The Indispensables

I think it is well enough documented how, from March 2020, our whole world got turned upside down. How all our dreams, plans, developments, ambitions, hopes, stability and income disappeared. A new reality suddenly dawned and it did not include anything recognisable, no piece of our old world, nothing familiar- just the devastating chaos of complete silence, complete nothing. Tourism was not only non-existent; it was actually outlawed.

We were called upon to predict the utterly unpredictable, we were called upon to make decisions based on this unrecognisable and unpredictable world. We could not. So, what did we do? We fell back on our past. We fell back on what we know, on what we are. On the predictability and stability of what we defined as our value, on our values. It was all we had.

Tourism did not exist. We cannot be in an industry that does not exist. So, what are we then?

The benefit of chaos, the benefit of not having a single answer is that all answers are possible. We were forced to be completely creative in a world with no blueprint. Overnight, 1100 tourism people had to turn into 1100 artists.

As we felt our way through the darkness, some truths revealed themselves.

Talk of culture and purpose and values in the good times is cheap. If you want to test the true character of a system, a company, a family, then put it under pressure. Under immense pressure.

In the almost deserted north west of Namibia, in Damaraland, Gondwana manages the iconic Palmwag Lodge & Camp, a community based joint venture. After many years of drought these poor communities only had tourism left as a livelihood. Then COVID hit.

Erwin Kandivi is a Gondwana employee at Palmwag. Despite the complete panic in our world, despite aggressive benefit and salary cuts, Erwin decided to do something. For those who do not know, Damaraland is a harsh place. Very dry and very hot. Given our reality, we would probably not have blamed Erwin if he would have sat in the shade hoping for better days. He did not. 

Erwin asked Rosalia, our Assistant Lodge Manager at Palmwag if he could do something slightly different at the lodge and camp. Rosalia gave him the go-ahead and Erwin took one colleague with him, Hendrik Jameson. Hendrik has his own ambitions and one day he wants to become a field guide. 

These two worked on their project, day in and day out- week after week and month after month.

I came to hear about this when they sent photos on our CEO Broadcast Group on WhatsApp where I communicate directly with all our employees. They are extremely proud of their work, and rightfully so. 

Every single rock was packed by hand in all different shapes including star and heart shapes around the trees.

No one was watching over their shoulders, no one had asked for this, yet they continued with their project and they are still going on. Why?

Erwin and Hendrik are such an inspiring example, but not the only example of the magic and brilliance we discovered as we were feeling our way through this darkness.

This crisis has taught us that if you have the best strategy, the best systems, processes, structures and risk management in the world, but you have no brand, you have nothing.

If you have all the business in the world, but you have no purpose, you have nothing.

If you have the best, most skillful and intelligent employees in the world, but you have no culture, you have nothing.

In a conventional world, Erwin and Hendrik might be seen as the dispensables, the retrenchables, but to us they form part of the core. They are the creators of value. To me they are heroes, they are stars. And when I talk about value, I include the cold hard bottom-line value of profit and share price value, which they and others like them will be creating again, and more of in the future.

My fear is that we have created a corporate world where Erwin’s self-starter attitude is stifled. Through policies, procedures and risk management, enforced through the stick of compliance, the corporate world tells the Erwin’s of the world to rather not. At Gondwana we see the value of this creativity; which can only happen in a space of trust. Instead of teaching our employees to comply through ticking boxes, we encourage them to manage the place as if it is their own. Here the words of Antoine De Saint-Exupery, author of The Little Prince ring true: If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for vast and endless sea. 

Our north star has and always will be the protection of Gondwana. We are deeply grateful for the opening up of our borders and for the trickle of tourism that has steadily grown over the past two weeks. We are not out of the woods yet, far from it. There are no guarantees for any of us, but at Gondwana we choose to continue on this road less traveled, we will continue to protect and fight for our company, our brand, our purpose and our culture. If not with each other, then for each other.

Before writing this story, I checked in with our area manager up in Damaraland. Simon Andreas said to me: “Gys, they are very proud of their project and they do it with so much love.” 

You have probably heard of the saying that culture eats strategy for breakfast, but let me tell you, at Gondwana, culture eats COVID for breakfast.

 Gys