To be authentic. To be the best version of yourself. To have lived intentionally and to remember that business (and life) is ultimately about happiness.
South Africa (16 October 2022) – I recently had the honour of being the Master of Ceremonies for the annual “Club Management Association of Southern Africa” conference and even though the convention was tailored for the delegates, I believe that the overall message was crafted for all of South Africa.
The Club Management Association of Southern Africa (CMASA) is the recognised mouthpiece, listening post, guide and mentor for social, sporting, recreation, country and resort Clubs across South Africa.
This was my closing, shared with permission.
After spending two days at this incredible conference, listening to the most amazing speakers, giving the most phenomenal insight, I jotted down some of the things that piqued my interest and made me really think.
This is the conference summed up by your MC… obviously with my Good Things Guy lens on.
The first, and most probably the most intuitive, is that we really are living in a VUCA world – something that I had never heard of before – BUT now I know this is not something to fear.
What is VUCA?
It stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. Words that sound scary – and should be – but actually create a space for opportunity.
Volatility means we need more Vision.
Uncertainty means we need more Understanding.
Complexity means we need more Clarity.
Ambiguity means we need more Agility.
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Thank You to the Unnamed Heroes Who Stop to Save DogsMost of us are more than tired. Where wanting to book into a hospital to sleep for a couple of days is a concept shared by many. And we don’t judge here friends. We’re all exhausted. We’re all in survival mode. The last three years have taken us, shaken us, and made our entire world shift. We have all developed “bad habits” – to cope – and many of us are still trying to overcome them.
And there are loads of them.
Staying in your pyjamas all day. Choosing Zoom meetings over in-person ones because social anxiety is real. Drinking wine on a Wednesday, Friday, Monday and all the days in between. And over-working. Overworking is a massive problem. We are all pushing ourselves to a breaking point. And it needs to stop.
We need to find balance.
Are we working harder than an ugly stripper? What an analogy! But are we? It’s time to aim higher and aim for better! It’s time to focus on what matters. It’s time to share the load. It’s time to take time off. Time to fill our cups because you cannot pour from an empty one.
Ask yourself this.
Does it matter?
Is it relevant?
Are you in executive decision mode?
How are you showing up?
Are you being purposeful?
Can you do it better?
Can someone else do it – to free you up?
Who the hell is looking after you?
Cause you don’t have to do it all, and you definitely don’t have to do it alone.
Teams are important – and I’m not talking about the online meeting tool here. Every piece of your team is a link in your chain. Your colleagues. Your peers. Your staff. Your tribe. They are all pieces of your puzzle. Your STRONGER TOGETHER. This is where authentic leadership is defined… getting the work done without you having to touch it. By letting your team lead.
In order to do this, you need to understand yourself to understand them. And then teach them to do the same. This is where our emotional intelligence comes into play.
Our differences strengthen us, not divide us.
But even with a team, we must remember that no one is going to save us – we need to be our own heroes! We need to create our own happiness. We need to work towards creating our best lives. And once we do that, we have the ability to help others. There’s that filling-your-cup thing again.
And please be more confident! Find your confidence foundation. Be kinder to that voice in your head! You will never go higher than your self-esteem! It’s a self-correcting mechanism. You have to become the person you want to be, while aiming higher and putting your ideas into ACTION!
There are 7 billion people in the world. At any given point, at least 10,000 people are thinking the same thoughts as you. The difference between you and, let’s say, Elon Musk is action. You need to put your thoughts, dreams, goals and ideas into action!
And give those ideas a deadline. That’s an important point! Without a deadline, those ideas might remain ideas.
Talking about ideas, you need to steal everyone’s ideas. And not physically steal – like a thief would – but rather take incredible ideas that work in business and life and use them to make YOUR things better!
Better things that we can be grateful for.
Ahhhh gratitude. We have to practice gratitude. If you change your daily tasks from “I have to” to “I get to”, your entire life will change. We often dress our opportunities up as stress, but they are, in fact, blessings. Saying” I get to” instead of “I have to” helps you remember that these are opportunities you would miss if they were gone. It’s a simple change that can remind you to be thankful and happy for the things you normally take for granted.
And please always SING LOUDER. Not just when you are singing Katy Perry’s Firework. But when you are singing the praises to your team and celebrating the small wins. Ring that bell. The way you show up determines how other people feel. If people around you are having fun, then they are in the game with you.
So ask yourself…
What one word would you use to explain YOU to the world? What one word would you explain YOUR BUSINESS to the world? What one thing do YOU want to leave as your legacy in the world?
Let it be this.
To be authentic. To be the best version of yourself. To have lived intentionally – let’s all set our middle age to 75 – and to remember that business (and life) is ultimately about happiness. Yes, we need better teamwork, continuity, planning, relationships, community, communication, emotional intelligence, learning, doing, reflecting, enlarging and enriching.
BUT we’re all in the business of happiness.
And if we’re happy, then everyone and everything around us starts to become happy too.
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
Let our legacies – in our businesses, and lives – be happiness.
Yes, let’s keep hitting till we’re happy!
by 
