One step at a time

Goal-setting has been part of Elana Meyer’s make- up since discovering as a nine-year-old that she could indeed run the 5km from her parents’ farm to the town of Albertinia in the southern Cape. She may have had to walk a few times as she tired but this exercise in determination sowed the seeds of a brilliant international athletics career and her role as CEO of the JAG Foundation, which aims to inspire disadvantaged children to realise their potential.

evident in Meyer’s speech during the interview as what could be personal mantras roll off her tongue: ‘there is no elevator to success’; ‘nothing scares me’; ‘nothing is impossible’ ….

This fierce determination to succeed is

‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ – Chinese proverb

sport but, says Meyer, as in anything in life, one is part of a team. ‘I believe every child in South Africa should have the opportunity to learn through sport. There are a lot of communities with socials ills that don’t have any alternatives for kids. To achieve that you need coaches and that’s a dying breed in South Africa,’ says Meyer.

On the surface running is an individual

14 Management Today | August 2011