Zur Karriere von Evelyn Lillian Kawonza

Born into a traditional African society (these days Zimbabwe - the former Rhodesia - was British), my chances to get educated - especially as a woman - had been very limited. Education of women had no priority, but fortunately my father gave us all the opportunity to education. I have always been success-oriented, have always been a fighter and tried to do my best. I have never accepted a no as an answer. After completing high-school in Zimbabwe I proceeded via Tanzania (applying for a scholarship) to the USA, where I made my degree in Business Administration at the University of Conneticut in 1970. Then I worked for various organizsations in New York (National council of churches, Jewish Guild of the blind, etc.) till 1979. In these jobs I had to be good in PR, fundraising, etc. and I learned if you are leading others you have to be able to do what you demand from others. With the Independence of Zimbabwe in 1980 I returned and joined - as the first African woman - the Office of the Prime Minister as a Cabinet Committee Secretary. I rose through the ranks in the Prime Minister´s Office and later the President´s Office until I was appointed Deputy Secretary and Director of State Occasions in 1988 . In this new job I was in charge of all state visits (the Queen, Lady Di and many others) for almost 15 years.In August 1993 I was appointed Deputy Ambassador to France till 1996, when I was apointed First Ambassador of Zimbabwe to Austria. The callenge was that this Embassy was completely new and I had to build up all relations and contacts. My job is not only to improve the relationship between our two countries in the fields of diplomacy, economy and tourism, but also to promote investment, etc. and to make Zimbabwe and the embassy known in Austria. This is very hard work, but fortunately I have a very good and also hard working staff.

Zum Erfolg von Evelyn Lillian Kawonza

What is your definition of success? For me as the ambassador of Zimbabwe to Austria success is to have a friendly relationship between our countries, to promote investments to Zimbabwe, to increase trade and tourism and to make Zimbabwe wellknown in Austria. For this reason I take e.g. Austrian journalists to Zimbabwe so that people in Austria know aboutmy home country. That is what I call a success.
Do you think you are successful? Yes. Looking back to my beginnings in 1969 I have gone a long way way and have completed most of my goals. My success is that I could initiate some joint-venture programmes, I could convince Austrian Airlines to fly to Harare twice a week. We are also exporting flowers and fruits to Austria.
How do other people see you? They see my success - e.g. in newspaper reports that AUA ist flying to Harare, etc..
Whatare the reasons and causes for your success? My aim is to participate in the development of my country. I want to help my people and want to prove that a woman can do difficult jobs as well as a man. I feel I have to do all I can do for my country. About eighty percent of our population live in the country, they are very poor. AIDS is a problemlike in many other countries. I want to assist these people and my country.
What are the reasons for your personal success? I think I was appointed Ambassador by our President because he appreciated my talent of working with people and my ability to motivate them. Besides, I always try to turn a no into a yes. This seems to be my key to success.
What are the roles of your family and your team? It is most important to work with people, who are cooperative, willing to learn and work seriously. I have such a team. At home I need comfort to relax after work.
Have you experienced defeats? I had no substantial defeats in my career. From the moment I left Zimbabwe and went on to Tansania and the USA everything everything worked out perfectly. A tragedy in my private life occurred in 1975: I was engaged to a politicians in Zimbabwe, he was arrested during the independence struggles and we never heard from him again. After this experience I decided not to get married. Now I am married to my job.
Where do you get your power from? I do not know. I want to get things done. I have the will for success and I am determined to help my country reach the top.
Your personal goals? After my time as an ambassador I want to open a private enterprise in tourism. In this way I think I can continue to help my county.
Is your work appreciated? Yes. When I left the President's Office I realized how much he appreciated my work.
Your motto? Always knock on the door and ask - the worst thing that can happen is to get a no, but a no ist no answer for me.
Your personal recipe for success? Self-confidence, belief in what you are doing, determination and hard work as well as time to relax.
Do you have role models? I admire my President Robert Gabriel Mgabe - he comes from a very poor family and has made it to the top through hard work.
Final remarks? In my job which is more a mission than a profession you need to have visions and dreams. You need a clear target, you must know what you want to achieve and how to get there. Without a vision you cannot do anything. You also have to set yourself a time limit in which you should achieve your objectives and after this period you should verify if your goals have been reached. As a leader you should also be able to delegate, to accept that things may get done successfully by others as well. And finally - be cheerful.