It’s so sad for us to have to share with you that Tshepo’s mother passed away on Sunday. He’ll be spending the week with his family and making arrangements for the funeral.

There’s always such a strong bond between mother and son, a mother’s passing is surely one of the hardest hurdles that face us in life, especially as I’m sure many of us are never ready to say goodbye.

Tshepo, we are incredibly sorry for your loss. Please know that we are thinking of you and your family, and hope that in this sad and sensitive time, your family will come together in love.

Wow, Avo is really buzzing at the moment!

There’s almost no space to write anything on the Training board, which means we’ve got booked training practically coming out of our ears, finances are getting some serious new processes and Avos are getting their behinds kicked to do it properly, the Trainers are full steam ahead turning all their material into pure magic, the Sales team is rocking and Anabela going like a boeing at SAB!

There seems to be some kind of positive ‘electric charge’ or something in the air.

Whatever it is I’m loving it!

You go Avos, go!

I had the opportunity to run a workshop on Discovering your Strengths with a dynamic team from FNB.

It is so exciting to spend time with a team that is able to see the potential of embracing this revolutionary way of thinking. When we are able to appreciate the power of our unique gifts and talents, we are so much more effective in creating strengths streams for our lives. When we treasure our strengths, we are also able to stop comparing ourselves to others and to celebrate the talent that others bring to our teams. Here are some of the comments made by the team after the workshop:

“The most positive and rewarding course I have attended. This makes me realise that I need to be true to who I am and not want to be the way others expect me to be because of the stereotypical boxes we place people in. I discovered things about myself that I generally would suppress beacuse it might not be appreciated by others. I will now embrace my strengths because I am who I am.” Abigail Ballim

“I found this to be very personal and unbelievably accurate.” Michelle Rudolph

“Very powerful insights gained from this workshop.” Meryl Delport

” Made me realise what I need to focus on in life.” Ryno Mey

” In the Corporate World we tend to focus on negatives/weaknesses and this will help me to focus on my strengths and build on that!!” Magda Gijben

“Short but Sweet” Stephen Whitcombe

” Great, Great, Great.” Shaun Wessels

On the Spot proved to be ’spot on’ as a course to share with the vibrant volunteer leadership in Yeoville.

Avo is privileged to be working alongside George Lebone, an exceptional Community Leader, in imparting the gifts we have with those who give so much time and energy to the upliftment of Yeoville. We have already done some “Sussing Personality’s” with them and it was great to go back and be involved in a much more interactive way. What a buzz there was in the room! Everyone had to do a 60 second spontaneous presentation and we had the chance to compliment each person on their ‘natural presentation strength’. I have been so enriched to have been part of this wonderful mix of people: hailing from Malawi, the DRC, Kenya and all over South Africa: to name but a few.

I also need to thank this team for making the Amazing-zing Race such a success. It was fantastic to be able to send the two teams amongst them on Sunday to look for clues. They acted as wonderful hosts!

I would like to say thanks to St Aidans for always making your church our home. Thanks to Patricia, an Avo, who also assisted in the programme.

To George, you are truly remarkable! Thank you for making these interventions possible! You are an inspiration to so many!

What a company! What an awesome bunch of people…I am so lucky to be a PIP!!!

By now all of you out there know that Avocado Vision is a bit of an anomaly. It is common knowledge that we dance to a different tune and march to a different drum. If truth be told we don’t always know what that beat is, but we know it’s there.

Often when you are so engrossed in a company and are so close to your team mates you forget or don’t see what differentiates us from the world out there. Dealing with the death of my Dad and all the associated stuff I was once again reminded of how truly unique we are.

To my Pips thank you so much for the support and loads of love that cushioned me over last week and this week mind you. Thank you for taking the time to touch base, to connect, and to check how my family and I were doing. Your support and more than that your friendship was absolutely tangible and very encouraging.

From Gulio, Chris and I to all of Avoland …Thank you …You okes rock big time!

Ever woken up on a Sunday morning in Jozi and thought there is just nothing to do? Chat to the team at WBHO and they will alter that perception!

Without mentioning every single challenge, let’s just say the two teams moved at high speed around the city. They managed to unnerve two sets of security guards and did some serious graffiti (it wasn’t illegal, we promise!).

They also went into deepest Hillbrow and had a singing competition with a Church choir, and boy, can these engineers sing! They then tore around the Rockey Street Market and found everything from black smoked catfish and yams to colourful shirts worn by those who hail from the DRC. They learned that the top of Africa is in the middle of Jozi and that you don’t point your finger up to catch a taxi to Joburg from Fourways.

While there was stacks of fun to be had, there was also time to look at some of the incredible buildings in Joburg and unpack a bit of their history.

Most importantly, we got to meet Africans. The challenge to collect as many greetings as possible in an African language, helped the team to see that we truly are the ‘New York’ of Africa and that a smile can undo a thousand Afrophobic misconceptions!

The day ended with an arcade dancing challenge at Monte Casino. Everyone, guys and gals, hopped on and danced and laughed and danced some more. Once again, thanks a million to these awesome engineers…they put their heart and soul into all they do! A special thanks to Marralleen who is so completely invested in developing her teams and who has made this all happen! All the very best, you feel like part of us!

Your Comments:

“Today’s experience was awesome and seeing so many diverse, but united people in Yeoville gave me a new insight to life. It’s like what people always say: What counts in life is not the breaths you take, but rather what takes your breath away”. And finally I felt like that.” Andisiwe Soqinase

“Eye opener in terms of ‘our’ (as South Africans) ignorance as to the appreciation of the diversity of cultures we have, especially xenophobia (especially amongst Africans). Also the History of Johannesburg vs the current re-interpretation of the past.” (Mapungubwe) Trevor Zumani

“It was a bloody marvellous experience that I want to do AGAIN! You go the Avo Team. You Rock!” Dawid Britz
“It is really an Amazing Race. Thanks to the Avo Team.” Pieter van Rooyen
“It’s a good thing that after a long week of hard work, the team can relax together. We work long hours, away from our families and this idea: I wish every team in every project was able to steal weekends away for fun. My favourite was the singing!” Segametsi Smous

“Today - it was a great day for me and I wish I can take my children to such places and have such fun.” Amos Saleni

“It was more than good! It was wonderful!” Antonio Claudio Dias.

“Marvellous.” Jabulani Radebe

“It was marvellous to work with Avocado and I really enjoyed myself. You rock guys!” Cliff Mapasha

” It was a very great course. It’s important to remember things and to keep them in your memory.” Sydney Mello

Just took 5 min out to warm my hands on my coffee cup and read my favourite of favourite blogs - the dilbertblog. Check out the blog on ‘Rounders vs Accumulators’. Scott Adams asks bloggers to try to describe their job in one sentence. Here are some, but you should really go read a few for yourself:

Word from Ethiopia is that our darlings Vanessa and Gareth have decided to tie the knot! Their engagement is now officially 1 week old! It’s only appropriate that these two extreme travellers would choose such a bizzarre and apt place to do the deed! Gareth is so much better with words than me, so I’ll let his email speak for itself!

“The location was carefully chosen. The Simien Mountains, 3650 m of spectacular view as I slid a Nestle ring pull over Vanessa correct finger. Sadly, the ring caused excessive chaffing and had to be replaced with dental floss , then grass and finally a rubber band. The lack of the ring was short lived however and I managed to find a nice one on Lalibela. Highly relegious centre with rock hewn churches and lovely chapels. We managed to phone the parents a few days later and as you can imagine we are blissfully happy. We will have a celebration drink when we return. We are considering dates sometime in Feb 2008 …….. we’ll see”

I just can’t wait for them to get back so we can give them loads of huge Avo hugs!!!!! Congrats, guys! Oh, and did anyone tell you I sing at weddings…..?

On Saturday, Avo had the privilege to work with a dynamic group of engineers. The morning was spent ‘bonding’ with each other, with Hanli doing the facilitation. They did some fabulous ’speed-dating’ and created two great pieces of drama! (Who ever said that engineers were boring! The WBHO guys and gals were game for anything!). Their energy and enthusiasm ensured that the day was a great success.

In the afternoon, we unpacked the communication challenges of being an engineer. For them, dealing with the stresses of hectic deadlines, shouldering massive responsibility and having to work with teams on site, creates some tough communication challenges. We spent time understanding the dynamics that were going on and then looking at practical tools to keep oneself in a logical, rational, constructive space…even when it looks like the wheels might be falling off! Anyway, enough from me! This is what the team had to say about the day:

“I felt that this was a marvellous, worthwhile course, that any corporate body should send future managers to. We learn’t a great deal about ourselves and each other. One would never have imagined the power of communication involved in every day life and situations.” Trevor Zumani

“Insightful. Now I know how I can deal with different situations at work. Assumptions (negative ones) can really kill or slow our progress. Improve listening skills is what I need to do.” Segametsi Smous

“Bloody marvellous! Excellent. Really useful for the work environment.” Pieter van Rooyen

“The course was very good and taught me how to tackle our problems. I think I learn’t a lot and will be using it in the future.” Amos Seleni

“It was a real eye-opener and will make my work life so much better.” Dawid Britz

“The course was good but I felt like I had more to learn.” Antonio Claudio T Dias

“The course was so helpful to me. It improved my potential and my English and I am still hoping to learn more” Sydney Mello

“It is very interesting. It helped us to open up and get to know each other better.” Jabulani Radebe

Another sad day hangs over the Avo tree. Elaine’s dad passed away on Saturday morning after a long and terrible battle with Altzheimers’. She’s gone off to Cape Town to be with her family and manage the funeral arrangements for Thursday.

Elaine, honey, even though your dad was suffering so much, and we all know how you yearned for the day he found his peace again, we also know it can never be easy to lose your dad. We’re all sending you love and light over this time.

I hope you’re able to say your farewells with love, and the peace in your heart that knows your dad always knew you loved him. Bless you, my precious friend! Here’s me sending you a virtual BIG HUG!!!!!