MergonAdmin, Author at Mergon

March 3, 2021September 4, 2023

Culture: drive it from the top, see it in the bottom line

By Marno Boshoff

We asked Marno Boshoff, Culture Evangelist at King Price Insurance to share some thoughts on the importance of a healthy organisational culture and how that affects the bottom line. King Price Insurance is a strategic asset in Mergon’s portfolio of investments.

What’s the biggest influence on the culture of an organisation? Can an organisational culture be changed? And does culture actually affect the performance of the business? These are questions I’m asked all the time – and I usually answer by telling the story of one of the iconic software companies of our time, Microsoft.

Since being founded, Microsoft has had three CEOs: Bill Gates (25 years), Steve Ballmer (14 years), and most recently, Satya Nadella, who has been in the position for six years. Each brought their own unique style to the organisation – and ultimately, their own culture. That’s because leaders are the biggest influence on the culture of any organisation: the culture bears the fingerprint of the CEO and the senior leadership team.

Since Nadella took the helm in 2014, Microsoft’s culture, along with its entire business approach, has undergone some rapid, and necessary, changes. During one of the first shareholder meetings he attended as CEO, Nadella stressed that Microsoft’s ability to change its culture would be the leading indicator of the company’s future success.

So does culture have an effect on the business? Let’s look at the facts. When Gates left the CEO role in 2000, Microsoft’s share price was $58 per share. Ballmer, the archetypal hard-driving salesman, left 14 years later with the share price at $38 per share – and many industry experts questioning whether Microsoft’s time had come. Under Nadella’s guidance, the share price has ballooned to its current levels of around $210 a share – in less than six years.

What makes Nadella special? For one, he was a long-time ‘insider’. Insiders are the people who build culture and take ownership. And their mission is to create as many insiders as possible, and as few outsiders. A critical element of his culture overhaul was to instill what he calls a ‘growth mindset’, as opposed to the internal politics and warfare that had held sway until then.

As marketing head Chris Capossela famously said: ‘We went from a company of know-it-alls to a company of learn-it-alls’. This is vital. Embracing a learning culture lies at the root of change and growth. The moment we think we’re better than anyone else, or that we can sit back and watch the rest of the industry, we’re in trouble.

Creating a healthy, happy workplace

At King Price, we’re all about creating a healthy, happy workplace that makes our people want to bounce out of bed, come to work with a smile on their faces, and be their best selves all day long. There are a couple of reasons for this. One, we genuinely love our people. And two, a healthy workplace is the foundation for a successful business. Happy employees are more productive, deliver better client care and help build a more profitable business.

Our drive to maintain our culture starts with hiring new people. We ask two questions: do they create clarity or confusion? Do they create energy or suck energy? Ultimately, we want people who create energy and are clear about their mission. Coupled with a clear sense of purpose and mission from the top, we shape a culture that many companies envy. It’s something we work on every day, because it’s business critical.

Workplace trends to expect in 2021

There’s no denying that Covid-19 changed the dynamics a bit last year. Well, more than just a bit – and we’re going to see the effects in workplaces across South Africa and the world. So what are some trends we can expect in the coming year and how can you build your company culture around it?

1. Remote work is here to stay

Even before the pandemic we were already looking at remote working models for certain areas of our business. Covid-19 just showed that it could work. In 2021, we’re going to see a lot of companies formalising their remote work arrangements, with clear benefits for the business and the employees alike.

A 2019 study found that 73% of all departments will have remote workers by 2028. We can agree that figure will be even higher now. The challenge for businesses will be to build agile work structures to support the new trend and keep their people engaged and connected.

2. A bigger focus on employee wellbeing

We’ve seen mental health issues, burnouts, and stressed workers becoming ever-more widespread in the workplace over the past decade. Covid-19 brought even more stress and worry into the workplace, with people worrying about their health and whether they would keep their jobs through the crisis. On top of that, the downside of remote working is that people battle to separate their home and work lives.

That’s why employee wellbeing is going to be right at the top of the list for many organisations this year. People’s wellness needs have shifted, and we need to respond. As businesses, we must show our people that self-care is a shared value, and encourage them to take more downtime and spend time with their families, friends and hobbies.

3. More social purpose, please

The Coronavirus pandemic highlighted a lot of things that are wrong with our society, including poverty and inequality. What this means is that employees and clients alike are looking to work for, and do business with, companies that live their values and demonstrate a real commitment to social responsibility.

At King Price, #MakingADifference is embedded into our business model. We’ve seen how companies that put social responsibility into action stand out in a highly competitive marketplace. The social needs in our country have rarely been higher, and I believe South African companies will step up and make a real difference in 2021.

4. Soft skills are the future

A couple of months ago, I wrote a blog about the need for emotional intelligence (EQ) in the workplace, and how it accounts for as much as two-thirds of job performance. As companies continue to digitise, and we see more technologies like AI coming into the workplace, the role of soft skills will only become more important in 2021 and beyond.

Soft skills can be difficult to measure, but they’re the key driver of the human connections that are needed for high-performance teams. In a time of change and uncertainty, it’s up to businesses to not only upskill their people in work competencies, but soft skills too.

For us, culture starts at the top, and filters right through the business. But while the CEO has to be the culture champion, he has to get his people on board. Culture isn’t something that’s cooked up in a boardroom with strategists and HR people. It is modelled, and lived, every day. It is shaped by leaders interacting with their people.

February 4, 2021September 4, 2023

Partnering for measured impact

By Keri-Leigh Paschal

Due to the COVID-19 and economic reality there is a marked decrease in both private sector and government funding to address the social ills in our nation. This at a time when social needs have increased dramatically.

According to a recent survey by Nation Builder, 72% of non-profit organisations (NPOs) said demand for their services had increased while their funding had decreased. This means both social investors and implementing organisations, or NPOs, are urgently having to re-prioritise the effective deployment of resources for the greatest possible long-term, sustainable social impact.

Often, there’s a tendency to want to tackle everything alone. But the magnitude of our social problems is such that no one organisation, or even the government, can do this on their own. We need to partner to ensure amplified social development.

The silver lining that we’ve seen emerging from the pandemic is that there’s been a lot more collaboration in the NPO space, with organisations finding innovative ways to reduce costs, duplication and effort, and have a greater impact on their communities.

Measuring social impact

A first step in trying to better understand impact is to report in a way that makes it easier to see where viable collaborations present themselves. Right now, the trend in the social investment space is towards more effectively measuring the social impact of business endeavours and social investment efforts.

To support this, more than 95 NPOs and businesses from the Nation Builder community have been working to establish a standardised reporting guideline for impact management reporting. This guideline, to be launched in March 2021, will set a solid foundation for alignment on reporting approaches in the sector.

Nation Builder will also launch an impact management reporting masterclass series in May 2021. These masterclasses will take participants on a deep dive into the various aspects of impact reporting.

Ultimately, the aim with these complimentary resources is that they will assist in ensuring that every investment of time or resources helps achieve effective and sustainable change in the lives of fellow South Africans.

Email [email protected] if you’d like to join the Impact Measurement conversation.

Keri-Leigh Paschal is the executive trustee and co-founder of the Nation Builder Trust, a Mergon initiative. Keri joined the Mergon Group in 2011 and the Nation Builder Trust was officially launched in 2012. Nation Builder inspires and equips the business community in South Africa to lead social change.

January 21, 2021September 4, 2023

Finding your leadership style

‘I am a firm believer that leaders are not born, but they are shaped and developed over time,’ said Neil Hart, executive head of the Mergon Foundation in the fifth episode of The Wonderful Leaders Podcast.

In this podcast, Neil talks about finding your leadership and he delves into three major leadership styles he has experienced and his perspective on each.

Leading from the top down

As an 18-year-old lieutenant in the army during a time of a crisis, Neil experienced first-hand the advantages as well as the limits of top-down leadership. Authoritative in nature, leaders who practice a top-down leadership style need to be able to make quick decisions and they usually give commands and directives without involving others in their decision-making processes.

Leading from the centre

Years later in business, and as the CEO of his advertising agency for about 10-15 years at the time, Neil realised that leading from the centre was more important to him. From his perspective, leading from the centre means leading out of values. If you can connect with the people around you on a values level, it’s much easier to lead than if you were leading as the CEO (once again, top-down leadership style).

‘Over those years in business I made an effort to try and lead from the core – from my heart to someone else’s heart. Even though I had authority to give instructions, I tried to change my leadership style to lead out of values and connect with people on that level,’ explained Neil.

Leading from the bottom up

The third leadership style Neil unpacks is leading from the bottom up – a leadership style he learnt much about when he was asked to lead a missions organisation. Neil explains that leading from the bottom up, or servant leadership, was a significant leadership trait Jesus demonstrated in his time on earth.

He says that one of the most effective ways to lead is to begin serving the Godly vision within someone. Leaders need to understand that each person is called for a purpose and when we start serving that purpose in someone from the bottom up, something significant starts to happen.

Lessons learned

Over the years Neil says he’s learned a number of leadership lessons – one of them being the importance of raising up potential leaders. Leaders need to empower people around them so that when God calls them to move on, they’re ready to do so because they know they have raised up someone who will lead even better than they did.

Listen to the full podcast here.

November 23, 2020September 4, 2023

The power of media during COVID-19: learnings from the Middle East

Destitution, war, ethnic division and political and religious oppression are only some of the daily challenges for millions of people in the Middle East. Even so, no one envisaged empty streets and shops, travel bans and curfews and a cloud of uncertainty and fear to shape the memories of 2020. While it has been an onerous year everywhere, in many Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries, COVID-19 has meant an even deeper plunge into poverty and unemployment – not to mention the pressures of an unpredictable future.

With people restricted to the confines of their homes, online viewership and engagement numbers inevitably rose across the board which opened a world of digital possibilities. By effectively harnessing digital and social media during COVID-19, many Christian ministries and NPOs have been able to bring hope to desperate people in the MENA region. There is certainly a lot to be gleaned from their learnings over the past few months.

Viewership and engagement surges

Most ministries saw an unmistakable increase in online viewership and engagements.

Before COVID-19 Al Hayat Ministries, a 24/7 Arabic Christian satellite television channel, had an average of 329,000 views on their YouTube channel, whereas during COVID-19 that number increased to 2,85 million views. Unique users grew by 79,000 people. With regards to actual engagements, the channel noted an increase of 700,000 Facebook engagements between March and July 2020 in comparison to the period of December 2019 to February 2020. Their YouTube engagements on the other hand grew by 61,000 over the same period. What has been even more interesting and valuable than likes or impressions, has been the number of personal messages the Al Hayat team had to respond to. This figure increased from 20,000 to 32,800.

Why this dramatic surge in numbers? The ministry believes people are now even more inclined to think about life after death and they are earnestly searching for the truth.

During the beginning stages of the COVID-19 outbreak Heart4Iran, a ministry devoted to reaching Iranians through social media, mobile technology, satellite TV, underground church planting and counselling, noted over 12,000 decisions for Christ in just four months (March-June 2020).

‘More than 90% of these people are coming to us through the internet. This is a brand-new demographic and audience – these are the millennials, the future of the country. This is a phenomenal historic moment for us in Iran – so much so that World Mission sees the underground church in Iran as among the fastest growing churches in the world,’ said Dr. Mike Ansari of Heart4Iran.

Reflecting on year-on-year growth Miracle Connect, which shares the gospel using Arabic programmes on social media, internet radio, mobile apps and satellite TV, reported an increase of 260% in video views of more than 30 seconds, as well as an increase of more than 375% in unique engagements.

Arab Centre for Consulting and Training (ACCTS), on the other hand, noted an increase of 443 average monthly messages while their monthly engagements grew by 31,628. ‘Many of our target groups have accounts on social media, which allows us to promote our organisation to reach, nurture, and engage with them and assist them through their journey — no matter their location or restrictions hindering them of actual presence,’ explained ACCTS’ Ruba Rihani.

SAT-7 KIDS’ Facebook audience engagement increased by more than 500% whereas SAT-7 TÜRK is experiencing its largest ever audience engagement numbers since it began broadcasting in 2015. Since the beginning of lockdown, SAT-7 ACADEMY witnessed an estimated 4,000% increase in phone calls, messages and comments, and a 400% increase in social media engagement.

‘Before, SAT-7 ACADEMY would receive 800 messages a day, but now we receive around 3,000 messages daily,’ shared Carla Bachir, the initiative’s audience relations officer.

From viewership to discipleship

It’s one thing to have the somewhat expected growth in viewership and engagement, but how have people managed to grow and mature in their walk with Christ during this time of isolation?

Miracle Connect reported that they fully presented the gospel one-to-one to more than 5,000 people. Not only that, but they also completed a 30-day online and on-the-ground discipleship journey for 301 people compared to 189 people during the same period in 2019. That’s an increase of 59%. This year they also started seven discipleship groups on WhatsApp with a total of 24 people, in comparison to 2019 when they had four groups with a total of 15 people. The participants are from Yemen, Morocco, Algeria and Libya.

Samuel of Al Hayat explained the precautions necessary when engaging with viewers, ‘When ministering in the Muslim world, we always have to take safety measures when following up. We start with messaging and phone calls and later, once we are convinced that the viewer has genuine intentions, we arrange face-to-face meetings with our local church contacts.’

He recalled the story of a man from Saudi Arabia who contacted Al Hayat’s follow-up team after watching many of their social media live programmes and praying the sinner’s prayer: ‘In his conversation with our follow-up team, he said that he would really like to meet with a believer in Saudi Arabia and sent us his phone number. We have a local contact, an American missionary, who first met him face-to-face to determine whether he was truly a believer now. Both were in fear when meeting one another, not knowing whether it was a trap. But over the course of three days with prayer and discernment, the missionary concluded that he really believed so he started to disciple him, baptised him, and connected him with a local Muslim background believer (MBB) pastor who is now continuing to disciple him.’

Even though people prefer and will always seek genuine, face-to-face interaction, Ruba of ACCTS noted that it has been a mostly positive season. ‘The Lord used COVID-19 to open the doors for online discipleship in the Middle East. In our life-growth journey we can include women from Muslim backgrounds from Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf and even Jordan, where the regime does not grant the freedom of religious belief. They lack churches and Christian support groups. This programme plays a significant role in including them in a church community where they can belong, grow and gain self-awareness. We witnessed women motivated, encouraged, and sharing within their circle of influence as well as home church groups supporting each other in a country where they are minorities. They also receive an individual follow-up, starting day one of the training for one month,’ she said.

‘We have been given, through the COVID-19 crisis, a new opportunity to tap into the future of a nation – to see the destiny of a nation potentially changed from the inside out,’ noted Dr Mike of Heart4Iran.

Insights from media ministries

Al Hayat

According to Samuel, online media platforms were particularly crucial during the COVID-19 lockdown because people were fearful and looking for answers.

The Muslim Woman is one of Al Hayat’s programmes which had a notable increase in viewers during COVID-19 – especially at the beginning of the pandemic. The programme is hosted by Sister Amani, a former Muslim (now Christian) woman and it specifically reaches out to Muslim women and MBBs, giving them a forum to discuss the important issues in their lives.

During COVID-19, Al Hayat also started producing Facebook Live programmes.

‘Social media is an extremely current and fresh form of media,’ said Samuel of Al Hayat. ‘Filming, uploading and publishing content on social media can take place in a matter of minutes. Traditional media, on the other hand, is very well thought out and professional, but usually takes a much longer time to produce. Through social media, we are able to react quickly to current events and also interact with our audience in real-time. This is why social media is extremely helpful for us, operating in the Middle East,’ he explained.

‘The highlight of my day during the lockdown was the time I spent serving on Facebook Live – whether I was on camera or supporting other hosts on the team and answering the viewers’ questions and requests,’ recalled Sister Amani. ‘We quickly realised that we share a bond with our viewers and that they trust us. Fear, uncertainty, and grief were among their common questions and both Muslim and Christian viewers asked for prayers.’

ACCTS

According to Ruba, digital platforms were essential during COVID-19: ‘Women needed a place to share their hearts and struggles and perhaps online meetings were the simplest, safest way. We saw it as an opportunity to raise women’s awareness and empowerment. Many women facing violence, war, family pressures, and insecurities that resulted from the harmful effects of COVID-19 and perhaps the lack of discipleship opportunities, found refuge and hope. Some women benefited from the training, and others began to apply the knowledge practically, seeking to develop their lives and influence others.’

SAT-7

As part of their COVID-19 response to viewers, Christian satellite broadcaster SAT-7 continued to produce live broadcasts with skeleton staff in studio. The channel’s response to the pandemic has been to prioritise live programmes and in four specific ways across live and pre-recorded programs: COVID-19 awareness and prevention information; education; physical and mental well-being for families and children; and spiritual support.

Their SAT-7 KIDS channel, whose key strategy is to adapt to children’s changing media habits, partnered with SAT-7 ACADEMY – an education and social development initiative that provides remote learning for children and support for parents and teachers through satellite, online, and social media – offering programming that equips children socially, emotionally and educationally.

‘We want to empower youth to discover their identity in the Lord and to be confident in Him: in His guidance, provision, and protection,’ said Andrea El-Mounayer, SAT-7 KIDS channel manager.

‘Today more than ever we are delivering a truly holistic ministry in our response to the pandemic and increasing audience engagement across our channels is sending a clear signal that we are responding to a much-needed call,’ noted Nicoletta Michael, development manager of the SAT-7 International Office.

Making the most of media

The nature of the crisis was such that viewership numbers would’ve probably increased even if media organisations had not adjusted their response strategies. A global crisis would naturally cause people to fear, to have questions and to search far and wide for answers and sources of comfort. However, 2020 has shown that making the most of the available digital platforms is an opportunity not to be missed.

The learnings from these Middle Eastern ministries on how they effectively use digital media to reach people with the gospel, even in the most unlikely circumstances, causes a sense of urgency to prioritise digital strategies.

Where to start?

Though the world of digital and social media can be overwhelming, it is easily accessible and can be extremely effective. But where does one start?

1. Choose your persona – who are you trying to reach? Create a particular example persona of who you want to reach so that you can tailor your message and choose your platform accordingly. Avoid just shooting out a message to the masses without knowing who the one person is you’re speaking to. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9: ‘I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.’ Start praying about who your persona or your audience is.

2. Choose your platform/s – you don’t have to use every single available platform to get your message out. This strategy often poses to be stretching and tiring and isn’t always as effective as you might hope. For example, if you are wanting to reach youth specifically, do proper research about the platforms they are using the most. Is it Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or Facebook? If your research shows that your persona doesn’t spend time on Facebook or YouTube, for example, you don’t have to target those platforms and you can focus your time and resources elsewhere.

3. Create relevant customer engagement – to be able to engage with people via digital platforms, you need to carefully align technology and data with human values and identity. According to a recent article on Deloitte, ‘Long term engagement with people requires end-to-end capabilities to translate customer insights into actions that are both relevant and meaningful.’ The article notes that with digital becoming an integral part of the ‘new normal’, those brands that can elevate the human experience will be able to make a lasting emotional connection with their customers, which then becomes transformational.

4. Be bold and open to learning – don’t be intimidated too easily. Now is the time to approach the world of media with an open and teachable mind. According to McKinsey, ‘companies often experiment at a pace that fails to match the rate of change around them, slowing their ability to learn fast enough to keep up. Additionally, they rarely embrace the bold action needed to move quickly from piloting initiatives to scaling the successful ones.’ Do small trails and learn from your mistakes as you go along.

5. Get advice and help from knowledgeable people – you might consider asking a digital expert for their advice and training. Or, if you are in the position to do so, outsource your digital strategy to trustworthy, knowledgeable people who have experience in digital and social media.

October 12, 2020September 4, 2023

The four priorities of a leader

‘Coming out of COVID-19, we’ve all been through a massive learning curve. There’s been a lot of pressure on leaders to manage both emotional well-being and challenging circumstances. But now most teams are asking “what’s next”?,’ says executive head of the Mergon Foundation, Neil Hart.

During a recent Elevate Leadership webinar, Neil focussed on four priorities that will help leaders to move their organisations forward.

1. Create (apostolic) vision

‘“Apostolic” is the call to go, to move forward in God’s kingdom. We know that we are all sent, no matter what gifting you carry as a leader. Creating an apostolic vision within our teams is embedded into all of our spiritual leadership mandates,’ says Neil.

‘A recent Gallup study that looked at learnings from past crises revealed that people need leaders to provide a clear path forward. I’ve found that vision is a fairly linear path: firstly, there has to be a clear Godly revelation. As leaders, we simply have to hear from God. No textbook, no degree, nothing can supersede hearing from God and casting that vision for your team. Next, a Godly revelation produces clear vision, clear vision creates action, and that action establishes God’s kingdom,’ he notes.

Vision works like the rudder on a ship – it determines the direction of the team. A ship can still sail without a rudder, but it won’t necessarily go in the right direction. With a rudder (vision) the ship moves forward and in the right direction. A vision focuses teamwork and connects and unifies people towards a common goal.

From the many vision speeches he’s deconstructed over the years, Neil has found that there are four important and common aspects to casting vision:

1. A clear values connect: what do we stand for or against?

2. Direction: what are we moving towards?

3. Actions: what must we overcome to get there? What will you regret if you don’t act

4. Reward: what is the reward that is in store?

‘Vision can be powerful. It unifies, inspires action, creates hope and it settles fears. If you have a group of people that you’re leading that have these things in common, you can move mountains,’ notes Neil.

2. Create a people-centred culture

‘A healthy organisational culture is a goal in itself. The fingerprints and purposes of God are first woven into your people before they are woven into your mission. We don’t achieve anything significant from the Lord except through people. This is a team game that God has called us to’ Neil says.

‘Culture comes out of a set of common behaviours, behaviours come out of values, and leaders espouse values. As a leader, the value of valuing people is what will create a people-centred culture in your organisation. Jesus seemed to be able to see each person for who God had made them to be and it’s our role as leaders to make sure each person is intricately tied into the organisation and into relationship.

According to Neil, there are five types of toxic cultures leaders need to be aware of:

1. Works-based culture: all about performance, things are never quite good enough.

2. Ego-based culture: a charismatic personality can often become overly personality orientated and ego driven.

3. Money-driven culture: money or the lack thereof is the focus.

4. Weak accountability culture: misplaced pastoral gift where you want to love everybody and keep them happy but don’t hold them accountable. As a result, we may well underachieve.

5. Fear-based culture: Trust deficit, lack of love, fear of failure. Not motivated by love but motivated by fear.

On the flip-side, the characteristics of a people-centred culture:

– It’s a safe space where people experience both mental and psychological peace. It’s a space where people can be vulnerable and free to take risks.
– It’s a culture where people are prioritised over performance.
– It’s a culture where there’s dependability – meaning we keep our promises and we do what we say we’re going to do.
– It’s a culture where there’s a shared sense of purpose for meaningful work.
– It’s a culture that results in impact so we can celebrate victories together.

3. Create organisational clarity

‘God weaves us into the narrative of who He is and who we are in Him. A Jewish Rabbi once said the greatest gift of the Isrealites to the world is that law is connected into narrative. ‘What that means,’ says Neil ‘is that when you look at constitutions around the world, every constitution has a law or a judicial system but we don’t always know why those laws were made. However, the Jewish system wove the law into the narrative’.

Neil says that in any healthy organisation we know what the narrative is – the history, stories and what God called us to. But the ‘law’ part refers to organisational clarity. Organisational clarity is all about why we have to do what we do and weaving people into that structure. It’s also about having the right people in the right places, having clarity of purpose, structure and accountability. Leaders need to learn how to creatively over-communicate these three things over and over again to create clarity in organisational processes:

– Why we exist (mission / purpose statement)
– Our values
– Our key milestone for the year

‘If you find that there is a lack of clarity about who is responsible for what, there are unclear decision-making processes or rationale behind the things that you are doing, or that teams have poor visibility into project priorities or progress, it is a sign that you need to improve organisational clarity for your team. Ask yourself if team members know what the mission or project goals are and how to get there. Do team members feel like they have autonomy, ownership and concrete projects?’.

‘God is a God of order and infinite detail and we see that throughout all creation. This plays into how we lead – we should lead with order and infinite detail. God delights in the creativity that removes chaos,’ says Neil.

4. Create a new generation of leaders

We are in a constant generational transition. A rising tide brings in all the boats. In the same way, when leaders grow other leaders around them, the whole organisation rises up. God has one purpose throughout history that He has expressed through many leaders and many generations, so everything we do should carry this idea of God being a generational leader.

‘God’s vision for us as leaders is to think generationally,’ says Neil. ‘Succession is already happening whether we like it or not. The reality is that through priorities, attitudes, actions, memories, language etc, leader-shaping is happening all the time. Leader development is also not limited to a programme. Rather, it’s what God has built into the natural life of communities and organisations.’

He says that in the future someone will build on what you have done but the question is how will they build and how well have you prepared them? The next generation must understand the past, honour the past and build on the past while the older generation must share the past, trust God for the future and build and empower the next generation.

In closing, Neil highlighted some things we need to look for when we select future leaders:

1. Character: Are they a servant leader? Are they reliable? Do they have integrity?

2. Competence: Do they have the necessary skills?

3. Chemistry: Are they likeable, how well do they connect with the team?

4. Core values: Are their core values in line with the rest of the team?

5. Courage: Do they take faith risks and rise to challenges?

6. Capacity: Will their work ethic enable them to manage tasks well and do they have emotional capacity for leadership?

7. Courtesy: Do they show respect for other team members and are they collaborative in their approach?

Watch the full webinar here.

August 21, 2020February 15, 2024

Sustainable change requires active participation

Why the most important thing we are doing won’t bring lasting change

By Neil Hart

The first principle I learned in philanthropy is that a soup kitchen that doubles the number of people they feed does not double its effectiveness, but actually halves its sustainable impact. It also creates more dependence on social and state support systems.

This simple principle should inform much of our thinking around social impact and is the topic I will explore in this article. But, before I dive headlong into that, I want to first celebrate the incredible work of soup kitchens and other feeding schemes during this time of COVID-19.

The recent drone footage of people in Mooiplaas near Pretoria queuing for food deeply moved me. Thousands upon thousands of people are desperate for food in South Africa and across the African continent. Hunger will certainly be one of our greatest challenges in the year ahead.

Mergon recently established a Gap Fund which serves as a distribution platform for small grants to financially support indispensable NPOs in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. We did this in response to witnessing many NPOs losing funding while the need for their services significantly increased. Each week, we pray through a long list of applications from incredible NPOs who are responding to this crisis. We have received close to R7.3 million in contributions thus far, and have been able to make more than 95 fund allocations.

Nobody knows our communities like the NPOs who are so deeply invested in the wellbeing of our nation’s people. What would our government do without these people sacrificing their time and resources and risking their lives to take care of people?

Our country needs to recognise and elevate the status of these heroes. Our medical professionals are rightly getting praised, but there is a sector of society, equally invested, who are remaining nameless and faceless. This is one of the noblest activities we could be doing at this time, helping those who are in such great need. John Bunyan said ‘You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.’ And we will most likely never be able to repay these unsung heroes.

Feeding people is not enough

But only feeding people is not enough. Sustainable change happens when we give responsibly – attending to the immediate, felt need (this will always be the first act of unconditional love and kindness) – but also leading people away from dependence towards self-sustainability.

Our initial acts of kindness should always lead to the reintegration of people so that they can become economically active. However, skills development as such should also not be the ultimate goal – it must always seek to connect people to opportunities to become economically active. And apart from skills development and a connection to opportunity, we should also journey with people to transform their worldview. This is a journey of body, mind (soul), and spirit. All acts meeting physical needs should be authentic and fueled by the love of Christ, expecting nothing in return.

Holistic transformation

It’s also important to remember that sustainable, long-term acts of kindness that lead to holistic transformation never happens in a vacuum – it is a wonderful opportunity for collaboration between state, business and church. It would be wise to seek those opportunities intentionally.

One of my favourite examples of a clever organisational pivot is the Red Band Barista Academy, founded five years ago as a way to address youth unemployment. As lockdown commenced, they realised many of their baristas would go without salaries due to coffee shops being closed. Soon, coffee4heroes was born which allowed people to sponsor a cup of coffee (R30) for a healthcare worker – a doctor, nurse, lab technician or hospital administration staff. Within a month, they received sponsorships for 1,700 cups of coffee and baristas received some income again.

It’s critical that, even in the heat of a crisis, we not only pivot our organisations, we also pivot mindsets.

In a recent survey we sent out on the topic of innovative sustainable solutions for communities, we heard many people respond that instead of only focussing on feeding schemes, more effort should be put into helping communities plant their own gardens, or establish community food projects with agriculture starter packs, tools and a supply of sustainable seed. There would still be a need for food parcels and soup kitchens, however, it would be for a much shorter period – until these gardens yield enough crops for people to eat or sell. The challenge would be to get people intimately involved to see the bigger picture so that they will actively participate in the solution.

One respondent indicated that it could be beneficial if, instead of individuals becoming solely dependent on food handouts, they could be encouraged to either assist with making up or handing out the parcels, as part of a remuneration. This would potentially give them a sense of responsibility and employment.

Other innovative ideas from respondents included teaching communities the Farming God’s Way principles, and getting small groups of people (like church cell groups) to adopt a ‘Food Mama’ and help her with vegetables to supply the sick or needy in her immediate area.

Becoming part of a changing force in the nation

If we only feed people, we will have to keep on doing just that, as the people will always remain hungry. If in addition to feeding them, we give them an opportunity to let their hearts and minds be transformed, train them and connect them to opportunities, they will become part of a changing force in the nation.

Let us be Jesus’ hands and feet, and allow Him to guide us towards creative solutions towards human thriving. Let’s update our thinking of how we can help someone create a life instead of only feeding them to keep them alive.

Neil Hart is the executive head of the Mergon Foundation.

Author: MergonAdmin