WSEMOY INCOSE INCOSE Key-note address, JL Steyn, September 2016
Mentorship, what is it? M Gandhi shows the way
Introduction
This address shares some personal mentorship experiences with INCOSE. It then
proceeds to describe the wisdom and impact of Mohandas Gandhi’s mentorship. It
ends with a few conclusions and recommendations.
Mentorship approach
My approach to mentorship is to offer my mentees (mainly candidate CEOs) the
practical know how that is not spoon-fed at business school. The mentor-mentee
couplet is a careful fit – you cannot be a mentor for everyone. Mentors work
shoulder-to-shoulder with mentees on actual business problems; they often raise
more questions than answers. There is two-way knowledge transfer in an effective
mentoring couplet
Mentorship, method
I have chosen the Pareto principle (and the number 10) as a guide. I maintain that
there are 10 things in business that you have to do right and we focus on those 10,
they are: Take care of yourself, care for your customers, care for stakeholders, plan
with care, care for your people, care for quality, watch competitors carefully, control
with care and care for the environment. Clearly, there are more problems in
business than these 10, but they are usually less important. I then take each of these
areas and we work on the 10 most important components of each one.
Example of a mentorship-area
Take the area of human resources as an example. In the same way as before there
are 10 things that you have to get right: Get the right people, then develop them,
understand the human life cycle, have formal staff plans and career plans,
understand rewards and awards, focus on metanoism, understand organization
climate, remuneration system, organised labour, organization politics, including
prima donnas & corporate hyenas.
Mohandas Gandhi1
M Gandhi, a young UK lawyer was sent on a case to SA, where he was thrown off a
first class train coach. His legal action against this incident initiated some 21
important years of his life in SA; this period had a major influence on Gandhi and
1
Humble Gandhi preferred his given name, Mohandas, above Mahatma (Great Soul). He was assassinated in 1950. 1 | P a g e JLS 24 Aug 2016 WSEMOY INCOSE vice versa, it included his founding of the Natal Indian Congress in about 1890. He
then left SA for India to oppose British rule there by organised peaceful dissent.
When British troops killed about 400 protestors he started a boycott and a
programme of civil disobedience. This approach became so successful that Britain
liberated India, jewel of the Imperial crown, in 1948.
Events of Gandhi’s lifetime
The table below shows the century including Gandhi’s lifetime. Gandhi’s formative
SA period is coloured in green.
Decade from
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
Gandhi
US, emancipation
Gandhi born
India in Empire
Gandhi to the bar
Natal Indian Cong
Asian Pop Act
Rowlatt Act UK
Boycott UK goods
Salt Act/march
Hunger strikes
India & Pakistan
NPT signed
History
Marx manifesto
Suez canal
SA diamonds
Tsar N dies
SA Gold
Anglo-Boer War
WW I
Mussolini
Hitler
WW II
Korean war
JFK assassinated
Technology
Origin of species
Periodic table
Thomas Edison
K Benz (automob)
Einstein (Special)
Niels Bohr
Einstein (General)
Amundsen/Scott
Alec Reeves
Fission bomb
Transistor at Bell
Apollo 11
Art
La Taviata
War & peace
Tchaikovsky
Franz Liszt
La Boheme
Munch, Scream
Picasso
Louis Armstrong
George Gershwin
Shostakovitch
Het Agterhuys
Oscar Peterson
Gandhi’s influence
The above century was a momentous one. It started with the US emancipation of
slaves. It saw the UK at the crest of its imperial power, followed by the Boer War. It
saw the take-off of communism; it was the time of two world wars and the onset of
the cold war. It saw the fall of the British Empire, the peak of the industrial age and
the onset of the information age. There was revolutionary progress in science as well
as the transition from classical to modern art. The ‘Winds of Change’ speech by H
Macmillan in 1960 confirmed these global sweeping changes towards independent
statehood, also in Africa. This sea-change is a dramatic demonstration of the
contributory influence of a single individual.
Gandhi’s teachings
Gandhi’s life was a life of service. His philosophy (based on peace and truth) is
called Satyagraha. Some of his ideas were: Be the change that you wish to see in
the world. A man is but the product of his thoughts… what he thinks he becomes.
When I despair I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have
always won. It has always been easier to destroy than to create. The truth is far
more powerful than any weapon of mass destruction.
Gandhi’s philosophy
2 | P a g e JLS 24 Aug 2016 WSEMOY INCOSE Some of the highlights of Gandhi’s ideas were: Carefully watch your thoughts, for
they will become your words. Manage and watch your words, for they will become
your actions. Consider and judge your actions, for they will become your habits.
Acknowledge and watch your habits, for they will become your values. Understand
and embrace your values, for they will become your destiny.
Gandhi’s followers
The Dalai Lama has the greatest admiration for Gandhi. He was a great human
being with a deep understanding of human nature. Albert Einstein said: I believe that
Gandhi’s views were the most enlightened of all the political men of our time. Martin
Luther King: Christ gave us the goals and Mahatma Gandhi the tactics. Nelson
Mandela said: Gandhi’s ideas have played a vital role in SA’s transformation and
with the help of Gandhi’s teaching apartheid has been overcome. Barack Obama
hanged a portrait of Gandhi in the Senate Office. Gen Jan Smuts and Ghandi shared
a high mutual regard. Gandhi gave gen Smuts a pair of home-made sandals in 1914,
which Smuts sent back (after use) in 1933 saying I am not worthy to stand in the
shoes of a man of your stature. Ang San Suu Xi said that Gandhi has been one of
the major influences in her life.
INCOSE nominations
Seven high-quality nominations for WSEMOY (Wisest Systems Engineering Mentor
of the year, 2016) were proposed by a number of young and inspiring Systems
Engineers. My adjudication panel contained two stalwarts of human capacity
development


Shahen Naidoo, an engineer who moved from CSIR to Denel to manage a
Human Capital Development programme, then moved back to the CSIR, to
further this task.
Gcobane Quvile, who was a Nelson Mandela engineering bursary holder at
MIT, went on to a post-grad spell at Durham. Gcobane is now in the Energy
Engineering field and spends much time at Necsa.
The selection criteria can be summarised as follows: Technical know how,
leadership know how, lead by example, lead with humility, merit & sustainability, new
knowledge & progress, courage to try and holism.
Trophy
The Hannes Steyn floating trophy for WSEMOY carries the symbol of M Gandhi,
who spent 21 of his formative years in South Africa. The trophy is crafted from heavy
African teak and is awarded annually. The winner’s keepsake medal is characterised
by M Gandhi and cased in heavy African teak wood.
3 | P a g e JLS 24 Aug 2016 WSEMOY INCOSE The use of Gandhi as a mentoring symbol of wisdom indicates our drive towards
international excellence as well as diversity. The use of hard African teak wood
indicates the importance of our African roots.
Conclusions
South Africa needs mentoring, now more than ever. Mentorship leverages and
accelerates experience. Systems Engineering mentorship is of particular importance
for SA industrial growth.
Mahatma Gandhi is a great example for SA mentors. Perhaps he can be called the
father of SA mentors. Gandhi has shown how a single wise individual mentor can
have a significant influence on global history.
The INCOSE awards are a wise and great way of encouraging SA industrial capacity
development.
4 | P a g e JLS 24 Aug 2016