by Sean McCoy (@TheRealMcCoyTRM) As the elections become a distant memory and the dust has settled on the parliamentary process, the inauguration ceremony and the new cabinet, it is time to return to work.
Julius Malema and his EFF gang made a bold and impactful statement at parliament, clad in red overalls and cleaning outfits as a symbolic signal of intent and connection with the working class. Whether you believe him or not is a matter of choice, but the suggestion that politicians need to knuckle down to work and focus on true leadership and service to the people is real and was the core message of my previous column.
We can make a difference
So, too, for us as the people of South Africa, ordinary citizens such as you and I — we, too, can make a difference and have a role to play.
In the context of the organisation, we expect our people to arrive at work each day and bring their heads, hearts and, of course, their contribution to a day’s work. As the people of this great country, we have to do the same as we ‘arrive in our country’ each morning.
It is incumbent upon us to be proud of whom we are and what we have accomplished over the last 20 years, but also to continuously question what more we can do to make it better and to secure the next 20 years of democracy — much like we push each day in business to build competitive advantage and succeed in our ongoing performance.
Irresponsible and cynical
We can all bemoan every facet of daily living in SA and we can place the full burden of leadership on the politicians but this would be irresponsible and cynical.
Lead SA has been a great initiative and has worked hard at driving a positive psyche amongst ordinary people to stand up, step forward and play a role. Of late, the initiative has gravitated more toward fighting crime-related issues, but this in itself remains valuable and is a reminder that we can all make a difference, no matter how big or how small.
As the 2014 FIFA World Cup beckons in Brazil, I am reminded of the energy, passion, human tolerance and spirit of unity that we displayed as a country when we were hosting it in 2010. What a fantastic time that was in SA!
Connecting as a nation
And look how we all celebrated the life of Madiba following his passing late last year. Sad as it was, it drew us together in humility and remembrance, and we demonstrated again how capable we are of connecting as a nation.
It shouldn’t always be the major life events that move us as a people — each and every one of us should be making this effort on a daily basis. It is how great countries, like great organisations, succeed — together as a team and through the magic of its people.
We have our challenges but so, too, do most other countries in the world. I just returned from Egypt and the devastation to its tourism industry and economy as a result of its problems is so abundantly obvious and you can see how deep the desire is among ordinary people to have normality returned to their country.
We owe it to ourselves
We have had our ups and downs, and our tragedies but, as a people, we are capable of the very best and we owe it to ourselves as citizens to play our part.
Brand South Africa is the custodians of our nation’s brand and its mandate is to drive social cohesion and build South African brand ambassadors. It needs us. Have you asked yourself lately how good an ambassador you are? And can you be a better one?
When President Kennedy saw a janitor in the NASA centre in 1962 carrying a broom, he enquired what the man was doing and was told: “I am putting a man on the moon, Mr President.”
No matter how big or small
No matter how big or how small our individual roles are each day, we are making a difference to this great country and we need to be the best we can be. In a metaphorical sense, what part of the SA space programme are you contributing to each day?
As an end to the ‘political season’ of my monthly column and further borrowing from the famous JFK statement, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” — let’s build our next 20 years from the inside out.
It’s time to get to work.
Dr Sean McCoy, MD and founding member of HKLM, is a prominent figure in the branding arena, with his expertise centered on client service, brand strategy and business development. Sean has been chairperson for the Brand Council of South Africa since 2012. He contributes the regular “The Real McCoy” column focusing on internal branding to MarkLives.
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