Messages from a leader to a young woman
Sandton - Managing director of Cummins Southern Africa, Schuyla Goodson Bell, was interviewed by a young lady who wanted to know the secrets to success.
Juliet Ramaiisa, a 20-year-old, sat down with Schuyla Goodson Bell, managing director of Cummins Southern Africa, and asked her pertinent questions.
The interview was held at Cummins’ Sandton-based offices.
On the left sat a successful and influential businesswoman and on the right sat the future of South Africa. The aim of this interview was for a prominent leader to offer wisdom and advice to a young South African.
The first question Ramaiisa asked was, “Can you sum yourself up in a few lines?”
Goodson Bell responded by saying, “I am a collection of girls, women and elders who have all experienced a diverse journey in their life. I draw upon all of these people from within.”
As a young South African, with a qualification from Afrika Tikkun in administration, computers and call centre techniques, Ramiisa was interested to know how she could develop from a ‘normal, young South African, into a dynamic leader’. Goodson Bell responded, “Chart your own course and ask yourself what you want out of life. You should never be discouraged by what the voices around you are saying because others cannot define you. You need to see it, claim it and visualise it.”
Ramaiisa asked Goodson Bell when she had started working as a mentor. Goodson Bell then said, “That is a tough one because I think that I have always wanted to be a mentor. I was inspired by my grandmother who always taught me to think about other people and I began community work and mentoring when I was in high school.”
Goodson Bell explained to Ramaiisa that everything in her office has been placed there for a reason. She showed Ramaiisa her graduation photograph that was on her desk. Goodson Bell explained, “I had two children by the time I had graduated and I would have to get up at 4am to get them to daycare on time. In my graduation picture, my son is holding my degree. This picture reminds me that no matter how hard things get, I have to carry on.”
Goodson Bell said she constantly sees beauty in South Africa and concluded with her favourite African proverb, “Little by little grows a banana.”
