I am Pregnant

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my parents, Zwelinzima and Nombulelo Kula, whose coming together led to the conception of the person that I have become.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstly, I would like to thank my wife, Nothemba, who has been a pillar of support over the last 12 years and particularly for fanning the flame with regards to this book. Sthandwa, my love, thanks for being there every step of the way as I conceived, carried, and delivered this project. You are still my life, my love, and my all.

To my daughter, Imani and my son, Ivela, thanks for being patient with daddy as I spent many hours in the study, reading and writing. I pray that this book will inspire you to become all that you are destined to be and that you will go much further in life than we have.

Many of the business lessons captured in this book have been learnt and sharpened during my career at Discovery Health. The Discovery journey began when Dr Jonathan Broomberg, who is the current CEO, came across my CV and spotted potential in me that others had missed. Jonny, you are an example of what midwives do in the labour ward: you saw potential in me well before I even realised it and you nurtured it until it was fully developed.

Over the last few years I have had the privilege of being mentored by many business leaders in South Africa including Dr Judy Dlamini, Dr Brian Ruff, Ismail Rasool, and Riedwaan Jabaar, who have all been instrumental at different times in my career development. In my personal development Drs David and Mamikie Molapo have played an incredible role, going back over a decade ago when they started mentoring me and my wife during the early years of our marriage.

Over the past 21 years various leaders have played an important role in my spiritual development, including Rev Dayi who introduced me to the Christian faith, Rev MS Dwaba who grounded me in the faith and finally Pastor K Owolabi who sharpened my preaching gift and released me into ministry. To all these leaders and many others that I have served under over the years, thank you for your spiritual leadership in my life.

Finally, my greatest gratitude goes to God who has been so kind and generous in my life and family. I owe You all that I am, and all that I have.

"For You created my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother’s womb"

(Psalm 139:13)

RECOMMENDATIONS

I have had the privilege of observing Dumani Kula’s personal and professional growth and development for several years as a colleague in Discovery Health. I have seen many of the business, leadership and life lessons he shares in his book, I AM PREGNANT, manifest in his contribution to our business, which has benefited significantly from his drive, insights and leadership skills. I deeply admire his efforts to capture his learnings and perspectives in this useful and accessible book, using a natural phenomenon that we are all familiar with, and highly recommend it to all leaders and aspiring leaders whether in business or other spheres of life.

Dr. Jonathan Broomberg; CEO, Discovery Health

Dr Dumani Kula has written an interesting and accessible book about leadership. Accessing his clinical experience he uses the example of the stages of pregnancy to illustrate the phases and challenges which will confront those who wish to achieve as they grow and develop in leadership roles. This book is easy to read and I particularly appreciated his references to the experience and philosophy of numerous role players who have influenced our policies and development through their insights and inputs. These vary from biblical references to contributions from politicians, philosophers and authors, to name a few. I would recommend this book to all mentors and aspiring leaders. It provides valuable insights and important lessons to all of us.

Zephne M. van der Spuy; Emeritus Professor and Senior Scholar, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UCT.

As a trained obstetrician who subsequently took up leadership positions in both public and private sectors, I must commend the excellent job that Dumani has done to critically analyze the process of pregnancy to bring us nuggets of wisdom applicable to our development journeys. Having watched Dumani closely, I know that he has used the lessons learnt from pregnancy very successfully in his own professional career. This easy to read book is both practical and relevant, and is recommended for all aspiring young leaders. I have no doubt that I would have benefitted immensely from an earlier exposure to these thoughtful insights.

Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba; Group Executive Director, Discovery Ltd; Previously Director-General in the Dept. of International Relations and Cooperation and in the Dept. of Health

In this book, Dumani has done an excellent job of using his experience as a medical doctor to clearly illustrate valuable principles for success in leadership and business. He takes the reader on an inspiring journey that begins with the importance of a strong desire and drive for success and follows through with the practical steps that one needs to take to translate vision into tangible results. He touches on important leadership principles such as character building, establishing partnerships, execution of strategy, maximizing available opportunities and breaking free from limitation. I would recommend this book as a valuable tool for anyone who seeks to move beyond aspiration to realization of tangible results.

Bheki Sibiya, Chief Executive Officer, South African Chamber of Mines

What a fresh and profound examination of leadership and personal development through a natural phenomenon such as pregnancy. From conception to birth, and all the challenges in between. The book also reminds us of our uniqueness, each of us, a product of a single sperm and an ovum out of million possibilities."

Dr. Victor Litlhakanyane, Former Executive Director, Netcare; CEO, Ditau Health Solutions

We have known Dumani for over 14 years since his days as a young medical student at the University of Cape Town. It is gratifying to see how he has translated his medical knowledge into such an inspiring work of life lessons for business, leadership and personal development; which are all subjects we are deeply passionate about. There is no better time for this publication because a quick assessment of the leadership and business landscape in Africa shows that we are on a delicate balance and without intervention we can potentially miscarry the potential we have. This book not only correctly diagnoses the issues that can limit and derail us but it also offers a treatment plan for ensuring that the greatness we carry will not die, but will be fully realized. Thank you Dumani for a job well done!!!

Drs David & Mamikie Molapo; Co-Founders: I CAN Leadership Institute Africa

Dumani has faithfully served as International Director of our global ministry for several years now. His role of connecting our ministry to partners in different countries shows the incredible gift he has as a connector and a translator of concepts into visible results. He does this masterfully in this book I am Pregnant, by linking and connecting concepts that do not seem obvious to the untrained eye. Apart from the medical and business insights expounded here, there is also unparalleled spiritual depth in this book. This is clear because pregnancy is something that at the early stages cannot be seen, but in the end it predictably gives birth to something that can be seen. If you are at a place in life where you can feel something on the inside, but cannot see it or put your hands to it, this book will empower you to realize your aspirations and goals.

Pastor Olukayode Owolabi; Founder and General Overseer; The Everlasting Arms Ministries, London, England and The Living Ark Christian Church. South Africa.

Dumani has emerged with a dynamic must read book, I AM PREGNANT. It is a HIT, and it will take South Africa, Africa, and the global village by storm. I highly recommend this book to all the citizens of the world.

Dr Elijah Maswanganyi, Author, Marriage Counsellor, and International SpeakerFounder & Director: Christ is the Answer Global Ministries

FOREWORD

When I made the transition from medicine to business, I was filled with uncertainty. All I had ever aspired to be and all I was trained to be was a medical doctor. The thought of venturing into business was intimidating. I had to remind myself that I wasn’t born a doctor, education had landed me in the medical field and education could take me anywhere I choose to go. The journey has been both humbling and fulfilling. The amazing thing that I learnt whilst I was in transition is that there are principles that I learnt from my medical career that have equally yielded incredible results in my business career. It seems to me that although there are skills unique to a particular field like medicine, there are overarching principles that will work wherever you apply them. For example, principles like ambition, focus, hard work and humility do not respect professional boundaries; they will work for you wherever you are. I am excited about the publication of this book because Dumani skillfully packages the lessons which have contributed to my own success and explains them even much better than I could have.

I met Dumani in 2008 when he had just completed his MBA at the University of London and had recently accepted a junior management position at Discovery Health. He immediately struck me as a dynamic, driven and visionary young man who is every mentor’s dream. His clarity of vision, outspokenness and commitment make an easy job of providing guidance and support because you are assured that he will see any project you give him to successful completion. These are the very qualities that have sharpened Dumani’s business and leadership acumen and contributed to him being trusted with senior executive responsibilities in the company within a relatively short period of time. He has grown incredibly in business management over the last few years and it is gratifying to see this culminating into a book that will hopefully reveal the principles that have propelled him forward in such a short space of time.

I greatly appreciate this book, I am Pregnant because it eloquently packages the transcendent life lessons which are extracted from medicine and applied to other spheres of life. To be quite honest, I had no idea that one could draw parallels between something like the fertilized egg and a business idea. But upon careful thought, it is evident that what the fertilized egg needs is exactly what your business idea needs. The fertilized egg needs to attach to the wall of the uterus so that it remains grounded and stable before it grows; in the same way, your business idea needs to be firmly planted and convincing in your own mind and heart before you can sell it to any audience. The fertilized egg needs a conducive environment in the womb for growth; your business idea needs a supportive environment for growth, if not nurtured it will die. The fertilized egg cannot remain an egg forever; once fully matured it must be released as a fully developed baby; your business idea cannot remain an idea or concept forever; once fully developed and it must be implemented and translated into a tangible business that we can all benefit from.

This is the kind of insight that this book offers and in very simple terms it explains what we know works in the field of medicine and shows the reader how to use that knowledge to their advantage in other areas of your life where you may be struggling. In addition to this, the book brings caution in terms of pitfalls that one must avoid in order to carry an idea or a concept to full fruition. We know that being pregnant does not mean that you will give birth to a healthy baby; miscarriage; abnormalities and even death of the mother or baby are all real possibilities. I am Pregnant offers much needed insight on how to conceive, carry and translate your ideas or life dreams into tangible and viable entities that society can benefit from.

When I come to think of it, there are many medics who have transitioned from medicine into other fields and made a good success of it. I am thinking of our own Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, a medical doctor from Kwazulu Natal who is the current Chairman of the African Union; Jim Yong Kim, the current president of the World Bank, a medical doctor with no past banking experience whatsoever, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba who retired recently from his position as the Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University Of KwaZulu Natal. I encourage you to follow the ‘doctor’s advice’. We have a good track record and this book will show you how we did it.

Dr Judy Dlamini

Executive Chairman of Mbekani Group

Non-Executive Chairman of Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited

INTRODUCTION

THE JOURNEY FROM THE KNOWN TO THE UNKNOWN

There are known knowns; there are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns; that is to say there are things that we now know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns – there are things we do not know we don’t know.

– Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defence, US

The above quote by Donald Rumsfeld was in response to a question about the Iraq war and global terrorism. While many perceived it to lack substance at a time when the world needed answers to pertinent questions about global security issues, many also saw the lighter side of it. It added to a growing list of gaffes during President George W Bush’s administration. The theory of the known and unknown so defined Rumsfeld’s career that when he published his memoir in 2011 it was titled Known and Unknown.

The truth is that there are things we know and there are things we don’t know. What humankind has done since time immemorial has been to use what is known to get an understanding of what is unknown. In his journey to the unknown world, Christopher Columbus’ voyage would have begun where he was, a place he knew. From what he knew, he would proceed to what he did not know.

As a medical doctor, I have attended to many births and recognised that the miracle of childbirth, which we often take for granted, has many valuable life lessons. The stages before, during and after childbirth are, in many respects, indicative of the journey one has to go through to conceive, carry and deliver dreams and life aspirations. Women throughout history have successfully and without fail conceived, carried and delivered miracle baby after miracle baby, through world wars, major economic depressions and plagues. The question is, what can we learn from the phenomenal journey of pregnancy and how can we apply what we know about pregnancy into various areas of our lives? Following this trail of thought, I Am Pregnant traces the journey of a woman before, during, and after conception, right through to the moment of the actual delivery of the