If we wish to be mission-led CEOs, we have to be conversant on the topic of race. It’s an important conversation.
I’ve bided my time until commenting on the Black Lives Matter movement. I felt the issues needed to settle inside me a bit before commenting on how you, the CEO community, might orientate around the topic.
To deepen my knowledge, I sought out Mbongeni Magubane – who is without a doubt, of the most important people I know in South Africa’s ongoing journey with race, class and privilege.
Mbo, or Allan as his friends call him, is different from me in almost every external way possible: a younger generation, a different race group, a very different upbringing and let’s just say we’re on the opposite ends of the height spectrum.
That, however, is where the differences end: we both have a deep appreciation for the arts, a love of great music, believe in leadership as the highest leverage point for change and have a passion for creating a magnificent, united South Africa.
I sat down with Mbo to discuss how the world is changing, how we can conspire for goodness and plot our lives for love. How we can create a community we are proud of and what it means for our children that we do so. You can listen to that conversation HERE it’s around 40 minutes of your time and you’ll experience Mbo’s gentle strength and his incisive wisdom about how the world is right now; and how we can make our necessary contributions.
My time with Mbo was calming and hopeful, reminding me that regardless of what appears to be real, the most important thing is that we are all here to make a difference to others.
As CEOs, you have that power more than most and the invitation from myself, and from Mbo, is to use your power to create energised, cohesive communities and powerful, generous human beings.
Rowan Belchers
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