Author: Jopie de Beer, CEO of JvR Africa Group
Mandela Day serves to remind South Africans to follow President Mandela’s example of caring for others, this is a day where many take the initiative to help and support wherever and however they can. We also heard at the inauguration speech by President Ramaphosa how, in true Madiba style, he referred to the Hugh Masakela song, Thuma Mina that says: I wanna be there when people start to turn it around When they triumph over poverty I wanna be there when people win the battle against AIDS I wanna lend a hand I wanna be there for the alcoholic I wanna be there for the drug addict I wanna be there for the victim of violence and abuse I wanna lend a hand Send me The essence of this song is to be of service where there is need. The ability of people to be considerate, generous, helpful, empathetic and supportive most often without expecting anything in return is referred to as kindness. To be kind to others does not come naturally to all people. Many may prefer to “look out for themselves” and their reasoning is often that “nobody has been kind to me, why should I be kind to them”. Special Breed To recognise kindness in others and to be kind to others without expecting anything in return therefore requires a special breed of people. This character strength has nothing to do with age, gender, race, culture or creed. It is a personal characteristic, a value and a personal choice that people make, and it has a significant impact on others. What President Mandela knew about kindness (and it has been supported in research) is that kind people tend to be happier people because they know they mean something to others. Their kindness plays an incredibly valuable role in building good relationships in society. Good relationships are essential to make any society flourish. To understand that, we should all understand that you do unto others what you want to have them do unto you – this helps to build the moral fibre of our society. When South Africa changed politically in 1994, President Mandela deeply understood the risks associated with a new democracy. The way he led the country was done without media and ego-centric fanfare. He deeply cared about “at risk” people and the quality of their lives. He focused on systematic planning and worked hard to have everyone work together to achieve daunting socio-economic goals. The essence is that he cared more about others, than himself. He was humble rather than ego-centric; he brought hope and understanding rather than bitterness, anger and blame. He was a very wise man who will be loved and respected for many generations to come. Kindness, helpfulness, understanding, respect, willingness to share, are all actions with a positive emotional undertone. Those who care about others understand that there is a link between kindness, gratitude, care, happiness and general well-being and good social relationships. Personal gratitude and interpersonal kindness can “undo” damaging negative emotions like anger and despair. Be Grateful Try this by logging, for one month, everything you should be grateful for as well as your acts of kindness. You may find a heightened sense of well-being and even lower stress levels. How interesting it is that when you feel happier, you will also more easily show acts of kindness. President Mandela knew that there are many benefits to genuine acts of kindness. It is inextricably linked to personal happiness and feeling connected to others. Kindness is critically important to building a sense of community and belonging. When asked how best people should live their lives, Henry James (the well-known novelist) said: “only 3 things are important - the 1st is to be kind… the 2nd… to be kind and the 3rd… to be kind. The same wisdom is seen in the following statement by President Mandela: “I believe that in the end it is kindness and generous accommodation that are catalysts for real change”. In a country where fear and anger, selfishness and greed are reported on every day, we should celebrate the wisdom of President Mandela with all our heart. Let’s all do our best to make a difference. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With its head office situated in Johannesburg, the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world, and support a range of development opportunities and host events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Grou
0 Comments
Author: Dr Karina de Bruin, Managing Director of the JvR Academy
As we are approaching the 2018 FIFA World Cup Soccer finals, it could be interesting to look at whether we can take some lessons from soccer players to senior management in the corporate world, and of course, vice versa. So far, this year’s World Cup tournament has been marked by huge upsets, leading to shock exits – of which South Korea’s elimination of Germany, and Croatia’s win over Argentina probably are the most remarkable. If Germany went into the tournament as one of the favourites to take the cup home, their disappointment and despondency after losing to South Korea came as no surprise. Soccer is a game of rollercoaster-ride emotions, for both the players and the spectators. One moment there is jubilation, euphoria and triumph and soon after, there is anticipation, anger and sorrow. What happens next, usually depends on how the individuals and the teams regulate these emotions. Destructive emotions can highjack performance and team relationships. They can lead to impulsive behaviours and prevent anyone from making effective decisions. Managing emotions Coping effectively with these emotions means you must have a high level of emotional self-awareness. Emotional self-awareness has to do with recognising your emotions as well as the impact of these emotions on yourself and others. Furthermore, it will help you to identify the triggers of certain emotional and behavioural reactions. The ability to be emotionally self-aware is one of the fundamental building blocks of emotional intelligence. The concept of emotional intelligence is broadly structured around “managing ourselves effectively” and “managing others effectively”. Seeing that a soccer player shares the pitch with the rest of his (or her) team, the opponents and officials, it would make sense to focus on team and social relationships and how to manage these effectively. But there is no way that you can manage your relationships with others if you cannot manage yourself well. And managing yourself (your emotions and behaviour) is impossible without knowledge of what is happening inside. The basic principle of self-awareness is somewhat like that of project management you can only manage what you are aware of! Start in a safe environment Soccer is an extremely fast-paced game, so trying to focus on emotions while playing, is probably asking too much. Similarly, the corporate world moves very quickly. How can any player or boardroom member increase his or her level of emotional self-awareness while speeding around on the pitch or in the office? It might be a good idea to start working on your self-awareness away from the field or your colleagues, where the competition is less fierce and the stress levels more manageable. Once you experience self-awareness success in safer environments, the more competitive soccer field or boardroom will provide ample opportunity to practise these skills. Here are a few tips on managing your emotions in stressful situations: Step 1: Do self-observation and write your observations down in a little notebook. However, simply writing down your experiences will not be enough. You also need to reflect on these experiences by asking yourself thought-provoking questions so that you can develop a deeper level of understanding about yourself. After a while, you will see patterns of emotions, insights and behaviour emerging. The knowledge about yourself can guide you in managing yourself and your relationships more effectively. Step 2: Ask for feedback from others that know you well and that you trust. Not everything people say about you may be true, but it is worthwhile listening to their views. The fact that someone experiences you as always angry, irritated or tired can be invaluable feedback and, as said previously - what you know, you can manage! Step 3: Listen to your body. If you continuously have tight shoulders, struggle to sleep or wake up clenching your teeth, your body is trying to tell you something! Listen to this message, because once again, what we know we can manage! Being able to identify your emotions and regulating them are cornerstone ingredients of emotional intelligence. Losing a match is always disappointing, but researchers have shown that athletes with high levels of emotional intelligence have more positive feelings. And more positive feelings will generally reduce the negative impact of the loss and help the team to face the next opponents with confidence and courage. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With its head office situated in Johannesburg, the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world, and support a range of development opportunities and host events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group Author: Jopie de Beer, CEO of JvR Africa Group
The world, as global village, is becoming progressively more diverse. Whether the movement of people has to do with emigrants fleeing their country of origin, or people who prefer to stay in a new environment - there is no doubt that societies and cultures are becoming more interwoven. Within a multicultural context, even outside their country of origin, people seem to find it comfortable and easier to socialise with those with whom they share values, history, language, habits, beliefs, and possibly even appearance. In exceedingly diverse societies, like South Africa, deep divisions between groups may allow for a variety of thinking habits to develop about each other. To achieve the united country, we have been striving for, we must be conscious of these thinking habits and actively work to avoid them. We all use thinking habits and biases to make decision-making easier. People very seldom have all the facts, nor can they comprehend all the facts, even if they wanted to. Herbert Simon called this our 'bounded rationality'. We like to think of ourselves as rational, but, everyone one of us must rely on a wide range of assumptions to cope with the overwhelming complexity of day to day decision-making. The problem comes in when our assumptions are wrong. We often feel so convinced of the truth as we see it, that we literally become blind to evidence that may prove us wrong. Regardless of our background, gender, race, or beliefs, as human beings our minds tend to work in similar ways. We tend to make similar kinds of systematic decision-making errors, and it is only through education and mindfulness that we can become aware of their effect on our thinking. Here are some common biases that impact the way we see the world:
If any of the above statements seemed familiar to you, you are a human being like the rest of us. We all find relationship building difficult, even in the best of times, and downright painful in the worst of times. Add in some diversity to the mix, and things get even harder. However, no matter the difficulties, human beings are natural relationship builders. With some basic knowledge of biases, we can overcome many of the obstacles to building strong, diverse relationships - a basic requirement of building our rainbow nation. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With its head office situated in Johannesburg, the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world, and support a range of development opportunities and host events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group |
Welcome to the JvR Africa Group Newsroom.
Archives
August 2019
Categories
All
|