Helllloooooo!!!! It’s me…. no really, it is! Introducing Vanessa Louise Thomas! Finally!

Many of you out there have asked the obvious question: “Why have you not yet made it onto the Avo blog site? What’s up with that? How have you managed to get away with it?”

A fair question I think, since avoiding the wrath of our blog-monster Jules, for 193 days, is quite a feat… and is surely a record! Let me tell you, it takes talent and skill to hold onto your job at Avo, without having blogged your arrival! So thank you Avos, for your patient prodding and your gentle nudging… I fear I am nearing my limit.

The upside is that I have experienced almost 6 months of life at Avo, and I can now comment on my experience with a great deal more wisdom. I can honestly say, that finding Avo, has been like finding an old over-coat in an unexpected place. When you put it on, it feels as if it were made for you… it makes you feel good, it goes with everything you have, and you start to imagine all the places you can wear it.

When I think about working at Avo…

I do not:

Wake up and wish it was the weekend

Wish away the hours of my working day

Wonder if there is anything better out there for me

Work because I have to

Fantasize about colleagues that are different from the ones that I have

Imagine all the things that would make my work life better
I do:

Wake up and look forward to the unpredictable nature of my next day at Avo

Wish that I could find a way of putting into words, the magic that I have found on this little hill in Kensington

Wonder about our projects and how best we can deliver the magic that Avo is famous for

Work in the knowledge that I have some of South Africas best people as colleagues (and friends)

Fantasize about the future of Avo and how I can meaningfully contribute to it

Imagine how life might have been had I not found my way to this extraordinary organisation, Avocado Vision

So ja, I am one of those lucky people that wake up in the morning… and really think… “hey-ho, hey-ho, it’s off to work I go…” and I literally whistle my way (all of 7km’s) to my very energising workplace.

I love being the Training Manager, I love leading my team, and I love what they teach me. I am hugely excited about the things we can do together… and I’m saying “bring it on South Africa, we are ready and waiting!”

So these past few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of flying between work and studies.

I can honestly say that I definitely wasn’t prepared for how hard it was going to be. Most days I felt like I needed to be a twin!

I think it’s the whole “part-time” thing that makes you think you’ll be able to manage. To me part-time now means “all the full time stuff you didn’t have time for condensed into a fraction - about a tenth! - of the time you really needed”…

Don’t get me wrong, finally getting the chance to study something that I knew would be valuable, has been incredibly fulfilling, challenging, exciting, exhilarating and most definitely worth all the late nights (make that early mornings) and hard work.

But - trying to fit it all in has been a juggling game I think I lost on more occasions than I won.

The most important thing I got from this (besides the actual info from the course), is that it’s about the learning you take away. I’ve never been so relaxed before about the mark I might get - because it’s not about whether I get a good mark. It’s not about just passing so I can say I did. It’s about learning and understanding.

And that I got more of than I could ever have asked for.

I’ve got one week left to go until my exam and I must say that I’m already on an adrenaline rush! The sense of accomplishment I have for allowing myself to do something that will always add value is so huge for me.

Thanks for your support Avos.

And people who work and study are officially my new hero’s!

“Poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue; it is hard for an empty bag to stand upright” Benjamin Franklin

So most of you know out there that I’m playing in the Ngikwazi space for a bit. While having the priviledge of being closeted by the Avo space. Now if you know the two companies at all you know that Avo is a gentle, nurturing, supportive space that seeks to give it’s team and clients the very best of what it has to offer. Ngikwazi is similar in that the client: Gidani and the South African public we serve, deserve the very best and Ngikwazi is committed to delivering to SA and Gidani the BESTESSSST Lottery ever!!!

The biggest difference bewteen Avo and Ngikwazi of course is the nature and pace at which the two companies operate.

Avo, though pressurised, has a warmer more feminine type of pressure, where Ngikwazi is hard and driven.

Though I am operating in the Kwazi space at the moment I still continue to straddle both spaces and hold both teams very close. At the start of this journey I said to Jules, “I do not know why I need to experience this space but I know I do, instinctively”.

So you saw my quote at the start of this blog… yep that’s why I need to be in the Ngikwazi space. The journey of training retailers has taken me from the affluent to the poorest of the poor. It has taken me into areas where desolation exists not in the poverty of the surroundings, but exists in the hearts, eyes and far more powerfully in the minds of people.

You all know I come from and operate from a space of comfort and a life, though challenged, but one of ease. Yes, it might be argued that I have worked hard to achieve this and maintain it and you would not be wrong. The thing that hit me square between the eyes …well there were two things, was simply this:

1. I have a choice and I have a voice… I am powerful (not meant arrogantly at all). What this means is that even with the challenges we faced at Avo,( and you who were close to us know exactly how real they were), had Jules and I lost everything we would have been okay. Not because we are clever or had a private stash somewhere but because we understood we had a choice, and a voice and it is this that makes us powerful. And even if materialistically we had nothing and had lost everything we would still be okay… we would land on our feet because we understand the power of choice.

But in this country the vast majority of people do not have a choice, there a few who can tap into that thing that exists within us that makes us powerful. But 90% of our country are too shrouded in poverty and fear and a sense of helpless to understand the concept of choice. How do you stand up when around every corner you are beaten down? When you have no sense of self…because it has been starved from you?

The second thing that struck me was this:

2. I was training a retailer in store and a gentleman came in and it was pre-rugby and he was jolly and all was good. He bought his Lottery ticket from me and off he went. Tata Ma Chancing interlaced with AmaBokke and Rooi Rok poppie type-medley of sorts, type thing. I remember him saying to me tonight’s lottery draw would be the one.

Anyway, he left the store and I went on with the training, and the very next minute the store owner came out shouting “What’s going on there?”. The very man I had served a minute before, who I had laughed with, chatted to, was being beaten to a pulp. I am talking about being kicked in the face, one guy was jumping on his head. I am talking full on assualt with the intent of doing serious bodily harm. I come from Cape Town, I live in Joburg, while I have not ever personally experienced violence of this kind I am not naive to it.

The senselessness of this assualt and the brutality of the assualt that happened right in front of me can only have come from desperation or people who are inherently evil. It’s one of the two, I cannot believe the latter, so in my head it must be the former.

This oke had NOTHING, he was dirt poor and he had had a drink and was supprting the bokke, he had nothing. So for him to be assualted and robbed etc was beyond me totally. The brutality of the assualt left me reeling. It was like I witnessed the transition from person to animal.

This blog is not about how depraved this country is or how I am looking for a better life for my children or how unsalvagable South African society is. On the contrary it is the opposite.

It is about understanding that my personal road that I am travelling now with Ngikwazi has defined for me so very clearly the purpose of FOOTPRINT.

You see, as the quote says, you cannot expect a man who has nothing, absolutely nothing….to live with dignity and respect…it is just not possible, when your belly aches day after day, when all you understand is desolation and helplessness, when the only language you have is one of desperation how can you live virtuously? How do you give a damn about your’ fellow man?

Please, I am not trying to excuse violence either or even justify it. All I am saying is that poverty and lack of education robs people of the right and choice to live with dignity. Extreme poverty robs people of their humanity.

Maybe I am simplistic in my understanding but surely the restoration of dignity will come from people living as people, not as animals scrounging to make meaning of their existence by lashing out as cruelly and as inhumanely as possible.

So my point is this, somehow through this Lottery project I am drawing closer to the reality of the South African experience, through this project and in the Ngikwazi space I am growing for a purpose… . I have an inkling, I have an understanding of that purpose and for the moment all I am saying is with power comes responsibility and our responsibility is to this country.

And to those who have no power….

So I am back from my Cape Town trip, it was the best and the most fulfilling experience in my life. Remember I attended the Lucca Leadership Programme, I met people from different parts of Africa and the world; there were people from Kenya, Ireland, UK, Greece and Australia. This course was a leadership programme and the people there are involved in different parts of community upliftment and were all there to learn more on how to be better leaders, everyone there is a great leader but we were there to improve and learn more about ourselves and about what makes us a good leader.

On the day of arrival we all had a wonderful dinner, were we introduced ourselves; where we come from and how we heard about the Lucca Leadership Programme. Then the following day the games began, so the first three days we learnt about the different parts of leadership.

So let me share with you the different parts of things we learnt. We first went through the qualities of a leader, we had a discussion about “Is there a difference between a great leader and a great human being”, which I will let you ask yourselves. We learnt that transformation begins with yourself, human beings work from the inside out, so we did the Human Framework/ Awareness exercise (Acting, thinking-plan, feel-emotions). Then we did the STOP exercise - being aware of your five senses which was so amazing, because it would bring the different types of energy levels in the room to one energy level, so we did this every time before starting a new task or lesson.

Then we learnt about the different types of energy levels which we all go through in our everyday lives, which are Swan energy - following, Tiger - high, which we joburg people are always in, but is not always a bad thing and last but not least there is Sloth energy - slow, it usually happens when we are sleeping and your mind is at peace, which is hard for most of us because we start dreaming about work ’cause we find it hard to shut down.

I will start to be brief because if I tell you everything I learnt this will turn into a book instead of a blog! So let’s continue, then there was the Decision Tree. We make decisions all the time in our lives and they all involve the following (me, family and friend, local community, wide community, nation, humanity, all). Position of Leadership - serving the need and awareness. We did Personal Mastery and the 6 different leadership styles which are Directive, Visionary, Affiliate, Participative, Pace setting and coaching. We had a few activities were we implemented what we learnt in the lessons which was interesting, and we would review after each activity how we found the activity and what our learnings were.

It gets better: we met two great leaders who were involved a lot during the time of Apartheid and we took a trip to Robben Island. We first met Eddie Daniel who took us on a tour around the island, and you ask yourself “who is Eddie Daniel?”. Eddie Daniel was an apartheid prisoner for 15 years on Robben Island and he served his time with Nelson Mandela.

He left school early to help with his family finances and the racial insults and exclusions prompted him to join the Liberal Party of South Africa. He shared some of his personal stories and the account of what happened on Robben Island at a crucial time in history Of South Africa.

It was moving and inspiring to hear what he and the other prisoners did to survive their time on the island. That they all turned to each other for support when times were hard, they walked in there as strangers and walked out as life long friends and amazing leaders who fought for freedom and equality of the people of South Africa. During his 15 year sentence for sabotage on Robben Island, Eddie Daniel completed two university degrees.

The second leader was Di Oliver. She was part of the Black Sash, largely made up of middle-class white women, who mounted petitions, protests, marches and vigils to oppose apartheid. The Black Sash was a non-violent white women’s resistance organisation founded in 1955 by Jean Sinclair. Di Oliver was trained as a social worker and joined the Black Sash’s advice office.

She was part of the women’s movement who demonstrated against the Pass Laws and instruction of other apartheid legislations. Its members used the relative safety of their privileged racial classification to speak out about the erosion of human rights in the country. Their Black Sashes were worn as a mark of mourning and to protest against unjust laws.

Both Eddie Daniel and Di Oliver showed what it means to be a great leader and a leader serves for the purpose. He served to his nation with a vision to see peace among all South Africans and that makes him a great leader and great human being.

I had an unforgettable experience that I will never forget and I learnt so much about myself, things I took for granted and I was so unaware of.

I have grown so much in such a short space of time and seen what I am capable of. The change I can make in my life and other people lives too, which I will start to implement.

I thank the Lucca Leadership Foundation for a wonderful learning experience, which I am able to carry on and able to take back with me.

I am a General Project Manager and New Business Developer. Avo pays me to look good so until I figure out how to achieve this I will keep myself occupied doing real work. My focus is on identifying alternate business avenues and then implementing an operational plan to turn an idea into a profitable business.

I have previously applied my services in the FMCG, Prepaid airtime, debt collections and lottery industries and have a special love for setting up and managing call centre environments.

I am introverted by nature and definitely not a conformist.

My 5 year old son is convinced that I am Superman (hmmm…I wonder who gave him that idea!)

Most summer weekends are spent on the river in a rubber boat, sometimes fishing and sometimes snoozing. I spend my ‘quiet time” riding my motorbike which is also where I do most of my brainstorming and strategy planning.

I pride myself on being a quality human being and have promised myself to always be surrounded by quality people. Having recently joined Avo and quietly observed the team, I think I may have just found my Eden.

I’m sorry to have to say it, but it’s true… . My boss has influenced me, and I now have a fabulous new body art addition to be proud of.

It’s safe to say that I influenced her too (okay, pushed, a little…) into getting her first ever (who could forget, it had it’s own blog after all!), and so, therefore, the influencing was mutual! The conversation went something like this:

Elaine: “Carin, I want to get a tattoo, will you come with me tomorrow?”

Me: (After a quick check in my diary - time management after all!) “Sorry, can’t tomorrow, but I can do today”.

Elaine: “Oh, okay…”

After which a prompt phonecall was made to the nearest tattoo place and some internet searches done for designs, and off we went… .

I’m such a good employee, hey bosses?

But, as those of you who have indulged in a little permanent body art would know, it’s addictive. This is one of those things that people who don’t have tattoo’s don’t believe, but have just one, and you’ve got the itch!

So while I’ve been contemplating number four for a while (and have, hence this blog, since done), Elaine is already, after only a few weeks, planning number two.

What an inspiration!

May I just say, I did not, in any way, influence the possible new one, but that I support it 100%. Elaine - don’t forget to take me with you, I’m your tattoo buddy!

Now you all have my permission to leave comments on how gorgeous mine is. I know you want to.

(posted by me on behalf of Grant).

Ok, I felt stretched. It’s so great to run a programme where you know that the people you’re working with are fast, focused, driven and experienced. I was working with a bunch of guys from Absa Group Sourcing who are probably running at 200% at the moment.

Yet they were able to find the time to spend two days on a programme, do the homework (before and during the course) and I know that everyone of them also connected with work in an attempt to keep up with the usual. We worked hard for two very full days, not relenting on the learning points, just one after the other again and again.

Nor did I pull any punches. Sometimes feedback, although straight, can be hard to take on board, but not for these guys. Another part of the feedback is trying to get them to believe that they are actually damn good at what they do and all that is required is to fine tune already present skills or growing their natural strengths.

To their credit they not only kept up, but stayed involved and engaged all the time keeping me truly on my toes every moment of the course.

To you guys thanks very much, I got a tremendous amount out if running the course with you.

Here are some comments from the training:

“This course has given me tools to increase the chances of giving a successful presentation manyfold” - Antony Barker

“How great to learn a set of tools to create my own style within the rules” - Claire Raath

“Great experience with good presentation and data, very helpful” - Stephan Kok

“Motivating and builds confidence” - Ian Horn

“Useful, practical, informative. This is a well structured course, well balanced and well delivered” - Jennifer Steyn

“Thank you for the light and personal touch” - Jacoba Schutte

Today is the anniversary of the passing of our dear friend, Thenjie Sibanda. It was a year ago today that she died sadly and suddenly, and left a huge hole in her family and at Avo that has been very hard to fill.

Thenjie taught me a very valuable lesson about determination and achieving goals. She had spent 15 years as a domestic worker that was determined to move out of her circumstances and better herself in the world. Besides supporting a large family back home, she managed to put herself through computer courses so that she would have some rudimentary skills to offer beyond what she could already do. When she came to Avo for work, she had little to offer except the most incredible determination to learn and build her skills! By the time she died, she had become an indespensible member of the Avo family, and the whole company nearly fell over when she was suddenly no there to fulfill her role.

I’m so sad that she ran out of time to realise her own dreams, but I also know that the legacy she has left will enable many other women like her. We employed Evelyn in her place, who started in a very similar way. We wanted to be true to Thenjie’s legacy by employing another woman with no office skills but a fierce ambition to grow and succeed.

Evelyn, you are doing the Thenjie legacy proud. Even though you did not know her, I’m sure she would be watching you work and learn with pride. You are both an inspiration to me: an example of what people can achieve, even though life doesn’t hand out resources equally. I promise you, I am still going to tell your stories to thousands of South African women, so that you can become an inspiration to many more people than just the Avo family!

Joining the Avo team is the highlight of my life!

I’m an Entrepreneur in the making. I thought I knew everything until I came to Avo… . I’ve been out and about and have some Small Business experience under my belt. Only to find out I don’t know as much as I thought I did - this new family of mine are the best in their field, in my opinion!…

In the couple of days since I’ve been here they’ve taught me how to deal with clients, from the personal side to the business side. How to sustain a business, how to get repeat business and that I’m my own brand. It’s a good learning experience - and I’ve just started!

I love coming to work, I have lots of sisters and an adopted mom (Jules…), a handful brothers and a big black diamond brother too! I love it because it keeps me on my toes and I get to experience new things daily.

So far the Avo family has been good to me, they make me want to reach for the furthest star!

Thank you for the opportunity.