An addition to our team has lately made himself at home here at LifeXchange headquarters. He brings with him a passionate desire to advocate what we as an organization stand for due to the effects it had on his own life. Cornè acts as a project co-coordinator for our GrainCo staff mentoring program, and I sat him down to ask a couple of questions:
Please tell us a bit about yourself Cornè.
I recently joined LX on a part time basis. Previously I occupied a management level position in a corporate company but I always had the nagging feeling that there must be something more I we could do for me and my colleagues. After living in Durban for a time, my family and I relocated to Cape Town during 2014 to become missionaries. January this year I heard Cobus speak about LifeXchange and it gave me the answers I’d been looking for. Needless to say, I was sold out to LifeXchange’s approach to mentoring and discipleship.
“It’s a humbling experience which gives me perspective on so many things.”
Wow, that’s awesome! What can you share about the program you’re working on now?
The Grainco mentoring project is, from our perspective, is breaking new ground in this field. Most of the mentors and mentees are in many aspects on similar levels. The main objective is to help facilitate mentoring as part of developing a caring culture within the company. When I explain to family and friends what LifeXchange does in these corporate settings, I usually say that managers learn how to treat their workers as people instead of objects. It is early days in the Grainco project however, but I am very excited.
What attracted you to LifeXchange and how has it impacted your life?
The mentor training had a big impact on me. The exercises we did taught me so much about the subconscious and the way it rules us. It helped me to understand that I don’t see all there is to see and my opinion or ‘truth’ is not the only way through which to understand my environment. I am now more aware of how people tend to think in terms of something being either black or white, either right or wrong. But due to the training, I can’t live like that anymore and have started to question EVERYTHING. The good news is that the answers are very liberating and it’s (hopefully) made me a little less judgmental.
It sounds like you’re going through a big transformation since the training and mentoring. How is your journey with your mentee going?
Our relationship is still very young but I am learning a lot from him and I enjoy going to Capricorn every week. It is a humbling experience which gives me perspective on so many things.
What are some of the challenges involved in this kind of intensive mentoring?
Being a bit of a rescuer, I think the biggest challenge for me will be to not ‘save’ him from his difficult situation. Once or twice he’s asked me for money, which I managed not
to give, but it is very tough. I took him to the dentist the other day because he’d been suffering from toothache for weeks, though I’m unsure as to whether that was the right decision. Once again, there are no black or white answers.
Judging from his experiences, we’re all very excited to see how Cornè will continue to grow in his position and influence. It’s with big enthusiasm that we welcome you and your family to the LifeXchange team!
Interviewed by Esther Hamman