Publications
Partners
Many black executives in government feel besieged, while some in the private sector feel emasculated.
They feel that they have been tasked with roles but without the necessary powers to execute their responsibilities.
I spoke to several executives about this, who felt that things were about to get worse.
As the economy worsens, the black executive will bear the brunt of it, especially because he has learnt to be both quiet and invisible, to nod when he disagrees and shake his head when he agrees.
Executives seldom speak in defence of one another because the very nature of corporate is not based on the adoption of a shared vision and values.
It is one where rewards are shared unequally. So if one executive is treated badly, the others simply look the other way and complain quietly in the corridors.
And so transformation remains a distant dream.
In many companies the black executive plays the role of the permanent outsider, the polite guest who will not open the fridge without permission.
Even in publicly listed companies where majority shareholding is by government pension funds, the black executive is treated like a tax, disliked but difficult to avoid.
Disdain cannot be hidden forever. It does not take long for the outcast to see the truth.
Different people respond differently – some become bitter and belligerent, but that yields no positive results, while others recede into their shells.
If you feel isolated, use this coming festive season to rethink your life, have a different perspective.
Do you want to go back to that company with renewed energy or do you want to bail out?
It’s a big world out there; you can’t be a slave to the pay cheque, but freedom is harder.
If you start to hear yourself blaming others for your mistakes, know that you are letting yourself off the hook too easily and you will soon lose the game.
You cannot demand of others what you will not demand of yourself, that is plain hypocrisy.
The litmus test for whether you stay or go in a company, one executive told me, is to check how you feel about going to work in the morning.
If it is dreary, find out why. Are you unhappy with the company or are you unhappy about life?
Because if you are unhappy about life your bad experiences will follow you like a shadow.
Do not let a passing storm blind you to the virtues of staying power.
In the long run, people who work hard and stay long in corporate do reap rich rewards, often more than those who are self-employed.
In business a lot happens by chance, even more is beyond one’s control. There are lucky breaks, bad breaks, takeovers, retrenchments, bankruptcies and more.
These things happen to the best and the worst of people in any organisation.
So you need a plan of your own and you must learn to build relationships beyond your own race.
It is as much your responsibility as that of your boss to become a fully integrated member of the team.
Think of a soccer team. If a player is inept, the fans are quick to shout at the coach’s bench to make changes.
The same is true at work. If you do not become a strong team player, you will soon be changed or sidelined.
Learn to become the beacon of light and you will soon be called upon to lead the way.
But despite the many hardships and bleak outlooks, South Africa is experiencing some great and wonderful changes in the corporate sector.
Standard Bank is led by a black CEO, Sim Tshabalala, and there are many black senior executives in that company.
The next CEO of JSE Top 40 company Bidvest is a black woman, Mpumi Madisa.
These two leaders and many others are the bright beams from which we must learn with great pride.
Kuzwayo is the founder of Ignitive, an advertising agency
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Get in touchCity Press | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rise above the clutter | Choose your news | City Press in your inbox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City Press is an agenda-setting South African news brand that publishes across platforms. Its flagship print edition is distributed on a Sunday. |
