Nothing kick-starts a year more than attending the world’s biggest and probably the most important event on the leaders’ calendar - The World Economic Forum 2010. Let me enlighten you… 2000 of the the world’s leaders, (leaders in the all spheres) politics, economics, environmental issues, religion.. come together on one small resort, high in the mountains of Davos. Davos is a ski-resort in Switzerland otherwise enjoyed by royalty and the rich, fills up every year toward the end of Jan, to host the world’s most influential forum. This town, that can barely hold 2000 people, turns on it’s head when the World Economic Forum (WEF) is in town.  It manages to turn shops into banks and hospitals into hotels, and people utilise the opportunity aptly by renting their apartments for ridiculous amounts of money!

Mmm… that paragraph feels like a deja vu… (see blog on Davos in 2009)

2010, being my second year at the World Economic Forum, I sort of got a taste of what it feels like for those who boast 10, 15 years of attending the forum. They are like one big powerful family coming for a annual reunion, but instead of talking about how their children are doing and exchanging recipes, they sit in forums talking about the future of mining, business governance, who is to become the next super power of the world, which countries should sign treaties… and they pretty much determine our (us mere mortals’) lives.

This year was a big one in Davos, not only was the forum celebrating it’s 40th year, but South Africa, as WEF organising country, made sure that the delegates from around the world had the time of their lives, each taking a fond memory of SA with them! South African governement, coperates and marketing councils rallied up to showcase the best of SA! Starting with the branded transport that the delegates used on a daily basis as well as hosting an open bar the entire week at the Belveredere Hotel (Thee Hotel in Davos!) with SA’s best beers, wine, biltong, dried mango and music… and that was but a taste of SA’s hospitality as we lead up to the big gala soireé - the official closing event of the weeks’ talks, every delegate, minus the media were invited.

We pulled out all the stops, changed any doubting minds and left these high flying visitors longing to come to South Africa, for the FIFA World Cup and beyond. I’m tempted to describe the soireé by just saying “You should have been there” - that wouldn’t be fair, so Ill try and describe the chill of pride that I felt when I watched all 2000 delegates: clusters including the likes of princes, presidents and business moguls walk into our party venue all wearing an SA scarf and some even a SA beenie (that they had received as their invite to the event), each being welcomed with a gingerbeer cocktail, recieving a traditional face painting (Moyo style) while all the time being surrounded by the most awesome digital slide show of images showcasing our culture, urban life and quirky proudly South African adverts.  It was beautiful! Then the delegates are warmly welcomed by an energetic Minister Trevor Manual who then naturally broke into our national anthem… it was a world class event!

Within minutes, Freshly Ground had some of the world’s most serious people on the dance floor, working up an apetite for amazing South African dishes that had been in preparation the entire week by the top 6 chefs that we had brought with us, malva pudding and all! We had set the venue so that one could experience SA in many facets, a jazz lounge where we boasted the best in Jazz music, sipping on SA wines, SA snacks and enjoying SA artwork. Then there was the huge concert area where SA cocktails and beverages continued flowing to the sounds of Jimmy Dludlu, KB and Diski Dancers. In the middle of it all was the most amazing Tata Madiba silent exhibition, where one could experience his life and what he meant to his people… South Africans (ministers, soccer stars, business men and women… and myself) came together and showed the world how to party as we hit the dance floor to the sounds of our very own DJ Dino Bravo!

My biggest learning this year would be to seize the moment and show up strong at all times! Everybody in Davos is important, every conversation counts and every branding opportunity is instrumental! I take this learning into 2010 with me and prepare to once again welcome the world in true South African Spirit and style! The FIFA world Cup is just one more opportunity to benchmark ourselves against the best and and if Davos is anything to go by, we are right up there with the best!

It’s 23:30, I have just got home from a long dinner after a hard day of pounding the pavement, but I can’t sleep! My head is spinning, my imagination on another planet and I can almost taste success! I have just come home from the Business Women of the Year Award 2009.

A room filled with 1100 powerful people of South Africa and majority being women, just to name a few, our host, Basetsana Khumalo (Former Miss SA, President of the Business Women Association), Maria Ramos (Former CEO of Transnet, now CEO of ABSA), Venete Kleine (CEO of Retail Banking, ABSA), newly elected Minister of Women, Youth and people with Disabilities Nolthando Mayenda-Sibiya.

My favourite feeling in the ENTIRE world is to feel like a drop in an ocean of possibility, just one of the reasons I would love to move to New York. Tonight I felt that blissful, almost overwhelming feeling in my seat right here In Johannesburg. I have never experienced an accummelative amount of wisdom, humbleness yet confident beyond words.

As each nominee spoke, I stared, listened, hoped, admired ! Admired them for the journey that they have travelled to get to this point in their careers, every story unique, humble and mind blowing. The message was clear, love yourself enough to believe in your ability, apply excellence to everything that you do and pull others with you as you rise!

As a young women who would like to leave a legacy, tonight was about confirming that opportunities are ripe, mentors and role models are plentiful and my dreams ought to be as big as ever because what is achievable is even greater!

I was rooting for all 6 nominees in the 2 categories-just doing what they do is an achievement, never mind being nominated! But my heart skipped a beat when I heard Venete Kleine’s nomination speech, her stand on Women Empowerment, family and her humble, confident approach to life and work-where she has over 40 000 people under her!

This is the same lady who afforded me a introductory meeting, (I tried to see if there is a place for Avo in ABSA Retail Banking) treated me as a fellow executive when I arrived and was humble enough to greet me with a compliment :”You are still as beautiful as the day you were crowned” she said to me, before we got started, I was blown away, I was suppose to be her groupie!

I was ecstatic when she walked away with the prize, Business Women of the Year 2009 and even more humbled when she thanked me by name, after I congratulated her!

May the feeling of inspiration that is flowing through my blood be a non-fading, contagious state of mind!

Thank you so much Rachel for taking me as your as your partner, what an honour!

I have always known that I am more than just proud of South Africa - I am EXTREMELY passionate! If you ask me why, I would struggle to find the start point and the end. But on 14 June, at the first ever Confederation Cup on African soil, gave me the chance to prioritise my points of pride. Standing in the Ellis park stand with 47 000 other South Africans (only about 1000 Iraqi fans), the sounds of vuvuzelas, the viberant splash of colour and diversty that surrounded me-my overwhelming love for SA took over, confirming to me the things I love most about us!

Unity! After all said and done, the not-so-hot performace that Bafana Bafana showed us, the constant change of coaches and money disputes-all leading to doubtful, gatvol fans. I wondered if there would be a Bafana fan in the stands. But today, the nation united, no questions asked. Each fan taking ownership of the fact that this was a new dawn for Africa. No matter what, South Africa was going to stand behind their boys, and boy did they do that! We were present, charasmatic and stood up to the challenge as a nation.

Courage! The self-belief that our nation has is fantastic! Who would have even imagined that after just 15 years of democracy that we would be hosting the the biggest sporting tournament in the world?! Today, I experienced a confident nation that had overcome the insecurities of others and focused on the goal: Being alive with great possibility! Some points: Our stadiums are not ONLY ready but they are really top notch (ranked one of the best in the world),  the service from on-the-ground volunteers was amazing, security is tight and every single person (worker or fan) had a beautiful Mzansi smile on their faces. The demographics at the match were those of a rainbow nation!! The pride of the day saw both Springbok and Protea supporters come in droves! 

Fun! We know how to laugh at other and ourselves. We experience bursts of joy from small things, you know, boerewors roll and beer and boy did we share our joy with our visitors-making them feel welcome!

There is so much I love about our country, one of which is the freedom that we now experience, the freedom and opportunity for me to learn from yester-year heartache and at the same time watch that very generation create opportunities for us to reconcile and laugh together! As we approach Youth Day-June 16-I urge us take on our individual responsibilty to honour the bravey and courage of the students on that day in 1976, but also to confidently look forward at the bright future that stands before us. The Confederations Cup and World Cup are just two more ways the world have shown their belief in us, it’s now up to us!

Last week in our weekly Kudos and Cock-ups meeting (staff meeting), my kudo was that I am feeling rejuvinated, motivated and somewhat excited! I think part of this certainly had to do with attending our annual sales conference. I came to a few realisations over the two-day conference. One of which was that I belong to a tough sales team, each fully aware of their vaule-add and more importantly ensure that they maximise on it… a perfect survival kit!

With the credit crunch and tougher economic times, almost every business is tightening up, strategizing and conditioning their minds to survive and even thrive in a time that seems gloomy. This was the theme of our conference-Avo Solutions being business critical.

It was wonderful to confirm that are indeed business critical, our solutions speak to resilience, self-insight, organisational effectiveness, all the ingridients that one needs to be a “motor-boat” and not a “cruise-ship”. We realised the how importance of the motor-boat mentality if we going to thrive. Being lean, sharp and resilient are the name of our game! As trusted advisors to our clients, this will be the same tune we will sing to them.

Our business critical conversation continued at our quartely ‘Cooking Conversations’ evening attended by both sales and training teams. Our strategy was tightened as we ensured that our business critical solutions are delivered in a buisness critical manner. The bottom line is that our trainers help the participants survive their work and workplace, give them insight on their value-add which encourages participation in the workplace, which enevitably leads to increased productivity!

Our MD reckons that tough times are the economy’s way of shedding off deadwood, only the dedicated, hardworking high performers will thrive. So I think that means if we continue to do the same things, we will get the same results and unfortuantely, today that’s not nearly enough!

The music scene has the Grammies, Hollywood has the Oscars and the business / political world has the World Economic Forum (WEF)… Davos 2009 and I was there! Not because I am a big shot business leader (…not yet anyway), but as an ambassador of South Africa and to help fly our flag high, and boy did we do that. Let me backtrack and give you an idea of what kind of a big deal the WEF is. It is an annual general meeting where political, economic and environmental leaders come together for 3 days and talk about the matters of the WORLD, the state of the enviroment and find solutions to the world’s political problems. So we’re talking about the presence of the likes of Kofi Anan, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Richard Brandson, Dali Lama, Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu… 2500 of the most powerful individuals and companies in the world! All in one small, but luxurious, ski resort. Security was insane, we had local police, Swiss Army, USA FBI, secret service individual body guards.

How did I fit in?

Well, with so much happening in South Africa in the next year or two, we have the attention of the world. The International Marketing Council of SA decided to grab more of that attention, the SA way. Our country’s presence was splashed over all of that resort. We had our own taxi’s-painted with the SA flag cruising all over town, we had our delegates dressed with scarfs with our beautiful flag printed all over it, we took over the entertainment area of the Belvedere Hotel (where most of the forum took place), we hosted a hospitality lounge, with our very own ‘mixologist’ who created the most awesome South African cocktails. All to the sounds of Freshly Ground, Hugh Masekela and the late Mariam Makeba, the lounge introduced our best South African wines, beers, Amarula, ginger beer, dry fruit and of course… biltong (which we eventually got there - long story…involving the president’s jet!).

People flocked to our lounge after a hard day of back-to-back meetings and conferencing. The South African amabassadors (Raelene, Michelle, Latisha and Kamo-representing different facets of South African society) were strategically placed to engaged in conversation about our country, reasons to come to the world cup, our achievements and the reason South Africa has such a great future ahead. This was such an EASY job, simply because we are a great country and I didn’t have to convince anybody. The international delegates were raving about our country, calling us an INSPIRING country that many countries around the world could learn a lesson from. Of course I handled all questions on crime and politicals diplomatically, and I even made it into the Swiss Sunday paper!

Our hospitality didn’t stop there, we hosted a truly South African dinner party, with our own chef, that prepared a delicious dinner of ostrich, kudu and koeksisters. Our president was introduced by Trevor Manual who was there with new wife and business woman, Maria Ramos. Present were ministers, CEO’s of all major banks, financial institutes, and energy and mineral moguls. In total there were 150 guests, who then enjoyed an after party led by the jazz sounds of Jimi Dludlu. The night was a success with evey guest going home with a goodie bag that consisted of an Anan Singh dvd and the official FIFA 2010 World Cup soccer ball.

Other great parties that I attended were the Google party, where one had to keep their cool and not get star struck even if you saw the likes of Bill and Melinda Gates within arm’s reach. Davos is just one of those places - simply INCREDIBLE!

South Africa definitely showed the world that we are alive with GREAT possibility, it was an honour to be part of this sunny, friendly and reconcilled country… our international friends reminded me of how lucky I am to call myself a child of Mzansi! 

I have been sharing my story about the monster, that I have decided to take on, in bits and pieces..not thinking that the lessons that I am learning could be of value to others, so here I go.

It’s been nearly two months since joining the Avo Sales Team (Lions and lioness..no kidding!). It’s been quite a change. Working in a sales support position before, I guess gave me a little bit of insight into the lives of these hunters, but it is only when you are amungst the pack in hunting season (by the way, it’s always hunting season!) do you realise the intensity of it, you can’t help but gain a great respect for what they do.

I am definitely in a challenged space, it’s not easy but the results and rewards at the end of the day are great.  The catch however (and this catches many people) is that it takes time before you start to reap those rewards. I equate it to a gym routine. You hire a personal trainer in the hopes of shedding tons of kilos, fast, but instead he tells you with patience and consistency, you are going to lose cms, strengthen and tone. Now this takes longer, but the longevity of it, is for keeps!

I stepped in this space with the hopes of taking a bit of time to learn the ropes and in no time thought I’d will be selling tons…lol…didn’t happen and according to our new, very talented sales manager, Becky, (Becks write your own blog about your advances - this is my blog) a sales cycle can take up to a year…if you’re good! In the meantime she has introduced me to principles of the sales world that guarentee sucess namley: consistency, discipline and commitment.

I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be in a position to learn and practise these qualities so early in my career. Sales, like public speaking, is avoided by many, it’s almost like one is born with the talent and if honed in the correct way, with the right people around you, the sky is limit. In Andre’s words I would describe myself as a Retriever, reaching out into Tomato space, in the hopes of never settling as a top dog!

I can’t help but feel that this monster I have taken on, seperates the boys from the men and the thrivers and the survivors (as Jules would say).  The greatest part of it, is that the power is in your hands! It is without a doubt that the disciplines and lessons learnt in the sales industry will take me from strength to strenth, but comprehending the importance of and the critical role that a sales person plays for a company, makes me even prouder.  In the words of Andrew Carnegie: ” You can take away my money and my factories. As long as you leave me my salespeople, I will be back where I was within two years time”.

Last month, my “filling the well” promise was to spend more time with my closest girlfriends. Ladies, we all know the importance of getting our dose of soul-food, comfort and good ol giggles from our sisters. As soon as I gave myself permission to do it, I outdid myself; I more than fulfilled my promise! In fact, I took keeping promises to a new level! In the past month I had fabulous evenings out with the girls, we did everything from dinner, to comedy and poetry evenings.

Jules heard my promise and must have thought “Mmm, good idea Rae, hooking up with old friends, not a bad idea”. Naturally, Jules went BIG - forget dinner dates and laughing sessions. Jules’ kind of fun involves, beauty, a bit of brains and “world-peace”. As all celebs will tell you, you can’t run from the paparazzi. Jules was photographed, hanging with her ladies. From the picture, it appears that in addition to her long list of A-list friends, she has Miss Teen SA and Miss South Africa in her circle of mates. You go girl!

Thanks Jules, what a fun afternoon spent at the SABC in support of Childline and Child Protection week. I got the opportunity to address about 200 hundred children and tell them how precious they are and that South Africa loves them. I shared a message that I hold very close to my heart and have a great passion for. I spoke about the “Power of Dreams”. Coming from a small town in rural Transkei, I know for a fact, that dreams are sometimes all children have. Those are the lucky ones; a lot of the time, everyone is so busy surviving, that dreams take a back seat, so we can’t preach this message enough! Children need to know that it is more than ok to be a dreamer and even more importantly, that we all have what it to takes to turn our dreams into a reality.

Speaking to those 6 year olds reminded me of, and refreshed my own dreams. I am happy to say that while I continue to enjoy a journey of little dreams coming true, I have not arrived, and to quote Sir Richard Branson, “I wish to never arrive”, because that’s exactly how dreams work. LIMITLESS!

Technically, yes, I am - but sure doesn’t feel like it. The older Avo’s (nothing to do with age, everybody is OH SO young and fab!) have been so warm and welcoming. Coming from a rather different and open industry of entertainment, modelling and television, one would think the change would be drastic. It hasn’t been - my time at Avo can definitely be compared to being on standby for a live television transmission, getting ready backstage for SA Fashion Week or waiting in the wings for a MC gig!

Bottom line, there is never a dull moment at no 3 King Edward Steet, everyday is a thrill!

My more calming (but also challenging) time comes along when I engage in my studies. I am currently studying toward an Industrial Psychology degree - slotting in my evening classes after a day at Avo, is alone, a skill that I am working on mastering.

My journey, getting to Avo: Credit goes to a higher power that was working in our favour that day. So, there I was at another MC gig - nervous as usual (especially after reading the credits and accolades of our guest speaker that I had to introduce), the pressure of getting it right was killing me! I remember thinking, (just from her name, Jules Newton) what a ball of ENERGY!

This awesome lady and I connected within minutes as we waited for the event to start . She didn’t waste time - I mean with everybody!The next thing I knew, she was asking (and mildly intimidating the Gauteng MEC of Education) - him what he thought of the state of education in South Africa. I got the impression that the poor man, who thought he was just attending another event with tea and yummy finger foods, was rather startled at the mini Debra Patta type interview.

She continued, and even before the event had started, she had scared a grown man, filled the room with her energy and offered the MC of the event a job!

My Avo journey began with an inspirational briefing session.

On arrival at Avo for the briefing / interview (because it really didnt feel like an interview), I could not get over the warmth and cheerfulness of the HUGE avocado painting, that met me at the gate. Proceeding up the stairs, I was met by a swimming pool, jungle gym and a tree house (surely I couldn’t be coming for a job interview!). In the waiting room area (a fresh relaxed patio) I was offered something to drink and to EAT!! I politely said no thank you to the eating part of the offer, but I could not help wondering what they would have given me, had I said yes. I have since learnt that the Avo’s energy levels are kept booming by the great food prepared by Mam D (I haven’t worked much, but I am pretty certain this is not a standard at other companies).

It is a pleasure to be of service to the Lion and Lionesses (Sales team) of Avo Vision. I have had a taste of this dynamic team and it’s without a doubt that working under their wings will be an exhilirating experience as well as challenging and even frustrating at times (otherwise it wouldn’t qualify as a job) but without a doubt it will be REVIVING!