Page 65 - KZN Top Business Women - eBook 2023

You start to understand how it’s OK

for you not to be for everyone.

the aim of lowering Africa’s high suicide rate. biggest goal was to triple the company’s revenue and
CEO AND FOUNDER THE UNLEARNERS they are well on track.
As someone who herself attempted suicide in her Together with the growth of the business, a future
youth, Zanele has a deep appreciation for the role that
Z anele Njapha, the ‘unlearning lady’ is the CEO unlearning the heavy expectations of society can have goal is to expand the business globally, especially the
and founder of the organisation The Unlearners.
consulting leg, and to be a lot less tied down to being
on young people. This comes with having the tools
The business helps corporate organisations and to support one’s mental health through life’s trickiest anywhere at any given time.
their leaders build cultures where instead of frustrated challenges– especially as a highly influenced young
and overwhelmed - people are EXCITED about change. person today! “The business is building in that flexibility because we
“What we do is help them to unlearn and relearn, don’t have an office space. The intention was always to
helping them to move through the process of who they One of those skills is being open and willing to change be a virtual business that can operate from wherever our
used to be and into who they now want to become,” one’s mind about what we thought was true. clients are,” said Zanele.
explained Zanele. ‘Our key values in our organisation are; learn, change, and
No doubt
grow. Every intervention is about the process of learning,
As Zanele has a passion for children, her career started
as a primary school teacher. However, she said, “I knew changing, and growing. When we see that in our clients, The key thing that Zanele would say to young women
that there was a call for something bigger. I see myself that’s always so exciting and an achievement.” Zanele has following her path, is to live from your strengths and not
still as an educator or facilitator but making a different some phenomenal stories that have been shared by her doubt them at all.
kind of impact.” clients about their successes. “I love the quote of a mentor of mine, Michael Beckwith,
Zanele says that she has experienced her fair share who says that ‘if you don’t do you, you won’t be done’.
Initially, Zanele worked with a company focused on of challenges; one of them was being taken seriously
strategic thinking and the future of work before deciding as a 20-something year old female in the consulting That quote is so powerful because every person is
to form her own. She explains that she believed the industry. “I would sit in briefing calls with a client who, unique. Sometimes we are so focused on trying to fit into
world was ready to have the conversation about letting once they saw me or they engaged with me, would say the mould that we forget the tiny nuances that make us
go and grabbing hold and that’s what motivated her to we might want to work with someone else before we’d unique. And when we’re able to leverage those strengths
and make the most of them, we grow, and we find that
start The Unlearners.
even discussed content and my expertise. When you it’s easier to do business.”
Zanele’s late grandmother is a key motivator in her experience something like that, the concept of ageism Zanele enjoys reading when she has timeout from her
journey. starts to feel very real. But you start to understand how busy schedule. But she usually read books that will
it’s OK for you not to be for everyone. Although initially
“She didn’t complete any profound level of formal it hurt,” she explained. support her business or help her become a better leader.
schooling and never held formal employment. I believe “I love to just sometimes switch off. On weekends I try to
that if she had the opportunities that I have access to Zanele commented that it’s really important to firstly do absolutely nothing. I don’t give feedback on anything;
today, I can’t even think what she would have done understand who your ideal customer is and serve those I don’t sign off on anything. The only thing that I do on
with them. Even in her circumstances - she was resilient, individuals, as you don’t want to work with a client where a Sunday is to set up for the rest of my week. I’ll sit there
adaptable, flexible, creative, loving, and empathetic. there’s misalignment. and just try to disengage because a lot of what we teach
All these are skills that I help organisations to build Another of Zanele’s biggest challenges, as an introvert, our clients is how our moments of insights, moments of
today; I didn’t learn them from someone with a college has been building a team with herself at the helm of the creativity happen when we’re not working.”
education, but someone who didn’t have one.” organisation. However, she explains that as a strategic
thinker, she has realised that she cannot fulfil all the roles An impact to be made
Great achievements
in her company and must collaborate.
“Being part of the KZN Top Business Women gives
There have been some great achievements along her us an opportunity to inspire, and to elevate some of
journey, of which Zanele is really proud. The main one, Hairy goals the work that we do and leverage co-creation. When
is the founding of The UnLearning Children Foundation. Zanele has many goals both personally and for her you have a platform, it really creates that beautiful
An organisation that is focused on supporting business. She explained, “I’m big on goals - I set big, momentum for us to make an even bigger impact and
adolescent youth to build key mental health skills with ambitious, hairy goals. With her business, Zanele’s to do it together with other awesome people.”

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