How do you define yourself? In Africa, a wonderful philosophy is working. It has become one of the foundations of the success of the rebuilt South Africa.

Ubuntu has many meanings, including “I am because we are”.

You become defined by your relationships. When you can be open and available to others, then you grow. You don’t feel threatened by others who are able and good. You then also become diminished when others are humiliated or diminished.

In our competitive society, where even as children at school we are ranked in every subject of study, we get used to being compared to our peers. So we end up being defined in comparison to others.

This will never make us strong as a group. That approach will keep us small, weak and easily overcome.

The societies that thrive are those based on valuing complementary skill sets. Achievement is higher when we learn to work in a team and go to our individual strengths.

If you are safe in yourself, then you can also celebrate the success of the other. That can’t happen if you are being measured and compared with the other. Only when you feel safe are you able to help and support team members. When you can perform and support others, you can expect support when you need it.

Ubuntu evolves into reciprocity. If the culture only supports individual performance, the organisation will never catch the big beast which would need co-operation to capture.

Your business would grow enormously if you learn to hunt as a group. All the time you hunt as individuals, you’ll only catch small food for the community. This does allow you to enrich yourself and to enable the community to improve at the same time. It becomes the essence of your humanity. It shows up as emotional maturity.

Steven Covey identifies interdependence as the pinnacle of maturity in his 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In Africa, they call it Ubuntu.

Ed Percival is a business coach with Shirlaws Business Coaching. www.shirlawscoaching.com