Where the Best Stories Begin

Then I remembered something.

A few years ago, I wrote a blog article for one of my favourite clients - a property I am Account Manager for and a team I have a genuinely close relationship with. The piece was about a game drive and an encounter with my favourite animal, the spotted hyena (don’t judge me).

What I had forgotten was that I wrote it from the guide’s perspective.

I remember writing it vividly; the feelings and emotions of the encounter came rushing back. I can still recall the sounds, the smells, the way the sun dipped low on the horizon. Reading it now, it still evokes something in me: a deep love for Africa, for safari, and for its raw, untamed beauty.

That’s when it clicked.

Perhaps it isn’t an aversion to writing at all - but an aversion to writing when I don’t yet feel confident in the story I’m trying to tell. When the experience is real, grounded, and personal, even when told through someone else’s eyes, the words come more naturally.

It may not be perfect, and it may still need a little TLC, but it remains one of my favourite pieces I’ve ever written.

Maybe the lesson for me - and perhaps for our industry - is that the most powerful storytelling doesn’t come from engineering thought leadership, but from making space to share the experiences that shape us, our teams, and our clients.

If you’d like to read it, here it is:
https://rockfigmadikwe.co.za/the-mystery-of-the-madikwe-contact-call-a-chance-encounter/