NEPAD

The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is a VISION and STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR AFRICA's RENEWAL.

Nepad's primary objectives are as follows;

a) To eradicate poverty;

b) To place African countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development;

c) To halt the marginalisation of Africa in the globalisation process and enhance its full and beneficial integration into the global economy;

d) To accelerate the empowerment of women.

What is Nepad doing for small countries like LESOTHO?

Does Nepad's development consider and make use of existing resources in African countries?

Lesotho is a country that has commited itself to educating everyone in the country. This country has a policy that every Mosotho has a right to education inclusive of tertiary education. This mission it achieves through the department of Manpower Development Secretariat which falls under the minisrty of Planning.

As a result, Lesotho has a high number of skilled citizens in various disciplines. That puts this small countires among coutries with a highly educated population. moreover, Lesotho is unique in the fact that it has more women eduacated than men. This a resource that even fast developing countries such as South Africa lacks and yearns.

How does Nepad address this kind of situation? Do they see it as an asset to use in the development of this coutry?

As much as there are many graduants and professionals in Lesotho, they are extremely frustrated. The reason is they earn emabarassig salaries that can barely aid in ther survival. Has Nepad noticed this?

As a result of such frustrations, many Basotho find themselves flocking to their neighbouring country, South Africa, seeking greener pastures. However, things are never that easy in in entering South African world of work , so they more than half of the tiime end up acquiring South African ID's in unholy manners in order to get jobs they deserve. This a nation that gets lost and ends up not contirbuting towards Lesotho's development. This a great loss to a poor coutry that spends billions in educating its citizens. At the same time, Josie Rowe-Setz clearly indicated that South African law indicates that they cannot import labour while it has so many people seeking employment.

So, specifically how does Nepad intervene in developing coutries like Lesotho? The coopetition suggested by organisations such as Nepad and SADC are meant to use disadvantaged countries help advantaged countries up the ladder.

Does Emotional Intelligence consider cultural diversity?

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is adviced as a skill to aquire as it is essential at the workplace. It is ment to help people to deal better with co-workers, clients and their bosses as well as concequences of stress related to their work. In my blog, developing resilience as a skill, I indicated that EI could be useful in that respect.

However, I believe that EI does not consider cultural diversity. In my experience, how people express their emotions differ accordingly. It may be gender, race, generation, tribal practices or even class that dictate how people handle and express their emotions. Peoples experiences also differ according to their location which makes their beliefs and behaviour to differ. As a result, their judgement of emotive issues will not be the same.

During her presentation, Shameen Naidu of Wits University Councelling and Careers Development Unit (CCDU), provided an exercise that was in a form of a questionnaire. The fact that people's responses differed, can to a larger extent be attributed to their cultural backgrounds. Different societies have different ways of solving issues and the fact that they do not interface with the priciples of EI does not mean that they are wrong.

At the workplace, EI may work for other people while it may not work for others. It is a matter of whether both people have acquired EI skill. When dealing with a person who has professionalism, EI could come about as highly useful skill but individuals backgrounds and beliefs are the ones that detirmin the usefulness of EI.

Let's mind map

I found mind mapping a completely new concept. At first I thought it was foreign and not easy to adapt. After Lesley finished presenting I had an idea but still felt intimidated. Then I approached Duke, fellow 2005 intern, who was obviously at ease with the concept and he again explained mind mapping to me. Then I asked myself, "Is this really new?" Ofcourse not, I have been mindmapping so have most people. It is only that we did not know that we were.

Do you remember passing through a strange town in a car trying to locate where you are? One normally scans billboards and names of the shops as well as road directions in that speed. However, after passing through, one will have identified the place as well as having picked those billboards that had misspellings on them. How does this happen? It is called reflective thinking. How do we connect this with mindmapping? Basically it is a recollection of important information without having to write it all down but noting it in one's mind.

A second example and even close to mind mapping is the situation in an exam room. With a question that requires an essay like History, the habit would be; immediately after understanding what the question requires, one takes three to five minutes jotting down ideas that are related haparzadly without judging what to note or what not to note. This is mindmapping to a certain extent.

According to Mind Mapping Resource Centre, mind mapping as a technique of arranging ideas and their interconnections visually, is a popular brainstorming technique. Having taught young people with fresh minds, I noticed how willing they were to explore, therefore I applied brainstorming a lot. I now noticed that accepting everything they threw at me during the brainstorming session and not sifting immediately was wonderful because everything and anything counted at that particular moment. It helps with the flow because the moment one stops to doubt, the left wins and the whole process gets disrupted.

Mind mapping is a powerful graphic technique helping to unlock the potential of the brain as a result stretching one's ability to recall important matters. It is a great skill to learn in order to help ones memory to remain sharp which is very much essential in the world of work. It can actually be applied in every aspect of life where clear thinking could enhance performance. So, let's begin to mind map.

BEE vs Mentoring

Last night while watching Interface on SABC3, Eric Miyeni of Chilli Bush indicated that the situation with blacks that acquire positions or jobs through Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), is that they are not given opportunity to contribute. He highlights that these systems are created to make people fail. Apparently he has observed that there is sudden change when a black manager enters the organisation. Miyeni says,

Everybody stands aside, musicians stop. However, you are expected to dance yet there is no music.

Miyeni is not alone in this observation as Nolitha Facuda also indicated that people are sidelined,

They are there but not seen as part of the organisations.

What I am trying to highlight is, there is a general feeling that black people are isolated and not being mentored into positions they have aquired through BEE. However, BEE is part of employment equity therefore not going anywhere, the only thing that needs to be addressed is the imbalances.

Mentoring is necessary in the workplace especially for people at entry level and those with new positions. The reason being, everybody need some coaching despite her or his qualifications. this is because the workplace is completely different from school. If one is not mentored properly or not mentored at all, that person can be extremely frustrated and end up incompetent. This means the company will also lose.

So, the case raised with problems around BEE are that black people are isolated purposely to make them fail. What the concerned organisations fail to notice is that they will also lose by recruiting people that they do not mentor or train to benefit their companies.

Yesterday on interface, steakholders such as the MD of Black Management Forum (BMF), Jerry Vilakazi, further addressed the issue by indicating that there is a clear reluctance by companies to offer black excecutives oppotunities to implement. He further suggested that this situation ends up with blacks being accused of job popping if they leave such organisations as a result of frustration out of isolation. Somentimes they are accused of destabilising companies when they demand recognition.

In short, lack of mentoring at the work place can create a serious disadvantage not only to an employee but to organisations as well as the country's economy at large.

HIV/AIDS in the workplace is a national responsibility (Lesley please assess)

South African employees, skilled and unskilled have favourable conditions throughout the continent. The reason being, they collect a better pay than their counterparts in other African countries. Moreover, they work under suitable conditions with better technology.

Looking at opportunities for skilled labour in South Africa, one can highlight their convenience to access medical aid. This means they can afford antiretroviral therapy (ART) should they discover that they are HIV positive and when the time arrives for therapy. This is a great opportunity not only for individuals but also the organisations they work for together with the country. Employees are assets that contribute towards sustaining the country's economy.

However, not much is done at the work place by both the South Afriacn government and emloyers to educate the employee on the importance of knowing one's status as far as the virus is concerned. This issue does not only lie with private organisations but civil service too. As a result, the country loses a lot of money through aids related deaths of its assets, human resource.

If the government could embark on a project to encourage employees nationwide to know their status, it would save the country a huge loss. Academic merit should be respected and employees must be given an intensive education on how the virus invades the Tcells in ones body. Furthermore, it should be made clear how the virus multiplies in the body and its development throught the years. If this could be highlighted, perhaps employees would start thinking carefully and positively. Consequntly, ART helps in sustaining an infected person's life. This information or knowledge makes people less afraid and encouraged to take charge.

Group education can be very useful in situatons like this as people encourage one another while indulging in discussions among themselves. Free precouncelling services at the workplace would also make employees at ease while stiff, cold consultation rooms with a serious doctor in a white coat is intimidating.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) governing body paper compiled in 2001, the majority of those who die of aids are udults in their productive prime. This makes the impact of HIV and aids on the labour force extremely servere.

I therefore challenge South African government together with the employer to educate an employee on the advantage of knowing her or his status.

Developing resilience as a skill (Lesley please assess)

Tina Thompson, CIA os Business Women Association (BWASA) quotes Bill Gates,

If you thought your lecturer was tough, wait until you meet your boss.

As a result, it is apparent that employees need to develop resilience as a skill. resilience, like confidence, is not an easy skill to develop. However, if one is to survive the work place stress, equally to applying stress management, one should be resilient.

Tina indicates that one can aquire resilience by holding on to one's unchanging beliefs. She continues to encourage positive attitude and well behaviour which can help an employee to recover quickly form any shock.

Shameen Naidu, CCDU, suggests that emotional intelligence can aid one in acquiring resilience as a skill. She indicates that self awareness together with being aware of those around you helps in motivating a person and helping her or him in controling their emotions, especially anger.

Humility as suggested by Tina promotes resilience.

Finally, it is important to note that resilience in the workplace can contribute towards effective teamwork.

Thinking outside the box (Lesley, please assess)

When Gordon Freer of Insight Strategies presented on "what i look for in an intern," he indicated that as much as interns should think within the box at the work place, they should also think ouside the box. My view towards this observation is that it may help to make an employee indispensable.

When one thinks outside the box, it is like looking at a bigger picture of the company she or he is working for. This means looking at today's situation also considering the company's future. If an intern does this competently, she or he might identify what the company needs and try to provide for this shortcoming.

According to Fhulufhelo Badugela, 2004, WOW programmes intern, one should research about the company and find out what it lacks, so as to contribute towards that. She provided an example of a company that she is currently working for, Edcon, which is the same organisation she served as an intern. She indicated that she observed what the company needed that interfaced with her profession, that is a wellness centre, and made suggestions. Fhulufhelo's idea has apparently led to Edcon creating a new department that needed her to be granted a permamant position within the company. In this way, Fhulufhelo's thinking outside the box has made her indispensable as the organisation needs her to oversee that the project she has implemented remains successful.

At this juncture, Rakhi Singh, SAB, in presenting about employability indicates that

to be employed is to be at risk, to be employable is to be secure

This means that it is not only an employees responsibility to contribute towards a company's success.

Thinking outside the box also requires self confidence and a desire to assist. An intern should bring passion, new skills as well as talent that might not necessarily appear on the carriculum vitae. All these form a good combination of a person who thinks outside the box.

Upon reading the workplace report; The Star, Thursday April 7, 2005, I discovered how Mark Nyungula in wanting to alleviate porverty embarked on a career in finance. This article continues to prove that thinking outside the box is the way to go in making oneself indispensable.

So, my advice to 2005 interns is,

Take charge of your destiny by thinking outside the box!

Money makes the world go round!

Currently experiencing that being unemployed is a frustrating situation one could find themselves in, ofcourse excluding them llllaaaaazzzy people. I perceived those with sayings like,

"Money makes the world go round!"

narrowminded, greedy and ofcourse sinners but now I know better, I was ignorant. Money does make the world go round! Tell me you don't want to be BILL GATES, TOKYO SEXWALE, SOL KEZNER....?