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Reputation is not built on past achievements but on daily actions toward a clear vision, South African motivational speaker, Cobus Visser, said at the global reputation forum in London on Friday.
Visser, who described himself as “the Viking”, was speaking during a session which was spearheaded by Mr Kayode Akintemi, the Managing Director of News Central TV, on how media and entertainment shape public trust.
“First is learn from where you come from and learn from the lessons in the past,” Visser said. “Then the second thing is to understand where you wanna go. What is that vision that you wanna achieve?”
Visser, who said he is the great-grandson of South Africa‘s first president, shared his personal story of overcoming illness.
He said he has haemophilia; a rare bleeding disorder, and was told by doctors that he needed both his ankles and both his elbows replaced after ending up in a wheelchair.
“A few years ago, I ended up in a wheelchair, not being able to walk. I have the raw disease called haemophilia and I ended up in a wheelchair and the doctor said I have to get both my ankles replaced, both my elbows replaced,” he said.
“I could either accept it or change it, and I realised I have to have a vision, and I decided to go climb a mountain by the name of Kilimanjaro.
“I did it with my crutches and on that journey, I realised it’s a process of step by step. We can say in Africa, it’s bole bole. We move one step forward.”
He said building a reputation requires moving toward a vision every day, even when the path is unclear.
“I remember when it was pitch black and dark, the guide said to me with the headlamp on, “Can you see your next step?” Sometimes the vision might get lost as long as we keep moving forward, taking that step on a daily basis.”
Visser said reputation is not built on past achievements but on daily actions toward a clear vision.
“But here’s the thing as well. To build that reputation, yes, it’s a daily process, but what are you doing it for? What is that reason why that drives you to be able to do that? Because that’s the spark that we need to be able to build a legacy, and that’s where my next thing comes from is what is the legacy we want to leave behind? How are you going to touch people?”
“We have a saying in Africa that says saubona. When you say saubona, it means ‘I see you’. It’s to start seeing yourself first in the mirror because it starts with you and then build your future from that and start seeing the other people.”
At the Global Reputation Forum, Cobus Visser says building a reputation is a gradual process that begins with understanding your past and future, and taking daily steps toward a larger vision. He encourages young people to focus on their legacy and surround themselves with… pic.twitter.com/WniZbMBU7L
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) April 24, 2026
Visser urged young people to focus on their vision and the legacy they want to leave behind, rather than worrying about what others think.
“So what I want to say to the young people that is listening today, don’t think about now what other people think of you. Think about your vision. Think about what is the impact and legacy you want to leave behind.”
“Surround yourself with like-minded people that you know that no matter what happened in the past is in the past but with the like-minded people, step by step, you can create that future because here’s the thing is, if I can climb a mountain by name of Kilimanjaro on my crutches with every excuse not to do it, what excuses are you holding on to that stops you from moving forward?”
“Because I have this saying, whatever it takes. So this is my philosophy: whatever it takes, build your legacy with courage and then the biggest thing is to execute your plan and not hope that it’s going to happen,” he said.
