The Black Professionals Society

Spreading the love of reading! We donated 323 books to Lawley Primary School, thanks to our partnership with @jonathanballpublishers who share our passion for instilling a love of reading in children and adults alike. They recognise the power of stories to transform lives, and we couldn’t agree more! Literacy is a fundamental right and a crucial foundation for education. By promoting a reading culture, we can empower young minds to grow and thrive! #LiteracyMatters #EducationThroughReading #Books #PartnersForProgress

Celebrating 10 Years of Sisterhood: Almost ten years ago, I approached eight of my girlfriends with the idea of starting an investment club. We aimed to pool our money together to invest in the equity market and other asset classes. As young professionals, we were eager to learn and create wealth, but what we built turned out to be so much more. Our monthly meetings became a platform to expand our #financial literacy. We explored topics like unit trusts (mutual funds), retirement planning, equity investing/trading, and fixed property, often inviting experts to share their insights. Three years in, we realized we needed to think bigger. We registered a company with a robust shareholders' agreement and a clear constitution. We named it Tshegadi Leruo Investments, loosely translating to, "Cultivate Wealth" in Setswana, one of South Africa's 11 official languages. During a two-day workshop, we articulated our vision: "To make powerful and successful Black women the norm." This ambition resonated deeply with us, especially coming from South Africa. We aimed to impact women-owned businesses through profitable partnerships & programs promoting financial independence. Though we faced challenges—differing risk appetites, career commitments, and life pulling us in different directions—we never lost sight of our goals. While I used to get frustrated by the lack of progress, I now see that our journey was far from a failure. Everything we learned contributed to our individual successes. We've gone on to become CFOs, entrepreneurs, heads of strategy at major companies, senior attorneys, and more. We've supported each other through marriages, motherhood, home purchases, immigration, and world travels. Though for some of us, our paths led us in different directions, the support remains. Despite evolving into a more passive income source, it has taught us invaluable lessons: 1. Patience is key: It's not about timing the market but time in the market. 2. Resilience: Things will fall apart, & that's okay. 3. Adaptability: Going back to the drawing board is not a failure. 4. Communication: Essential for any successful relationship. 5. Empathy and compassion: Ambition should never strip you of your ability to give each other grace - often times ego and ambition get in the way. 6. Seek expertise: Sometimes, you need to hire an accountant & a lawyer! We've achieved significant milestones: 1. Since inception, double-digit growth in our equity portfolio, even surviving COVID's economic impact. 2. Our property investments have nearly doubled in value. 3. We've maintained tenant occupancy with relative ease (touch wood). 4. And most importantly, we've built an unbreakable sisterhood. As we enter the next decade, I hope we continue to share our experiences, empower and invest in other #women. Here’s to us, BoMme, for staying the course and building something truly special. Thank you, and cheers to our continued success, individually and as a collective! Chelete!

📝Nature is a teacher, and the four seasons are its syllabus. - Amit Ray ➡️Each season brings a unique chapter, a testament to the beauty of change and the resilience of life. 1) Spring: Bursting with new life 🧬, buds unfurl into vibrant green leaves 🌿, a sign of growth and renewal. Flowers 🌺 paint the landscape with color, attracting pollinators and buzzing with life. The tree actively grows, soaking up sunlight and water to fuel its expansion. 2) Summer: The tree reaches its peak, its canopy providing shade and a haven for creatures. Leaves become factories, converting sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. Fruits and seeds begin to develop, a promise of future generations. 3) Autumn: As days shorten and temperatures cool, a dazzling display unfolds. Leaves change color – a fiery tapestry of reds, oranges, and yellows – before gently falling to the ground. This isn't just a visual spectacle, it's the tree preparing for winter by withdrawing nutrients back into its branches. 4) Winter: Stripped bare, the tree might seem dormant, but beneath the surface, life persists. It enters a state of dormancy, conserving energy and protecting itself from harsh weather. This allows it to weather the cold and emerge stronger in spring. 🙌Lessons from the Trees 🌴: ----> Just like #trees, our lives have #seasons. There are times of vibrant growth, periods of fruitful accomplishment, and moments of hardships, loss and quiet reflection. You see, by appreciating each stage for its unique beauty and purpose, we can find contentment and fulfillment. ✓Embrace the spring: Savor the energy and excitement of new beginnings. ✓Embrace the summer: Celebrate your achievements and enjoy the fruits of your labor. ✓Embrace the autumn: Appreciate the wisdom gained from experiences and prepare for the next chapter. ✓Embrace the winter: Find solace in quiet introspection and rest, knowing that new growth awaits. Write-up: Jandeep Singh Video credit: Respective owner (s)

Thank you to The Black Professionals Society for inviting me to your inaugural leadership conference yesterday and a happy 5th birthday to you! 🎈 I thoroughly enjoyed the panel discussion with Lucy Pearl Khofi and Kearabetswe Moopelo on the "imperatives of breakthrough" for young professionals and leaders. Meeting up with like-minded people always feels incredibly amazing as I'm frequently on the lookout for signs of divine alignment and synchronicity. Thank you Ndamulelo Mutshinya for your effective and insightful panel moderation. Some key personal takeaways from the conference were: *All leadership begins with self-leadership. To lead others effectively, you must start with yourself and embody those qualities you seek to cultivate in others. "Be the change you want to see". *You must have a vision for your career and leadership journey. This will help you map out the key career and leadership moves you need to make, but also help you determine what support or resources you will need on your journey, be it sponsorship, mentoring, coaching, or further training. *The road to success is filled with potholes. Embrace your failures as much as you do your successes, as they are opportunities to learn and grow. *Your failures and mistakes don't define you. Do better and raise the bar even higher! *Everyone is a leader, we just don't all lead in the same things. We all have that special lane in which we lead most authentically in, using our God-given talents, gifts, and acquired skills. Find your Kingdom and have dominion over it! Dominate! * The post Covid-19 hybrid world of work necessitates are new kind of leader. One who can manage more risks, and lead increasingly diverse and global teams while growing people and helping them unlock their true potential. All while ensuring well-functioning teams whose holistic well-being is intact. *Effective diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging strategies need to be operationalised to the lowest levels of organisational policies and processes to work and be beneficial to marginalised groups in the workplace. Both top-down and bottom-up implementation are needed. * A life of leadership is a life of service. Through serving the needs of others, your needs will also be met. This is a key premise of the servant leader. *Ultimately, breaking through is not just about breaking through familiar glass and concrete ceilings nor is it about breaking through those visible and invisible institutional barriers. It is about unshackling ourselves from our mental chains, patterns, and barriers as well as those stories and tapes that keep playing in our minds on repeat that hinder our success. It is about breaking free from our unconscious self-sabotage. Sometimes we just need to get out of our way and stop being our own worst enemy. These are just a few of the many golden nuggets shared. I feel truly blessed to have been in the company of such greatness. #inspired #blackleadership #leadershipdevelopment