Entrepreneurs push boundaries and colour outside the lines. They are often misunderstood. In this episode, I speak about how you can maintain your distinct identity as an entrepreneur while designing a life for yourself that provides you with both comfort and strength to continue colouring outside the lines.
We are living in a world that is constantly changing which makes planning for business strategy very difficult. In this episode, we speak about how you can sharpen your sensemaking ability that will help you find direction in a chaotic environment. Sensemaking is useful for entrepreneurs as a strategy because it provides a framework that can be used for decision-making.
You will hear about how human beings define their identities and the psychological needs that accompany those identities and how entrepreneurs can optimise these contrasting needs to maintain their uniqueness.
Nuts and Bolts is an inspirational book that ignites entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, and mentors to build an environment that supports innovation and enables entrepreneurs to thrive. In this episode, I spoke to the author of Nuts and Bolts, Dr. McLean Sibanda about the book and how he repositioned Africa’s first internationally accredited technology and science park in Pretoria, South Africa.
We are living in a world that is constantly changing which makes planning for business strategy very difficult. In this episode, we speak about how you can sharpen your sensemaking ability that will help you find direction in a chaotic environment. Sensemaking is useful for entrepreneurs as a strategy because it provides a framework that can be used for decision-making.
We start our conversation with his personal story, his professional journey, and ultimately the impact The Innovation Hub had on entrepreneurs. We are also joined by two avid listeners of the podcast: Terrie Molepo and Benny Maneli.
Self-belief in entrepreneurship is not just about being a confident person. It is about believing in your abilities to start and run a business successfully even when faced with failure.
In this episode, I speak to Aaron Munetsi, a pioneer in aviation on the African continent. Starting from the Wrights Brothers who pioneered the aviation industry to people like Aaron, I believe there is a lot we can learn about how to be confident in your entrepreneurial abilities and to stay resilient and open-minded when the going gets tough.
Picture by Raily News.com
We talk about how society and parents are so critical to helping entrepreneurs develop self-belief and we use some principles from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers book.
We are living in a world that is constantly changing which makes planning for business strategy very difficult. In this episode, we speak about how you can sharpen your sensemaking ability that will help you find direction in a chaotic environment. Sensemaking is useful for entrepreneurs as a strategy because it provides a framework that can be used for decision-making.
This episode is brought to you in collaboration with Eagle Wings Consultancy, a Pan-African partnerships and networking agency founded by Candy Kansokomona.
Social innovation has become part of our normal world. According to the World Economic Forum, social issues such as Climate Change, inequality, health, and poverty are problems that need urgent solutions.
A volatile and complex world provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to tackle some of the social issues. In this episode, I speak to Daisy Kopolo, who is an executive coach and has worked with many executive teams in solving complex problems.
We talk about all the different elements that need to be in place for entrepreneurs to start and run successful social enterprises that have an innovative and long-lasting impact on society.
This episode is brought to you in collaboration with Eagle Wings Consultancy – a pan-african networking and consultancy firm founded by Candy Kansokomona.
Musings from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview on Oprah
On 7 – 8 March 2021, depending on which part of the world you live in, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were interviewed by Oprah on a tell-it-all episode televised on CBS.
Meghan revealed how there were concerns of how dark the skin of her child would be and what that might look like for the Royal Family. This sent outrage across the world on how racist the Royal Family and “The Firm” were. Now, as an African, my first instinct was to be as outraged and shocked as Oprah herself was during the interview.
But, having been bullied almost all my life even in the workplace, it got me thinking if racism is really the highest level of otherness. Human beings generally want social acceptance. In fact a study found that loneliness and hunger activate the same part of the brain – substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA) – (thank you BigThink.com for simplifying that finding for me). So essentially, food and social acceptance are the same thing to human beings. And of course, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs tells that after physiological needs such as food and shelter, and safety needs such as good health – our next level of needs are in the love and belonging category. We need connection, affection, and a sense that we matter to people.
So, when people are shamed for looking different in any way – that according to science – hurts. In my view, the need for love and belonging have a way of growing and damaging societies at the same time. Feeling loved and like you belong somewhere is great for our emotions and the brain. But when you are rejected, the damage to the brain is intense and can even equate to physical pain. And so, to maximise pleasure, human beings will tend to minimise those things that make them feel like outsiders. To maximise the chance of acceptance, human beings either fall in line and go with the flow of what is generally accepted or call out something that looks different from the norm. Love and belonging can therefore grow societies as they provide a safety net, but they can also damage societies because humans will do almost anything to fit in.
Kids who are teased are often the victims of those who want love and belonging and are therefore being called out for looking or acting differently. We also see this with teenagers who start smoking because they think everyone else is doing it. Fast-forward into adulthood – the need for love and belonging can be both a blessing and a curse. It is now about which political party makes me feel like it is nurturing my need to feel loved and belong more. It is about what level of success have I attained to make those who I care about love and accept me.
So how does this relate to racism? Well, we are quickly outraged the moment we see what seems to be in black and white an act of racism – and we should be, given our history as a human species. But I wonder how much light that starts to shine on who or what we have classified as furthering our need to feel loved and belong or threatening it as individuals. When we are quick to dismiss something or someone, are we conscious of the exact elements of that interaction that instinctively bring acid up to our throats? When we are quick to embrace something or someone, are we conscious of what space that interaction fills in our quest to be loved and accepted?
We easily dismiss and accept people, things, and situations every day without necessarily applying this level of consciousness. That is why we have movements that fight for gay rights, gender equality, and so on. But, before we even start movements with many followers who speak to our need to be loved and belong, can we please activate our cerebrum – the part of our brain that is responsible for consciousness and processing of information – at an individual level? The world would be better twice over. Of course, even as we all make a commitment to be more conscious, there will be instances of hurt and misunderstanding because, we are all different – that is part of the human experience. But at least, we will be conscious of how we impact each other daily. I suppose that is what emotional intelligence is about. Yes, let us combat those that want to take away the freedom of others – because without individual freedoms, we would have no space to be conscious. But, let it not end there – let us bring it closer to home, back to ourselves and how our views impact those immediately around us and examine if we are not perpetuating our view of “otherness” in various situations.
For entrepreneurs, (finally sticking to the topic of what I write about most) this is even more crucial – that is why we have the Wellness for Entrepreneurs Podcast. 😊 – www.wellness4entrepeneurs.com
Side view of two diverse women against each other over beige background with copy space. Female models of different ethnicity standing back to back and with their eyes closed.
Have you ever admired how classical great entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, or Bill Gates are able to think about various issues in a way that is above average?
Metacognition – or thinking about thinking – is a higher way of thinking that allows you to be conscious, self-aware and see issues from different angles. In our last episode, we spoke about how metacognition is essential for strategy and execution for entrepreneurs.
In this episode, I speak about how you too can become a great thinker and give practical tools to help you get started. I also challenge you to an activity that will help the quality of your thinking and awareness over time.
Congratulations to Lukhanyo Maneli and Terence Molepo for winning copies of the Nuts and Bolts book written by Dr. McLean Sibanda! We cannot wait for you to dig in and join us in the book review episode with Dr. McLean Sibanda!
Thank you to everyone who entered. You are welcome to grab your own copy at //sibandalegacy.africa/?product=nuts-bolts or Amazon and have your questions ready at the end of March for our Book Review episode!
Entrepreneurs are often building the plane, cleaning it, and flying it all at once. They must plan and execute their strategies all at the same time. How do they become excellent at leading themselves and their teams without losing sight of their vision?
I am joined by Dr. Alex Granger – a global speaker and leadership coach. Dr. Alex has been coaching leadership teams of companies for over 19 years and has worked with companies like Tsogo Sun, Standard Bank, governments, and other institutions.
We talk about how entrepreneurs can become conscious, dynamic, and visionary leaders while executing their plans. We also talk about practical tools that can help them do this.
This episode is brought to you in collaboration with Eagle Wings Consultancy – a pan-African partnerships and networking consultancy.
We are doing a book review and you could be a winner!
Dr. McLean Sibanda is the author of Nuts and Bolts – a book about strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems of Africa. It is about lessons from his journey in innovation including as CEO of The Innovation Hub – one of Africa’s largest Technology, Innovation, and Science Parks.
Dr. McLean is currently the Managing Director of Bigen Group Limited – Africa’s largest infrastructure investment and advisory group.
Please watch the video below for more information on how you can join us in the book review and win.
We are looking for a listener to join us in the book review – we will purchase the book for you and deliver it to you for free!
To enter>>>
1. Go to Apple Podcasts or Spotify Apps.
2. Listen to an Episode.
3. Review and Rate.
4. Take a picture and tag us on Social Media.
The winner will be announced on our website and Social Media Pages.
You must be based in South Africa for logistical purposes! We welcome all the love from around the world! So you too can join the fun as we prepare for this Book Review.
Entrepreneurs discover or create opportunities that ultimately lead to some of our favourite products and solutions to real pressing problems. But how exactly do they spot these opportunities in the first place? What is the mental alertness and type of thinking that allows entrepreneurs to continuously move the world forward? In this episode, I spoke to Kwame Bekoe who is an aviation professional, engineer, and the founder of a popular restaurant in Accra, Ghana – N8tive Food & Beverage Bar. Having been a former sales director at Airbus and travelled all over the world, Kwame decided to pursue multiple businesses in agriculture on the African continent.
Kwame has been recently recognised by the United Nations as one of Africa’s Most Influential People of African Descent in entrepreneurship and business. He was also named Ghana’s Top 40 under 40 most influential leaders in 2018.
Our conversation covers a wide range of elements regarding the mindset required to continuously see opportunity where others see calamity. We also discuss ways in which you can constantly switch your brain on, so you are continuously improving your value propositions.
Wellness for Entrepreneurs 