The Past

Born into a relatively normal middle class family in the March of 1978, my dad was English and my mom Afrikaans. We were two siblings with me being the eldest, with a younger brother. I was blessed early on in life as I had both sets of grandparents on both sides as well as one great-grandmother on my mother’s side until I was twenty. My dad’s side of the family was from Irish decent and my great-grandmother from German decent. I grew up loved, and I adored my dad, for the most part we were a relatively normal suburbia family (Robbins & Judge, 2015).

My grandparents on both sides where hardworking South African, my grandfather on my mom’s side worked for the Department of Trade and Industry as Head of Strategic Industries, while my grandfather on my dad’s side worked for Safair as an Area Manager.

My dad didn’t pursue further education (Robbins & Judge, 2015) after school and started working in the sales. My mom pursued a diploma in art as she and her whole side of the family had that natural artistic flair. My dad and mom met when he was in the military service stationed in Upington, and strangely he first had eyes on my mom’s sister but after meeting both my mom and her sister my dad said that my mom was the girl he was going to marry after their first date.

My brother and I were very different from an early age, I believe that due to the fact that I realised early on that my parents had to work really hard to keep the household together I took on adult responsibilities early in my life (Robbins & Judge, 2015). I believe that I had certain perceptions (Robbins & Judge, 2015) that my friends and other family members where more financially stable than our family which generated a feeling of being very responsible about life and money from a very early age (Robbins & Judge, 2015).

Even though I was growing up during the apartheid era I was cocooned and protected from the reality of what was going on in my country. Going to school with only white South Africans was the norm, and this was not perceived (Robbins & Judge, 2015) to be different or strange. In 1992, I started High School the same year that Ex-President FW De Klerk called for a referendum, limited to white voters, to vote yes or no against the apartheid system.
All white South Africans went to the poles and voted that apartheid should be ended and that Nelson Mandela should be freed, I remember that there was big negativity surrounding this decision in and around me but as I was still very young and naïve and this did not affect me in a profound manner. I worked hard at school as my studies where important to me and I took great pride in doing well at school.
In 1994 South Africa’s first democratic election took place, I was in Standard 8 at the time. The schooling system changed to Model C schools and for the first time pupils from other races and cultures (Robbins & Judge, 2015) where allowed into our schools. The adjustment was swift as I believe humans and especially children are extremely adaptable to changes in life.
I finished my High School career in Potchefstroom and matriculated from Potchefstroom Gimnasium High School in 1996. Being the true embodiment of a teenager (Robbins & Judge, 2015) wanting to be independent I enrolled at the University of Pretoria in 1997 to complete a BCom Degree in Human Resources. Being adult enough now to admit that it had been a huge mistake, I hated every second of it and to the latter part of the year I asked my parents if I was able to return to Potchefstroom and complete my degree at the University of Potchefstroom for Christian Higher Learning. As my parent weren’t able to support me financially I applied for a study loan to complete my studies.

I graduated at the end of 2000 with a BCom Labour and Personal Relations Degree from the University of Potchefstroom for Christian Higher Learning. At that stage I was considering to go overseas, specifically the United Kingdom for a two year period on a working holiday visa. While I was studying I worked as a waitress for additional money and continued to waitress to save money to go overseas. In this time my best friend was working as a receptionist for a local construction company. As she was on the verge of getting married she arranged an interview for me to take over from her, with the idea being that I would save up enough to go overseas. As they always say, life is what happens when you making other plans. I spent the next four and a half years working for the company doing everything in and around the office.

In this period I applied for a position at a local company in Gauteng to become a Human Resources administrator. I received confirmation from the agent that I was successful in my application, however an hour later the agent phoned me back to inform me that unfortunately the position could not be offered to me as I was a white female and that the Head of Human Resources instructed that the position should be filled by a black female. Even though I was so protected from apartheid and never really benefitted from it apart from schooling I was feeling the reverse effect of it first handed, I was being judged on the colour of my skin (Robbins & Judge, 2015).

At this stage I met my husband and we decided to take the leap and go to London for two years. We sold up, packed up and went on an adventure of a lifetime. It was one of those amazing experiences that one cannot explain unless you have lived it. We left South Africa in March of 2006, with an orange backpack, a little bit of British Sterling off to see the world and what it had to offer. It was bitterly cold when we arrived in London, standing in front of Customs, scared Afrikaans speaking (Robbins & Judge, 2015) youngster ready to take on the world. It was such an amazing experience, we were fortunate and were able to secure accommodation relatively quickly on arrival. I was also able to secure work within the first three weeks after arriving at a Construction company as a site administrator. Having certain preconceived notions (Robbins and Judge. 2015) about the British one thinks they are miserable people, however I worked with the nicest bunch of people who made me feel welcome and comfortable almost instantaneously. I had a fantastic mentor, she was a female project manager for the Construction company and I learnt so much from her, how to be strong not only in your believes and knowledge, but also to be strong being the only female in a male dominated industry (Robbins & Judge, 2015). We had a fantastic time and learnt so much about ourselves and others and how to operate in a global playing field. I delivered well in my position and was asked to move with the team to the next site that they had secured, this was testament to that no matter where in the world you find yourself, being humble and hardworking will take you further than you know.

We returned to South Africa in late 2007 after a wonderful experience that included some international exposure and also some great travel experiences. Upon our return we entered the job market and I was again fortunate to be offered a position with a local Consulting Engineering firm in the mining industry as a Personal Assistant to the Head of Department of Mining. I had a fantastic career trajectory with the company, starting as a Personal Assistant and ended up as the company’s Customer Relationships Manager in 2011. Again as if faith wanted it that way I had a wonderful mentor, and once again in a female HR Director. She was instrumental in my career growth with this company and still today I seek her guidance and advice on big career decisions that I take in my career and in my life. She played a big part in me making the decision to pursue my MBA today.

I spent four wonderful years with the company followed by my next big challenge. Even though I studied Human Resources, and worked in the Human Resources department I had actually never been a practitioner in Human Resources. My next challenge came when a smaller Consulting Engineering company in the Mining Industry approached me to head up their Human Resources Department. It was a huge challenge for me as I was not comfortable in the role, however as with most things in my life I believe that with enough hard work and effort anything is possible (Robbins & Judge, 2015). The role was demanding and challenging, and on more than one occasion I questioned my decision to take up the role (Robbins & Judge, 2015). However the company could see my worth and I was asked to join their Executive Committee and later on be a part of their Board of Directors. Uncomfortable with the responsibility (Robbins & Judge, 2015) I took both roles very seriously and as time passed I was able to carry myself more and more convincingly through difficult situations. The company found itself in flux and I had the unfortunate task of going through three separate instances of retrenchments. This brought a whole different aspect to my career and showed me that I was able to move forward in the face of tremendous adversity and in some instances even pure hostility (Robbins & Judge, 2015). I also faced tremendous tribulations in my role with a new incumbent that took up the rains as CEO of the company. A white Afrikaans male that had the stereotypical (Robbins & Judge, 2015) view that females should not be in senior roles or hold any authority. I experienced first had workplace bullying (Robbins & Judge, 2015), sometimes in the subtlest forms and in other situations direct taunts such as either he works me out or I have to work him out of the business. This was a true testament to my character as I found myself dreadfully unhappy and also saddened by the fact that my fellow management could see what was happening and wasn’t willing to defend me (Robbins & Judge, 2015) as it was more important to keep the money coming in.

In the second half of 2013 I was approached by the management to take over a sister company in the group that was failing miserably due to mismanagement by the previous CEO. Once again I was faced with a task that was out of my area of expertise (Robbins & Judge, 2015), however as with most things in my life I decided to take up the challenge and give it a go. I was afforded the opportunity to make mistakes and learn by making them. I was able to turn the company around to just about keep its head above water, however as I felt out of my depth and overwhelmed I wasn’t enjoying the role (Robbins & Judge, 2015). I made a decision in the latter part of 2014 to resign from the business, with the consequence that the owner of the business then decided without me the business wasn’t viable and would be closed down. This was a very tough decision for me to make as it had a massive impact on others as well, however making the decision however hard it was, was one of the best I made for me.

The Present

This decision has brought me to where I am today, a full time MBA student at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and what I ride it has been in the short period that I have been attending at Gibs. Once again making a life changing decision to take on an MBA and also a full time MBA with no income or job to go back to. Something mentioned in our Genesis that we attended in the first week was that if you are not uncomfortable you are not learning, and that is so very true. I have been uncomfortable since day one, however if I look back at day one and at today sitting here typing this assignment I cannot believe that I have written four exams, three of which was nowhere close to something I have done before. Especially two of the subjects namely Microeconomics and Finance, if anyone had told me that I would be writing exams on these I would have laughed at them.

But once again I just realise that the more you put yourself out there into the unknown the more you will learn and gain from it. It might not be in that moment, and you might think what am I doing but with some reflection you will realise the benefit that it will have in future.
I have been battered and bruised by experiences in my past, but looking at them today I believe it is because of these experiences that I am able to take the next leap into the future. The past experiences has afforded me the courage and willpower to want to know more and want to experience more. I want to be able to sit in my next board meeting and have knowledge and insights into finance, things that frightened me in the past now excite me as I am able to contribute and benefit others around me.
Once you open yourself to new challenges and experiences you are more receptive to things, you become more willing to learn and to try new things and this is what I find exhilarating about the MBA, because as much as I think I will not be able to do things once I am in the situation and there are no other options than trying to master something you realise how much more you are capable of doing. This gives me a new found freedom that allows me to dream that no matter what I want to do I will be able to do it and do it well.
I have always been afraid of going at something alone (Robbins & Judge, 2015), I have always been more comfortable being the innovator within a bigger space such as a company. However the more I am exposed to new and old things my views on things are changing. I look at things now and think, yes I will be able to do this or that.

The little bit of MBA that I have done over the course of the last month or so has opened so many new views and insights for the future. I know view adversity as opportunities to learn from, I see the road less travelled is the one where a person will learn the most and gain the best experiences from.

The Future

I’m excited about the future and the more I talk to people the more I realise how lucky I am to be a part of this great journey. I have also realised that I am not whole without the experiences of my past, and that all these experiences has shaped me and made me who I am now and in the future. Being on this new experience is once again shaping me to become the next better version of myself in the future.

I need to take as much as possible away from this experience, and not only the theory but the intangible experiences, the friendships one builds and the life lessons that one comes across.
I hope to become a well-rounded business women, be it in my own space or in someone else’s space but someone who is able to impart even if it just a little bit on the next person I encounter. I would strive to be the mentor that I have been blessed with in my life and be able to also play an important part in someone else’s career growth and future.

References

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Decision Making/Confirmation Bias. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 196-196). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Decision Making/Anchoring Bias. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 195-195). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Decision Making/Attribution Theory. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 186-186). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Decision Making/Perception. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 185-185). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Decision Making/Contrast Effect. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 188-188). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Decision Making/Perception. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 185-185). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Decision Making/Contrast Effect. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 188-188). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Decision Making/Halo Effect. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 188-188). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Decision Making/Stereotyping. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 188-189). England: Person Education Limited.
Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Decision Making/Stereotyping. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 188-189). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Decision Making/Attribution Theory. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 186-186). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Motivation Concepts/Self Concordance. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 222-223). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Motivation Concepts/Self Efficacy Theory. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 228-230). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Motivation Concepts/Self Concordance. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 222-223). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Motivation Concepts/Reinforcement Theory. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 230-232). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Decision Making/Stereotyping. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 188-189). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Perception and Individual Power and Politics/Power Tactics. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 405-407). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Motivation Concepts/Equity Theory/Organizational Justice. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 232-237). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Motivation Concepts/Self Concordance. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 222-223). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Motivation Concepts/Self Determination Theory. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 222-222). England: Person Education Limited.

Robins, S. P. & Judge T. A. (2015). Motivation Concepts/Goal Setting Theory. In S. Jackson, A. Dandapani (Eds.), Organizational Behavior (pp. 225-228). England: Person Education Limited.