Email:
cynthiamabela@eyezwegroup.com
Phone:
(076) 111 5443
As a black woman who has occupied different positions in the workplace, I have experienced first-hand the devastation of being unseen, unheard and underestimated. I have also learned the importance of having allies and collaborators in the workplace. I had the privilege of interacting with people at all levels in an organisation and had the honour of telling their stories and giving them space to share their life experiences with others. I know the impact meaningful relationships and intentional communications has in creating a positive culture and a sense of belonging.
I have facilitated many Employment Equity barrier analysis focus groups and follow up sessions with business leaders to craft strategies to deal with the barriers to transformation to know that often the lived experiences of people in the same organisation can be completely different. I also had the opportunity to turn the Employment Equity Plan into implementable strategies with measurable outcomes that changed the culture of an organisation and embraced diversity and inclusion at all levels.
Helping organisations operate to their highest values while empowering employees to thrive in an environment where all employees feel a strong sense of belonging and have equal access to opportunities is my life’s work.
Cynthia is a collaborator and thought partner who embarks on a transformational journey with her clients to create diverse, inclusive, equitable workplaces and a culture of belonging and connection. We work closely with our clients to help them create a conducive environment for their employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, and stakeholders to thrive.
Cynthia Mabela is the owner and founder of Eyezwe Consulting & Interior Design, she is passionate about communication, diversity, equity, and inclusion. She works extensively with companies on Employment Equity – from identifying barriers and corrective measures to designing, implementing, and monitoring communications strategies to remedy identified barriers to transformation in the business.
Cynthia has been a judge for the prestigious PRISM Awards for six consecutive years and a Marketing judge for the Symrise Food Review New Product of the Year Competition for six years in a row.
I worked in a Quality Control laboratory, first an in intern and later as a laboratory technician until I was promoted to a senior lab technician. This role taught me the value of processes – there a no short cuts, to get the results you need you have to follow the process. I learned that actions have consequences. The products that I was testing were used in a variety of products including food, beverage and pharmaceutical products. Short cuts and miscalculations can have dire consequences on consumers and the company’s reputation. I was always aware of this, even though the work was repetitive and offered no room for creativity (which was really frustrating), the procedures and methods must be followed meticulously.
A journey of self-discovery and soul searching led me to this path, a path of endless possibilities and unmitigated creativity. My first job in this field was that of a technical sales representative. This role taught me about costs and pricing, it taught me to be curious about my customers and the issues that impacted their businesses (sadly that did not stop the price increases). I learned to build and maintain relationships even under difficult situations like late or non-deliveries and price increases. I learned to connect with people, to listen, to hear them and strive to do better every time; to meet their needs, demands and expectations. I learned to negotiate, I learned to compromise and I learned to stand and live in my values.
By now I had chosen my lane – Marketing was my thing. I love it and I loved where it could lead me. I furthered my studies and moved from Sales to product management and later on to communications – my happy place. Being in sales gave me an opportunity to understand the manufacturing process and the delicate balance of supply and demand. This role was made easier by the understanding of the behind the scenes work that takes place in organisations, especially manufacturing. The opportunity to discuss packaging materials, designs and branding was another layer to my creativity. I worked with an amazing photographer and together we could turn the most basic products into amazing objects of beauty which I used to tell stories of what they offered and the difference they made.
The communications role taught me the value of trust and honouring other people’s stories and experiences. I learned the importance of creating meaningful connections with people and with every story I told I strived to give everyone as sense of belonging. Belonging to the organisation, the team and small communities where we found common meaning in small and big events in our lives. We learned the diski dance during the 2010 soccer world cup and found meaning in the rhythm and the missteps, the joy and the laughter that transcended race, gender, age, religion or differences in opinions.
Seeing that I spent so much time talking to people, I thought I might as well learn to do it properly. This training gave me confidence to stand in front of people, to bring them into the conversation and create a space for them to be seen, heard and have fun doing it.
When I enrolled for my masters, I was clear about my path. Being an employee was not part of my long-term plan. I might have underestimated what it would take to achieve this qualification while being a full-time employee, a mother of two at the time and three towards the end, a wife and a student. By God’s grace I prevailed and emerged, still intact, barely, but still.
For my thesis, I focused of leadership and its impact on organisational culture. I saw first-hand how leaders influence culture in the organisation, as a communications officer, I spent a lot of time in conversations with people at different levels and this gave me insight into this topic.
Through my research and lived experiences I learned that exercising power over others creates a toxic and fear-based culture. We have all been given dominion (biblically speaking) and this was given to each and everyone of us regardless of race or gender, therefore people do not respond well to being dominated by others- they rebel. They quit the relationship with their boss, with their job, with the organisation and all it stands for. They quit silently, much to the frustration of the leaders. The morale dies, creativity dies, and innovation goes down, after all who wants to take a chance when the consequences are deadly! Who will dare try something new when they stand a chance of being shamed and ostracised!
This journey has led me to what is now my life’s work about belonging, diversity, equity and inclusion.