We Fear In Detail, But Our Hope is Vague

Assignment - look at the image accompanying this post and take 1 minute to create a story to describe what you think is happening.

Most people will come up with a very scary story about walking innocently through the woods when someone starts following them. They pick up the pace and can still hear the footsteps and in a panic, they start sprinting through the trees, chased by a crazy maniac . . .

Paul Valèry, a French poet born in 1871, said that we can articulate our fears in detail, but our hope is vague. The reason is; fear is evidence-based and we feel it more keenly. We have seen and experienced the atrocities of this world to fill us with utter and complete fear.

Hope, on the other hand, is based on a dream and asks us to believe in those things that have not yet come to pass.

However, from fear hope can emerge as a beacon of light that can guide us through the darkness of uncertainty and adversity. But hope can only be transformative when we give it flesh and emotion and act on it with purpose and conviction.

As senior executives, we are not immune to society's challenges. But as leaders, we are responsible for addressing these challenges with a sense of purpose and hope. It's easy to succumb to fear, but we must resist this urge and be the voices of hope that inspire transformation and change.

We must build a corporate culture that supports our values and moral compass, and work towards new and innovative ways to collaborate and form partnerships that benefit society at large. By taking purposeful action and changing the quality of life for South Africans, we can improve the prosperity and freedom of this generation and generations to come.

From an inward-looking perspective, we must ensure that our companies have a strong identity and purpose, ethical leadership, and a value system that guides our operations and governance. Our corporate culture must support our values and moral compass, and our employees must act with uncompromising integrity.

From an outward-looking perspective, we must look at new and innovative ways to collaborate and form partnerships to effect change that benefits society at large. Our efforts should not be solely focused on increased profit, but on changing the quality of everyday lives for South Africans.

In the face of adversity, giving in to fear and building higher walls for protection is easy. But as leaders, we must resist this urge and be the voices of hope.

We must also recognize the power of hope on an individual level. As executives, we can encourage our employees to re-ignite hope in their own lives and inspire transformation in those around them.

This is the purpose of the JGL #BadAss 1% Movement.

The JGL #BadAss 1% Movement is a call to action for every South African to do just 1 thing a day (even if it is just picking up 1 piece of litter) that will help make South Africa a place we are all proud of. It shifts our mindset from helpless to helpful, hopeless to active hope, and victim to victor

Remember, fear may be the reality, but hope in action is the solution. Let us inspire every South African to embrace hope and become the change they wish to see in the world.