An article in this morning’s Business Day caught my attention. Headlined – “Capitec eyes bigger market share and hints at offshore expansion”. In the article CEO, Gerrie Fourie, was quoted as saying – “We need to get to 20%-30% of market share. We believe there are massive opportunities in SA. You can go to Switzerland where everything works but there’s no opportunity. Or you can go to SA where nothing works but there’s plenty of opportunity.”

This last statement is what caught my attention.  

Despite the tragedy of the last couple of weeks and all the obstacles that lie ahead of us in building businesses in South Africa, what is ultimately going to determine our level of success and happiness or contentment is the lens through which we view the world we operate in. 

I want to highlight a couple of “lenses” that we need to explore or utilize to bring some perspective to the massive opportunities that are available for us right here in SA:

• Our growth will not be determined by the size of the goals that we set, but by the daily standards and systems we build in our businesses and personal lives.
• Our growth will be determined by how we see the world. “We don’t see the world as it is, we see the world as we are” – Anaïs Nin.
• Our growth will be in direct proportion to the level of our ongoing commitment to personal development and curiosity about:How things work, How other businesses are adapting to the opportunities they have faced,And how we can better serve our customers. 
• Our growth will be determined by the daily choices and decisions we make to behave and act in an “Above the Point of Power” way, where Blame, Excuse, and Denial are replaced by Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility. 
• Our growth will be determined by the level at which we adopt our global Vision of “World Abundance through Business Re-education”. Alternatively, our growth will be determined by the clarity of our purpose in life and business.  
• Our growth will be determined by the sum of the people we surround ourselves with.
• Our growth will be determined by our “Daily Affirmations” – detailing who we are, who we serve, and what our talents and skills are. 
• Our growth will be determined by the quality of questions we are asking of ourselves and our families and teams. Some questions to focus on are as follows:What is my true purpose?Is this as good as it gets?If I was not afraid of failing or being judged, what would I do with my business or my life?Where am I now? How far do I want to go?How fast do I want to get there?Where do I think are the opportunities to raise my standards?Am I ready to take responsibility for my growth?What could get in the way? 
• Our growth will be determined by the level at which we understand our responsibility as leaders. To build generational legacies in our families, our businesses and teams, and our various communities.

Looking for growth, contentment, and happiness is determined by the thought processes, lenses, questions, and personal development (on a spiritual, business and personal level) we commit to on a daily basis. Business and leadership coaching is a critical component to growth as it provides an external and objective view of the opportunities that exist for every business owner. If your coach is not challenging you to look at the world with a new or different set of lenses – change your coach.  

The Italian leader Massimo d’Azeglio’s declaration shortly after unification read – “We have made Italy. Now we have to make Italians.”
It is time for us to state: “WE HAVE MADE SOUTH AFRICA. NOW WE HAVE TO MAKE SOUTH AFRICANS”  

Our choice today is: Do we commit to looking at the many opportunities the market provides us as well as to the growth of our nation?