Johann Gerber: Finding Positive Male Role Models That Aren’t Your Father

On 19 November we celebrated International Men’s Day and the 2024 theme was “Positive Male Role Models.” For many children, their parents are their first role models – showing them how to move through life and influencing their habits and behaviour and, for men, their fathers often play a crucial role in this. However, in South Africa, where over 60% of children are not living with their biological fathers, this paternal figure is often missing or, if they are present, not good role models.

Flux and Father A Nation (FAN) emphasize the importance of positive male role models for young men, with FAN explaining that fatherlessness can lead to social uses like crime, corruption, gender-based violence, educational challenges and mental illness. This month, we met with Johann Gerber from Home Collab, a bespoke furniture and interior design studio based in Johannesburg, to discuss the importance of role models in fatherless homes, ask his opinion on what constitutes a good role model, and guide and motivate other young men to find positive role models or mentors.

More about Gerber:

Gerber grew up in the small South African Karoo town of Victoria West in the Northern Cape. When he was a few months old, his father passed away due to cancer. He does not have any memories of his father and, as the only son amongst two other sisters, the male figures in his life were his uncle and the farmers of the Victoria West community, whom he met through playing golf. Later on, role models became the managers and bosses that he met throughout his career.

Despite a major setback during COVID, in which Gerber lost his position as Group Retail Manager at one of South Africa’s leading furniture stores, Gerber has been able to build a successful business, and some success can be attributed to the role models that he found in the men around him at various stages of his life. One of the objectives of International Men’s Day is to promote positive male roles in the working class, to which Gerber agrees, stating that role models should be people that you can experience fully, compared to actors, celebrities and sports people, who you only see parts of.

Five things that Gerber looks for in a role model:

1. Hard working and consistent: Growing up, one of Gerber’s biggest role models was his uncle, Oom Smittie (Uncle Smittie), who worked in the borehole industry and he especially looked up to his uncle’s hard work and dedication to his business, working early mornings and long hours while still showing up for his family, employees and community.
2. Self-control: While playing golf with the men of his community, Gerber would look up to the men who could control their anger or emotions even when the game was tough or they were facing challenges in their lives. Sportsmanship
   is an indicator of how someone handles the challenges of their personal life.
3. Down to earth and authentic: One of the biggest professional influences for Gerber was James Gibson, then-CEO of Joshua Doore, who, regardless of his success and high standing in the business, always made time for everyone. Gibson stayed true to who he was, sporting unexpected fashion and life choices while being an excellent leader who nurtured his relationships with the employees that he worked with – regardless of their rank or income.These points especially stood out for Gerber as it was something that he’d never seen in his career before, inspiring him to also be bold and not just conform to the norm. This has transpired in the relationships that he emphasizes in his business with all his suppliers and clients, and the authenticity in which he carries himself.
   
4. Doesn’t exploit others, but rather builds them up: Gerber values leaders and role models who delegate tasks but not authority, and don’t expect others to do their work. Additionally, he explains that a good role model shares their journey with those around them, allowing others to strive for their success and fail along the way, understanding that it is a crucial part of the process.
5. Ability to have open and transparent conversations: Gerber explains that while wisdom and growth come with age, there are benefits to being able to have conversations with people who have more experience. For Gerber, specifically, receiving financial advice at a young age would have been advantageous for him as it was a conversation that he wasn’t exposed to growing up.

This International Men’s Day and Month, we celebrate positive male role models in our society. For many men, their fathers are one of their first role models, however, many men grow up without a father figure or a good relationship with their father. Nevertheless, a positive male role model is important for the development of men and they can find them in their communities and workplaces. For our November Entrepreneur of the Month, we got to meet with successful entrepreneur Johann Gerber to discuss the topic of role models, especially as he grew up without a father, and we got some advice on what qualities to look for in positive role models.

Rapid Fire:

Gerber’s Quotes for Dark Day:
You don’t have a choice, you have to go forward.

 

Gerber’s advice for others looking for role models:
Make sure that you are comfortable in your skin and that you are surrounded by the right people, then there will be positive influences in your life. You don’t have to have only one role model, you can find qualities to look up to in anyone around you.

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