There is a South African proverb that reads “a fool is a wise man’s ladder.” South Africans are privileged to live in a country with so many diverse cultures. Don’t be fools and start learning from each other. We have an advantage because we gain knowledge from different inputs and outputs as seen through the eyes of different cultures. There are so many lessons to be learnt and so many skills to acquire from a diverse workforce who come from different backgrounds. We only need to open our eyes and minds and learn.
1. Be open minded – You will not fully learn what diverse people can teach you if you don’t keep an open mind to new experiences and different ways of doing things.
2. Ubuntu – This is probably the most important lesson African cultures have to offer. It’s a lesson of respect and to give to society so that all can rely on society. This basically means to do unto others as you would want them to do unto you and that we are all connected as part of a society where everyone is responsible for anyone.
3. Stop being someone else – Everyone is proud of his or her own culture in South Africa. It is important that South Africans share their values and traditions with other cultures so that it can be integrated into the work society. Be yourself and a positive example of your own culture, and allow people to learn from how you do things.
4. Persist and proceed – with all the diversity in South Africa, we have come a long way, especially in the workplace as well. Perseverance, dedication and just a keep-moving-forward attitude made South Africa what it is today. This is a skill that so important to learn from an early age and that will have you climbing the ladder to success.
5. Respect for success – Success is differently defined by all. South Africans have learnt to respect that everyone has different goals personally because he or she come from different backgrounds and cultures. When it comes to workplace goals, well-skilled team leaders from different backgrounds can align their teams, to work together so that not only the company’s common goal is reached but personal goals are also taken into consideration.
With South African being so diverse, we face challenges and opportunities different from our overseas counterparts. Continuous development and training in diversity, change management and understanding the different generations as employees and customers, will open up doors for companies on so many levels.
The Mindspa Institute Training Company specialises in skills development through Management Training, Leadership Development, Office Professional and Secretary Training.
The greatest gap in the world is between “knowing” and “doing” so all our training workshops and interventions focus on bridging that gap through interacting with the business, its management and employees, enabling them to take the lessons and practically implement the changes in their work and personal lives. Our training courses are carefully researched to ensure they are relevant to the South African reality. Our training consultants are specialists in their particular fields and this gives them insight into delegate needs as well as knowledge about actual trends in the market.
While Management Training remains a key focus, we offer a variety of different public training courses, in a variety of business fields, around the country. Our training material is developed in-house and therefore, we can customise training manuals to include your branding, mission vision and values statement - exclusive to in-house training. The Mindspa Institute Training Company is accredited by the Services Seta and Merseta. For more information visit our website www.themindspa.co.za or email [email protected]
