Lovers know it well: when they look at each other, they lose themselves in one another, and those gazes become a single gaze, the meeting place of their deep intertwining.
Mothers and newborns know it, as they seek and recognize each other, exchanging little games of grimaces, movements, and sparks of expression that are hints of future abilities.
Mystics, ascetics, contemplatives… the seekers of that gaze of the Other know it, the gaze that urges them to journey through the depths and the heights of their own existence and experience.
Those who cannot see know it too, as they rely on other senses and intuitions to discover, recognize, and “see” the people around them.
Each of us knows it: to be seen, to be recognized, to see and recognize the other is a profound need, rooted at the very core of our existence.
“Sawubona” – “I see you” – is the greeting in isiZulu, the Bantu language spoken by the Zulu people of South Africa.
“I see you” is what we would all love to hear every time we meet someone we care about, someone with whom we have a relationship, from whom we expect to be “seen.”
“Ngikhona” is the reply: “I am here… I exist… I am present (because you see me). ”To be seen is to feel that one exists.
In the Zulu tradition, that “I see you” goes beyond the personal: “I see you, and with me my people and my ancestors see you too.” This is the philosophy behind Sawubona: the communal spirit that drives African culture has this great advantage—it thinks in the plural. By seeing you, I bring you into my story, and by responding to my gaze, you bring me into yours.
In our European culture, this greeting tends to carry a more personal, individual meaning, but the essence remains the same: it answers a deep need of every human being.
“La ragazza con l’orecchino di perla” Jan Vermeer
We don’t need to mention the vast market of training programs, feedback tools, 360 assessments, tests, and interviews on what and how others see us to confirm this truth: we need to know ourselves and to be recognized. The other has the power to help us do this, to reveal parts of ourselves, qualities, and talents we may not even know we have—or that we convince ourselves we don’t have.
“Sawubona” is a key that opens infinite doors and helps activate unexpected channels.
A “Good morning” thrown like a stone against a shop window while walking into the office is not Sawubona.
A fleeting handshake, a quick “How’re you doing?” followed by rushing on to the next thing is not Sawubona.
Anyone in a position of responsibility within an organization must have this essential element in their “leadership radar.”
The people we work with need—in the deepest sense of the word “need”—to be seen and recognized in their humanity.
Being called by name, being asked a genuine question that allows time and space for an honest answer about something we know matters to the person we are meeting—these are not mere formalities. When they are authentic and transparent in intention, they become channels of connection and solid foundations for genuine relationships.
Of course, we can do without it. But we also know that if we want to create that flow of positive energy which makes the difference between a potentially toxic environment and one that fosters exchange, collaboration, well-being, and growth—both personal and organizational—then we are called to develop the Sawubona philosophy.
Generation Z carries with it a powerful desire, above all, to be “seen.”
Their entry into the workplace is bringing forth new approaches and new expectations.
Adopting a Sawubona attitude and mindset has the advantage of triggering mechanisms that nurture two essential factors in valuing the encounter between the emerging new and the consolidated present:
- Welcoming
- Respect
Both rooted in the mutual recognition of our shared humanity.
There is intrinsic wisdom in every generation—and our future needs it badly.
The challenge is to open channels of exchange between these wisdoms, because only then will our companies and organizations be able to evolve and face complexity and uncertainty.
Only then will our societies and communities be capable of facing the challenges of the future with openness.
Sawubona!
