New Year’s Day ushered in a new decade and under normal circumstances, this should excite us to embrace a spirit of newness and possibility, why not? It is a new decade and therefore it should mean better things and the opportunity to start afresh.
The blog is entitled “20 Plenty” which is the term that many people on social media have used in referring to this year. Before writing this blog, one could not help but to ponder on what does this year really mean? Is it about mindset or outlook or is it just about sloganeering?
Having gone through the economic outlook for South Africa for 2020 I cannot help but to see a not-so-rosy picture. It does not matter whether you look at Moody’s Investors Service of seeing lower growth for the SA economy; or National Treasury’s assessment of the business environment or the IMF’s assertion that the South African population is now growing faster than the economy. It is indeed not a positive outlook and yet people still choose to believe it will be a year of plenty.
This can only mean that this is a mindset thing as opposed to realism and objectivity. Dr Dweck (2015) defines this level of optimism and enthusiasm as being to be in a growth mindset. “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can developed through dedication and hard work – brains and talents are just the starting point. Having a growth mindset (the belief that you are in control of your own ability. Yes hard work, effort and persistence are important, but not as important as having that underlying belief that you are in control of your own destiny”
Looking at the outlook on social media it can be deduced that the people have decided to adopt a growth mindset. This is a good approach however an element of realism might need to be infused so that the best results are achieved.
Working with a coach assists with determining the level of realism whilst not dampening the spirits. The Zenande coaches see this as a necessary service to offer clients (existing and potential) in these trying times. We are arranging two workshops on the 1st and 8th of February 2020 to assist people to determine their vision whilst navigating this tricky path. The details of the workshops will be released soon and people can choose either the 1st or the 8th of February in either Johannesburg or Pretoria. Watch this space for further information.
In addition, Zenande has done work and increased its offerings so that people and organisations are better equipped and are able to weather the storms. Some of our programs deal with organisational and individual resilience; managing in a complex and changing environment; extending your resources in times of scarcity and so on.
We look forward to providing tailor-made solutions for individuals and organisations whilst they are grappling with this potential grim environment. The reference to 20 plenty is an encouraging starting point however it cannot be the end of it. Individuals and organisations must be equipped with the right skill set to succeed especially in a volatile world.
In the meantime, let us celebrate the new decade and bask in the glory of our own “newness” as it is in understanding and believing in our own capability, tenacity and resilience that the world will become a better place.
Happy twenty-plenty!
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