Many employers in America are struggling to find solutions to all-time low levels of staff retention and engagement. While money indeed helps to motivate employees, it still cannot solve all issues in the workplace. Organizations can greatly benefit from having a shared purpose, making members more engaged and willing to work together towards these goals.
According to Doug Manuel, a renowned keynote speaker, performer, and social entrepreneur, the US and other Western societies have forgotten how to truly collaborate. To relearn this, organizations must go back to basics and learn from societies in Africa, which is the origin of all humans. Through his extensive travels across Africa and his experience as a filmmaker, Manuel became an expert in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Doug Manuel- My ‘hero’ keynote shot
Manuel’s encounter began when he went to Africa to produce a documentary about elephants for a major broadcasting network in the UK. After leaving the network in 1997, a friend suggested that he learn how to play the djembe, a type of West African drum. Manuel went to Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and the Gambia, where he spent two years studying the music and culture of the region, and started to share what he had learned to top companies and business schools around the world, using the djembe as a learning tool.
“If you're drumming with a group of people, it's about active listening, being agile, and displaying emotional intelligence. You can't 'think' rhythm – you have to feel it. I developed a whole methodology of how drumming could be used in the corporate world and have been implementing this methodology for over 25 years.” Manuel says.
In 2002, Manuel was contacted by a leading European business school to create a leadership program, which became a hit among students and faculty. He continued to develop the methodology further and worked with more clients across Europe. Although the process began with the Djembe, over the years it has evolved exponentially. Manuel’s keynote 'The Soul of Business' now focuses on the whole picture with a key focus on the values of West African culture and introduces key excerpts of his new documentary ‘Beats As One’.
Manuel also created a musical stage show in 2007, which aims to bring the message of unity and collaboration to a wider audience. This show has received two nominations for JEFF awards, which recognize theater arts produced in the Chicago area.
“I always come back to West Africa, specifically Abéné village in Senegal, because I am very intrigued by how people there inherently know how to collaborate. I recently talked with the director of the village's primary school in the village, and what they teach there is not about being individualistic or being the best in the class. They teach community, and it's all about supporting other people.”
In 2014, Manuel took his musical show on tour around France and French-speaking Switzerland, doing 50 stops and more than 100 performances. After Europe, Manuel tried it out in the US, where he gathered attention until it was featured on an event for one the world's most famous talk show hosts. “People said they loved my show because it's interactive and immersive.”
Manuel believes that developing a sense of community and genuine collaboration in the workplace is necessary to combat disengagement and attrition. This involves having a common goal that can inspire all members of the organization. A goal of knocking a competitor off the top market spot is not motivating to employees, but they are more likely to be on board with a goal to make life better for customers and co-workers, who are people they regularly interact with.
“I had a really deep conversation with Abéné's village elder, and I asked him about his biggest fear. I thought he would say something like COVID or lack of food. But he told me he's afraid of no longer being around to support the young people in the village and guide them in life by teaching them proper values.”
Doug Manuel& Abéné village elder
Manuel says that many leadership gurus today preach the importance of selflessness and being always there for the team. But that's not new information, and it's something that's being taught and practiced in rural villages for thousands of years, but it's only now that it's being understood in corporate culture.
“Everything that I do is based on coming back to the source, which is Mother Africa. The modern scientific consensus is that we all come from this continent. When I bought a house in Abéné, I saw that they needed support and help. I organize leadership retreats, where I bring corporate clients to the village to meet the elder to learn from him. The clients experience first-hand African drumming and dance, and they go fishing before preparing and cooking their catch. They also do humanitarian work in the school and medical center, working alongside locals and our Lighting Up Lives charity, which seeks to bring solar energy to the community. I believe that taking this deep dive into an entirely unfamiliar culture provides a platform where we can learn about ourselves. And as leaders that allows us to have a greater impact on the organizations we work for.”
After a long and successful run with various major organizations in Europe, Manuel is now working with clients in the US, including a major social media platform and the training arm for a wide-ranging business organization.
“Most other keynote speakers go into organizations and talk about what leadership is in terms of how things should be and on a very macro level. I talk about how things could be on a very micro level, Because I believe we learn from doing. We don't learn from being told what to do. We have to go back to basics, back to the origin. Because that's what motivates us, and that's when we're living with a sense of purpose.”
Media contact:
Name: Doug Manuel
Email: [email protected]
