SEEKING OPPORTUNITIES: Where my contribution makes a difference

Originally published on Linkedin.

Dream

As a boy I allowed myself to dream big, and with determination my dream grew ever closer to becoming reality. I stepped straight out of high school in Brisbane, Australia and into the world of professional sport 5000 kilometres across the country at the Western Force Super Rugby team academy. I had no doubt that the next two decades of my life would be spent as a professional rugby player.

Little did I know that within four months, a genetic spinal defect would result in multiple spinal fractures. The physical agony could not compare to the grief of losing what had been an all-consuming goal. All my plans were completely derailed.

It was incredibly difficult coming to terms with the reality that any chance of a professional sporting career was over before it had really begun. In an effort to gain some perspective, I decided to travel back to my home country, Zimbabwe.

I grew up on a farm in the Midlands of Zimbabwe until the age of 10. My family fled to Australia via South Africa in 2002. We had lost our farm under President Robert Mugabe’s ‘land reform program’. The purpose was the redistribution of the land of white farmers to the traditional landowners. As a consequence of that upheaval, my teenage years in Australia were underlined by a deep resentment towards the people that I believed had taken what was rightfully ours. I acutely felt the pain of injustice that had forced our family and thousands of others to flee their homes. I felt like a victim of an unaccountable and subverted political agenda.

Resource

I arrived in Zimbabwe, my first home, feeling sorry for myself. I was a shattered 17 year old whose lifelong dreams were in ruins. I was soon to envisage new possibilities.

That defining moment came when I decided to visit our family farm for the first time since we were forced to leave it. I knew that it wasn’t wise and could be dangerous. Going back to the place of my fondest childhood memories was something that I desperately wanted to do. Tears streamed down my face as I drove through what was left of our farm. Initially, I cried with despair upon seeing the destruction and devastation. What lay around me had reduced a thriving family business - that had supported the local community and employed more than 60 workers - into nothing but a bleak and desolate wilderness. As I drove further on I passed a group of young people gathered around a disused building. They were roughly my own age. In that instant my despair turned to guilt.

Like so many before me, it took just a moment, one small moment to cause a monumental revelation that changed my entire perspective. I had spent the greater part of my teenage years thinking I was the victim. I was not. The victims are the people we left behind. They are beautiful people living in a rich country, yet have been oppressed and forced into poverty without means or hope to elevate their lives.

I felt a responsibility. I resolved to build on that insight and tune my abilities to positively impact the lives of others.

Foundation

I returned to Australia with an expanded and fresh view. I knew that if my focus was to be positive and to contribute to the lives of others then I needed to explore the concept of “impact”. I sought out a mentor. Our discussions revolved around developing skills, unique abilities and useful networks to have the greatest impact possible. My plan from that point was straight forward; know myself, have faith in myself, build my network and positively impact my communities.

In essence, the past 6 years have been an apprenticeship in learning how to live what I believe. I’ve aimed to challenge myself by engaging with others and forcing myself to question my motives. I’ve questioned whether I’m trying to create a platform to fight for those in need, or simply exploiting the social justice rhetoric to differentiate myself.

I’ve immersed myself in the study of anthropology, social systems, leadership and change, and will soon graduate with a Masters in Organisational Psychology from The University of Queensland. I’ve purposefully built relationships with likeminded people, and have enacted change in communities close to home; spoken out against climate change and homophobia, and hopefully, in some small way, made a difference to the lives of refugees in Brisbane, some of whom I am lucky enough to now call my friends.

Values

As a soon-to-be Masters of Organisational Psychology graduate, I’ve been on the hunt for a job in 2017. When considering potential employers I’ve examined the opportunity to learn rapidly, develop specialised skills, be challenged, and ultimately increase my capacity to influence and enact lasting change. I identified the consulting industry as likely to provide a role that would tick every box.

Earlier this year I travelled between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, interviewing with top tier global management consulting firms including McKinsey, Bain and LEK.

These companies are incredible, and I recognise how they have often been the building blocks in the careers of some amazing people, however I had my doubts about whether my values would align. My doubts were confirmed in an interview where I was asked to solve a mock business case.

I stood there, whiteboard marker in hand in an office overlooking Sydney’s Circular Quay. The interviewer asked me to determine the viability of establishing a new mine. As I was presented with the facts and figures, I internally froze. Just over a year before, I had taken part in a non-violent action by occupying a future coalmine to protest the devastating impact these kinds of projects have on global warming and the future of our planet. I protested that day in an effort to ‘live out my values’ and yet I was applying for a role that could easily leave me working for the very projects I had taken a stand against. I left that, and many other interviews feeling like a walking contradiction.

Prospecting

As I look to step out into full time employment I’m excited by the prospects and potential that lies ahead. My challenge is to find a role where I can excite those around me. A role where I will not have to silence or neglect a critical part of myself, but rather where my insights and convictions might be valued and useful to a company or organisation.

As I meet with people and companies, I am conscious that I challenge many conventions. I know that being interested in working for a company that looks beyond creating a profit for its shareholders is not a wide view, but it is a view many global leaders are behind. We share a common goal that it will only be by directly contributing to our global society in the 21st century, that we will have a viable future.

I wake up every day knowing that what I’m doing is aligned with a strong system of beliefs based on my unusual early life.

There is a role out there where those beliefs will make a contribution and a difference. Can you help me find it?