United we are strong
“Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.” – Kenyan Proverb
There’s an old fable about a father who taught his quarrelling sons that trying to break a bundle of sticks over one’s knees is impossible. Only once he split the bundle could they individually break each stick. The message rings clear: united we are strong but quarrelling and separated, we are weak.
In our individualistic society, we too quickly give praise to those who win their battles independently. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, people grew comfortable with plodding through life alone. The isolation is debilitating for a reason – we are meant to work and live in tight-knit communities.
At Strata, we have a people-driven business. We’ve learnt that our greatest strength lies within our culture of togetherness. Our teams are family and the support we find alongside one another proves that we are stronger together. When hard times hit and setbacks are plenty, we rise to the occasion because our unity is powerful.
Much like the rest of South Africa, our Strata team is a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds, and we celebrate the diversity of our people. Often in life, the very things that threaten our success can also become our greatest asset if channelled correctly. If we are limited in our thinking, then differences have the power to cause division, but if we embrace the potential prosperity of a diverse team, we pursue unity.
Unity is not an abstract concept but rather a conscious choice that one makes daily. We could choose to let our differences get the better of us; however, we at Strata choose to make them work for us. A team of people with expertise lying in similar areas runs the risk of walking straight into their blind spots.
Conversely, a team of individuals with various strengths thrives in all scenarios. Each person at Strata has a different strength to bring to the table, allowing us to offer more and to better serve the markets in our industry. It also means that where one is weak, another can fill the gap to ensure we are a force to be reckoned with on all fronts.
Like a body with many parts, the individuals in our Strata team each have a unique function. One might have the responsibility to ‘see’ while another has the job of ‘hearing’ and even still, another might be better at ‘walking’. Yet together we are one body, connected and building each other up.
As we approach the end of the year, we acknowledge each member of our ‘body’, our Strata family, that contributed to our successes. Let us take courage that together, we are much more resilient than apart. When we do part ways for the festive season, let’s take time to reboot, recharge and come back with even more resilience for 2022.