Your Vision should Inspire You through Any Obstacles
Oh I love my Mummy. I miss her even though she can be Mz Radebe seriously at times. You just need to deal and move on 😅 😂 🤣
Her words of wisdom and encouragement this day. I was giving her feedback on a feeling that was finally confirmed. A particular African woman business leader who has direct access to me. Knows what I do. But never approaches me directly for strategy, transformation or board development work that is within her ambit to decide upon. The one occasion I worked with her, her male boss is the one that encouraged her to call me for that particular project. Again over the past few weeks, every male facilitator that she has called, has not been able to accommodate the dates and they have suggested ‘Dudu Msomi’. According to her, I can’t be the One because I know the leadership group that needs to be facilitated. Huh!!!! Not in a conflict of interest kind of way. Knowing people is not a legal definition of conflict of interest. Seemingly my profile whatever that is, is a problem. That could not be true. The very people, the males she called, also have some type of public profile. The one male strategist that gave me the feedback said, “That is really not the legitimate reason. I think she is intimidated by you. In close proximity, you will show up her inadequacies”.
There is a reason the company is called Busara Leadership Partners not Dudu Msomi Consulting. That means I don’t have to be THE person on every project. The reason to focus on me will be to stunt my growth. The founders of even the top multinational consulting and auditing firms did not get to where they are with the expectation that the founders must resource every project. Let’s get real! If you want to support me, you support my company and have confidence that the best resources will be allocated to accomplish your goal!
And who is competing? We have different roles. I am a service provider, she is the client. My job is to help her to achieve her goals and make her damn good whilst doing that. If she shines, I benefit. I don’t need the public credit!!!! And my work is about confidentiality. So if the leadership group and herself are not aligned to the image they portray in public, that is not for me to judge. Many leaders have inadequacies. We all do. But leadership is taking the initiative to skill yourself, ask for help and to delegate responsibilities to people who can do certain things better than you. Hiding your inadequacies does not make them disappear. You just show them up in immature and limiting beliefs and behaviours as this woman is.
So I tell Mummy this story. Then I tell her about three other humans (African male, African female and White female) who showed such enthusiasm for the 2nd March seminar that I am planning and came up with creative ideas to assist. And I say, “I have always suspected what drives Lady B’s attitude towards, but I must say, as much as it is unfortunate, I am so blessed to have support, sometimes in quarters I least expect”.
Mummy says, “Nature does not allow a vacuum. When one person leaves you, another one will take their place. That is just how life is”. Indeed Mrs Msomi. We sometimes focus so much on the “Nos” and obstacles in our paths that we miss the “Yesses” and Guardian Angels that are clearing the pathway to our Dreams. Blessings may not come in the form you are expecting. But they are always coming. This I know for sure.
Thank you Mummy.