Wanted: Operation Hydrate for economy
We can’t afford to wait for leaders to put out the fire
‘TALK is cheap.” “Actions speak louder than words.” “Let your work speak for itself.” These are sayings we know well, but have often failed to implement effectively during the times they are needed most.
Like today, for example — when our economy stands to lose out if more of us do not stop talking and start taking action.
The pressure of a looming ratings downgrade, amplified by Moody’s visit to South Africa this week, has left many of us aware of the need to get our economic affairs in order, fast. Ideally within the next couple of months.
This kind of pressure is the wakeup call we need to start taking action to help ourselves. Not just to be ready to survive a downgrade if it happens, but to reignite economic growth and continue developing our economy. Fortunately, some leaders are stepping up to the plate and working towards the direction that I hope will lead to action.
But seeing a few leaders taking up the baton is not enough. As much as the unity at the top by Team South Africa is getting traction and setting the right tone, this mentality needs to trickle down towards the rest of the economy.
I’ve worked in different environments — some with more doers, and others with more talkers. There are merits to both, depending on the context. Talkers are great when you need to understand what the problem is and there is value in spending weeks on diagnoses and redesigning strategies. But since we all know what the problem is, and we have clear timelines on when we need to turn the economic situation around, actions need to speak louder than our words. In such an environment, we need doers, not talkers.
We need more action from society as a whole. Normally when there is a fire approaching — which is what it feels like today — we do not stand and wait for those at the top to put it out. We instinctively understand the urgency of the matter and the actions required to put out the fire. Before you know it, the fire has been contained by everyone, regardless of whether they were going to be directly or indirectly affected by it. You do not normally see people calling for debates and protests when the fire is approaching. In the same vein, during these times our economy needs doers who can put out the fires.
Operation Hydrate is a good example of society stepping up to take actions to help this country.
In this instance, the fire is symbolised by the worst drought in decades, and the necessary instinctive response is members of society taking actions — such as sending water to the areas that need it the most. They have not waited for our leaders’ response plans to start showing results.
Operation Hydrate has led to millions of litres of water being delivered to affected communities.
In terms of identifying opportunities for growth, private and public sector leaders have made some commitments to support small businesses — the heart of where growth and employment opportunities lie. Instead of waiting for their initiatives to lead to action, small businesses need to go the extra mile towards helping each other. There is so much more value in achieving growth through supporting the growth of others. When I listen to stories of earlystage entrepreneurs helping each other, I get excited because that means that they understand that there is power in numbers.
Even the average individual takes it for granted that the discretionary income that is allocated to noncritical household expenditure can be redeployed into a neighbour’s struggling business as working capital. This might just be the small infusion that they need today to keep their business afloat and continue creating jobs in the community.
We can all contribute towards creating jobs and fostering growth — but that is going to require us to get comfortable with taking action and asking questions only once the urgent fire has been put out.
As actor David Della Rocco’s character puts it in The Boondock Saints film sequel: “There’s two kinds of people in this world when you boil it all down. You got your talkers and you got your doers. Most people are just talkers, all they do is talk. But when it is all said and done, it’s the doers that change this world. And when they do that, they change us, and that’s why we never forget them. So which one are you? Do you just talk about it, or do you stand up and do something about it? ”
Sikhakhane is an international speaker, writer and retailer, with an honours degree in business science from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from Stanford. She also advises and funds small businesses TEAMWORK: A child carries water delivered by truck to Swartruggens, North West
We instinctively understand the urgency of the matter and the actions required