Staff Writer 
By Betty Murambadoro
“Unsung heroes don’t seek recognition, but their impact is undeniable.” – Steven Morris
SOME amongst us are grieving over being seemingly forgotten by those they helped to cross-over. Some are not recognised for victories they helped deliver.
Common are heartaches of people not acknowledged at business events, funerals, weddings and graduation ceremonies, yet they sacrificed so much of their energy, resources and time in supporting to solve dire situations where help was needed the most.
Take, for example, parents who raised several biological children through to university, only for the same children to fiercely argue over sharing of the same parents’ medical bills or even repairing their childhood home. Sore are the emotional wounds of someone who opened their home to children not their own and raised them like their own and yet years later these children reconnect with their biological parents and stop actively communicating with those who rescued them in trying times.
Similar scenarios play out in the sporting world. I have learnt to like sports channels courtesy of my son, Mukundi, who follows passionately the season leagues. I am interested so much in the video replays tracing back the passes, the dribbling, the speed and finally how the goal scorer did the magical shot into the net. The fans seem to celebrate the goal scorer mostly and the event of scoring itself, yet there were multiple “unsung heroes” who strategically orchestrated the best ball manoeuvres, building up towards the opponent’s goal post. When I then watch the Ballon d’Or awards, I wish there was a way of recognising many more who consistently fuel the success of their teams.
The same is true in the music industry. Attention is mainly on the centre stage vocalist. But sometimes the band members will have contributed a line or two of the song lyrics. An instrumentalist may have tuned that bass guitar to uniquely sync into the vibe, while the backing vocalists bring a mellow fusion of metallic vocals, to deliver that top-of-the-charts song. We hardly get to know the names of these backing vocalists or instrumentalists until they tell us that they belong to a top musician’s crew.
The film industry is another world filled with behind-the-scenes talent and technical experts working together to produce the best seller movies we enjoy watching. When we watch the movies, we are glued onto the main actor and the underlying story, and who cares really about the agony of those behind the shooting of the film itself?
The marketplace is no exception. I was bluntly reminded by one line manager years ago that our performance is ultimately this line manager’s victory. So that line manager’s performance was hinged on our individual contributions as teammates. There are many deal team members, some not client facing but pivotal in successful execution of the much-celebrated large ticket transactions making business news headlines. I have learnt the value of acknowledging all the deal team members including those whose contributions remain in the shadows.
We all have a part to play in the overall business partner experience, though we may not all go into the very meetings where the decisions are made, and deals negotiated. Being that hero behind the scenes should be fulfilling. The motivation should never be for limelight glory seeking but rather the satisfaction of making a difference. Making an impact and watching a good outcome which I know I was a part of hits a deep nerve in my heart. The call to serve should be borne out of a desire to see a successful outcome even if the outcome does not come with my name engraved on it.
In as much they do not clamour openly for recognition, unsung heroes are humans too with a deep desire to connect authentically with those they serve. Having observed how life has happened to many, here is my advice to the unsung heroes:
- Don’t tire from doing good. It is more rewarding to maintain that good work ethic than intentionally slowing down because of non-recognition of your accomplishments.
- Do what you do as if unto the Lord. Sometimes why you are doing it is what matters the most. Sometimes just knowing you are doing the right thing is all that matters.
- Train your heart to be content with the joy of seeing the successful outcomes even though your name is not written anywhere as a key enabler.
- Do what you do excellently even without immediate recognition. A moment will come at some point when that experience and standard of excellence will be difficult to ignore.
- Mind the prodigal son’s brother mentality. He ticked all the right boxes a responsible son should be, but the deferred reward devastated him. Be the steady and dependable one.
- Trust that good performers will eventually be seen. You cannot overlook behind-the-scenes top performers forever. Someone will eventually locate them.
- Celebrate your own milestones. There is no harm in highlighting these key milestones in your own curriculum vitae or in speaking engagements appropriate for such sharing. After all it is true you were instrumental in the delivered outcomes. So have own moments to pop the champagne and celebrate “you”.
Recognition should not be the key driver for doing good. Be a brand of goodness and a standard of excellence in all aspects. Yes, boundaries matter in guarding against abuse. I dare not venture into relevance of boundaries in the unsung heroes’ world lest I run into more and more chapters. Cheers to the unsung heroes in our lives and marketplace.
l Murambadoro is the executive director, Corporate and Investment Banking for Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe.
