The stress of success

Today we mentored and trained 2 groups. One group was selling solar lamps, which is very practical in a region with no electricity. The other group was selling sausages and minced meat as well as a number of other products in the small store that they have rented in the Sesheke marketplace.

The contrast in the groups we met with was pretty severe. Both groups of girls have started up their own businesses and were funded by Camfed. The funding includes covering expenses such as rent for the place of business, procurement of raw materials, office supplies, electricity bills, mobile phone and internet usage, advertising and marketing, and travel and transportation costs.

On one hand, the first group seemed de-motivated if not a bit frustrated. It seems the group was having communication problems. The distance between the group members posed problems for meeting in person. The region has high rates per minute for using the mobile phones and this made it hard to speak for prolonged periods of time in order to clarify and communicate between members. Moreover, the rates for internet usage are also high which seemed to discourage using email and Skype over the phone.

All of these communication challenges seemed to have a detrimental effect of the smooth operation of the business and as a result we saw a team that seemed relatively unmotivated. All of this really affected the team leader and she seemed to be defensive and reactionary rather than listening to and acknowledging criticism. Additionally, the team seemed less interested in learning about the computers and using the internet over the telephones.

On the other hand, we saw a second group in the same region that was cohesive and seemed to work very well together. The team members seemed to be able to arrange meetings more easily and more frequently and the business seemed to be running very well. This group was enthusiastic and participated willfully in the question and answer sessions with the mentors. We were able to assess weaknesses and areas for potential improvement more easily because they were more open and participated freely in the mentoring session. As a result of being enthusiastic and involved in the mentoring session, they also got much more out of the IT computer and telephone training.

This seemed to emphasize the importance of intra-team communication. Without it, the team cohesion seems to breakdown and clearly teamwork suffers. The result is that the team loses focus, enthusiasm, motivation and eventually the entire business suffers. I have seen this before within the small teams that I have managed in my own career. When the team knows exactly what they are supposed to do and when and their roles and the business objectives are clear, the teamwork seems to grow stronger. And of course, the inverse holds true. Without clear focus, objectives, and definition of roles, the team starts to deteriorate.

The first team asked if Camfed could pay for a space for them to meet in so their communication could improve. But we had to point out that first Camfed has to see progress within the team and in the business before additional investment can be considered. To be honest, Camfed has already provided all the groups with a great deal of support, both financial and mentoring and training. There comes a point where if the groups do not start to prove themselves as a viable business that Camfed has to have a “cut-off`” point.

I really sympathize with the girls and realize that it is not what they wanted to hear, but the truth of the matter is that not all of the groups will be successful. The same holds true in the real world of business. So it was very tough for us to deliver this message, but essentially we said that if the group can start to prove it is capable of working together and demonstrating teamwork, additional investments can be considered. But if they cannot, the additional expenditures will likely not be justifiable. The group must first prove itself as reliable and motivated.

At times, the mentoring can be hard and you can see the heartbreak in the eyes of some of the groups that seem to have lost their way on the road to successful entrepreneurship.