ABOUT ME
ACTUALITY
noun
the state of existing in reality / existing conditions or facts / the quality of state of being actual / actual conditions or facts
Each of us has a higher and a lower self.
A higher reflexive soul guided mind and a lower animal instinct driven mind.
The only thing that determines which mind you function from, is your ability to manage your perceptions and resultant emotions.
It determines your potential to change the course of Africa, forever.
It determines the power you have access to as a leader.
There are only three things in this world that you have absolute control over:
Your perceptions.
Your decisions.
Your actions.
In a state of Actuality you have full awareness of this as your superpower to lead the rise of Africa.
SHANNON ROYDEN-
TURNER
STRATEGIC THINKING PARTNER
SPIRITUAL ADVISOR
Master your thoughts, and you master your life and your leadership.
Spirituality does not refer to religion or faith.
Spirit is energy.
It is energy that has not yet manifested itself into matter.
Spirit refers to the unmanifest world of purpose, thought, will, intention, attention, ideas, beliefs, emotions, potential and possibilities.
Changing the course of Africa forever, demands a shift in focus from the manifest to the unmanifest. From matter to spirit. From external to internal.
When you do, a whole new level of power to create your legacy and transform the future, will be available to you.
DEVELOPING A SYSTEMS UNDERSTANDING:
I’VE EXPLORED AS MANY ANGLES AS POSSIBLE, AND CONTINUE TO DO SO.
Spiritual Development
Systems Thinking
Leadership Development
Transformational Development
Human Behaviour and Potential
Values Frameworks
Governance and Decision Making
Biomimicry & Urban Innovation
Collective Decision Making
Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Development
Conflict Resolution
Key Performance Indicators
Organisational Structures
Team Performance
Serious Gaming
Interdisciplinary Team Integration
Special Economic Zone Strategy
Blue Economy
Integrated Neighbourhood Development
Economic Stimulation in Townships through Urban Renewal
Informal Settlement Upgrades
Large scale Inner City Urban Renewal
Transit Oriented Development
Informal Trader Upgrades
Non-Motorised Transport Planning
Urban Resilience Framework
Urban Metabolism
Circular Economies
Community Development
Sustainable Development
Ecological or Green Infrastructure
Wetland Policy
River Regeneration
Biological Water Treatment
Bioremediation
Urban Water Management
Residential Architecture
Public Architecture
Housing Projects
Commercial Architecture
Public Transport Architecture
Urban Design
Solid Waste
New City Development
Urban Strategy
Urban Policy
Urban Research
Transport and Land Use Planning
Public Space Design
Domestic Violence
Urban Management
Water Innovation Hub
Game Farm Upgrade
GETTING COSY WITH THE UNKNOWN
ACHIEVING BREAKTHROUGH RESULTS
Another thing that really played into my favour was that my Dad was adamant that I would not be a afraid. I was a really feminine and fearful little girl. Thankfully in the short 10 years that I had with him, he taught me how to access a vast reservoir of courage and bravery.
One image that jumps into my mind is getting up at 5am and going to burn sugar cane with my Dad. We loved it but it was super scary. The flames were huge and the risks as big. I was about 5 years old the first time I was handed a big stick and sent to the front line of 10m high flames and told to chase cane rats as they came running out of the fire. Terrifying! I had no idea at the time that I was in training for what I would face later in projects I bravely took on. Any thinking person would just say no thanks. I definitely attribute my ability to think strategically in the midst of conflict and high stakes situations, to what I learnt facing those huge leaping flames. I can’t say I ever caught a cane rat, thank goodness. The dogs were better at that than me. But it sure gave me the ability to work in tough conditions and stay committed to the outcomes. Quitting was just not an option with my Dad.
PAIN AND LONELINESS
During the long years of pain, suffering and confusion that followed my Dads death, to avoid looking at my pain and the pain around me, I’d escape into my mind and create all kinds of alternate worlds that would bring back my joy, my freedom and my laughter.
Seeing the world like this allowed me to visualise where I wanted to get and the steps I needed to take to get there. What I didn’t know at the time was that this was my training to think strategically.
Studying and practising architecture gave me a whole new level of creativity and experience in how to bring an idea into physical reality. It allowed me to hone my skills in creative problem solving, which are such a gift in strategic work.
I have learnt that to lead boldly is to learn to transform your pain and suffering into leadership. We each have a unique set of experiences that prepare us to do our most meaningful work. Some really painful and others joyful. But somehow it seems to be the ones that hurt that really teach us our gifts.
ENDURANCE AND VULNERABILITY
Endurance and embracing vulnerability was another set of important skills I learnt early on, this time from my Mum. Aſter my Dad’s death she decided to take us hiking down the Wild Coast from one side to the other. At ten years old, my brothers were the youngest to ever have done it. I was only 12. It was way before slack packing so we had to carry everything we needed. Regardless of the weather, you had to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. There was no one to take your pack and there was no out. The only way through was forward and you had to just keep going.
This has been such a strength as I have worked my way through some frankly horrible moments in various projects that were filled with conflict and hardship. I knew the only way through was to keep moving forward one step at a time. I knew that no one could do it for me.
I don’t think I really loved it much at the time, but today I spend all my time hiking in the mountains of the Cape or epic hiking adventures with friends. Spending time in nature has become something so fundamental to my being. In fact, learning from nature has become one of my specialisations. This field is known as biomimicry.
KEEP BREATHING: INNOVATION TO OVERCOME CONFLICT
One such project was the 9000hc of new future development around the King Shaka International Airport. The largest part of the land was owned by one land owner, Tongaat Hullett and a small portion around the airport was owned by Dube Trade Port. The eThekwini Climate and Biodiversity Department had bravely put a stop to all development application for a 6 month period so that they could figure out what to do about green infrastructure within the larger 9000hc strategic area which are not considered in the smaller EIA applications. Needless to say Tongaat Hulett was fuming.
The conflict was extreme, the stakes were high and the timeframes crazy. 6 months to unlock the deadlock between these three organisations. One of the biggest challenges was that the three organizations formed a partnership: so all three where our client. It was the classic conflict between development and environment, and they wanted to know if we could use biomimicry and innovation as a tool to think differently and find a way through.
Without going into detail of how we solved it, we unlocked the deadlock with 1 day of the six months to go. It was the hardest work I’ve ever done. I realised then that I needed a much better understanding of human behaviour. This experience taught me that it is not our technical ability that stops us from achieving bold change, but rather our humanness and our ability to relate. I have since dedicated myself to the study of human behaviour and how to enable the kind of human potential that is needed for transformative action to be successful.
A LOVE OF PEOPLE AND THEIR HUMANNESS
It is my deepest honour to share this with you and to accelerate your own development in the same way that I have had the pleasure of doing. My mission to provide you with the unique knowledge, awareness and tools that have taken me a lifetime to master, in a way that supports your growth and accelerated leadership.
My commitment is to Africa. I am African. It’s my home, my love and who I am. It has taught me everything I know. Particularly to be bold, and to be courageous. It has taught me to lead without fear. And it has taught me that my only limitations are the ones I create with my thoughts.
Much love
Shannon