readily available resources that educate them on these subject matters, but in their defence, they don’t have the time to do so. Most entrepreneurs are usually knowledgeable in the field their product or service specializes in. Branding, bookkeeping and sales strategies come with trying to maintain a company to keep it running; something most people don’t consider before starting a venture. Per studies, there is a positive correlation between business failure and lack of marketing and sales skills. How can entrepreneurs improve their knowledge of this on the cheap? There is a lot of material available online on platforms like YouTube and even free online courses (MOOC’s). With the age of the internet, information is at your fingertips. Various organizations, like mine, organize seminars where entrepreneurs are educated on these subjects by industry experts. In what ways you do help businesses stand out at Competent Creations? We assist businesses with branding themselves; from the first steps of choosing a name, drafting a killer business plan and even the design of quality logos and websites. We believe that how third parties view/perceive you plays a huge role in determining how well you will perform as a business. [bctt tweet=”How 3rd parties view you plays a huge role in how well you will perform as a business” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What advice will you give to a recently launched start-up looking to re-brand? Go back to your business plan and see why you exist as an organization. How you brand yourself should reflect your reason for existence. Your audience should be kept in mind every step of the way because what they think of you is what matters most (you exist to please them). It is also important to get the opinion of an outsider, because the people you work with are too close to the current brand to be objective. Do you keep New Year resolutions? What will your goals be for 2017? I do not usually keep New Year Resolutions, but I plan to go vegetarian next year. I am planning a spiritual and body cleanse to connect with my inner self. My goals for 2017 include getting the company noticed. I would like to tap into the corporate market. This embodies a lot of networking and self-selling. I am excited for it! If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
6 ways to remain calm under tight deadlines
[bctt tweet=”How do you keep your cool under stressful deadlines? ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Even if you’re lucky to have a job that doesn’t entail working with deadlines, one thing for certain is there will be a time in your life where you will find yourself under an intense pressure situation, that can either make or break you at work. While it’s good to work with deadlines, they can be incredibly stressful. Deadlines give us an idea of the amount of time we have to work on something and help us to complete tasks on time; that’s the good. The bad? Tension mounts and we start to feel like we’re running out of time the closer we get to a deadline. The biggest secret is to remain calm. Here are a few tips on how you can remain composed under deadline stress. 1. Make sure your deadlines are realistic If your deadlines are always too short, you’re likely to feel stressed from the moment the deadline is set. The solution is to figure out whether the deadline you’ve been given is realistic; then to have a sense of how much time is needed for the task. If you’re given a deadline that seems unreasonable or too tight, find out whether the deadline is flexible and if you can make a case to have it extended. Deadlines are real but sometimes they can be negotiated. Don’t be afraid to ask for more time if you feel the deadline is really unworkable. [bctt tweet=”Deadlines are real but sometimes they can be negotiated. Don’t be afraid to ask” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 2. Choose a positive response I came across this quote which says; “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” When faced with a situation that puts you under pressure, you generally have two responses. You can choose to change either the situation or your response to it. Even if you have no power to do anything about the set deadline, you have the power to choose how you respond to it. Instead of thinking negative or allowing the deadline to make you tense, you can choose to refocus your thinking to a positive response. This will lead to a positive action, such as “I can do this” or “How can I do this?”. A positive response will help you to remain calm and focused on what needs to be done. Learn how to defeat the panic signals. 3. Think about the progress you’ve already made Instead of freaking out, it can be tremendously helpful to take a minute to reflect on what you’ve accomplished so far. Do this first before turning your attention to the mountain that remains ahead of you. During a challenging workday, focusing on the meaningful progress you’ve made so far, can boost your emotions. Also, it can motivate you to keep going until all the work is done. It is the “small wins” that keep us going, especially in stressful scenarios. [bctt tweet=”It is the “small wins” that keep us going, especially in stressful scenarios” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 4. Listen to a relaxing song Certain people are naturally gifted with a calm personality, and it gives them a competitive advantage under stressful situations. But if you know you’re not one of them, you need to learn some calming practices. Calming practices are a lifesaver when under pressure. When under stress, you can strengthen your calming muscle by listening to music that really relaxes you. Listen to a calming song until you feel deeply relaxed. The experts say music has a unique link to our emotions; it can be a highly effective stress management tool. So put on your earphones and turn that music on. 5. Take a deep breath That feeling when you look at the clock and your heart rate starts going up. The easiest way to remain calm under stress lies in something you already know: you just need to breathe. When you’re feeling stressed, take a few minutes to focus on your breathing. Close the door or isolate yourself from all other distractions, and just sit in a chair and breathe properly. The process of controlling your breathing will help your brain focus only on the task at hand and will lift the cloud of stress from your head. 6. Total recall Can you recall one or two situations that caused you serious stress in the past? Remember how you handled that stressful deadline and came out victorious! Bring back that feeling of being confident and being in control of the situation. Let the positive experiences from your dealing with stressful situations guide you wisely through the new challenge you are facing. Remind yourself that today you are stronger than yesterday. You can tackle it just like you tackled it before!
Rapelang Rabana: I don’t believe everyone should be an entrepreneur
[bctt tweet=”Rapelang Rabana was named Entrepreneur for the World 2014 by the World Entrepreneurship Forum” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Featured on the cover of Forbes Africa before the age of 30, Rapelang Rabana founded Rekindle Learning, a learning technology company. Rekindle Learning challenges the existing norms within (largely ineffective) organisational and academic learning. It explores the role of technology and the latest learning pedagogies that improve learning efficiency and reduce time to competency, ensuring higher workforce productivity and enabling young people to be more employable. Rekindle Learning was profiled in the McKinsey report Lions go Digital as a ‘striking innovation’ in mobile learning and serves academic learning institutions and corporate training environments. Prior to founding Rekindle Learning, Rapelang was the founding CEO of Yeigo, an innovative startup that developed some of the world’s earliest mobile VoIP applications. Thanks to our increasingly digitalized culture, people generally have no patience for long-form essays or in-depth reading. Do you think there’s a danger in missing nuances when information is fed in a bite-sized format? Subtleties and the “bigger picture” can indeed become lost when information is whittled down to its bare bones —this is an unavoidable reality in today’s fast paced world. But we should rather ask ourselves if a solution is ‘purpose-fit’. In some cases, no learning can happen without providing context and nuances, while other times, bite-sized chunks are perfectly adequate. The very nature of mobile devices —which are the most influential contributors to this information condensing trend, can also be used for a higher purpose. And it is in learning particular subject areas that I see this dynamic being to society’s great advantage in the future. The process of learning can be aided by information being presented in bite-sized chunks, similar to how we consume social media. This is very much part of the ethos of Rekindle Learning and what I aim to target in both the educational and corporate sphere through the use of mobile devices for learners and employees. [bctt tweet=”The very nature of mobile devices can also be used for a higher purpose – Rapelang Rabana ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] On running a business, you’ve said “being good at numbers, or being an aggressive sales person and deal maker, or bossy enough to manage a lot of people are not deciding factors.” Could you elaborate on the statement? In business, as with life, we are fed many societal misconceptions that ultimately hinder our progress as individuals and professionals. These misconceptions include “being good at numbers” and “being bossy enough” which are really not factors in determining one’s aptitude for potential entrepreneurial success. Rather, success on the entrepreneurial path is one of self-discovery, the realisation of true confidence and bringing one’s authentic voice to the venture at hand. You write your own story. The limitations that are so flippantly bandied about are only limitations as long as you play by someone else’s rules. Running a business takes constant vigilance and a lot of hard work, but if one has a deeper motivation than simply the bottom line or being a success, it can be done! There’s a common notion in Nigeria that everyone should be an entrepreneur. As someone who has founded two start-ups, do you share the same view? As they say, it takes a village to raise a child and it is the same in the business world. Although I believe that any person, with the right socialisation, stimulation and mindset “can” be an entrepreneur, I don’t believe everyone “should” be one. A business is merely a sum of its parts, and every person operating within that chain plays an indispensable role – from the secretary to the MD. One cannot function optimally with the other doing the same work. Also, the moment we use the word “should” we are in dangerous territory. The only “should” is that every person be given the opportunity to develop themselves, to discover their strengths and make their unique contribution in whatever form that comes. Yes, increased entrepreneurial activity is a huge bonus for any country but businesses need employees working in them to make them a success. There are no small parts, and for every successful entrepreneur, there’s a team of astute employees fulfilling their objectives/roles to ensure the bud blossoms. [bctt tweet=”It takes a village to raise a child & it is the same in the business world – @rapelangrabana” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What has founding Yeigo Communications and Rekindle Learning taught you about yourself and entrepreneurship? From a personal perspective, I have learnt that the journey of entrepreneurship is really an inward one, wherein connecting to my authentic drive and motivations naturally leads me to the right solutions. I have been led to plumb the depths of my personality to reach places of clarity. In a nutshell, don’t look outside – look inside! Regarding business, I’ve learnt that local entrepreneurs and innovators play a pivotal role in delivering solutions for Africa; that the typical assumptions that technologies will always come from the West are deeply flawed. Indigenous ideas that are contextually relevant, because they are created by people who not only observe but live the experience, are the only way we will have products and services that address the many challenges the continent faces today. What’s next for the serial entrepreneur Rapelang Rabana and Rekindle Learning? In the next 10 years, I would like to see Rekindle Learning as a centre of learning, enabling people from school children to young high school graduates needing new opportunities, entrepreneurs and women farmers to build knowledge from the palm of their hands. I believe one of the greatest drivers of data usage in 10 years on the continent will not just be entertainment and social media but educational, training and learning content, and I want Rekindle Learning to be at the crux of that. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
4 ways to sustainably self-gift
[bctt tweet=”Just keep a good distance between yourself and irresponsible spending this year” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Are you familiar with the term pro-spending? Okay so maybe I coined and altered that one. I can promise you now though, you can spend productively. Now if you are part of the favoured and wise saving population that has a jar full of pennies to spend on gifts, then this one is especially for you. I mean, who better than you to buy yourself gifts and make your own little wishes come true, right? Whatever you do and whoever you are, there is always something you know you should probably spend on but won’t. Instead of buying a whole lot of things you’re not even going to have or use, why not gift yourself sustainably? Trust me, it’s very possible. I intend on schooling you on gifts you should consider addressing to yourself that you will still be proud of forever. Ready to self-gift? 1. Gifts to curb the struggle Remember all those little items that you desperately need and want but your budget was like…? Well why not spend on those items now? If you grew up in a family like mine, then you’ll know that we shop at the season-end sale of the previous one, and that’s the exact same principle we should adopt here. It might be a study lamp for load shedding, a new suit for work, new devices and gadgets for freelancing or anything durable really. Even with this very ‘safe’ spending, it’s still possible to go over-board, so be cautious. [bctt tweet=”If the timing of your spending is wrong, even the ‘necessary spending’ can be reckless.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 2. PR and marketing The beauty about PR and marketing is that one can always use more of it! This is a good time to look out for new ways to market your services, skills or business. Do this to a group of people with thousands of rands just waiting to be spent on you! Whether you are an events MC, model, photographer, promotions person, marketing specialist, and so on, someone could use your help. Get out there, market yourself, communicate with your market, tell and show them what you can do. [bctt tweet=”There’s no such thing as enough PR and marketing.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 3. Branding I can’t stress this enough, you need to get branded! In all seriousness, branding legit goes a very long way. Get your logo on a cap or shirt, have your team wear those shirts to events for instance. You never know who’s looking! An even better suggestion for those whose businesses are still on the ground, go get your logo designed/perfected. Maybe get business cards and hell yes, invest in that famous ‘info@yourbusiness.co.za’ email, you’ll thank me later. 4. Networking I’m pretty certain most of you will like this one. If all you can do is go to festivals and picnics, then do it with a goal —network! Sneak a few business cards in your purse and casually give them to people you think you could possibly work with. The upside of this is the opportunities that might come your way during the ever-so-rude hunger month that follows very shortly; JanUWorry. If there’s nothing at all you can think of, especially you early December pay and bonus ladies, I’m sure your bank would be happy to keep that money for you. You’ll be happier when you see it, plus the interest will save you on a rainy day! Okay, don’t freak out yet, you’ll be good. Just keep a good distance between yourself and irresponsible spending this year.
When competing with your male colleague goes wrong
[bctt tweet=”Working hard almost cost me my life before I finally realized that I had limits” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] I didn’t want to admit the sudden realization that my workplace had now become a war zone for me. More like, “A war that I am scared I may not win”. It felt as though I was losing to the battle —one of self-pride. Restlessness overwhelmed me each morning. You see, I have this very intelligent colleague. He’s very charming and he knows this, clearly showed his abilities off as he’s quite good at his job. It gets annoying most times. Everybody loves and respects me at work and while I am grateful for that, I wanted more. I wanted more attention, and respect. Kinda felt I deserved it! Soon, I made myself into believing that I could be better than my colleague, faster even and more appreciated. I had this insatiable appetite for success, and to achieve it; I wanted to do all the work by myself without him helping so he wouldn’t take all the glory —crazy, right? [bctt tweet=”I made myself into believing that I could be better than my male colleague” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Once, we had a workload to be executed by three people, one that was to be finished in a week! It was as if a spirit possessed me. I told myself, “no going home” and informed the rest of my colleagues that they needn’t worry. I was going do it all by myself and be through in two days. Their reply was as expected, they asked if I was sure I could do it. This angered me so I replied, “I am a woman not a weakling.” I threw myself into it; I wanted to show the rest of the department that I was not as fragile as they had painted me, and I was stronger than I looked. I felt I needed to erase all doubt. What I taught would take 2 days turned into a tiring and exhausting week. A part of me wanted to give up and and to ask my colleagues to finish up but, I didn’t want that. Once I finished the job , I had everybody’s attention as I intended. Yet, I had reached burn out. In my life, I had never felt so tired like I did after that week, I felt so drained. But that was just the beginning, from then on my workload increased. In my head, I was screaming so hard but unfortunately, this became my new reality; heavy workload in very tight deadlines. I wasn’t prepared for that at all! All I wanted was a little attention and respect, I didn’t want to faint at the hallway. What I didn’t realize was: It was okay to ask and accept help Asking for help doesn’t make you feel less of a person. It doesn’t reveal to the world that you are helpless, it shows that you are human, not a robot. Everybody has their breaking limit. For me, it almost cost me my life before finally realizing that I had limits. Really, ask for that help, it won’t cost you anything, not even your pride or dignity. It is better to be a team player Team players never get too tired or exhausted. Do you know why? They work hand-in-hand with their subordinates. All you need is to be there and supervise the job; you don’t have to do it all. Most people tend to have an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) when it comes to their jobs, they want everything perfect —which can be so amazing but still don’t overdo it, or else, you might break. Competition with a male counterpart is overrated I know you are a strong and determined woman, there is no disputing that —but you don’t need to lose yourself in trying to prove to everybody that you are stronger than a man. There is no need! Forget competing, just make sure you give your best shot at your job, that’s really all there is to it.