Personal Notes 

Where are you going and what are you going to do to get there?

I have just spent 5 days presenting Management and Leadership training to a group of Principals from around the country. These Principals are part of an Eskom initiative to increase the number of learners who can become qualified maths and science graduates.

Now none of these schools is in an affluent area, many are in very rural areas, and getting sufficient funding and sponsorship is a battle. (See the community builder program)

One of the things that we looked at is the way to approach potential donors.

Now where this is leading to is that all too often the plea is made on the basis of being "Previously Disadvantaged". Well as far as I am concerned that is not an effective strategy as it attempts to play on guilt feelings that just aren't that sensitive anymore. Not only that but many "previously disadvantaged" people and communities are now even worse of than ever so they haven't done too much to improve themselves.

But let's look at this on a practical basis. If I was "previously disadvantaged" then what am I now? Surely the statement creates the impression that I am now something else. (Take me for instance. I was previously single but now I am married to my ex fiancé.)

Now it might have been politically expedient to create this impression of being "previously disadvantaged' but it was, and still is, personally disempowering. The reason that I say that it is personally disempowering is because if you have this belief then you run the risk of feeling that the world owes you and that you cannot move on until you are helped along.

No-one, other than you, yourself, owes you anything in terms of improving your life. But this belief of being "previously disadvantaged" has led to the equally disempowering policy of affirmative action. First you were a "victim" of apartheid and now you are a victim of affirmative action. Both systems define you by your colour and both systems judge you unfit to compete on merit. The one wouldn't let you compete and the other says you can't. Both are wrong.

However, if you are constantly referring to yourself as "previously disadvantaged" then it creates the impression that you are longing for that situation. I mean if I kept referring to being previously single I am quite sure that Linda would take that as a sign that I was unhappy with my current situation.

So rather than tell me what you previously were, unless you are doing so to demonstrate how much you have changed, tell me who you are now, what your dreams are and what your plans to achieve those dreams are.

You will find that you will get a lot more support if you are "growing" somewhere rather than needing help just to keep from going down.

If you must label yourself then please do yourself a favour and use a label that is positive and empowering and that, at least describes your current situation but preferably describes your desired situation.

To live your best life be true to the YOU, that you want to be.

Live up to the reputation that you want to have.