Friends & Friction: The business of peacemaking

Last week I witnessed a small event that was blown out of proportion.

An Indian couple ordered breakfast at a restaurant in Johannesburg.

The waiter, who was black, brought the wrong order and the ­Indian man got very angry.

He shouted expletives and threatened to beat up the waiter.

The restaurant manager apologised profusely on behalf of the waiter, who preferred to stay in the ­kitchen to defuse the situation.

The Indian couple left.

Afterwards, a black gentleman at a different table said something to the effect of: “You see what Jacob Zuma has done to us with his ­Guptas. Now everyone thinks we are beggars, and they treat us as they wish. If he had beaten up that waiter, I would have fought back.”

National and international conflicts that are beamed on to our screens via television and social media are making good people belligerent because they stir emotions.

They blind visionaries and force them to behave like animals.

They give rise to toxic talk that is irrelevant in the workplace, easily disaffecting teams that have worked together for years, and irreparably damaging them.

This belligerence is fuelled by the trillions of dollars that are invested in war, which, in a way, is an investment in our own destruction.

As the world spirals into the ­vicious cycle of terrorism and ­counterterrorism, assault and ­revenge, blame and counterblame, South ­Africa needs to take its position as peacemaker of the world.

After all, we are the original rainbow nation and the exporters of peacemakers such as Nelson ­Mandela and other Nobel peace prize laureates.

We must create peacemaking ­opportunities in our companies.

We can start small by rewarding internal peacemaking efforts.

Introduce your own “Nobel prize” that will recognise the peacemakers within your company – those individuals who dare to create racial harmony and those who fight sexism and other forms of discrimination within your company.

Many businesses do not even have facilities for women, and there are those pioneers who have fought tirelessly and lobbied management to build them. They should be ­rewarded.

Talk alone will not change the ­behaviour of your staff, but your ­example will. If you scream at your subordinates, your “Peace prize” will mean nothing. Management walkabouts are crucial.

Make time for your staff members, and talk to them.

Find out what is bothering them before it becomes too big; help them where you can or point them in the right direction.

There is no need to be preachy about peace. Your business is not a church. Give everyone a chance to say how peace could reign in your team or your firm. ­Remember that your job is to build your business and protect it against a ­hostile external environment, whatever the cause.

Remember that one man’s terrorist is another man’s hero. So create opportunities for staff to talk and to share ideas.

Tackle the most difficult issues head-on and give people a chance to solve them. They don’t have to agree, but they do need to understand each other.

Hold peace workshops, asking the question: How can we, as a ­company, contribute to a more peaceful world?

You will probably be surprised by the answers. No single company can fight the global war machine.

The archaic argument that “the reason for the corporation is to make money and nothing else” no longer holds water.

The destruction of the world through weapons of war is increasing at a rapid rate. It will cause as much damage as climate change. We must stop it now with the same vigour and effort.