Former President,
Thabo Mbeki said it best “I am an African. I owe my being to the hills
and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the
trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face
of our native land……….A human presence among all
these, a feature on the face of our native land thus defined, I know that none
dare challenge me when I say - I am an African.”
As an African
Entrepreneur my homeland, this great continent informs, inspires and anchors my
business vision, strategy, processes and ethics. It is for this reason that I
have decided to write my first article for 2015 on the Entrepreneurial ways of
the mighty King Shaka.
King Shaka kaSenzangakhona
also known as Shaka Zulu is one of the greatest military leaders in African
history and perhaps in all of history. There is controversy around his methods
and the strictness with which he trained his troops, but in many ways, he
improved warfare methods forever. Born in 1787 in what is now South Africa’s
KwaZulu-Natal province, he died in 1828, but his legacy lives on as a
motivation figure to Africans across the continent. I have studied various
accounts on the life and times of this influential warrior king and I could not
help, but notice that his personality traits are very much similar to those displayed
by today’s highly successful Entrepreneurs.
Here are 6 reasons why
I think King Shaka would have been a ground-breaking Entrepreneur if he was
alive today:
1. Perseverance
Born out of wedlock to an unranked woman, Nandi KaBhebhe
and Senzangakhona kaJama, a minor chief of what
was then a small Zulu tribe, Shaka was a humiliated and discredited
child. Fleeing from humiliation at the hands of
the Zulus he and his
mother took refuge in the court of a neighbouring chieftain the eLangeni. There too, they were constantly harassed and he grew up quickly learning
to persevere, fight and endure the cruel
treatment. His father obsessively worried about being
replaced by an heir sought to murder him as a boy several times, but through
sheer determination he survived the multiple attempts on his life. Despite his
disadvantages he went on to serve
as a Mthethwa warrior and distinguished himself through his courage and adept
skill as a close combat warrior. This ability gained the attention of the chieftain,
Dingiswayo, who became his Mentor and honoured Shaka by making him commander of
a regiment.
*Entrepreneurship is
an ultramarathon. Like Shaka Entrepreneurs have to be able to live with
uncertainty and push through a crucible of obstacles for years on end before
they achieve their goals.
2. Hardwork
It is recorded that the hardworking king and his men
routinely embarked on long
marches for practice over rough and hot terrain so they could be
accustomed to harsh conditions and would not be deterred by difficult environments
during battle. In line with this belief
King Shaka introduced apprenticeships to instil a culture of working hard among
his people and as a result children over the age of 6 years old became
apprentice warriors, delivering rations, cooking supplies and carrying weapons to
real warriors. By the time children came of age, they were accustomed to
being in battle surroundings and were more emotionally ready to fight.
*The hard truth of
the matter is that being an Entrepreneur (whether successful or not) is damn
hard. It is hard work day-in and day-out and Entrepreneurs need to understand
the importance of working hard now to reap the benefits down the road.
3.
Mentorship
Like Cornelius Vanderbilt
to John D. Rockefeller, Tom Scott to Andrew Carnegie and Thomas Edison to Nikola
Tesla so too was Dingiswayo to Shaka.
Banished from his
father’s tribe, Shaka and his mother found a place in the Mthethwa clan under
the rule of Dingiswayo kaJobe. Dingiswayo became Shaka’s mentor and the two
developed a close working relationship. It was Dingiswayo who provided the
guidance, tutelage and nurturing that Shaka had lacked throughout his
childhood. With this support the ambitious young Shaka focused his attentions
on excelling as a soldier serving in the ibutho
lempi (fighting unit) for over 10 years. Dingiswayo trained the youngster
in strategy, tactics and leadership, even including him in council meetings to
familiarise him with the art of statecraft. When the Zulu chief Senzangakhona
(Shaka’s father) died, Dingiswayo helped Shaka wrestle the throne from Sigujana
his half-brother by providing his Mentee with the needed military backing. In
later years when Dingiswayo was killed,
Shaka with his military machine made it his personal mission to avenge his
mentor's death. He destroyed the Ndwandwe
clan in the process.
*Mentors help Entrepreneurs
to stay focused and avoid unnecessary
distractions that can take them off track. Mentors support to propagate and
improve performance, decrease or eradicate blind spots and encourage Entrepreneurs
to open up to constructive feedback by providing a safe atmosphere in which the
Entrepreneurs can express fears, failures and dreams. Contact me
should you require a Sales Mentor or a Personal Improvement Mentor.
4. Innovation
Tired of the assegai -
a long pole weapon made of wood with pointed iron at the end and thrown like a
javelin - King Shaka introduced the ikwla, a weapon with a shorter range and a
longer spearhead, sort of like a sword or dagger. This weapon gave King Shaka’s
troops a huge advantage over their adversaries during close up encounters.
In addition to this he also introduced a new shield and invented or perfected
an attack method that became popularly known as the bull-horn-formation. This
is a three-part attack system in which seasoned warriors form the “chest” of
the horn at the front, pinning the enemy into a position where it can be
easily attacked. Younger warriors would form the “horns” and encircle the
enemy, attacking from the sides, and additional warriors formed the “loins,”
standing behind the “chest” with their back to the battle, protecting against
any additional attackers.
*Most Entrepreneurs
are truly innovative and are able to
manipulate the elements of the markets to create new solutions to business
problems in the same way that King Shaka
did with warfare.
5. Leadership
When his father
Senzangakona, the chief of the small Zulu tribe of farmers and pastoralists,
died in 1816, Shaka Zulu assumed the throne. Through his leadership vision and
style he increased his army from 350 to more than 2000 soldiers in the
first year of his reign and by 1824, he commanded an army in excess of 30 000
occupying an estimated 2 million square miles. He achieved this by eliminating privilege and
class, introducing a graduating system through which soldiers had to earn
their positions and rank, he shared all the spoils of war and
resources taken from the defeated armies among his soldiers
and he allowed for ageing members
of the army to be treated with dignity and to retire. As a leader he was
task and achievement oriented, this gained King Shaka respect, loyalty and
support.
*Entrepreneurs
need to be good leaders in order to influence others to invest in them, work
with them and follow them in the accomplishment of their goals.
6. Criticism
Legend
has it that in mourning the passing of his mother, Nandi kaBhebhe, King Shaka
implemented extreme procedures including forbidding crops to be planted,
the use of milk and rampant executions. However, one Zulu tribesman stood up to
King Shaka and reminded him that his mother was not the first person to ever
die in their community and that some of his bereavement methods were too
harsh. King Shaka heeded this criticism,
called off his lamentation measures and rewarded the tribesman for bravery in
speaking up to him.
*The listening to and
welcoming of criticism are some of the hallmarks of great Entrepreneurship as
this leads to better customer service through improvements in product design or
service delivery.
There are hardly any
contemporaneous written records on King Shaka and we all must rely on 2nd
hand written material and oral testimonies, most of which are conflicting. Consequently,
no one can claim to have a monopoly on the accuracy of his biography. This lack
of consistency has left room for multiple interpretations of King Shaka’s
legacy and what you read here are my thoughts and views on how I choose to
commemorate and relate with this African legend who consolidated
a nation and preserved its pride by saving it from European domination during
his lifetime.
For reliable Expert service on Supplier Diversity, Preferential
Procurement, Enterprise Development and Supplier Development contact Nelson
Sebati, Pr.EAd today or visit www.enterprisesupplierdevelopment.co.za
for more information.
