Page 17 - Energize Issue 1 2023

VIEWS AND OPINION

Carpe diem folks, Eskom’s in a poverty

of the soul crisis – just fix it!

By Vally Padayachee, Independent energy expert

he title of this article is metaphorical in nature and was very carefully chosen.
The phrase ‘Carpe diem’, (Latin: “pluck the day” or “seize the day”) was used
Tor coined by the Roman poet Horace. The Latin phrase was given a boost in
popular culture by the 1989 film Dead Poets Society and is commonly translated as
“seize the day” and was also made popular by Nike in their well-known “Just Do it”
slogan.
A ‘carpe diem’ approach encourages people to reasonably focus on the
present, appreciate the value of every moment in life, and avoid postponing things
unnecessarily. To implement the concept of ‘carpe diem’ and successfully seize the
day, one should focus on the moment (the now) and take advantage of it as much
as possible. Hence at its core, ‘carpe diem’ means to do whatever is necessary;
do whatever it takes to seize the day, pluck the day, seize the moment, seize the
opportunity now, act decisively, give leadership to, and improve – especially a
situation considered a crisis, etc. This is applicable in addressing South Africa’s current
national energy security challenge as characterised by the electricity or power crisis
and evidenced by the associated debilitating Eskom load shedding. Hence ‘carpe Vally Padayachee
diem’ (seize the day) can also contextually be interpreted as a rallying call to action,
especially in terms of the country’s electricity crisis.
Simply, Eskom’s current electricity crisis can be paraphrased and described inter In “The why of work”, Dave Ulrich and
alia as a “Poverty of electrons, Poverty of energy capacity, Poverty of money, and a Wendy Ulrich (“Ulrichs”) present, inter
Poverty of the soul crisis”. alia, an excellent and serious discussion
I intentionally used the word “poverty” because poverty is now generally of the nature of personal meaning at
recognised to be a man-made event or situation. According to Xavier Peralta, Global work and they hope to change the
Head of Education Services at Cloud Blue-Ingram Micro Cloud, we live in an era in conversations between leaders and
which companies not only need to have a corporate social responsibility but need to employees to focus not only on what
create a shared set of values. Business more than ever can not only be about business needs to be done but also on how it feels
but must understand how it contributes to society. Companies have a soul, and to do it.
this soul connects everything that matters for them. When this soul is lost then the It’s generally become common
company is condemned to disappear. Recognise this soul and the paths and principles knowledge that we all work not just for
that rule it, because this is the key to ensure longevity for the company. money but also for meaning. Through
A company without a soul is a machine without life. Its soul is what makes a our work we (as employees) seek a sense
company a real organisation. There are many different factors that guide us in of purpose, to make a contribution,
choosing one company over another such as quality, price, efficiency, innovation, etc. have connection to, value in, and hope
These are all factors a company needs to control. But there’s an intangible factor that for. Meaning is tied less to belongings
makes a company thrive and that is its soul. and more to emotional bonds, a sense
It’s the company’s leadership’s responsibility to embody this soul. When a of purpose, and using one’s skills to
company has a soul that is alive, customers want to come back, they love their serve the needs of others. In companies,
products and employees feel part of the company and want to contribute. The soul including Eskom, meaning and
gives meaning to their work and creates a collective sense of ownership and pride. abundance are more about what we do
When there’s no soul and the focus is only on business, sooner or later the company with what we have than about what we
will begin to falter and eventually “die”. The soul of a company is what keeps the must begin with or what we accumulate.
company alive and keeps everything connected in the most beneficial way. I was employed by Eskom’s
generation division in various technical
“It isn’t equipment that wins battles; it is the quality and the determination of the and leadership positions at Eskom Head
people fighting for a cause in which they believe.”; “Failure is not an option”. Office and at a power station for many
(Gene Kranz, former US astronaut, head of the NASA team that rescued the years since the early 1990s when Eskom
Apollo 13 mission). Generation (let alone Eskom per se) was

energize | Issue 1 2023 | 17