Don’t

A healthy exercise a day before your birthday: reflection on the past 364days.

Got some great news yesterday: we won a legal matter that I refused to settle on principle.

Even after they lied under oath & tried to besmirch my good name, made up ALL sorts of stories about me, got some on social media tricksters with brave thumbs but dull minds to try and attack me, tried to take credit for my work and my name … we won!

A former employee that was about to be subjected to a disciplinary process for non-performance and a former manager who departed on the grounds that she wanted to mourn her deceased grandfather, lied under oath in an attempt to extort money from my firm. Not only this but here is some of the background:

a. when I hired the now “former manager” she was an out of work single mother who was hanging on the street lot unemployment without any real prospects. She didn’t pass the 2nd interview and in-fact the recruitment agency was of the view that I shouldn’t employ her;

b. the non-performing employee was part of our sales team and hadn’t achieved any of her sales targets since her employment with the firm. She then fraudulently claimed commissioned to which she was not due and then sabotaged her fellow team members by not communicating critical information.

c. the now “former manager” then accessed the company servers (to which she had managerial access) before departing and stole over a decade of client information in an attempt to try and poach clients of the firm.

Unfortunately for her, our clients are very loyal and blew the whistle immediately she began soliciting them. Consider too that she had signed a full and binding non-restraint and non-compete agreement, which she was happy to breach. Her exact words to our attorneys were “so do something about it”.

So the concert of co-conspirators began a campaign to tarnish my name and the name of the firm. For me, the latter was of more consequence when I think about the job security of our employees. They contacted former employees & bullied them with threats and accusations in an attempt to get them to make up events that didn’t occur so as to corroborate their mistruths.

I was incredulous.
I had introduced this person to presidents and billionaires alike. I taught her tools of the trade that I had learnt over the past decade and a half. I exposed her to all manner of opportunities for growth and development. And when the bell rang, her conduct displayed the true depravity of her character.

So we won.

It wasn’t just my victory. My entire core team rallied around the fire to work on all the matters. And there were more than one. You see, this is how the enemy work: he doesn’t have to be clever, he just has to bombard you and count on your getting fatigued.

Don’t.

Let me tell you something about success: if you are liked by everybody that is because everybody is benefitting of your back, your sweat and your reputation. They are called hangers-on.

The minute you say “no more”, all of a sudden people’s true nature reveals itself. Like an aged snake, they shed their fake skin of pretence and reveal themselves.

You will want to be disappointed.
Don’t.

Pursuing your life’s purpose and fulfilling your potential takes courage.

You will want to give up.
Don’t.

The path of excellence is an affront to the average.

So what do you do?
Where do you turn?
How do you keep your sanity?

Here are my guiding principles:

1. Never commit to something you couldn’t explain once the full body of facts came out in public;

2. Never compromise who you are to sustain what you have become. The money you can make back after losing, character and reputation are lost forever.

3. Never stoop their level (and this is the hardest to sustain). NEVER.

4. Seek the counsel of wise men & women. Don’t ask advice from those whose track-record doesn’t demonstrate a trail of trials concurred. They will give you perspective.

I never post about the tribulations of being at the top. That’s just a part of the deal. But there is someone somewhere out there who is experiencing what all successful people experience, the lonely road of self-actualisation and thinks they are going crazy. You are not. That’s just a path of the course.

So when you feel like quitting.

Don’t.

To the merry band of co-conspirators. we won!
… and I told you I would.

It doesn’t matter how long it takes, the truth will always win.

Now. back to your regular scheduled program.

Vusi Thembekwayo
Speaker | Investor | Leader