Pascalia

Research report results still outstanding

2007-04-13T02:18:00.000-07:00

It is with great distress that I am posting this blog. I feel let down by my Department of Forced Migration Studies and the Faculty of Humanities. As you already know I submitted my research report on the 15th of February 2006. According to University policy it should only take a minimum of four weeks to get a response from the Faculty. I only got a response (Corrections) from the Faculty on the 10th of October 2006 after I had made numerous phone calls and requests to find out what was happening.

I was given the impression that this was my fault that the External Examiner had refused to award a mark for my work resulting in me getting a mark from my Internal examiner only. After having done corrections to the Research Report I submitted it on the 10th of November 2006. I was happy and I thought that I would be able to get my results soon, at latest in the midst of February 2007. Alas this was not to be.I phoned the Faculty many times since the beginning of the year only to be told to “phone again on Friday,” “phone next week,” “I will have a response for you by the end of the month” and so on and so on. Yesterday (Thursday 12 April 2007) I was told to phone and find out on Monday 16 April. I am now tired of this routine.

To say this has been a frustrating experience for me is to say the least. I feel that I am being taken for granted and as a result my time is being wasted because I have waited for more than a year to get the results of my degree. This is unacceptable. I have consulted with my colleagues and it appears that my case is not extra ordinary. For instance, Zam Zam Guled (ex Forced Migration Studies Student) now Political Studies Department submitted her Research report in August 2006, got the same response that the external examiner refused to mark her work. A Committee sat to discuss her research report and another examiner was found for her in which case she got her corrections back, did them, submitted and got her graduation confirmation letter at the beginning of the year. This all happened in a space of six months.

Now what I don’t understand is why in particular my research report is still unmarked one year two months later on. I have plans with my life and I don’t want to be held back because someone somewhere is not doing their work. I want to further my studies/work and to be able to do this I need the results of my Masters in Forced Migration Studies.Eish please advice me of further avenues I can take to have my work marked and my degree confirmed. I already spoke to my Head of Department and he says I should wait till Monday 16 April 2007. My patience is running out so fast.

Reunion

2007-04-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

It was a good reunion. On Wednesday 11 April I was invited for lunch by the World of Work Internship staff. They were hosting their new batch of interns for 2007. I felt exhilarated at the thought of meeting my friends (Celeste, Rand Merchant Bank, Zanele De Beers and Cyrille from CG) and former colleagues and the new interns. More interesting is the fact that they (2006 interns) are all doing well in their prospective employment environments.

Zanele is slowly edging towards her dream career in Community Tourism. She says she is still working in the PR department of De Beers. (God I wish I could be in that PR department)! Celeste is having a ball assessing risk and political environments for her bank and Cyrille is thinking of getting into partnership with someone interested in Gold mines. I looked at him in admiration and started thinking that these definitely must be the fruits of the WOW programme. He is already thinking of going independent hardly a year later

Before coming for the lunch I remember thinking to myself that if given the chance to say something at the luncheon to the interns I was going to tell them that the World of Work is really two fold. Sometimes it is cracked up to be what it is supposed to be and sometimes its not. It just depends on one’s attitude. I came to Nedlac as a communications intern hoping to advance up the larder to be a communications coordinator but it didn’t turn up that way. According to the Executive Director I couldn’t land this post because firstly I am a foreigner and secondly my qualifications (BSc Hons Media and Society Studies and MA Forced Migration Studies) are so common place in South Africa that the Government (Department of Foreign Affairs or is it Labour?) would be upset if they were told that I am in permanent employ. So he told me that that is the dilemma that he is facing but that he is willing to help me with anything to find a job. (So you employers out there who do not mind employing foreigners I am still available and searching!)

I am now doing administrative work like my compatriot Takwana Makaya in Nedlac under the Community Constituency. I am enjoying it as it has managed to tighten up my previous administrative skills, albeit on a small scale because I don’t feel that it is challenging. I crave for something challenging that will get all my nerves worked up in anticipation of far reaching consequences. Mr Mkhize really appreciates the work that administrators do in Nedlac. This was made evident at the New Year’s welcome presentation of Nedlac staff. He reiterates all the time that everyone in ANY organisation is an administration. He terms himself is an administrator. The only difference according to him is that “we are administrators at a different level.” What do you think guys? I am not going to say anything about it right now save to say that his words gave me encouragement.

One other person who keeps encouraging me is Lesley she asked me whether I now understood and appreciated why she had placed me at Nedlac. I told her that yes I did. It was going to be a nightmare to get me a placement anywhere else given my foreignness. Nedlac was the answer since they had taken foreign interns before. After all has been said and done, I really appreciate the time and space that have been accorded to me by Nedlac. I am on the road after all. It’s just that my walk will be much longer than everybody else’s but I am on the same road with them nonetheless.

So to my fellow foreign interns. There is light at the end of the tunnel. The big break may be instant like in Cyrille’s case or it may take longer like in my case so keep up the spirit.

Internship extension

2006-07-18T02:05:00.000-07:00

I was recently told that my internship will be extended by a further two months and I am just glowing inside. Thank God I will get the chance to prove myself once again.

I was working on the Growth and Development Summit PowerPoint presentation that I had been given by the director. It basically was a tedious task that demanded me to concentrate and cut and paste certain sections into slides written “what we planned to do” and “what did we do”. This was for all four of Nedlac’s constituency’s government, community, business and labour.

I started working on this document in the morning and the Executive Director had indicated that he wanted it by 3pm so by 3pm I had only done ninety three slides and the document was not showing any signs of abating. So eventually at 5pm the time that I knock off I just decided to save everything and send the document to him. Early next morning I was sitted by my desk and the director said to me “Pascalia would you send the GDS to the President.”

I was surprised at this question because when I went home I immediately forgot about it and to make matters worse I hadn’t even checked the document for errors. It was difficult for me to answer the question because I had no idea what the document looked like. So I admitted that since it was obvious to him that the document was not good I had to admit that I wouldn’t send it to the President. After he left the document I opened the presentation with a lot of trepidation and rightly so the document didn’t look very good.

I was alone in the office but I swear I blushed deeply over this incident. The lesson I learned from this goes back to the one in one of the lectures about professional writing. You know when you learn something sometimes when you are in that situation you may start feeling that it doesn’t apply to you especially if you have always believed yourself to be a good writer.

I proved myself wrong because with documents if one is behind schedule and you haven’t finished work its always right to ask for an extension. Its better to be late than to produce bad work sometimes but not always

On top my work!

2006-06-28T02:40:00.000-07:00

Oh do I feel so good. Just like a cat which has finished a saucer of milk! Last week I was working with Kim and Dallas over the design and production of the Nedlac booklet. (It will act as an information source to our delegates who will be coming for the Executive committee meeting).

The challenging task about it was I had to gather pictures of most of the delegates who were mentioned in the booklet. We had a few hard copies in the organisation which are the most preferred ones compared to electronic versions.

The experience required me to network with internal colleagues as well as with people from outside the organisation like GCIS, SACP, DPSA, COSATU, BUSA and SANCO. I remember we received one funny picture which looked like the person in it was ready to go on a violent frenzy. The funny part was when I asked for a better picture the same picture was sent to me four different times by a different person who fervently promised to be around if I needed more pictures.

The other thing was that in the communications I requested specifically a headshot photograph of a particular person but I will confess to having received several group photographs! After I emphasized the point I was eventually sent an ID photograph with part of the head cut off. The picture was not good enough so when I asked to have another one I was told that the delegate would be coming to Johannesburg some time and that I could contact her and get a picture of her. Amazing ha?

So yesterday Dallas finished the layout and sent the final proof. Kim asked me “What do you think of the book? Happy to advise sign-off”? So I said “too happy Kim” and she replied “Cool - thanks. And good job Pascalia. You did really well. It’s a pleasure to work with someone so professional and on top of her work.” I must say it really is a pleasure and rewarding feeling to work with a supervisor who acknowledges the effort you put into work. Thanks for the compliment Kim. When you work with somebody professional sometimes you can’t help it but just mirror them as well!

Managing the work programme

2006-06-27T02:37:00.000-07:00

One thing that I will forever be grateful for working with Kim is that she taught me the easiest and most efficient way of managing a work programme. It is so user friendly that anyone who wants to know what is happening in the communications section can simply go through it and see where progress or non progress has been made.

It also has a space for bottlenecks and interventions and of the specific people who need to be contacted and the time frame when a particular task has to be completed. I have found this format very useful to me because when Kim calls for a meeting I simply browse through my work programme and update it where necessary. The other thing it does is that one also gets to see the original ideas when the programme was muted and helps one to know that there still is some unfinished business. This way continuity can be guaranteed.

Another aspect I like about it is the fact that one can always evaluate and assess themselves in the problems encountered section. For instance, when I was collecting stories from the coordinators for the Dialogue most were not keen at the beginning. I was told by some that it is not their job to write stories, given old presentations, given booklets and indifference by some. Some were wonderful though, offering more information and suggestions.

In the end everything worked out after a lot of persistence as I eventually got all the stories except from one person. The only snag though is that the stories have not yet been signed off by the powers that be. I was hoping that it could be part of the documentation for EXCO but it’s too late now.

My CV

2006-06-26T03:01:00.000-07:00

Pascalia Ozida Munyewende
Curriculum Vitae

Personal Details

Full name: Pascalia Ozida Munyewende
University of the Witwatersrand
West Campus Village, Block E20
Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
Phones: 072 083 0023/011 356 0630
Emails: Pascalia@nedlac.org.za or munyewendepascalia@yahoo.com

My career objective is to be able to contribute strategically and tactically in delivering communication objectives by developing outstanding plans and effective writing through the use of my strong analytical skills. I aspire to become a Communications Programme Officer in the near future.

Education

University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg, South Africa) 2005-2006
Midlands State University, (Gweru- Zimbabwe), 2000 – 2003.
Chaplin High School, (Gweru, Zimbabwe), 1993-1998
Stanley Primary School, (Gweru, Zimbabwe), 1986-1992

Work experience

Currently Intern Communications Coordinator, Nedlac Offices Rosebank.

The Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe- MMPZ
Position: Assistant Research Monitor
Duration: 1 January 2004- 25 January 2005.

Skills acquired - writing weekly media updates disseminated through the media on reportage of issues in Zimbabwe’s print media. Monitoring Violations and attending network meetings.
United Nations Information Centre (UNIC Pretoria, South Africa)

Position: Research and Information Officer
Duration: March to April 2004

Skills acquired – monitoring and writing a weekly synopsis on the media coverage of different African nations, and of the UN, updating the UNIC Library database.

Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources CAMPFIRE Association

Position: Research and Information Officer
Duration: January 2003- March 2003 and July 2003 - August 2003

Skills – collecting, researching and documenting information on CAMPFIRE projects/activities for CAMPFIRE publicity materials responding to request for information concerning CAMPFIRE activities. Developing press releases, bulletins, appropriate media coverage of CAMPFIRE by building a media network. Assisting with the development of funding proposals for Communities. Rapportuering of workshop/board meeting proceedings. Maintaining of CAMPFIRE project files.
Monitoring and facilitating the distribution of CAMPFIRE information materials. I gained Project Management knowledge, research and a variety of analytical skills.

The Herald Newspaper

Position: Reporter
Duration: August 2002 - December 2002

Skills – excellent verbal and writing communication skills. Managing a daily news diary, feature stories on Health and HIV/AIDS stories court stories general news items as well as human interest stories. Attending workshops and conferences hosted by different stakeholders. Writing commercial and informative supplements for corporate companies.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa - (MISA Zimbabwe)

Position: Assistant to the Research and Information Officer
Duration: January 2002 - July 2002

Skills: Acquired experience in human rights work through monitoring media freedom violation and advocacy. Facilitating workshops and conferences to conscientise journalists, editors and citizens on media law. Writing of bi-monthly reports to MISA members. Research on community broadcasting. Assist with the provision of information leading to the release of arrested journalists to MISA Zimbabwe Lawyers.

Rapportuer

National Associations for the Care of the Handicapped NASCOH
Period of engagement 28-30 October 2002.

Other skills
• Microsoft Windows based Programs (Word and Power Point).
• Flexible and able to respond quickly to problems as they may occur.
• Producing excellent written material or reports under tight deadlines.
• Good presentation skills.
• Developing research proposals, including literature review and constructing appropriate research instruments, having learned this specifically through the graduate studies programme. offered by the University of the Witwatersrand.
• I am a highly motivated and well organized individual who is able to work quickly and well under pressure both independently and as a member of a team.

Professional Membership
The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Zimbabwe)
The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ)

Interests
Reading current affairs journals, debates, travelling. Art and music fascinate me as well as dancing, gardening, and cooking.

References are available on request.

WTO trade expert

2006-06-26T02:30:00.000-07:00

At the end of this month out Trade and Industry Coordinator Sandile Roro will be leaving to join another organisation. I can already hear people wondering why I am mentioning this.

The reason is that when I first came to Nedlac had no idea about trade issues. I was anxious I would not have been able to understand issues if I was to sit in one of their meetings. So to prepare myself I read an article which had been written by Neva Makgetla in The Star about South Africa having to be careful about WTO tariffs, and non tariffs barriers.

I was wondering to myself what these terms could mean and I thought it would be an opportunity to have a one on one talk with Sandile where he would explain these nitty gritties and more to me.

I scheduled an appointment and went to him and he explained to me how the WTO works. The South African government’s including Nedlac’s role in the process as well as other countries involved in the process. I must say it was a very interesting “lecture” for the next time he came around asking for a scribe for the TIC strategic meeting that was held on June 8 at Sandton Towers and conference centre I was eager to go.

I was happy because what he had taught me made it easier for me to digest the dialogue that was going on between the four constituencies of Nedlac. My writing of one of the sessions also became easier. Terms like bilateral trade agreements, trade in services and others are now friendly terms. The organisation that has snatched Sandile from Nedlac is very fortunate to have him for according to me he is a sincere and hardworking person.

Hoping to be a communications coordinator

2006-06-25T02:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Nedlac advertised four vacancies which need to be filled. One of them is for the post of Communications Coordinator. I decided to apply for this post as it fits with what I am currently doing as an intern. I fervently hope that I will get the position. I wrote a motivation letter that went something like this: I have knowledge of the principles and practices of communications and public information techniques through different mediums, including voice, print, Internet, PowerPoint; writing and editing techniques for a variety of audiences; research and problem solving techniques.

The experience I have had with Nedlac so far has given me the edge that makes me positive that I am a fit for the position of communications coordinator with the organisation.
As the Communications Coordinator I will be able to provide expert advice and assistance regarding issues, communications recommendations, and support to Nedlac on how to preserve and protect Nedlac’s image. I can create and execute a comprehensive annual communications plan in support of Nedlac’s strategic objectives.

Due to the experience I have had with Nedlac so far as an intern I feel that before my internship is over I will be able to respond orally to inquiries and provide information to members of the public about Nedlac. I can write effective copy, proposals, press releases, articles, etc.; prepare presentations; design and layout electronic and print newsletters and website pages; use desktop publishing and printing techniques; especially when taught the basics. I can work independently with limited supervision and under multiple deadlines; I can develop and maintain good working relationships with internal staff as well as external people especially media personnel and people from other organizations who deal with Nedlac’s diverse interests (Government, Business, Labour and Community).

Being a social sciences graduate and a participant in the World of Work Internship programmes, I am knowledgeable about South African, African and international social and economic landscapes. I understand the concept of social dialogue and policy formulation having worked for Media advocacy organizations namely the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Zimbabwe) and the Media Monitoring Project in Zimbabwe.

I can contribute as well as maintain Nedlac’s website content ensuring accuracy, consistency and quality in addition to researching and writing media articles. It would also be necessary to compile and analyse quotations in order to assess cost, operational feasibility and other aspects when dealing with Nedlac’s communication programs. What attracts me to this job is the quality of experience I will gain and the different cultural values I will bring along to this post.

I am an enthusiastic, motivated and a very confident young lady. Because of this I believe that I am the right candidate to “take Nedlac to new heights in terms of the organisation’s profile and broader communication of its programme, processes and achievements”.

Off course you will all know about the outcome!

Movies and popcorn are luxuries

2006-06-24T02:23:00.000-07:00

I went to Zimbabwe over the Youth day celebrations. Eeish things are bad! The Zim dollar has lost its value so dramatically that all people do is count bills and more bills of money. When people are queuing in supermarkets one can be certain that it’s to do with money counting.
I was unlucky to get $20 000 notes (I should be arrested because I bought the local currency from the black market but so is everyone else!) instead of the $50 000 or the acclaimed $100 000 which lost its value the exact minute it hit the streets.

To leave a semi normal existence one has to use one million dollars everyday, that’s more or less buying a loaf of bread at 180 000 a 275ml of milk at 85 000, combi fare of 70 000 a 500g packet of meat at 490 000. One can forget about tomatoes onions and those other things considered to go with a balanced meal. Sad thing is not everyone can afford this.

The United Nations agencies report that over 4 million Zimbabweans face food shortages out of a population of about 13 million. I was talking to one of my friends from my former university and he was a very bitter man.
He spoke at length about how he had to struggle everyday as a teaching assistant. How their salaries are never reviewed in line with inflation (and when they do get reviewed the salaries are meaningless because inflation sets in the moment salary increases are announced), how he lost three girlfriends because of the distance.

He stays in Gweru and had met his girlfriends one at a time in Gweru but as each relationship died and he acquired another one he soon lost her to the capital city (Harare). Each had migrated in search for greener pastures. He spoke of how both of them attempted to keep the fires burning to no avail because of the ever increasing transport and communication costs.

It costs about one million two hundred dollars to travel to Harare and about 30 000 to send an SMS. He said he could not remember the last time he had been to a movie and attributed this to the breakdown of all his relationships.

Movies and popcorn all now seem to be luxuries to him. It is indeed an unfortunate situation that’s happening in Zimbabwe. Inflation is now breaking down people’s relationships and the very social fabric of our society.

Close call

2006-06-23T02:19:00.000-07:00

I spent the whole weekend in hospital 2 weeks ago. I was very scared but the experience gave me a new perspective on life. I realised that life is too short and that one has to live life to the fullest while they still can.

I am glad that the whole experience is over and that I am now as fit as a fiddle. I can also say that I love life and look forward to living each day and giving it the best that I can! While in hospital I had the support of my two loving friends Zamzam and Wallace. They came to visit me and provide me with things and fetched me when I was discharged. I am forever grateful to them and the hospital staff.

When I was discharged from hospital I decided to take advantage of the youth day holiday to go home to bond with my family. My father is still struggling with arthritis in his hands and fingers but overall everyone else is fine.

Lessons bearing fruit

2006-06-22T02:17:00.000-07:00

Lessons learned from the world of Work internship programmes are finally bearing fruit. Remember the issues on BEE, employment equity (will give more details about these later), professionalism and all that? Well I can testify that I have had a personal experience with all of them. The issue of power dressing for instance.

I remember Kim telling me that we are supposed to be formal down here you see our organisation is structured in wings there is the east and the west wing. The west wing is where you find the Executive Director Mr Herbert Mkhize, the Coordinator in the Executive Director’s Office, Ms Kim Jurgensen the Special Events, Section 77, Publicity and Sector Summits Coordinator, Ms Ntibi Maepa the Finance Administrator, Ms Sharon Lerumo, the Chief Financial Officer, Mr Umesh Dulabh and the Support Adminstrator Ms Sibongile Pheeha whom I share an office with. The rest of the staff is in the east wing and some are downstairs where the reception is.

So when I first came to Nedlac I was dressing real formal and smart. After observing my colleagues’ dress conduct was puzzled. It was less formal, casual like. I decided to ask my colleague Bongi “what’s the dress code for Nedlac”?

And she said “no you can just dress anyway you want” and form then on every thing went helter skelta and I started wearing anything jeans, jean jackets the whole causal works thing you know! So Kim told me that because I am situated in the east wing where there are always unlimited visitors it is imperative that I dress smart. So now everything is back to normal I am back to smart and formal. And my dressing now has not escaped Kim’s observant eyes, she has noted several times that I look very good and it makes me happy.

Writing skills have come out prominently. I remember the first time I send out an email to the coordinators telling them that I would be approaching each one of them to discuss issues in their chambers and identify stories for publication. Only one person responded to the email. I was very puzzled because I was coming from a background where one responds or acknowledged any form of written communication.

Being creative is also something that is very important in the organisation for instance I found myself having to seek advise from Kim about the colours of the Nedlac booklet so those thinking caps Roy spoke about do mean something. I also have to be able to initiate my own ideas where work is concerned.

Busy bee

2006-06-21T02:14:00.000-07:00

The time I had been anxiously waiting for has come. I have now become very busy at work as an intern! When Lesley first came to visit me to find out how I was doing I remember being very upset when she asked me “How has been your internship”? I told her that “Generally the staff here are very good I found it very easy to fit in. I think it hasn’t been going on as I expected. I expected a fast paced environment where I am delivering quickly. For instance I would have loved to be rounding up my first issue of the dialogue but it hasn’t happened that way. I think it’s also because of the work programme here. I think its structured in a way that they do their agreements and they way they do their meetings, its such that you cannot preempt what is going to happen. I think that’s the main reason why I haven’t been able to do anything.” Well all that has changed.

Recently I have been working on getting to have our first Dialogue Newsletter out before our next Executive Committee Meeting dubbed the EXCO which is scheduled for the end of June. The executive council meets quarterly every year to receive feed back from the various chambers that is the Public Finance and Monetary Policy Chamber, Trade and Industry chamber, Labour Market chamber; and the Development chamber. It is EXCO’s mandatory duty to review progress, reach consensus and conclude agreements between the parties. The executive council also defines the broad mandates of the Nedlac’s structures and to developing its overall macro-economic strategy.

So this newsletter which will be about 16 pages will focus on past achievements of all the chambers and some of the current work that they are doing. I am very excited about it because I will be very very involved in its overall coordination layout designing and printing. I wish I had some printing and desktop publishing experience as this would mean that I am in control of the whole process instead of subscribing to some already fixed template. I will definitely see to it that I acquire this special skill before the end of this year because not only will it enhance my qualifications it will make me more attractive in the communications market.

I am also liaising with designing and printing companies to make sure that a Nedlac booklet is developed in time for the EXCO as well. This booklet will have the Nedlac Founding document the Nedlac Founding Act and the Nedlac Protocol for tabling issues. Basically its meant to be a one stop shop for anyone who needs to know and get information about Nedlac. Its going to be a light handbook and will be easy on the eyes.

There is also the issue of organising a press conference after the EXCO is over. This also is going to be an exciting experience and will see Nedlac making the news. The intention is to invite journalists from all the mainstream print and broadcasting media houses to ensure an all round coverage of the event. There will be a lot of high flying delegates from all of Nedlac’s constituencies, that is government, business, labour and community.

embarassed

2006-06-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

I feel so embarrassed that I haven’t been blogging. Today I decided to visit www.bloglines.com only to be shocked to realise that there have been numerous blogs that have been posted that I wasn’t aware off. I applaud people like Celeste and Yoliswa who have kept the blogging fire going! Apparently you two are doing just fine. Wish you the best guys. I don’t know how I managed to convince myself that everyone is in the same world as I. crazy isn’t it? I am definitely changing my wicked ways.

Blogologist

2006-06-20T02:05:00.000-07:00

I was reading articles yesterday in the Business Day (19/06/06) and came across an interesting story titled “building the business of blogging.”

What I found interesting about the article is that it suggested that blogging can actually be used by businesses and organisations along their existing websites to add a more personal touch with the various audiences.

“Successful business blogs often review industry specific books and conferences and point out relevant articles and websites. The idea is that this type of service prompts loyalty and brings back readers back to the blog on a regular basis” the article said.

The article also pointed out that not all companies need a blog and for some the time and effort and commitment may not be worth it. So one needs to consider their market and geographical areas.

It got me thinking whether I should be blogging about issues at Nedlac but then our nature of business is such that the issues are so sensitive and no preempting should be done until agreement is reached. Only then can I blog about issues and agreements on some interesting policy matters.

So what do you say guys? Don’t you think it’s about time you suggested blogging for your organisations? Be warned its time consuming though!

Blogologist

2006-06-20T01:59:00.000-07:00

I dont speak your language

2006-06-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

I am increasingly becoming nervous of greeting people or being greeted by people in South Africa. The reason being that I do not know any of their indigenous languages. But this is difficult for someone who has to use public transport everyday and it can easily be interpreted as rudeness.

The thing is I have been told so often that I don’t look like a Zimbabwean and I find myself wondering “what exactly do Zimbabweans look like?” I have asked this question several times to my quizzers and have been told that Zimbabweans are very dark in complexion but aren’t they dark South Africans too? I have seen and heard several dark skinned South Africans but I’ve never been bothered about it.

A typical conversation may begin with what I can identify as a greeting “kunjani mama? Or lekayi” for which I am now familiar with the responses. Agony comes when the other person decides to become talkative and releases a string of unintelligible words (to me of course) which start to make sense after I have explained that “oh I don’t understand your language.”

There are those who take offense at my being unable to speak their language. Mostly these are combi drivers or bus drivers who see it as an opportunity to grill me about why I am in South Africa if I can’t speak his language. I find this an irritant.

First of all, what business do people have of knowing what I am doing in this country? If one gets asked this question once in a while its fine but everyday! Secondly, would it make a difference if people knew why I am in South Africa?

I really feel like l am reaching the end of my tether. How long have you been here and why are you not learning the language? I agree it’s very important to learn different languages for specific reasons but at the moment ingenious languages are not my priority.

I am so busy on other things and besides there are 11 languages in South Africa. Where does one start for example? I have met South Africans who can not speak Zulu facing the same problem. For now it will be “oh I don’t speak your language.”

Raring to go!

2006-05-03T03:51:00.000-07:00

I am bringing to Nedlac my brains, passion and ability from a business point of view. I am going to be doing a short term communications strategy project for 3 months and depending on how best I perform, it should culminate into a long term projects that spans and complements Nedlac’s history.

The purpose of this internship is to give me world of work experience, the much needed chance to network with internal and external professionals from the industry. Looking at Nedlac I will be gaining experience from labour, business, government, community constituencies and the media fraternity.

I can feel it already that it is going to be a fantastic experience both for my personal and professional development. Not to mention the hard work involved in streamlining the communications strategy. By the end of this internship I will be in a much better position to position myself. I get the feeling here that I am not an intruder for whom they had to find a task for me. Because of this I am willing to make myself available to learn and to seeing an opportunities in the tasks that I am supposed to do.

My immediate supervisor is Kim Jurgensen. I require a mentor who will be available to help me through this time. Somebody who can give me feedback on how I am performing and how I can make it better. Off course it’s not only me who’s going to benefit. Nedlac will benefit more because I am prepared to build their reputation as an important organisation in South Africa’s development. For this I will fly high Nedlac’s flag. This may be subject to availability of institutional resources too. I am talking of budgets!

Watch this space

2006-04-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

I started my internship as a Communications Coordinator at Nedlac yesterday (19 April 2006). I will be with them for the next three months. Watch this space for more details.

Elephant

2006-04-12T03:16:00.000-07:00

The Internship Programme is now over. I feel relieved and sad at the same time. We graduated and got our certificates today at the Origins Center where we had breakfast with the Dean of Humanities, the Director of the Graduate School, the director of the WOW Internship Programme and the WOW coordinator as well as some of the guest presenters.

I got a cute present from Jean, a metal elephant which I can use as a CV or CHEQUE clip (better get used to that word he he he) or as a hair clip! I guess we will all miss each other.

After all’s been said and done we really had a good learning experience together. I hope we will all keep in touch over the years. Many thanks to the WOW Internship Programmes.

Rocks or sand?

2006-04-05T05:31:00.000-07:00

Being able to manage one’s time is very important everyday of our lives. Time does not wait for anyone nor can lost time be replaced. It is thus crucial to know what one is supposed to be doing at what particular time and for what reasons. Janet Askew a training consultant gave us some essential tips on how to mange our time effectively including how to respond when one is late.

Devoting some thoughts on how one can organise their yearly, monthly or daily diary for both work and personal time is an activity well spend as it will save one loads of time, helping one to work S.M.A.R.T and not harder.

I’m told that when one works efficiently they should be able to accomplish daily deadlines by the time they knock of be it at 4.30pm or 5.30pm. It is said that people who leave their desks satisfied and motivated are organised and effective employees. Knocking off late and taking work home is a sign of bad time management we were told. I think that there are situations in the work place at times that can prompt one to work overtime. Unseen situations especially may compel one to put in that extra time.

Personally I am against the idea of taking work home. I think one should keep work at work so that when one is at home they can be able to reflect over the day’s events and try to generate more ideas and generally be ready for another smart working day. Failure to do this will result in one not getting the time to unwind, which can result in frustration, tiredness and poor work results.

I have been given a manual that details how to manage my time effectively. In it there is a part where I am supposed to fill in all my activity logs for the day. The logs are supposed to assists me in judging how I spend most of my time in the work place. I am supposed to do this for 3 days to get an accurate assessment. But because I am not yet working I am going to save the space and use it when appropriate. Janet told us that we can be shocked to realise that in reality we actually work for 4 hours in an 8 hour day.

The space fillers being reading one’s personal emails, mindless searching on the internet, chatting endlessly to colleagues while making tea/coffee, having lunch, going to the bathroom, talking on the phone, etc. Maintaining an activity log will help me in understanding when I perform my best. It will determine the times I am more inclined to work and also ascertain my energy levels.

Analysing the activity log will aid me in eliminating most of my time wasting activities where I will be able to integrate value loaded work in order to be an effective employee. Time management determines how well I will interact with other employees. When one manages their time well it will be evident in the way they talk and walk. People who manage their time well tend to be rational, respond well to stressors than people who do not and they always get results. In contrast people who cannot manage their time well tend to put pressure on others, be it scapegoating or refusing to take responsibility for their actions.

I am setting myself up for success in terms of being able to manage my time effectively in the work place. I will prepare and plan for all my activities in order to be able to achieve my goals both work related and personal ones.
“There is always time to do what’s really important; the problem is knowing what’s important” Marion E. Haynes

My first job

2006-04-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

I have just come out of an interesting presentation about professionalism by an inspiring young woman Mrs. Tracey Rowe Human Resources Director at Investec Asset Management www.investecfunds.co.za. When I was giving her a vote of thanks I said that everyone in our group would remember her for having asked us what our first job was. It was really good hearing everyone’s experiences. We had a set of questions we had to answer like:

A short life story.
Your first job.
Your dream job (from 6 years old).
Moving from academia to business- the challenges.
A piece of advice.

What struck me was how we all managed for the whole time we have been together (almost a month now) and still manage not to know personal life stories about one another. It is really telling about the kind of individualistic society we now live in. A society where it is “me, myself and I” and one does not really care about finding out about the next person.

Anyway this is a characteristic of so many organisations that people work for. I am told it is possible to work in an organisation without actually asking someone how they are except when you want something from them. I find this appalling and smacking of disrespect of the humanness that is in each and every one of us.

Anyway let me go back to the basics about why I chose to blog today. It concerns my first job.

Well, my first job was with an NGO called the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA- Zimbabwe) in 2002. I have said something about it in another blog so I am not going to repeat what it does. But I am going to tell you about my first working experience in a work environment.

I arrived the first day looking very smart in a blue suit and high heels (very professional). Every one was expecting me which was a relief and I met with someone whom I had always held in high esteem. The director of the organisation, who even today I think is an extraordinary person. Most of us who were doing the Media Studies programme in my university had been quoting and using her academic articles for our assignments or projects. We were reading about her in the media and seeing her on TV sometimes commenting about the legal environment in Zimbabwe. Her name is Sarah Chiumbu and everyone at university was in awe about her. How she was highly educated, a director of an impressive organisation, a woman and a mother. But like I said she had it all in her stride, she worked hard.

So when I met her I felt so proud to be the first one in our class to actually shake her hand. My immediate boss who was the Research and Information Officer (Rashweat Mukundu) gave me an orientation about the organisation and how I was to do my work. So I was given my first assignment.

I had to identify a media violation which I quickly managed. I showed it to him and he okayed it and said I should now go and write it so he could approve it. I sat in my designated area and wrote out what was expected of me in the neatest handwriting possible and then went and presented it to him. He looked at me and told me that I had to send it to him via email and I told him that but that wasn’t necessary as I had brought it to him. He explained to me that this is not the way we do things (important aspect of organisational culture). He told me I had to type it out on a COMPUTER.

I was terrified. I had never used a computer before in my life. (The computer project in our university had failed before it started because students had vandalised computers out of curiosity of how they worked, so I had never really learned). I told him that I had never used a computer before. I will forever be grateful to Rashweat, he did not laugh or scorn at me for my inadequacies.

He was very patient and taught me how to use a computer. I had this little notebook which I kept and I wrote down everything that was happening on the computer as it was being switched on. I remember writing down click the switch on buttons on both the hard drive and monitor (thank God I had done a course about the components of a computer but unfortunately had not done it in practice). Wait for a few minutes to get the blue screen. Go to start choose programmes, then Microsoft word document, click, then it opens a document, type a few words then click file, then save as etc. I wrote everything down in case I forgot.

I didn’t want to embarrass myself by forgetting then going to ask about the same thing. After that I took whatever chance I had to practice and type on the computer because I did not have a computer of my own. Whenever I was to do some work he would have to leave his computer to allow space for me. I ended up not having to go for lunch because this was the only time I could get the computer. I would just type, type, type from books newspapers anything.

Today I am proud to say I can type around 66 words in a minute. I soon became comfortable in the organisation because I chose to make myself humble and available to learn. We became a like a small family in the organisation with everyone just watching out for each other. I was willing to learn from everyone such that when it was time for me to move on to have print media experience I was quiet ready for it.

I learned that for one to be successful in the workplace one has to be their own person. One has to be open and willing to learn from everyone in the organisation no matter what job description they have. They have something to tell about the kind of work ethic, culture or how technology is used in the company. I also learned that one should never be scared to admit that they don’t know something. That’s how we learn. Also never to be afraid of failure, if one fails to be able to live up to that failure. Failure is about learning it is about searching the mind for new ways and new ideas of how to get the work done differently.

But we have to be careful that our failures are not repeated as they can end up costing the organisation.

Accepting change and making it happen

2006-04-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

I want to say that I am thankful for all the new knowledge and for all the new ideas,the new strengths that I learn and gain everyday in my life through meeting new people like Kuseni Dlamini who works for AngloGold Ashanti www.anglogold.com and is a lecturer in International Relations at Wits University www.wits.ac.za. I found him to be a very inspirational speaker.

I am now vigilant and ready to act on all new challenges that I meet with the anticipation that there will be positive outcomes that will guide and encourage me to do more good in my life and in the lives of other people. Positive outcomes are out there in the world for me to grab but these come with the need and acceptance for change.

Humbleness, humility and gratitude I believe are character attributes that can open up amazing possibilities to carry me into the future. These attributes are also important in determining how somebody handles courage. For instance in a work environment one’s courage can be tested by a new assignment. Having courage will tell how well one will respond whether with competitive ability or a resigned and reluctant approach.

We are constantly facing challenging environments every day, facing criticism, handling unfamiliar tasks or merely having to step up the pace in order to be ahead of everyday performance. I realise that I need to push my competitive edge, set my own tone for the choices I make in the work environment so that I can be able to tackle unforeseen challenges, the change that is inevitable and of course the unrelenting competition and the need to survive in today’s workplace. Inner strength is therefore necessary, to meet impossible deadlines, yes I know these will come soon and sometimes to simply accelerate the organisation’s efficiency.

I am aware that I need to learn one of the world’s languages if I am to fit in as a global person. There is now a great propensity for the use of Chinese, Hindu, Spanish, Portuguese, French languages and many more. I am willing to learn French to increase my competitive edge so that I can be able to work in an environment that demands it. It has become imperative for one to be multi lingual and to have many cultural capabilities in the global village we now live and work in. I don’t intend to be left behind by the gravy train. I have to think and act global, regional and to act local.

I am going to rise to the challenge, grab opportunities, and try to work as a team, rise above drawbacks and be able to be the change that is necessary in the work place. I am positive that with this attitude I cannot go wrong. I will try not to be silent about the things that matter because as Martin Luther Junior said “our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”

My passions

2006-04-03T05:52:00.000-07:00

My passion for human rights was aggravated during the presentations we had from different organisations today about possible internship placements. There were consultants from Environmental Resources Management www.erm.com who reminded me of my days at the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Programmes (CAMPFIRE) www.campfire-zimbabwe.org. This was a community organisation that dealt with issues of the environment and how best they could be used to empower communities. Programmes were tourist based and meant to build the capacities of rural communities in the long term management of natural resources. Today I found the workings of these two organisations to be more or less the same.

CIVICUS www.civicus.org ( a world wide alliance for civic participation and promotion of human rights) also reminded me of my Work Related Learning experience when I was still an undergraduate from the Midlands State University (Zimbabwe) when I worked for the Media Institute of Southern Africa-Zimbabwe (MISA Zimbabwe) www.misa.org/zimbabwe an advocacy organisation for freedom of information and expression. Later I was to work for the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe www.mmpz.org.zw a sister organisation to MISA which also advocated for human rights especially those related to freedom of speech and expression.

CIVICUS has various programmes like Civil Society Watch and Civil Society Index which I found interesting because they all center on human rights work and ERM because its centered on working directly with communities These organisations are of interest to me because I am passionate about working for the human cause and for the betterment of our society especially with organisations that have both a local and an international outlook.

Spreading the love

2006-03-29T06:40:00.000-08:00

Business writing skills are intricately linked to proving professionalism, proving employability and creating a positive or negative image about the writer. Lesley told us how extremely important it is to send the right message out there in everything we write. I really felt the impact that bad writing can have on any business.

Our lovely presenter had some slides that showed examples of bad versus good writing. Some people get turned of by bad writing. Lesley gets really pissed off when you send her a document with just ONE spelling mistake. I’m not sure what state she goes in when she sees two but I am positive it’s not good.

I used to get really frustrated when I started working with her and she would point out spelling errors in some of my emails. I thought “oh God I have acquired a nasty teacher”. I understood that her intentions were good when she explained to me that we are judged by what we write. I have realised too that Lesley is not all bad, when you have done something good, she does not waste time in telling you so.

Today Lesley told me that my blogs are very good. One problem, my paragraphs are too long. She says this may discourage people from reading thinking that they are not interesting. I have to package them in smaller pieces that are kinder on the eyes. So you the reader will be seeing improved blog appearance from now own because I don’t want to lose you yet. I am going to be more generous with the white space too.

Bad writing as Lesley put it gives a negative perception that either you are a con artist/careless/not serious or that one obtained the degree fraudulently. It also gives a negative image to people out there in the industry who may not be holders of postgraduate degrees to think that they did themselves a favour by not going for the qualification. For them the sloppiness will be enough justification. I have decided I do not want to bring this qualification into disrepute by mistakes that I can easily avoid such as grammar and spelling errors.

During the presentation I was given a gift which I heartily received with two hands from Lesley. She sure knows how to spread the love. Instead of being vague about what we need to know about business writing skills she let us all in on the secret. I am going to share Lesley’s love with you and open up the secret. It’s in a word called SPRAT meaning:

Situation
Problem
Resolution
Action
Thanks

If you want to try it you can write a letter to say your head of department highlighting a particular concern. Just follow the method step by step, afterwards you will be kick yourself wondering why you never knew about it all along. It’s an effective way of communicating without getting that irritating email asking you to clarify certain points.

I am positive that with this new skill I posses my transition from academic writing to business writing is now easier. I am throwing away those long phrases I used for my research report writing like “it is hoped that this study will stimulate further research in this area” when all I want to say is “I quit”.

Dynamite comes in young packages

2006-03-28T07:28:00.000-08:00

Today I learned about the most important skill that everyone should possess. It is the path to effective communication delivery. Presentation skills are an important aspect in today’s industries be it the non profit or profit making sectors of business. It is imperative to be able to give an audience their time’s worth and their attention for that matter. Don’t they all say paying attention is expensive? This means when one stands in front of an audience they must give it the respect it deserves in terms of delivery. Stammering, getting at loss for words, running frantically through pages are a no no during presentation making. All these things show that one lacks the 5 P’s which are preparation, purpose, presence, personality and passion. When these important aspects are in place according to the superb presenters we had today Des Patel and Robert Craig from Connemara Consulting (www.connemara.co.za) one can be sure that they will have an excellent presentation.

When one fails to do a presentation properly it means they have failed to sell an idea, a decision or an opinion. This can be very embarrassing as you would have failed to be an ambassador to yourself or the people or company you are representing. Negative result, you may not want to be found in the presence of that same audience somewhere else, this means loss of credibility and so many other things. The other thing that worried me and most of my colleagues which was ironed out by our presenters was the fact that most of us in the internship programme are still young. This means that constantly we will find ourselves fighting for credibility in the world of work where we will be working with people much older than ourselves and are in a decision making position. For me this means acting and dressing the part. I believe that in as much as dynamite can come in small packages; dynamite can also come in young packages like me. After all Nelson Mandela was only 26 when he founded the ANC and Bill Gates was only 20 when he developed Microsoft. A famous African proverb that neatly describes what I am trying to say mentions that “for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today” or Oliver Mutukudzi famous Zimbabwean musician whose song has more or less the same meaning that “Chimwe nechimwe chine nguva yacho ramangwana rirongere,” thus young people have a place today and preparation is the key.

Being presentation ‘fit’ assumes utmost importance, achievable through feeding the mind with the appropriate knowledge, regular presentation practice on my own or to friends, having the right tools and skills, being goal oriented, being open to suggestions and continuously monitoring my progress. This contrasts fairly to an athlete, they have to eat well, be on the right, equipment of fitness programme and continuous practice. Rehearsing, rehearsing can never be emphasized enough. It’s essential. One just doesn’t wake up in the morning with outstanding presentation skills. It’s an art that can grow with us as we age provided we are willing to nurture it with preparation. There are a lot of non verbal cues that are of particular importance that an audience pays attention to when one is presenting. How one projects their voice for instance, the emphasis in it, the rate at which that person is speaking, command of the language, making eye contact and so many more. Capturing the attention of the audience is essential and knowing when to stop talking. After all is said and done I feel like I have been on a stage all my life presenting different things at different times. Be it in a friendly conversation with colleagues, a fight or disagreements with my parents or partner, the class presentations in school and university and even writing assignments. Its all just presentation, presentation, presentation, now I that I am conscious of this fact I have to be at it all the time to be that good.

Me the entrepreneur

2006-03-27T04:04:00.000-08:00

Entrepreneurship is an opportunity that I am willing to entertain as soon as I get established in my profession. Marius Venter (Business Consultant and Team builder) rekindled this interest in me again during his presentation http://www.guestspeaker.co.za. I tried being an entrepreneur several times when I was growing up. I remember selling sweets when I was in high school and ended up having no money and the sweets after confiscation because it was an “illegal activity” inside school premises. I couldn’t understand why when our teachers were doing the same. Needless to say I didn’t give up and decided to sell the sweets to members of my family. I got some satisfaction which didn’t last because my little brothers decided to “steal my business” and feigning innocence later. I was able to see the risks involved in my kind of business later. Firstly, I was supposed to operate legally and assess the business environment. I did not take all these factors into account and I ended up losing everything. Recently in 2005 I began selling electronic stuff to raise money for my education and I felt that was another opportunity to be pursued http://entrepreneurship.mit.edu (found this website quite useful in this regard). I feel that my time is just ahead and that I will be able to begin an enterprise again.

I say this because I see myself as a capable young woman who will be able to balance her professional requirements as well as the ability to be involved in a business endeavour that makes me feel empowered and at the same time empower other individuals as well. My high level of education and the confidence I have in my skills will give me certain success.As a woman I believe its necessary to be creative and find an enterprise that can be fulfilling and allow me to relax at the same time. The service industry immediately comes to mind a massage and beauty parlour maybe, or a restaurant specialising in particular foods, there are too many to consider. I will just need to sit down make a plan and see how it can be organised into a meaningful, marketable and profitable activity. At the end of the day it is also about creating employment and uplifting the economy.

My being able to keep an open mind, listen to others, my skills, innovativeness and just being a passionate person will help me mould my ideas and make them become dream come true lived realities. Entrepreneurship is based on the ability to have extraordinary vision, artistic creativity, and commitment to follow one’s dreams. I believe I have all these necessary qualities. In fact I think very individual has some or most of these qualities. The question is can one identify them? Is one willing to grip the bull by the horns and take the risk of venturing into something new?

Programme Management

2006-03-26T02:04:00.000-08:00

Brian Orlin demystified project and programme management for us in his presentation. He is a Project Manager for the Johannesburg Development Agency and has been working on turning around Constitution Hill into a viable commercial enterprise at the same time maintaining its historical image www.jda.org.za/constitutionhill. I got the emphasis that one requires a great degree of interpersonal, leadership and management skills. I feel glad that most of my undergraduate courses (Principles of Management in particular) are becoming relevant to me in this Internship programme. No doubt they will become more relevant when I become a Project/Programme Officer in the near future.

I would like to become a project officer because it offers a more challenging and rewarding prospect. I say this because a project affords the opportunity of one being able to work on an independent unit of a broader programme that has a time frame and measurable objectives. Projects produce benefits and foreseeable changes usually for the benefit of society or a special community. In the near future I see myself working in my area of interest which is HIV/AIDS. I am particularly inspired by the work being conducted by the United Nations Development Programme and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) http://www.undp.org and http://www.unaids.org/en

I feel that I can make a contribution in providing my academic skills to providing strategic solutions to issues like HIV/AIDS which has bogged our society for so long. Using my analytic and communication skills I believe I can offer some new approaches to reverse the negative effects of the epidemic. Programme/ project management is the only way that promises better delivery of change as the component of monitoring is always present. These two components have gained certain popularity in both profit and non profit driven scenarios. It has become increasingly acceptable for certain programmes/projects to bring about policy change and advocacy for human rights in different societies and governments. I believe that organisations, companies, governments etc should embrace project and programme management if they want to be effective and are results driven.

Constitution Hill

2006-03-26T02:02:00.000-08:00

On Friday World of Work Internship Training delegates including myself spent the whole day at Constitution Hill where we were taken on a tour of both the men’s and women’s prisons. I found the tour very depressing because of all the atrocious conditions that freedom fighters and other ordinary people had to endure when they were incarcerated. It was the notorious Section 4 and 5 that made me feel like that. Hundreds of thousands of black men were stripped of their dignity by the apartheid regime in these sections. I urge everyone to find time to go to Constitution Hill and get a feel of this South African history. I think it provides a link and may help explain why South Africa is the way it is today. So many issues that deal with democracy and upholding it are based there at the Constitutional court where cases are heard and judgments passed. I hope what happened at Constitution Hill will never be repeated and hopefully that it just remains what it is; history.

Polishing up the Act

2006-03-22T06:47:00.000-08:00

Interviews can be quiet unsettling, especially if they are job interviews. I noticed this in the seminar we had today about Interviewing Skills. It was quiet evident that for most of us there was sufficient or lack of appropriate interview skills.

Confidence in oneself and in one’s capabilities came out as the most important aspects when the unstructured interview techniques were performed on us by consultants Wickus and Willemien. Important aspects of interview preparation, like power dressing, the personal documents to take, and the appropriate questions to ask where all tackled in the seminar. Most of us left the seminar with a clearer view of what to expect in interview situations and to expect harsh employers during the interview process.

Regardless I felt quiet good after Wickus mock interviewed me for the post of “Research Analyst for Coca Cola Company.” Both the interview panel and participants who were watching me go through the interview process right from being “welcomed” into the company through the “interview itself” said my interviews skills were quiet good. However, I was told that I need to grow in the art of selling myself especially where the unstructured questions come in. This is the only part in the interview process where one gets to talk about their skills. I realised when I was being interviewed that I was so hard bent on answering the questions that I soon forgot that I had a purpose. I was supposed to convince my potential employer that I am the right person for the job because of my qualitative and quantitative skills, or that I am patient and persistent with the ability to work long hours independently with a goal to solving problems etc.

Despite this, it was intimated to me by the consultants and participants that I came across as a confident and relaxed person capable of steering organisational goals in the right direction. Oh how I wish this interview was the real thing! Imagine I would have been looking forward to my second interview as Wickus intimated to me. Anyway I am glad I had this experience. Forewarned is forearmed as the popular saying goes. I will definitely polish up my act using some of the tips suggested by the consultants we had as well as those from Interview Center Website http://interview.monster.com.

Stress

2006-03-22T06:45:00.000-08:00

I have the tendency of wanting to make others get a feel of my stress by snapping at them during conversations. I have been made to realise that there are so many ways of dealing with stress that can make me come across as a very rational and reasonable person. Firstly is the need for me to identify all the stress symptoms like having headaches, feeling tense, being demotivated and all the others.

Normally it is easy for me to notice that I am stressed out. It begins with having long sleepless nights and thinking about the same things that are stressing me over and over again until the headaches set in. It then follows that it will become difficult to concentrate when I am in such a mindset. What has redeemed me the many thousand times I have been stressed is to always focus on the positive and the good side of what may have been stressing me. Rarely do I go out to seek people to help me out of a stressful situation. Shameen reminded us today that it is very important to have support networks like family and friends to help us out of stressful situations. I am glad I have the benefit of having someone close (Clema) to confide in when I have problems or stressors.

In the workplace it is very critical to respond in an emotionally intelligent manner to situations that have a potential of deteriorating into serious problems where one can end up not fulfilling organisational goals. Health is always affected when one is stressed. Thus it is of paramount importance to be able to manage and organise one’s time effectively through working consistently and maintaining a steady pace all the time.

My stress level according to the Stress Level Test was 41 and when placed in the 33-50 range showed that I have a moderate stress level with a tendency of being a workaholic. According to the results I generally do not cope well with stress. Overall result – Quiet good. I intend to work on raising my stress management techniques so that it does not come in the way I interact with people both on a professional and personal level. I found the website Stress Management from Mind Tools very informative, its link is http://www.mindtools.com/.

Collaboration and Cooperation?

2006-03-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

Today I was taken back to my undergraduate years when I remember grappling with modules like Micro Economics, Macro Economics, Principles of Public Relations and Principles of Marketing. I have to admit that for someone who came from an Arts background in high school this was quiet heavy staff. Knowing about the forces of demand and supply, free market economy and all that other economic jargon was something to contend with. I am happy that today when Josie Rowe-Sezt (consultant) presented a seminar on Competition, Collaboration and Cooperation I wasn’t that too lost in it.

Her presentation touched on so many important aspects that are important for the survival of developing countries, especially South Africa in a world of trade liberalization and globalisation. I think that competition is healthy in any environment for it ensures that standards and procedures are set when processes of anything are being carried out. Competition ensures survival of the fittest and discards any misfits/undesirable elements in society. In the context of developing countries and developed countries competition is welcome but I believe that it must take cognisance of the various levels of development in our side of the continent versus the west. I think this is all the more important when I think of the massive diversity in the levels of development say between America and Zimbabwe for instance. America is so advanced in terms of information and communication technologies, infrastructure, its industries anything you can think off not to mention the advantages it has over other countries because of its power. In contrast Zimbabwe is just; well it’s just another poor country.

I believe that trade has to take cognizance of the economic advantages or disadvantages for individual countries. Following a singular or narrow minded view of global trade may not be reflective of cooperation and collaboration and may not produce positive if at all relevant results for all involved. Most developing countries lack the technology and expertise to compete on the same level with developed countries. There is a situation where stronger countries are pushing weaker ones out of the trade picture. It has created the need for countries particularly in Southern Africa to form economic policies that affect foreign direct investment. One can notice that there are now some restrictive labour laws, property laws, company laws or controlling the value of the local currency for instance.

I believe that there is need for both developed and developing countries to assess their needs and to chat the way forward cooperatively instead of exploiting each other. It would seem that developing countries are at risk due to the effects of globalization because they are seen as a dumping site for cheaply produced products which erode the value of our own local products. At the same time the small number of products we can present on the world market are subjected to a lot of restrictions. There are new laws that have to take into consideration the environment and hygienic practices and other such like obstacles that are just meant to push out our products or lower the selling price of producer goods. I just wonder if there is anything called competition on the global world because if its there, then it’s not fair. Cooperation and collaboration? I doubt, it looks like arm twisting to me where developing countries are simply placed between a rock and a hard place.

2006-03-16T06:39:00.000-08:00

2006-03-16T03:24:00.000-08:00

Team work has always been a very conscientious issue for me. I have always believed that team work does not work for a number of reasons. Firstly because individuals who form a team have different interests and motivations. Secondly people in teams always want to get noticed for any input and of course the competitiveness of individuals. For some they may see a team as a front to hide behind and be lazy choosing to blame others for lack of cooperativeness. Some may want tasks delegated to them in a team instead of taking their own initiative. Most important teams can fail because people may not understand the concept of team working or because people do not know how to harness the particular talents of all the members in it.

I think that teams can work if people are willing to embrace the differences and the qualities that each individual has. But this has a problem in itself because sometimes people may not want to waste their time getting to know other people. It may be important to some to just get the work done without all the being nice preparations. This requires commitment from everyone if all are to keep their eyes on the ball. Personally I don’t believe teams can work but I was convinced today that given time and commitment it has its own advantages of getting the work done in little time and conserves the organisation’s intellectual capital. I have always believed on the one hand that work is best done in an individual setting where one has the freedom to exploit all resources available to them and above all focus. On the other hand, if tasks are delegated properly in a team setting work can be done expeditiously, creatively (satisfying the old adage that two hands are better than one) and effectively.

My knowledge and how to use teams to achieve organizational goals will be put to the test when I go into a work setting. I am no longer in the defensive mode about teamwork because I now possess the knowledge about the strengths and weakness of teamwork and how to harness them properly to obtain organisational goals.

No longer a mystery.

2006-03-15T07:51:00.000-08:00

Ok the myth about blogging has finally been demystified. When the concept was introduced to me by Lesley Emanuel (WO W Training and Internship Programmes) I was excited about it and thought I would like to explore this new piece of the Internet. So it was with great enthusiasm that I wrote my first blog and was the first one from our group to make an entry. However, I became agitated a few days later when I received an email from Roy Blumenthal (Artist at large and serious blogger) asking us to join the yahoo blog thinking groups (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blogthinking). I am sure you are wondering why I am saying I was agitated.

After I joined the yahoo blog thinking group I was all of a sudden assailed by a host of email messages from some of my colleagues in the internship programme suggesting I read and comment on their blogs. Not only that, there was a day I received more than 10 emails from Roy offering tips and advise about how to get the most of out blogging. I became very terrified and started to lose my confidence. To make matters worse it is a requirement that we blog four times a week and that we read and respond to each others blogs. I felt all this to be very overwhelming and I started to feel very negative about it. I started questioning myself if the internship programme was just about blogging. I even received an email from Roy saying most people were earning a living through blogging like John T Unger an artist. I just couldn’t understand it. This made me think differently about blogging. I thought if someone is making a living out of blogging then surely it must be the most complicated and challenging task and was not as easy as had been suggested.

Today Roy explained that blogging is not that difficult one simply is provided with a platform for expressing oneself in a blog. Blogging will provide me with a way of self evaluating myself after reading people’s critique about some of my staff. Now I know that I can use my blog to talk and comment about what I am really passionate about or about what pisses me off. Because of blogging I will get a chance to network and link with a lot of other like minded bloggers and other people. At the end of the day I can say that I really like the concept of blogging!

Self awareness

2006-03-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

The world of work internship programme is proving to be more exciting and engaging than I thought. Today we had a very good presentation on emotional intelligence by Shameen Naidu from the Careers Counseling and Development Unit of our university. To be honest I wasn’t familiar with the concept. Yes I had heard the words here and there but never enough to actually be reflective about what it really means. It was mentioned that women are emotional beings compared to men highlighted by our ability to “nag” I like to see it as our ability to communicate and express how we really feel. Men generally tend to bottle up their feelings.

Anyway, today I found out about my emotional intelligence score which showed me the necessarily areas that I need to grow in. After all emotional intelligence is a lifetime growing experience. Basically it was about how I will be able to emotionally respond to a given set of situations. There was also a questionnaire on self acceptance, I got an excellent score for this one. My self ideal self score is average. After the presentation I realized that emotional intelligence is important in the corporate world just as much as it is in our personal relationships.

Our emotional intelligence determines how aware we are of other people, how we deal with our own emotions and the way it will drive our motivation to perform different tasks and adaptability to a given environment. These aspects are important in that they are the ones that conclude whether one gets the job or not. I have resolved to write and keep a diary for the next two months as suggested by Shameen. I will enter into the diary what I feel without editing or reading it only waiting until two months have passed. I will then read it and find out more about myself. This is because for my emotional intelligence to be at work I need to be in touch with me after all emotional intelligence is based on this premise. I will have to be able to take care of my own emotional intelligence before I can be able to help other people. I want to be able to influence, to send clear and effective messages to the people I will be working with in the next few months and indeed in my life time. I want to bring about change, be able to manage conflict or to challenge the status quo if need be and to build working relationships that are mutual and beneficial in the organization as well as outside of it.

The costs of emotional illiteracy I realised are negative. For one they lead to poor decision making, low morale, absenteeism, crime and various emotional disorders like depression which can lead to substance or food abuse. Thus it is imperative that we are aware of our emotional intelligence at all times. It has never been more important especially at this age of new information technologies, cultural change and globalization. James Thurber famous for brainy quotations notes that, “let us not look back in anger or forward in fear but around in awareness.”

New Thoughts

2006-02-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

As a post graduate student from the Graduate School for the Humanities and Social Sciences, who has just completed a Masters degree in Forced Migration Studies I feel relieved but scared at the same time. I say this because when one is in an academic environment, you get to a point where most of the activities you do in a day become routine.

Preparing to enter the World of Work has led me to have many thoughts. Having to be at work everyday where there are so many challenges and so many people grappling to survive and achieve organisation’s goals is something that I have to face head on as from now. Things like deadlines to meet, resources to consider and prioritizing budgets. I am suddenly confronted with the fact that I have to move from the solitary to the social networking human being I am expected to be when I get into the industry. I suddenly wonder what kind of community I am going to make for myself. At the same time ensuring that in all these relationships professionalism has to take centre stage. How do I network with the relevant people from within the organisation and those outside the organisation? I feel that effective networking with the right people is good as one can get positive ideas and dialogue about different topics. Later good working professional relationships and positive energy can flow from good networking.

There is also the major issue about embracing people from various cultural backgrounds and being able to appreciate and recognize difference. Not that it has been a problem given that our university is so diverse. This will be different in that here at university I was not obliged to engage with people from different backgrounds. A work environment would be different and attitude assumes critical currency. All in all I recognise that growing from a student to a professional demands hard work and flexibility and one has to be on one’s toes all the time. One has to have the ability to be flexible enough to embrace change and show a willingness to learn in order to find a place in this constantly evolving global world.

I want to create a professional identity and be a beacon of light for everyone in the particular industry I will be working in. Being an intern is very exciting and scary at the same time. On the one hand it is flattering. On the other everyone in my department will be paying particular focus and attention on me and my work. I want to be able to handle criticism/feedback well. This is important as it will help me with my professional voice. I expect that after my internship I will have moved from anxiety to a state where I will appreciate my capabilities and specific growth areas. A willingness to work hard and my desire to excel in everything I do are key attributes to being successful.