Again and again, I’ve been privileged to come across amazing opportunities and muster the corresponding courage needed to pivot several times over the course of my career. As a result, some of you know me from financial services, others from public service, or from Boards or committees we've sat on together. Still others of you are fellow entrepreneurs and media specialists I've met and worked with while starting and growing my outdoor media business (Hluma Media). Having successfully sold my portfolio to an industry player, I've been on the search for the next thing that would make my heart sing. After taking some time to rest and reflect, I knew this next thing needed to fulfil three of my greatest passions : Connection, Growth and Contribution.
Enter: Steve, the maverick and mastermind behind one of SA's fastest growing marketing agencies. Stevovo (as I like to call him) is the founder of The Brand Power Company Africa (previously Buchanan Group) and meeting him felt like a meeting of hearts and minds.
Having now officially joined The Brand Power Company SA as joint CEO, I am thrilled to be leading a dynamic team as well as our box-to-home communities (@rubybox, @mumbox, @manbox).
It's times like these that offer the perfect opportunity for us to take stock. In my case, I've been reflecting on the winding journey that’s led me to this point. While my career path has certainly not been a straight line in a single direction, I can see now how every twist and turn has prepared me for this season. Here are some of the hard-won lessons I’m so grateful life has taught me along the way...
INSIGHT #1: LIFE HAS A WAY OF LEADING US BACK
In many ways, stepping into this new role doesn’t feel new at all. Instead, it feels like I’m finally coming home - right back to my natural strengths and my earliest inclinations. I’ve spent years, decades even, working in sectors completely removed from this one.
Yet if I go way back - I was always drawn to the world of marketing and communications... to mavericks and creatives pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, in the name of building up people, brands and communities. In my 3rd year at University, without even applying, I was invited to join Unilever’s prestigious Management Programme. Loaded with curiosity, but also a fair amount of cultural baggage about what a successful career looked like - I realize now that I never gave this opportunity a real chance at the time. During the programme, I remember being shocked to discover that the people at the very top of the marketing game were wearing sneakers and jeans - surely they weren’t serious or successful enough!?
Some 20 years later, I’ve come full cycle. I met a man with an inspiring vision - wearing sneakers and jeans - who saw in me what I had hardly acknowledged in myself up until that point: the same vision. Today, it’s a privilege to work alongside him. And to my younger self’s horror and unexpressed delight - I’m even happy to shrug off the corporate suits and embrace the smart casual look! I’ve seen this in other friends’ and colleagues’ lives too... how life has a funny way of leading us back to ourselves - whether we’re aware of it or not.
INSIGHT #2: JOIN THE DOTS FOR MAXIMUM JOY!
Real fulfillment happens when we bring all of us to all of life, even (especially) our work life. That’s why I choose to show up every day and be all there - wherever that may be, and whatever task I’m working on. This entails first coming to terms with who you are and who you are not, setting boundaries related to this, but also, sharing your life with your colleagues and clients. This way - they get the best of you and you get to live an integrated life that feels far more joy-filled. Forget the paycheck - being seen and appreciated and present in your working hours (not just in the short gaps between them) is worth far more than we often give it credit for.
Joining the dots of our lives also means understanding that no experience happens in a vacuum. None of our life’s lessons need be wasted. All of our past experiences can be relevant to what we bring to our current work.
In my case, after graduating from a degree in accounting, I dove head first into the world of big banking and finance. Working as a financial analyst, I relished the hard work, fast pace and steep learning curves. After completing my MBA in London, I then worked as Client Liaison for Investec which offered the perfect hybrid - connecting my technical, analytical side with the ever-changing dynamics of sales and people. Later, as an entrepreneur, building a media agency from scratch, I learned quickly that collaboration was critical. I learned how to back myself, and others too... leaning on different people, with different skills and expertise allowed me to enjoy early success and build a sustainable, profitable business.
Looking back, all the varied skills I’ve picked up is relevant as I now give myself to interacting with our clients, mentoring the ambitious, and managing multiple teams. There is no such thing as irrelevant work experience if you join the dots well.
#3 LIFE IS ONE TENACIOUS TEACHER
I don’t know about you, but I’ve found that until I learn a certain lesson or level up to match the challenge before me, I’ll continue coming up against that same type of challenge again and again and again. It’s almost like God has a tailor-made life curriculum for each of us - and until we learn the lesson, we can’t pass beyond it. I’m learning (slowly) that rather than running from these challenges, or blaming them on others, we need to face them head-on.
#4 MANY HANDS MAKE LIFE WORK
My final insight is born out of finding myself in an exciting new role, and yet wanting to also keep my most cherished roles (of wife/mom/daughter/sister) in tact. With this in mind, I’ve learnt that there’s really no such thing as the self-made man or woman. It takes a village. Nobody that’s successful that I know really ‘does it all’... instead, they do what only they can do, and invite others to fill in the gaps. Far from being a depressing or humbling lesson to learn, this has been truly liberating for me. It’s allowed me to not burn out or grow resentful from doing too much. It’s empowered me to honour and uplift others (who help me make life work). It’s how life was meant to be lived - deeply connected to others, relying on one another in a way that makes everybody thrive. It’s why I’m able to wear so many hats - because I only wear the ones I like wearing (or feel called to wear), and throw off all the ones that don’t fit me.
Personally, I’ve needed God to help me truly ‘get’ this final principle. It’s as I’ve drawn closer to Him that I’ve felt more closely aligned to who I really am and what I was born to do. Knowing myself better, and being kinder to myself, has led me to be kinder to others... to appreciate their strengths and weaknesses, to draw out the gold in them, and lean on them where I am weak while offering my strengths where they may need assistance.
What about you friends? What insights are you gaining as you navigate the twists and turns of your own career path? What are the types of challenges you keep running into? What might life be trying to teach you through them? Do you have a village of your own? I’d love to know in the comments below...