User story:

We spent some time with Hussain hearing his growth story and the impact that Mygrow has had on his life. The following is what he had to say, shared with his permission.

My name is Hussain Ramjan I am married and have 2 sons.
I am a senior area manager for The Foschini group , specifically the Fabiana & G-straw businesses at the moment. I have been with TFG since 2015 and have worked for Multiple bands within the organization TFG. As challenging as my job is, I am passionate about it and about retail in general. I currently oversee 45 stores in Gauteng.

We started doing Mygrow within TFG and I immediately bought into the idea that we need to train our minds and emotions and develop healthy thinking in the same way that we train our bodies. I am someone that loves running and understands the need for discipline in training and developing my body. I felt like I immediately ‘clicked’ into gear because I understood how this takes place and knew the benefits would be worth it, if I put the work in.

I was also asked to take on the responsibility of being a Champion within our teams, that is to help motivate others to take the journey seriously and establish something of a community around the shared journey with my team.

I took this role seriously and decided from the very beginning that I would commit to doing Mygrow daily. My thinking was that if I needed to lead others in this journey, I needed to be an example to others and couldn’t do that if I was tracking behind everyone. My daily Mygrow alarm was set for 21:00 and It became a daily routine as I would end the day processing and recapping all that had happened while I did my daily droplet.

I found the techniques on Mygrow very helpful and learnt a number of things about myself and others. Specifically in retail, we are problem solving and thinking on our feet all day, the pace is sometimes crazy and life can feel like a rat race with ongoing check-lists and things to be done. I have found it so helpful to take the time to think things through and reflect. I now ask myself, what am I thinking? What are my Subconscious biases? I have better handles on how to process my day and decisions.

I mentioned that in my job we are problem solving all day, and that the pace is very fast – however, I have also learnt the value of at times, in wanting to be a good leader – simply listening to my team members.

“This feels so opposite to what came naturally but I have also found tremendous value in putting aside my own biases and preconceived ideas about a person or situation or even what I think the solution should be. Now I try to rather create space for each person, their contributions and and allow them to share and talk.”

This has been something I have been learning and trying to implement in my personal relationships too. My wife is an educator and manages a team in the education space. 

I have often tried to advise her or help her with what I believed she needed to do. Even though I had the best of intentions, I am learning that if I really want to support her, I need to listen to her and allow her to figure things out, even if she lands up doing something completely different to what I would have suggested. I do not always have to have the answers and it’s okay to allow others to figure things out their own way. 

My son asked me what Mygrow is and how it helps me, “I told him that it’s going to help me to think better and be better.” My whole family gets involved in my Mygrow journey. 

This way of seeing others and my role in leading and supporting them has meant that at times, I am now able to accept them in a greater way. Accepting their emotions, their thinking and their perspectives. When others feel valued, seen and appreciated, they are also able to embrace your leadership and trust you as you move towards a common goal.

One of my views that comes from my spiritual or religious beliefs is that we learn as humans from cradle to grave. Mygrow has been an amazing tool for learning and growing in so many areas . From being a better leader and better support to my wife, to learning to appreciate the small things in life and the amazing breathing techniques after a stressful day, Mygrow and developing my emotional intelligence has been a wonderful value-adding journey for me. I look forward to continuing the learning and growing…from cradle to grave. 

DEEPEN RELATIONSHIPS
IN YOUR TEAM, COLLABORATE BETTER
AND TRANSFORM YOUR COMPANY CULTURE