Charlene Deacon is the Chief Operating Officer of a new
television station in Johannesburg and took part in a Common
Purpose course there.
A direct benefit for her role at the television station are the
ideas and issues that she became aware of through the visits to a
mixed range of public, private and not-for-profit organisations in
Johannesburg. Meeting the people running these organisations and
discovering the challenges that they were facing, made her realise
that there were questions facing the city and South Africa that she
had previously not considered. Not only have they provided valuable
content for news stories and given her access to an inside track
and a group of individuals who could provide a first-hand voice for
the information she required, she has been able to highlight them
more widely through the television channel.
Another benefit was the broadened perspective she has gained:
"Whereas previously, I thought I knew the city around me, after
Common Purpose I really understood the economic, social and
developmental structure of Johannesburg."
In turn, this new depth of understanding has helped Charlene
become more involved in the civic life of Johannesburg as she is
now aware of new ways to work with people outside her usual circle
of work. She says that, as a city, Johannesburg has been massively
divided through apartheid and segregation, and therefore
approaching the course from this context opened up an improved
access to these divisions, through both visits and the engagement
with various individuals that the course provided. She says:
"The segregation within the city is gradually dissipating and
therefore a more inclusive approach to other sectors and
individuals is becoming more and more
important. The inclusivity and shared learning of the course is
therefore highly beneficial within this context."
Finally, Charlene's personal interpretation of leadership
was enforced. She sees leadership as an agreed balance
between the leader and those they are leading. "Respect
and
communication are vital. A positive climate is necessary for the
creation of both successful initiatives and working
relationships."
