‘Arch’ of Joy — Lionesses of Africa

Without doubt he was a leader in every sense of the word, fearless in standing up for what he felt was right and on occasions even stepping in to save others by putting his own life at risk. This standing up for what he felt was right moved from fighting Apartheid once that battle was won, into fighting against all injustices, as John Allen, a former managing editor of AllAfrica, and who covered Arch as a journalist for 45 years points out (here): “…he could not accept discrimination against a group of people on the basis of an attribute they could not change, whether it was their race, their gender or their sexual orientation.”

As we came into the close of 2021 we wrote about ‘Tuko Pamoja’ – “We are in this together” / ‘Ubuntu’ – “I am because we are”, (here) little did we know that one who embodied so beautifully such a belief in togetherness, would leave us at this time.

Throughout all of his life, his battles against injustice, his bringing together of people, he also brought an essential spirit to those around him. That of Joy.

What can we take from this great man’s life as we move into 2022 with Covid still around us and indeed Omicron seemingly unstoppable?  With supply chains still at breaking point and inflation rearing its ugly head? With political uncertainty and indeed climate inaction threatening our entire existence? Can we take from his incredible and inspirational life, a few simple strengths that will allow us to continue to see the light for our growth both in our lives and for our businesses, when all around threatens darkness?

We would suggest a first strength to take from this great man, was this incredible consistency. His consistency in a world that is constantly jumping from one trend; from one social media post; from one politically meaningful poll; from one climate disaster, to another was like a breath of fresh air. This consistency is a strength that as people and as leaders of our own businesses, is essential. No one likes working for a boss who has mood swings, smiles one day and anger the next, or changes decisions to fit the latest movement of the wind – how can anyone run their lives let alone their businesses like that – yet sadly many do. 

In a world of so many uncertainties, we must become the rock upon which all can lean. Being a ‘rock’ is not about forcing ourselves to be unemotional, uncaring, unmoving or unkind, instead it is created through the quiet strength of consistency. It is this consistency that makes people know that you are authentic and builds huge trust amongst those around you. We are constantly using the phrase ‘Fair but Firm’, as a way to describe the way we wish all business leaders would act, especially in the current environment where being kind has taken on a new urgency in this world. Being ‘Fair but Firm’ creates a consistency all of its own which in turn confirms your authenticity. Arch was certainly authentic and this came not only from his strong faith, but from his consistency. We may not have his level of faith (few do) but we can certainly learn from his consistency.

The second strength of his that we would like to take into a world that can be so dark, is his understanding and love of Joy that brought lightness to so many.

“Sadly, many of the things that undermine our joy and happiness we create ourselves. Often it comes from the negative tendencies of the mind, emotional reactivity, or from our inability to appreciate and utilize the resources that exist within us. The suffering from a natural disaster we cannot control, but the suffering from our daily disasters we can. We create most of our suffering, so it should be logical that we also have the ability to create more joy. 

It simply depends on the attitudes, the perspectives, and the reactions we bring to situations and to our relationships with other people.” 

This quote including the powerful last phrase comes from a truly beautiful book he co-wrote with his good friend, The Dalai Lama in 2016 entitled simply, ‘The Book of Joy’ (here). The sub title is certainly apt: ‘Lasting Happiness in a Changing World.’ As the ‘blurb’ states: “Both winners of the Nobel Prize, both great spiritual masters and moral leaders of our time, they are also known for being among the most infectiously happy people on the planet.”

Careful to emphasise that nothing they say should be taken as an article of faith, they produced a book that clearly shows their friendship and their understanding of life, within which as they say: “No dark fate determines the future. We do.”

Easy to say, difficult to do when our every waking moment is filled with Covid; Climate Change; Political unrest; horrific acts pushed upon us and so on, yet he truly believed it was possible, leaning on his strong faith in Ubuntu, which he saw as: “…Africa’s gift to the world: a model for expressing the nature of human community and of all creation as a delicate network of interdependence, one which speaks of a global society in which there are no outsiders but all are insiders, created in God’s image, and in which the welfare of every individual depends on the welfare of the other.” Through Ubuntu, through Joy, lightness could be brought to all.

Of course, we are not suggesting that we are here to bring Joy by agreeing to all demands from our suppliers, customers and employees – that would not create any future for our businesses and certainly no long term Joy. But as it is often said, generally women led businesses touch so many more within their communities than male run ones, both through the branches reaching out from their business that hold their families, employees, customers and suppliers, but also through the roots that touch so many within their communities, this is a huge opportunity to bring together this “delicate network of interdependence”. So how can one even start to bring Joy to so many?

It has been suggested that businesses or employees that do their ‘little bit of good’ as Arch described it, that encourage charitable giving or working for the greater good of some cause outside of the business have a far more happier outlook on life. It brings the employees together and creates a sub-conscious well-being that then permeates into the business itself and through this into the “delicate network of interdependence”. We have seen across our huge network of Lionesses this thought for the world less fortunate outside the business gates is so strong and all these Lionesses (although it will not have been the intention) will have felt the strength emanating from these simple acts.

One of his strengths was also to make the person to whom he was talking, believe they were the only person in the room, even if he only spent a few moments with them. In this age of speed, of a thousand moving parts and issues, let us practice ‘Presence’. Let us be present with the person with whom we speak. Let us listen and not be ignoring while thinking of our reply (we have all been guilty of this at some time or other!). In our private and also business lives, this simple act will bring joy to so many.

As for within the business itself, we suggest the answer can be found in the words of Ben Horowitz, the Founder of the famous Tech PE Fund – ‘a16z’ in his book: “The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers” (here).

“Do you know the difference between a good place to work and a bad place to work?…In good organisations, people can focus on their work and have confidence that if they get their work done, good things will happen for both the company and them personally. It is a true pleasure to work in an organization such as this. Every person can wake up knowing that the work they do will be efficient, effective, and make a difference for the organization and themselves. These things make their jobs both motivating and fulfilling.

In a poor organization, on the other hand, people spend much of their time fighting organizational boundaries, infighting, and broken processes. They are not even clear on what their jobs are, so there is no way to know if they are getting the job done or not. In the miracle case that they work ridiculous hours and get the job done, they have no idea what it means for the company or their careers. To make it all much worse and rub salt in the wound, when they finally work up the courage to tell management how [terrible] their situation is, management denies there is a problem, then defends the status quo, then ignores the problem.”

As Ben says “It is a true pleasure to work in an organization such as this…These things make their jobs both motivating and fulfilling.”

This is not about agreeing to all demands, not about being all things to all people, this is about finding the strength to be Consistent, Present, Authentic, ‘Fair but Firm’, Truthful, Thoughtful for others and doing our ‘little bit of good’, and through all of these, bringing Joy to all those we touch. 

Not a bad New Year’s Resolution!

Thank you Arch for showing us the way.

Stay Safe.