Creating a High Achievement Culture

‘Aim at nothing and you’ll usually succeed’…

While growing up in the UK, like many other children of African parentage, the question of going to university was never an issue. The only question about going onto further education was what I would study once I got there. In my family, healthy sibling competition was a key factor in making sure I achieved the grades expected of me but, like many of our friends, our achievements were also in no small measure due to some pretty heavy-handed parenting tactics when it came to social distractions. I am sure I’m not alone in remembering the expression on a parent’s face if you dared to mention a party when exams were looming….

There is something to be said for assuming that people will achieve. For if high achievement is automatically seen as a given, the framework in which we set our goals and targets in life will reflect this. If parents, educators and – further down the line, employers – can simply work on the basis that we are capable of high achievement in whichever field we are in, how much better an opportunity this will offer to create a self-fulfilling prophecy than the assumption of failure.

An expectation of high achievement can and should be the starting point of all our assumptions – both for ourselves and for those whom we are in the position to advise, train or guide. But high expectations can best be fulfilled when they come as part of an environment and a culture that supports them. Setting targets alone is not enough; creating a culture of high achievement also means nurturing, supporting and rewarding that achievement. Meeting high expectations is only really gratifying when that achievement is rewarded; be it by getting into the right university, accessing the right career opportunity, winning the right promotion or even (finally) getting the right to unrestricted partying!

Whether as parents, teachers, careers advisers or managers, we all have the opportunity to raise our own expectations and to support others’ aspirations. When you stop to think of who inspired you to achieve what perhaps others did not expect of you, ask what you are now expecting of those for whom you can be an inspiration.

In this issue we talk to entrepreneur and inventor Simi Belo about what it takes to change careers – and country - and confound expectations in the process. In the second part of her article, Margot Katz looks at how emotional intelligence can impact set you apart from the crowd and our career coach tackles the thorny question of how to overcome the hurdle of an African accent in corporate Britain. The current economic crisis is claiming many jobs and we offer some advice on coping with redundancy . Business Counselling and Training Manager Toyin Dania is the subject of our ‘5 Minute Interview’ and she shares the lessons she has learned from her personal inspirations.

Check out what’s happening in February in our Events section and re-visit the article from our archives on Brand Pretorius and his views on what makes a leader .

We preview the forthcoming African Investment and Finance Conference taking place at the London Stock Exchange on February 22 and which will be bringing together some of Africa’s top investors and financiers.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent .

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the Forum and posted your comments; we look forward to many more of you joining us and making connections! The winner of the prize on offer in January (“Tarzan and Jane: How to Thrive in the New Corporate Jungle” by Margot Katz) is Barbara Nangoyi. A copy of the book will be sent out to Barbara shortly.

This month, we are offering a copy of the fascinating new collection of essays on leadership in Africa, ‘Under the Tree of Talking’. Edited by Onyekachi Wambu, the book features insights into leadership by some of Africa’s most prolific writers including Chinua Achebe, Professor Ali Mazrui and Wangui wa Goro.

Register free on the Forum now to be included in the draw for a free copy of this book. One of our registered users of the Forum will be selected on February 29th to receive the book.

Enjoy this issue - and write in and share your comments!