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celebrating excellence in organisations Vol 16 No 2 - 2017
Security Turning Challenges into Prospects
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President of the South African Local Government Association &
Capturing the Light Browsing through a portfolio of professional photographer Brenda Biddulph’s work, makes me want to grab a camera and take a photo. Attempting to create a visual moment like the many she has created is not easy.
Brenda established her own photographic business four years after graduating from the National School of Photography in Pretoria. She had gained experience in advertising, corporate photography, weddings, school photography and publications. Today her business, Monsoon Photography, has a faithful following of diverse clients who entrust Brenda and her team with repeat business. Putting a person at ease is an accomplished skill. Even the most senior executive can be a reluctant subject when a camera is pointed in their direction. Monsoon Photography has become a popular name to call among organisations needing photos for annual reports and events. The Monsoon Photography team has the ability to charm a smile out of the most world-weary executive. “We ignite with a jovial professional approach,” says Brenda. Brenda’s special love is vibrant fusion photography and experimenting with her “fascination for light”. The recipe for success behind Monsoon Photography is simple. “Our enjoyment of the profession
and passion for people attract clients to call on our services again and again,” she says. Monsoon Photography works on site and in studio, depending on the client’s requirements. Their studio, situated in the eastern suburbs of Pretoria, is perfect for family portraits and for shooting music videos. The experienced studio and on-line photographers that comprise Monsoon Photography share two things in common: a fascination for light and an eye for detail. With clients as diverse as Deloitte, Sasol and The Land Bank, Monsoon Photography adds a creative and professional touch to whatever the occasion.
Contact 083 452 4530 www.monsoonphotography.co.za
Stock Exchange According to the BusinessDictionary (www.businessdictionary.com) a stock exchange is an organised and regulated financial market where securities (bonds, notes, shares) are bought and sold at prices governed by the forces of demand and supply.
The Casablanca Stock Exchange is one of
Africa’s 10 largest exchanges along with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, EGX, the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX), and the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.
One of the oldest bourses on the continent
Casablanca Stock Exchange is the
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The NYSE is bigger
There are
exchanges
in Africa,
than the world’s 50 smallest major exchanges.
representing
38 nations’ capital markets.
of Morocco, founded in
1929.
NYSE represents USD18.5 trillion of global stock value
in market capitalisation,
is divided by
about
countries.
93%
3
27% of the total
market for global equities.
New York Stock Exchange
The Egyptian Exchange (EGX) was founded in 1883 and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Limited in
1887.
October 24, 1929
is when the most famous stock market, of all time,crashed.
EDITOR’S
note Back to Basics
A
ppropriated by business consultants and assimilated into the linga franca of corporates around the world innovation now represents a new holy grail in the quest for efficiency and profitability. It symbolises a corporate Nirvana where all the seemingly disparate functions of large and not so large enterprises all come together to form the basis of a masterful business plan that is strategically brilliant and completely executable. I imagine if you throw enough business process re-engineering; out of the box thinking; boundary breaking and comfort zone squashing techniques at a company you are going to get a different type of mindset. And let’s face it, some companies have successfully overcome periods of distinct stagnation through the application of any number of techniques aimed at making them innovative. However, innovation and the supplementary activities associated with it are but one lever that can be manipulated in the process of building a great company. Innovation is not a panacea for the host challenges that regularly befall any company. This reality was recently brought home to me as I was writing a profile on one of South Africa’s leading companies. This particular organisation has gained a well-founded reputation as an innovator in its sector. I therefore expected the executives I was interviewing to be somewhat infatuated with the idea of developing new ideas and establishing unchartered frontiers for their company. Nothing could have been further removed from reality. In actual fact, a great deal of their time was spent on getting the basics right in their organisation. Nothing fancy or complicated. Simply focusing upon the needs of the customer and trying their best to meet these requirements and expectations. Once they felt they had achieved Innovation. According to a very high success rate in executing their basic responsibilities correctly, the my Oxford Dictionary (circa company sought to facilitate activities 1982) innovation means that could lead to innovation. The introducing something novel; feel there is no sense in innovating if you cannot even executive your basic or to introduce change. activities correctly. Clearly in our contemporary It certainly made me think about all the wonderful business initiatives business environment this that we are all often subjected to in the definition no longer cuts it. name of building innovative companies. Perhaps a simple return to basics is what we all need.
Valdi Pereira CEO 2016 Vol 16.2
3
Riaan Graham
Riaan Graham, director at Ruckus Wireless sub-Saharan Africa
view, we are fast moving into a connected framework from a personal, business and even governmental perspective. The ICT sector plays a significant role – connectivity means citizens have access to information, knowledge to innovate, do business differently etc. and, ultimately, build a knowledgebased and socially connected community. Data is currently very expensive locally which limits access. This has a direct effect on businesses, especially SMEs that can’t afford it, students who need to access to information for educational purposes and just normal citizens that need access to undertake their daily obligations. In fact, as cities get smarter, they recognise one fact of life right away: any old Wi-Fi technology isn’t going to cut it. Smart City applications demand a wireless network that can deal with tough issues like complex meshing in outdoor environments. One that can communicate with thousands of different devices simultaneously and deliver superior performance for every user; even in high-traffic areas. Wi-Fi is playing a major role in making it all happen. Onboarding millions of connected devices needs to be simple, seamless and secure. Users need to be able to connect to the Wi-Fi from anywhere automatically, without having to constantly re-enter credentials. And no matter how large the Smart City deployment grows, everything should be able to be controlled easily and centrally from the cloud. While every country operates differently and citizens have different needs and requirements, what is evident is that we need to have the right infrastructure to make this happen. Traditionally, smart cities are ranked with the following areas in mind:
Getting Connected. Around the world, cities are getting connected: smart lighting and traffic systems. Connected public transport. Hyper-local air quality control. High-speed public Wi-Fi for citizens and businesses. Cities are collecting data from anywhere and everywhere to make smarter decisions and deliver new services. They’re using their high-tech profiles to attract new businesses and tourism.
F
or Africa, part of creating this environment means that cities need to embrace all the technological innovations that are available to them. In fact, African cities have the opportunity to start with the latest technology, bypassing older and more well-established cities elsewhere in the world. And if you look at the strides that Africa has made from a broadband capacity point of
Getting Smart.
regional competitiveness transport and ICT economics natural resources human and social capital quality of life, and participation of citizens in the governance of cities. However, to be truly considered smart, cities need to have a strong drive in all of these areas. The African continent is a developing one and as such, there is a strong need to focus more on investing in information communication technology (ICT) and socio-economic development to ensure it is able to continue to develop and smart cities are able to come to the fore. We still have many challenges that are making the development of smart cities difficult, but we are working towards getting the foundational elements right – and Wi-Fi’s role is as prominent as ever!
CEO 2016 Vol 16.2
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CONTEN 56
Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster
59
REGULARS Ford Focus RS
10 THE LEADINGEDGE 08
THE FLIP SIDE
Breaking into the South African beer market is tough at best, even given the fact that South Africa is one of the biggest beer drinking nations in the world. Ruud van den Eijnden, the managing director of HEINEKEN SA, says his organisation is built on five strategic pillars which it intends to utilise to further grow its market share. He discusses these and declares that more than profits; HEINEKEN is committed to growing with South Africa.
Great Scott! A diversity of interests, sheer hard work and the foresight to spot the proverbial gap propelled James Scott to move from financial manager in the musical publishing industry.
SUPPLY WORX
54
IN THE KNOW
14 ONPOINT To ensure consistency within an organisation, it is vital to align operational governance namely the organisation’s rules, processes, procedures and policies to its strategic intent, and ultimately having the leader of the organisation walk their talk. Vol 16.2
2 Your World Unravelled 3 Editor’s Note 5 Insights 8 Flip Side 14 On Point 14 Characteristics’ of a good Entrepreneur. 16 Board Recruiting 101 18 Personal Branding Lessons. 39 What’s Hot or Not 72 In Conversation With
LIFEstyle 52Five Travel Trends Benefiting Luxury Business Travellers Escalating game changers a boon for business travellers
56 Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster Perfection on the move
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59 Ford Focus RS A beast, but what a feast
WHAT IS HOT or NOT
NTS Focus on Excellence 64 Dr Suzanne Ravenall
66 James Chona
Being the Best
Passionate about Technology
INtheKNOW
GLOBAL Expand your business Horizon Publisher CEO Global (Pty) Ltd Tel: 0861 CEO MAG Fax: (012) 667 6624 Tel: 012 667 6623 info@ceomag.co.za www.ceomag.co.za Chief Executive Annelize Wepener annelizew@ceomag.co.za Director: Strategic Development & Editor in Chief Valdi Pereira valdip@ceomag.co.za Director: Corporate & Financial Services Carl Wepener carlw@ceomag.co.za Manager: Office of the Chief Executive Nadine Aylward nadinea@ceomag.co.za General Manager: Global Services George Wepener georgew@ceomag.co.za General Manager: Global Media Services/ Head of Production Channette Raath channetter@ceomag.co.za
40 Big Sponsors Make It Hard to Swallow
Manager: Business Development – SADC South Danny Kabongo dannyk@ceomag.co.za
42 Disrupt your own business
Journalist Andrew Ngozo andrewn@ceomag.co.za
44 Business Interruption 101 – Can you keep the wheels turning if a spanner hits the works? 46 Building a Positive Organisation Culture Improves Performance 48 Africa 4.0 - A Vision for Africa
Continental Project Administrators Sylvia Houinsou sylviah@ceomag.co.za Rumbi Chanda rumbic@ceomag.co.za Manager: Corporate Support Raymond Mauelele raymondm@ceomag.co.za Designer Heather Stobbe heathers@ceomag.co.za
50 SA’s outdated banking regulations stifling innovation, preventing competition.
SUPPLYWORX 22 CIOs: Refuse the ERP Project Role 24 Career Killers to Circumvent in 2017 26 What Few Consultants Deliver That Every Client Wants 29 Why Predictive Analytics Can Make or Break a CRM System 32 Six Core Values of Empowered Leaders 34 Why Your ‘Negotiation Personality’ Can Undermine Your Success * No article or part of an article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the prior written permission of the publisher. The information provided and opinions expressed in this publication are provided in good faith but do not necessarily represent the opinions of the publisher or editor. All reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. However, neither the publisher nor the editor can be held legally liable in any way for damages of any kind whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from any facts or information provided or omitted in these pages, or from any statements made in or withheld by this publication.
CEO 2016 Vol 16.2
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FLIPSIDE
Disney What! Deal activity in the digital health start up space has grown by 20% year-on-year. It likely that as big medical and pharmaceutical companies start cosying up to tech giants that even more activity will take place in this market. With the doctor to patient ratio in most developing countries is way below acceptable norms (the norm is 1 per 1000 citizens) the reality is this is going to a space to watch and invest in, we think.
Wealth on
Four legs The deluge of smartphones hitting India has started to leave its mark. NestlĂŠ and Coca-Cola have bemoaned the fact that Indian consumers would rather spend money on their smartphones rather than things like snacks and even soap. Obesity versus nomophobia versus BO. Take your take pick.
Africa’s Tech Test Kitchen It is almost 23 years to the day since the Rwandan genocide, when an estimated 800 000 people were killed. For most people who think of Rwanda, images spring to mind of the brutality that took place over those 100 days in 1994. But the past is so far removed from the present for President Paul Kagame is determined to turn his into a tech hub. This makes complete sense. Rwanda has a relatively small population in Africa and a lack of exportable produce. Kagame’s government is determined that it becomes an ICT services economy.
FLIPSIDE
Strange but True In Japan, you can hire a handsome man to watch sappy movies with you and wipe away your tears. According to www.nydailynews. com, a Tokyo-based company called “Ikemeso Danshi,” which means, “Handsome Weeping Boys,” according to Quartz, offers the unusual service. It provides handsome suitors, and for about USD65, a man of your choice will watch a saccharine film with you and brush away your tears!
Emo’ Threat to Stability? Black eyeliner and bad hairdos be gone! In 2008, Russian authorities reportedly proposed laws to ban ‘emo’ culture. The anti-emo legislation was based on the presumption that the trend promotes depression, social withdrawal and suicide, according to The Guardian.
Seven Years Behind Ethiopia lives seven years behind the rest of the world based on its alternate calculations of when Jesus Christ was born, according to The Africa Report. The Ethiopian calendar follows the beliefs of the country’s Christian Orthodox Church and is rooted in the Coptic or Egyptian calendar, which is about seven to eight years behind the mainstream Gregorian calendar, the BBC reported. September 12 marks the start of the New Year for the African country — so their new millennium began on what we consider Sept. 12, 2007.
*some of the images were obtained from freepik.com
Almost a year into his term as the President of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), Parks Tau has also been elected as the first African President of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), adding to the depth and scope of his roles in local government. Apart from ensuring that local government has a voice across the global negotiation platforms, Tau wants to ensure that he bridges the gap between cities in the global North and those in the global South. One major way in which this can be achieved, he states, is to find innovative financial instruments that will be channelled towards infrastructure development that will spur economic growth. He hopes that, in this manner, ‘poor’ African, Asian and Latin American cities will be able to counter the rapid rate of urbanisation which is currently the phenomenon worldwide.
Giving Local
Government a Voice by Andrew Ngozo & Valdi Pereira
Parks Tau, President of the South African Local Government Association and first African President of the United Cities and Local Government
LEADINGEDGE - UCLG
Y
ou have been the president of SALGA for close to a year now. Given that it already has an impressive track record, what are your primary objectives as far as this institution is concerned? It is important to highlight, from the outset, that SALGA is an important part of the governance system of the country through its presence in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). As the SALGA president, it is my obligation to sit on the presidential infrastructure coordinating committee wherein the president of the republic meets with all the premiers. As such, it is the duty of the SALGA president to coordinate the work of the government throughout the country. It has been important for us to use these mechanisms of representation to enable the voice of local government to get through to the systems of both parliament and the executive in the country. We strongly believe that will allow us to influence the discourse and direction of the country in that regard. The association is placing a lot of emphasis on the implementation of the Integrated Urban Development Framework, which was adopted by cabinet last year. This is to ensure that we meet the needs of our communities and citizens, adequately, by using local government as a conduit that is able to respond to key pressure points. SALGA is fully cognisant that one of the many and immediate challenges faced by our cities today is urbanisation - they are struggling to deal with huge infrastructure backlogs as we speak. I need to point out that we acknowledge the fact that it is not only the big metropolitan municipalities that are growing at a phenomenal rate but the intermediary cities which are budding at an even higher rate per capita. Apt examples in this regard are those such as Rustenburg in the North West Province and Steve Tshwete and Emalahleni in Mpumalanga Province. These are, but, just some of the cities that are facing huge pressures when it comes to urbanisation. The more people move to these centres, then the more we need to speedily respond to the challenges that arise.
Thus, one can never stress enough the importance of the development and strengthening of our urban development policy and frameworks. For this to succeed, all stakeholders need to be all hands on deck because the government cannot go it alone and neither can local government. More emphasis also needs to be placed on SALGA provincial arms to ensure that they are more effective in representing local municipalities at a provincial level. In this regard, SALGA is lobbying provincial governments to pass legislation that is specific to organised local government. We hope that this will open up avenues where we [can] have direct access and interface with the provincial system of government, the legislature and the executive. Should this be a reality, sooner than later, it will vastly improve the manner in which SALGA operates as well as its relationship(s) with provincial government. Ultimately, it is always important to remember that SALGA is an association of municipalities and, hence, we need to work in such a fashion that reinforces the work of our member municipalities. Then, I think, we will be able to create centres of excellence and points of reference for municipalities to learn from each other as well as leverage on the experiences gained from one another. This will go a long way towards empowering SALGA to create effective mechanisms that will allow it to better serve its members. You’ve been on record as saying that you are tremendously excited with your election as the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) president. Can you please tell us more about UCLG and what your responsibilities will be? It is a global association of local authorities which does a number of things. In part it does the same work done by SALGA; only on a much bigger and global scale. The association represents more than half of the municipalities in the world comprising of both municipalities and local government associations in different countries.
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LEADINGEDGE - UCLG
In the South African context both SALGA and municipalities are members of UCLG. It is the preeminent organisation to represent the United Nations system. Through UCLG we engage stakeholders via an institution called the Global Taskforce, which was created by local government to bring, under one roof, all the voices of local government from across the globe. This is because we have thematic institutions such as those that deal with sustainability like the C40 which focuses on climate change issues. Essentially, UCLG is the convener of the Global Taskforce of Municipalities which allows local authorities to speak with one voice. The president of UCLG and the organisation [itself ] also chair the United Nations Advisory Committee on Local Authorities. This is the primary system which we use as the interface with the UN system; also a body that is gradually gaining statutory recognition within the UN. Presently, we are focusing a lot of our time and energy on strengthening the ability of local government to leverage different and innovative financial instruments that are available in the market. For example, in South Africa we are doing work that is related to pooled financing mechanisms which means that we are supporting South African municipalities through UCLG and its partner organisations, in order for local government in the country to gain access to capital funding for those who have not been able to gain access to the capital market. The same applies to those municipalities that have not been able to gain access to the debt capital market. More work is in progress to allow the same to access grant funding because there are a lot of such resources available for those who need them most - from multilateral organisations like the UN and the European Union or from individual countries. We aim to create capacity for local government to access such funding so that they can deal with issues of urban poverty, housing etc. We have realised that one of the major gaps faced by the global South is that, for instance, the poor countries of Africa and Latin America are not able to access such funds because
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they do not have the instruments to access these resources and be able to report continuously based on the criteria that has been set by a particular funding institution. Therefore, we are trying to build capacity so that we are able to support local government to access these important resources. This is all done in an effort to ensure that local government becomes the primary means of implementing the [important] global development agenda that has been adopted. This ranges from the sustainable development goals (SDGs) to the Climate Change Agreement and the New Urban Agenda recently adopted by the UN, among many others. Cities are under tremendous pressure around the world because people tend to migrate to urban centres as a means of moving up the economic ladder. What are your perspectives regarding how cities can deal with, or address, this complex challenge? It is important to recognise that urbanism and urban development are an important part of how the world is evolving. More people are living in cities such that we have reached a point where more than 50% of the world’s population are living in cities. At the same time, this is a world where more than 90% of global innovation occurs in the cities. Innovation facilitates economic growth and development, so we need to realise that we have to reap the urban dividend that people are going into cities. This requires that we enable our cities by equipping them with adequate planning tools for spatial planning because this is an important part of how cities function. Cities have to plan for infrastructure, human settlement and commercial development for transport, as well as for different parts of how the urban development system works. In this way, we will be able to build inclusive urban centres that thrive and create opportunities for their citizens to participate economically, prosper and climb up the socio-economic ladder. One of the key challenges with cities in the global South is that, while they urbanise at such a rapid pace, they are not able to reap the benefit of urbanisation that is currently taking
LEADINGEDGE - UCLG
The president of UCLG and the organisation [itself] also chair the United Nations Advisory Committee on Local Authorities. place. In order to mitigate this, we are ensuring that we build the capacity of the cities such that they are equipped with effective planning and implementation tools for any planning frameworks that they may have developed. It is both about spatial planning and land use management and the cities’ ability to provide the necessary infrastructure that will support a growing economy. It is of vital importance that our cities have the muscle to leverage on their own income streams and balance sheets to allow them access to debt capital markets and grant funding. The stark reality is that, throughout the world, most cities prosper because they had adequate grant funding. Cities in the global North get their funding from their respective governments and the global market but the same cannot be said of the cities in the global South. It is very important that, if we are to create a more equitable world then we need to cultivate an equitable playing field vis-à-vis grant funding. This work has occupied much of our efforts as we have been lobbying the UN and other development agencies in this regard. We need more resources to go to local government instead of the national government as is currently the case. It is at the local government level where the rubber meets the road and service delivery takes place. As the first African president of the UCLG, what do you hope to leave as your legacy to the organisation? Firstly, I should stress that, it is an honour to have been elected as the first African president of the UCLG. It suggests that people do not only have confidence in me as the president but in the global South as we know it today. It also shows the faith that the global community has in South Africa to champion their cities’ causes. Personally, for me, it is about ensuring that we build an organisation that will serve its members effectively through our regions all over the world. We need to create more mechanisms that will allow regional associations to effectively serve their constituencies.
Secondly it is about representation so that local government is more effective and gets a more prominent seat in the global negotiating table. The world is busy negotiating important issues about society but local government is visibly absent. Further, we need to ensure that local government also gets a seat at the implementation table by lobbying the UN system to create these. It is very encouraging that the UN has recognised the role of local government through such platforms as the New Urban Agenda and the role of cities as adopted in October 2016 as well as in the SDGs which replaced the millennium development goals. In the SDGs’ regard there is goal 11 which specifically relates to the role of cities in the bigger scheme of global urban developments. We are happy to see that local government is able to assume its role as a negotiating partner and as an implementing partner of the global development agenda. It is also going to be about creating equity in the world because we realise that the cities in the global South are the ones that are currently experiencing very high levels of urbanisation yet they have the lowest levels of infrastructure investment. This is an anomaly that has to be addressed yesterday by, as I have already alluded, opening up grant funding avenues and capital debt markets. In this manner they will be able to uplift their citizens immensely as well as respond to the needs of their communities. This is going to be critical for cities going forward because it allows them to deal with any hurdles that are brought on by the rapid rate of urbanisation. The infrastructure backlog is most likely to get worse if we do not come up with innovative funding solutions for cities in the global South as soon as possible. For me, this is the most critical task that we have to tackle on behalf of local government.
CEO 2016 Vol 16.2
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ONPOINT
Characteristics of a good entrepreneur by Jonathan Stewart, Managing Partner - African Investments at Exponential Ventures, MMI Holdings
S
ix traits investors look for in an entrepreneur The life of the entrepreneur can seem highly attractive to those looking from the outside. Who would not be attracted by the lure of greater freedom, independence and individual sovereignty that are part and parcel of the life of an entrepreneur? However, it’s crucial to remove those rose-tinted glasses and to take a more balanced and realistic view of the life of the entrepreneur to be sure that you are not caught off-sides by the huge sacrifices and relentless demands of this sometimes very unstable life. While some individuals are naturally cut out to thrive in the rough and tumble life of entrepreneurship, others may be more suited to the relatively more stable life working for somebody else, however appealing the attractions of entrepreneurship may seem. It is therefore prudent to take some time to assess what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur before taking this big leap. Essentially, before committing money and too much time to a venture, we try to ascertain the extent to which the entrepreneur has the required mettle for success, based on what appears in the past to have been the critical success factors across multitudes of entrepreneurs. Naturally, this is in addition to an assessment of other key aspects around, inter alia, the market size, the product and general team quality and makeup.
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1.
Passion
With respect to the entrepreneur, we need to see a significant level of passion on their part for the problem that they intend to solve, as well as for the solution that they propose to deliver to their target customers. Without this passion and a deep internal drive, it is unlikely that they will show the necessary perseverance, resilience and punishingly high work rate that is required, often over many years, in the highly demanding process of successfully developing and growing their business. 2.
Coachability Passion can have a dark side, however, manifesting in obstinacy and an inability to take feedback and advice, often to the detriment of the business. Consequently, we are also on the lookout for a productive balance between passion, drive and open-mindedness. We need to have a sense that the entrepreneur will be truly open to market feedback and be coachable, as and when the need arises. 3.
Commitment “Skin in the game” commitment is also critical for us to assess as investors. A founder who merely has optionality on the upside of a business, rather than a deep level of commitment and perhaps something to lose, isn’t sufficiently aligned with investors and may find it easier to drop out of the race when the going gets really tough. And it invariably gets a lot tougher than anyone expected when they first set out.
ONPOINT
It’s not uncommon to hear from entrepreneurs that if they knew at the start what they know now, they likely wouldn’t have begun in the first place. It’s not uncommon to hear from entrepreneurs that if they knew at the start what they know now, they likely wouldn’t have begun in the first place. 4.
Mastery Passion, commitment, open-mindedness and coachability are not enough. It is critical that the entrepreneur has developed a very high degree of mastery over the problem domain, which can be complex in the areas of insurance, health and wellness that interests us. Importantly, this mastery should not be restricted to thorough desk-top research, which is taken as a given. We need to see evidence of extensive learning through observation and interaction with potential customers and other stakeholders out in the wild, in an effort to confirm the true existence of the problem, develop a deep understanding of its subtleties and nuances and develop a creative and compelling solution. Without such a deep immersion and the knowledge base that flows from it, the odds of success for the entrepreneur fall off dramatically.
6.
Learner Finally, the entrepreneurial journey can be a long one and the skill-sets that are required evolve as the business moves through its various phases. The successful entrepreneur is a continuous learner that always strives to update their skillsets and to broaden the capabilities of the crack team surrounding them as the company evolves, particularly under hyper-growth conditions. The above is far from an exhaustive list, but if you feel that these points resonate with you, then perhaps you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.
5.
Data-driven mind-set The most successful entrepreneurs have a high respect for their scarce resources and consequently take considerable care to test the relevance of their proposed solutions before approaching the market for funding. Accordingly, we look for a data-driven mind-set that utilises well-designed tests to confirm or refute the entrepreneur’s initial hunches and assumptions, rather than an unscientific, disorganised and sporadic approach that reduces learning, squanders scarce resources and ultimately dramatically reduces the chances of success. The entrepreneur must be willing and able to change their mind in the face of disconfirming evidence, pivoting the different aspects of their business model until they find a way to profitably deliver a compelling value proposition to their chosen market on a scalable and sustainable basis.
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ONPOINT
Board Recruiting 101: Reflections and Suggestions on Best Practices by Patricia Lenkov, Agility Executive Search
T
hese days, boards of directors are being held increasingly accountable and the role of board member is more complex and time consuming than ever. According to the 2015 PWC public company governance survey, directors “spend an average of 248 hours annually on their board work.� The composition of the board is also being focused on and questioned with more regularity. Boards are being held to task and must have the right mix of experiences, diversity and tenure. Government bodies, regulators and investors have something to say about all of this and interestingly, customers and employees are beginning to weigh in as well. As a result of the many increased demands on boards of directors, the manner by which boards go about populating themselves should be evolving as well. Boards generally go about recruiting new directors in two general ways. One is
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The recruitment of corporate board directors is a topic that has been receiving increased attention of late. The reasons for this are many. To begin, until the numerous corporate implosions of recent times such as Enron, WorldCom and Lehman Brothers, we used to believe that boards of directors were sacrosanct. The board was considered above judgement and those within the boardroom were beyond critique. The board also functioned in quite an opaque manner and the idea of board directors meeting with shareholders (as has been happening these days) was unheard of. Additionally, it used to be that board invitations were lifetime appointments and rarely was there a competitive vetting process because board directors usually came from a well-known and connected population of CEOs. All of this is changing.
ONPOINT
through their own network and the other is through engaging with a professional executive recruiter. According to the 2016/2017 NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors) Public Company Governance Survey, sources of director candidates are as follows: 37.7% search firm, 27.5% personal networking/word of mouth, 22.2% identification by a board committee, 5.7% shareholder suggestion, 1.4% director database and 5.5% other. No matter the methodology, the end result must be a highly qualified director who can add value, wisdom and unique expertise to the board and the company it serves. Let’s look briefly at the two most common options for recruiting board directors. When a company has an opening on its board or anticipates one in the near future, it may feel very natural and appropriate to go around the boardroom table and ask each director for ideas and recommendations. Historically this was often how it was done. To add some robustness to the process trusted advisors such as a lawyer or accountant might be asked as well. But the result is the same, new director candidates would not always be the most qualified or best people for the role. Rather they would be the proverbial low hanging fruit. Those that are known to someone affiliated with the company. The other avenue for recruiting board directors involves engaging with a professional Executive Recruiter who has board recruiting as their specialty. This is important because the board recruitment process is quite different than other types of recruiting. When working with a board recruiter the following steps should take place. Initially the recruiter or recruiting team will meet with the nominating and governance committee and usually the CEO. Other members of the board may be included as well as members of the executive team such as the General Counsel and/or head of Human Resources. The purpose of this initial meeting is to understand what the board is looking for. This should include an analysis of the current board makeup with a full enumeration of skills and expertise. A matrix diagram can serve to lay out all of this information so that gaps can be visualised and easily understood. The board recruiter should also analyse the company’s strategic plan and near term objectives to further determine what type of director would be best for the company. The result of this discussion is an overview of the various qualifications and skills that the new director should possess. As there are very limited board seats, each board director should ideally have a multitude of qualifications and relevant expertise that can be easily identified as their reason for being on the board. All good board searches need to begin with this analysis of the current situation along with a view to where the company is heading. From here, qualified candidates are identified and assessed. Initial candidate identification
should be broad-reaching but never compromising. It is always surprising to learn the reasons for people being interested (or not) in a particular opportunity. For example, geography is an important variable in decision making about board opportunities. Board candidates are by definition midto senior level executives and often in demand. As such, where board meetings take place can impact their interest. Board meeting dates are another practical consideration. All conversations will cease as soon as a director candidate realises that the potential board meeting dates overlap too much with those of their current board(s). Once practicalities and logistics are worked through, the real task of assessing qualifications can begin. This should begin with a resume or CV. But this is only the starting point. This paperwork is the baseline for the assessment to begin because basic qualifications need to be met. Above and beyond this is where the real assessment begins and that is with soft skills, style and culture fit. So much of the success of a board candidate and ultimately board director will be because of an appropriate combination of hard skills and experience with a suitable style and appropriate temperament. This is not easy or obvious to assess but definitely critical. The understanding of style and fit should be obtained not only by interviewing the candidate but by speaking (in
So much of the success of a board candidate and ultimately board director will be because of an appropriate combination of hard skills and experience with a suitable style and appropriate temperament. private or confidentially) to those that have worked with him or her. Insights such as these can be tricky to obtain but definitely invaluable. The importance of this part of the process can never be underestimated. The board recruitment process should be multifaceted and thorough. It should involve an array of qualified candidates who go through a multi-step process. The results will bear out that this is critically important. A well-functioning board with strong and committed and contributing members can make a huge difference for any company. And in case you feel that the work is complete once the new board member is nominated, think again, on-boarding and orienting the director is critical to insure that he/she has the tools to succeed and then, of course, on-going education, support and training will help assure the relationship is long-lasting and productive.
CEO 2016 Vol 16.2
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Personal Branding Lessons Every Professional Needs by Merilee Kern, MBA
In the business world, there are those who create policy, set up infrastructure and generally make the rules everyone else follows - except for those who happen to be the rule breakers. These are the individuals who say what they think, mean what they say and march to the beat of their own drum. Both of these personal styles can certainly garner attention and get things done, however, there are personal branding lessons both types can benefit from. I recently connected with Karen Leland, an internationally-regarded brand strategist and author of the newly released title, “The Brand Mapping Strategy: Design, Build, and Accelerate Your Brand,” for some insight. She conveyed that branding successes, challenges and resulting lessons for rule makers and rule breakers can be tied to six specific areas as they pertain to us all. According to Leland’s predictive Brand Mapping Matrix, the success of any brand—in business or otherwise—boils down to how the brand performs across these six key dimensions.
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Know precisely where you are so you can discern where you need to go.
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ach of Leland’s dimensions is detailed below, including exactly how both personal styles fared therein as well as the correlated personal brand takeaways, to help other enterprising professionals achieve in kind. Develop Your Brand by Design, Not Default. Know precisely where you are so you can discern where you need to go. Rule Breaker: In the 1980s, the infamous character Gordon Gecko from the movie, Wall Street was the epitome of the rule breaker. He wasn’t afraid to call it like he saw it, no matter what anyone else thought. Even today, there’s a fascination with those who position themselves as anti-establishment and proudly go against the grain. As a general strategy, this has the potential to allow professionals to get away with more than the typical business leader normally would. Rule Maker: These are the qualified professionals with a solid track record and plenty of experience implementing tried and true policies. However, while a proven history of success is important, this type of traditional style has the risk of being seen as stodgy or lacking innovation. This type of management style has the challenge of incorporating new ideas for continued growth and success.
Personal Brand Takeaway: Every business person, from secretary to CEO, needs to start by assessing the personal brand they currently have and be truthful about the degree to which it exists by design—or default. Then they need to take stock of the impact that current brand is having. Is your brand producing the reputation you desire? Is it creating the environment and responses you are looking for? If not, a pivot to a more powerful personal brand may be needed. Anchor Statement. What is the go-to description of who you are and what you do? This is sometimes referred to as an elevator pitch. Rule Maker: A terrific example of an effective anchor statement comes from Michelle Seiler-Tucker, M&A Advisor: “I specialise in selling businesses and represent more than 10 000 buyers looking to acquire a company. On average, we obtain a 20% to 40% higher selling price than what the business first appraises for.” It’s specific and to the point. Rule Breaker: Steve Jobs has been noted for a wide variety of memorable statements. When describing his company he said, “What is Apple, after all? Apple is about people who think ‘outside the box,’ people who want to use computers to help them change the world, to help them create things that make a difference, and not just to get a job done.” While not strictly an anchor statement, it certainly underscores Jobs’ and Apple’s overall philosophy. Personal Brand Takeaway: All business people need to be able to present their brand in less than a minute. For example: When at a cocktail party you are asked the standard, “What do you do?” can you answer in a few short sentences that pique the listener’s interest? If not, your anchor statement needs some work. In addition, it’s important to pay attention to how your anchor statement is resonating and landing with your desired audience. Unique Branding Proposition. What is it about what you do, or how you do it, that makes you unique, distinct and special? What sets you apart? Rule Maker: Brands that capitalise on being the best product or service in their industry can and certainly do build brand loyalty and enjoy success - as long as they can deliver on their claims of superiority.
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Rule Breaker: The rule breakers understand that now more than ever, how you do what you do is just as important, if not more so, than simply being the best at what you do. Finding new and better ways of doing things is critical to continued growth and success. Personal Brand Takeaway: Positioning yourself by specifically articulating how your brand speaks to the needs of your audience, and the unique way you address those needs, is critical to creating an effective personal brand. And the more specific you can be, the better. Brand Tone and Temperament. What is the consistent mood, tenor, quality, character and manner you bring to all your interactions? Rule Maker: Successful keynote speakers know how to engage with their audiences, hold their attention and leave them with something of value. Following the traditional standards of speech writing and delivery will hold speakers in good stead. However, a speech that is simply good may be effective in the moment but the chances of that speech having an impact over any length of time are fairly low. Rule Breaker: There’s a reason TED talks are so popular. TED talks are given by impassioned, industry leaders who are not simply giving a speech - they are telling stories, giving a performance, leaving it all out on the stage. Their topic, whatever it is, may be broad but the delivery is uniquely them. Their TED talk is powerful because they are the only person on the planet who can give it. Personal Brand Takeaway: What you say has power, but the way you say it—your tone—has just as much impact. Every businessperson needs to be aware of how their brand tone is coming across (online and off ) and adjust where necessary. In addition, taking any tone to an extreme will always backfire: Too serious or too snarky both harm a brand in the long run. Signature Story. Why do you do what you do? What’s the essential story that brought you to this place? Rule Breaker: Being a rebel or a maverick can seem cool but doing so to the point of alienating those around you is counterproductive. Part of being a successful rule breaker is
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knowing which rules to break and when. No one is an island and it’s important to be able to nurture the key relationships and partnerships you’ll need to help your business thrive. Rule Maker: Gone are the days where a company’s CEO is a nameless, faceless entity unknown by consumers. People want to know the who and the why behind the what. Personal Brand Takeaway: Never underestimate the power of a good story. A strong (and truthful) narrative about where you came from and what has influenced you to do the work you now do can connect you with your customers, employees and colleagues at a deeper level. Your brand needs to be more than a single sound bite or pithy elevator pitch. Otherwise, you run the risk of damaging your brand when things don’t go exactly as you planned. The best brands feature multiple, complementary messages that weave together to form an accessibly complex and in-depth communication. Signature Services. What are your core competencies? Rule Maker: Having an MBA or other formal degree and education is undoubtedly extremely helpful. The knowledge and connections made are invaluable. Rule Breaker: However, there have always been those who have the creativity, passion, intelligence and work ethic required to get a successful business off the ground - no formal education required. Having specific core competencies whether those come from education or experience is what’s important. Personal Brand Takeaway: Know exactly what your brand brings to the table and how it stacks up against your competitors, and craft a powerful way to talk about it that inspires confidence in others. The fulcrum of your brand needs to rest on the material ingredients of your values and commitments. A standout style (be it brash or competent) is a plus, but it will only take you so far. At some point going beyond taking a stand for what you believe in and specifically letting people know how you plan to get there will become a central issue. Think about one area where your personal brand is being expressed more in talk than displayed in action and focus on aligning the two.
Consultancy Few Deliveries on Client Needs Analytics Predictive Can Make or Break a CRM System
CIOs
Refuse the Project Sponsor Role
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*some of the images were obtained from freepik.com
The right sponsor can make the difference between ERP project success and failure.
CIOs: by Susan Moore
Refuse the ERP Project Sponsor Role
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Don’t put on the project sponsor hat simply because nobody else will, ERP system implementations are business, rather than IT projects.
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group of government agencies began an enterprise resource planning (ERP) initiative to standardise processes, as part of a shared services initiative, with the aim of gaining greater financial visibility across agencies. The CIO perceived this project as career making and argued his case for becoming the project sponsor. Fourteen months into the project — with U$16 million spent and little to show for the effort — the project was abandoned and the CIO fired. The major issue was the CIO’s inability to create consensus and drive the needed transformational change across varying agencies. The departments simply did not see him as a credible figure for business transformation and
blamed IT for trying to impose its will on agency processes. “The mark of a good CIO is to know when to hold a position — and not taking on the business sponsorship role is certainly one of those occasions,” said Denise Ganly, research director at Gartner. “Don’t put on the project sponsor hat simply because nobody else will,” said Ms. Ganly. “You can set yourself up for failure. Instead, take time to secure the right business sponsor to ensure success.” Unless it’s purely a technical project involving an infrastructure, operating system or database upgrade, CIOs should resist the temptation to take on the role of sponsor for ERP projects. Some CIOs seize the sponsor role as they believe they will gain power and control through performing it. An ERP implementation is usually one of the largest investments an organisation makes and has far reaching scope, impact and influence. The reality is that CIOs don’t have the political muscle and clout to push the transformation through the organisation. So who is the right sponsor? An effective project sponsor is not a figurehead who blesses the project, turns up for monthly steering committee meetings and then authorises the end of project celebration. It’s an active, fully engaged role that is accountable for the ultimate success of the ERP project — always remembering that the measures of success are improved business outcomes. “ERP system implementations are business, rather than IT projects,” Ms. Ganly said. “Yet far too often it falls to the CIO to take on the role of project sponsor when there’s a vacuum created by the unwillingness of business leaders to take on the role.” Business leaders may be unwilling to take on the role of sponsor for a variety of reasons. Most commonly, they mistakenly believe an ERP implementation to be an IT project. Some may have had a bad experience in the past. Others feel that they don’t have enough time to devote to it. Often they simply misunderstand what the role of sponsor is, confusing it with program direction, for example. While an overall corporate business sponsor is essential to the project, it’s important to recognise that local sponsorship must augment this in ERP projects that include multiple business units, divisions or countries. Otherwise, there’s a risk that the project will be seen as something imposed from the corporate center or global headquarters that can be opted out of or ignored at a local level. The project must be treated as a business change or transformation enabled by ERP. As CIO, you must support the appointed business sponsor of the ERP project to secure and maintain active, engaged, and informed sponsorship throughout the project — even if the project extends over several years, as many ERP implementations do.
CEO 2016 Vol 16.2
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People losing jobs to technology will not easily find work comparable to their prior positions and, as we already see, the new jobs created often go unfilled due to skills gaps.
With a new U.S. Jobs Study revealing that “tectonic changes are reshaping U.S. workplaces as the economy moves deeper into the knowledge-focused age” amid the stark reality that lifelong skills development and training have evolved into mandatory, mission-critical facets of one’s sustained career success, it’s clear the 4th Industrial Revolution (i.e., the age of automation, artificial intelligence and robotics) has ushered in a brave new workplace. One reportedly prompting a societywide reckoning relative to skills proliferation and other key next-gen concerns. And, rightly so, as the only thing constant in today’s tumultuous job market is change. We are entering an unprecedented economic era rife with peril and opportunity, alike.
Career Killers
to Circumvent in 2017 F
or some industry insider perspective I connected with jobs economy analyst, personal branding coach, visionary and futurist Larry Boyer, President of Success Rockets LLC—a firm that helps people and businesses anticipate, prepare and respond to the volatile and dynamic changes caused by disruptive technologies, economic turbulence and omnipresent business failures by building the business of you. During our conversation, Boyer underscored a recent White House report, Preparing For The Future of Artificial Intelligence, acknowledging that, while “artificial intelligence will likely increase productivity and create wealth, it may also affect particular types of jobs in different
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by Merilee Kern, MBA
ways, reducing demand for certain skills that can be automated while increasing demand for other skills that are complementary to AI. However, artificial intelligence is only one component of the broader economic shift that the World Economic Forum has termed ‘the 4th Industrial Revolution’ where, over the course of the next few years and lasting decades, we will see fundamental transformation in industries, businesses and careers.” According to Boyer, while policy makers and business leaders talk about how new jobs will offset those lost due to technological change, what’s missed are the impacts to individuals suffering those job losses. “People losing jobs to technology will not easily find work comparable to
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their prior positions and, as we already see, the new jobs created often go unfilled due to skills gaps,” he asserts. “In today’s fast-changing business climate driven by digital transformation, career-minded professionals must have a long-term business plan for themselves, helping them adapt every single day to not only to thrive, but even just survive.” Boyer warns that executives must do a better job of democratising mentoring. Most companies do mentoring ad-hoc upon employee request on an individual basis. With increasing concerns over corporate cutbacks, companies must do more to develop their workforce and ensure they are being trained to make a valuable contribution as the economy continues its meteoric shift towards more efficient technology solutions. Given that in 2017 we’ll be inching, and in some cases taking giant leaps, toward increased disruption in business and technology—inevitably leading to career troubles for many people, I asked Boyer for insight on specific career killers up ahead. “More than the rapid changes we’ve seen in the last decade, we’re poised to see some sudden, dramatic changes that can affect your career and ultimately your bottom line,” he said, also offering these three career crushing trends to beware in 2017 and beyond: Disruptive Technology Can Disrupt Your Career More and more we are starting to see disruptive technology, and not just the simple evolution from one product to the next version of it. Instead, we’re seeing entirely new technologies seeming to come out of nowhere and change the way we work. Virtual Reality, 3-D printing, self-driving cars, drones and artificial intelligence are just a few examples. Dubbed, the 4th Industrial Revolution by global business leaders at the World Economic Forum, changes in technology along with how we interact with that technology look to transform both how and how much we work. If you’re paying attention and learning these technologies, they can lead to enhancing your career. However, if you’re not looking ahead to how technologies could shape your industry and your job, you could end up finding yourself replaced.
building of the aircraft. Pay attention as what’s happening in Washington will ripple through to your industry, company and ultimately you. New Business and Employment Models The idea of working for one company for a lifetime is long gone. Having a full-time job may be the next thing to go. The combination of increased employment costs (such as health care) and the need to adapt to rapidly changing business environments and technology are increasingly leading companies to stop hiring full-time employees in favour of contractors and part-time employees. While for some types of work, such as retail, it’s easy to see the reports of these trends in the news. However, this issue hits home to an increasing number of employees in an increasing number of fields – including programming and IT functions. “What makes dealing with disruptions like these particularly difficult is that rarely is the disruption first seen at the level of a person’s job,” noted Boyer. “Rather, the disruption happens somewhere else first and then flows silently, almost unnoticed until it hits you like a tsunami after an earthquake. In order for you to navigate your career through today’s rapidly changing and disruptive business environment, you need to be aware of industry trends and new technologies, and how they will flow through to the work you do as well as the financial health of the company you work for. It doesn’t matter how safe you think your job is if your company is disrupted and has to close.” In order to ensure a lasting career for yourself, don’t just watch and comment on the news. Think about how what you are seeing and hearing will impact the company you work for and your job specifically. What can you do to start preparing today for tomorrow’s changes?
Political Change Creates New Winners and Losers The United States has a new president promising to shake up the way the US conducts business – both inside and outside of the country. Any change of administration brings with it differences in emphasis and direction. Pay attention to where the opportunities are opening and closing. As an example, President Trump has criticised Boeing for costs related to the development of a new Air Force One as well as the sale of planes to Iran. Whether those deals go through or not will impact the jobs and livelihoods of everyone involved with the sales and
CEO 2016 Vol 16.1
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What Few Consultants Deliver
By Merilee Kern, MBA
That Every Client Wants The promise of independent consulting is fast cars, big cheques, and total flexibility to pick and choose clients, and it’s a promise hundreds of thousands of ex workers chase every year. Ex-executives, ex-employees, and ex-big-name-consultants are flooding the ranks of independent consultants thanks to the recession and jobless recovery. This gold rush mentality is understandable given that U.S. businesses spend an astounding USD120+ billion on management consultants each year—and six times that amount on other advisors such as IT specialists, R&D companies, lawyers, and accountants. Hundreds of thousands of consultants are employed in firms ranging from single-shingle shops to global, mega-consultancies.
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ut, even in a trade that’s rife with profit potential, actually earning that pot of gold can be extraordinarily difficult given that there are twoplus million consultants, coaches, trainers, and similar professionals all fighting to find clients, win projects and make a living. Roughly half of these consultants are solo practitioners or in boutique firms—and the sad reality is most boutique consulting firms are perpetually six months away from bankruptcy. Their new business procurement engine sputters along unreliably, resulting in a persistent struggle to grow larger, while solo consultants capture average annual revenues under USD70 000 (compared to USD250 000 per consultant across the entire industry). To explore this disconnect, I connected with David A. Fields, author of The Executive’s Guide to Consultants, and the soon-to-be-released follow-up title, The Irresistible Consultant’s Guide to Winning Clients. Himself a multimillion-dollar earning independent consultant, this expert’s expert has some sage advice on how people can realise success in the consulting trade—a profession, he concedes, that can be “as problematic as it is profitable.” Since Fields has coached hundreds of successful consultants and other independent practitioners around the world on how to make it rain, I asked him the obvious question: “Why do so many struggle in this field?” Quite unequivocally, he asserted that too many consultants—the majority, in fact—are completely missing the mark with respect to their baseline approach and overarching mind-set. To help give independent consultants a clearer path to that coveted yet elusive goal of financial freedom through what could be a lifestyle-friendly career, here are six of Fields’ pragmatic, eye-opening tips: Tip 1: Think Right-Side Up Fields urges what he calls Right-Side Up thinking that boils down to a simple idea: Consulting isn’t about you, it’s about them—the clients. Like many obvious philosophies, Right-Side Up thinking is far easier to say than to put into practice. Consultants tend to make consulting about themselves—it’s evident in their marketing materials, their pitches, even their approach to projects. Consultants who are thinking Right-Side Up use their client’s preferred communication method (phone? email? text?) and style, not their own. Their proposals focus on the client’s problem and outcome, not the consultant’s methodology. Their marketing materials speak about their clients’ issues, situations, and aspirations, not what makes the consultant great. They even turn down projects if that would be in the best interest of the client.
Consulting isn’t about you, it’s about them—the clients. CEO 2016 Vol 16.2
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Tip 2: Maximise Impact Fields contends that most consultants—particularly boutique firms—who don’t have enough clients believe they have a visibility problem; i.e., not enough prospects know about them. In fact, most of those consultants have an impact problem. They’re in front of enough prospects, but those prospects don’t care about what the consultant is offering. In contrast, successful consultants know how to fish where the fish are, which means they focus their firms on issues clients are aware of and urgently want to solve. Amazingly, many consultants offer solutions the consultants think are important, without ever checking the market need. For instance, a consulting company might be trained in category management, however, it may fare better by shifting the firm’s focus to market expansion if that’s the primary issue their clients want to address. Tip 3: Build Visibility Once you have impact, Fields says visibility is critical. More awareness leads to more prospects, more clients, and more revenue. It’s as easy and linear as that. To achieve this, there are five specific Marketing Musts a consultant should employ, which have proven most effective for winning clients. They are: Writing, Speaking, Trade Associations, Digital Presence and Networking. Surprisingly, Fields suggests the quest to differentiate, which is a mainstay of marketing, is a misguided effort for consulting firms. According to Fields: “Clients aren’t looking for different. They’re looking for reliable, credible solutions to their problems.” Tip 4: Connect, Connect, Connect Since relationships are the engine that powers consulting firms, Fields exhorts consultants to drop the sales orientation and focus on creating, nurturing and leveraging relationships. In fact, Fields promotes an unusual definition of wealth—that wealth = relationship strength. He counters the common requests consultants use to try to garner introductions, “Who do you know who could use my services?” (a gambit that rarely works well), with a more effective alternative: “Who’s the most interesting person you’ve talked to in the past couple of months?” This removes the awkwardness factor associated with asking for contacts while also taking the pressure off the person receiving the request. Other effective strategies Fields suggests to create new relationships include walking the halls, which is literally introducing yourself to nearby decision makers; setting up internal meetings at the client’s location; and setting up interviews as research for a thought leadership piece. Additionally, he reminds consultants to make their visibility-building efforts interactive. For instance, when
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giving a speech, Fields suggests asking listeners to write down their response to a question, then asking members of the audience to stand up when you describe the response matching what they wrote. Of course, rather than dashing off after the speech, the consultant should stick around and talk with those who want to learn more. Tip 5: Become the Obvious Choice Fields believes the trick to becoming the consultant that clients value above all others can be summarised in a single word: discovery. Through the process of discovery, the would-be irresistible consultant learns the client’s desires, hopes, requirements, and fears better than any competitor— perhaps better than the client himself. He suggests using a carefully constructed Context Discussion with power questions that build trust and uncover crucial information. For instance, Fields even encourages consultants to ask questions that might scare lesser-calibre professionals, such as, “What concerns do you have about bringing in an outsider like us? Do you have any worries about that?” Tip 6: Propose, Negotiate & Close While winning clients is the result of hard work and diligence, even consultants who follow the first five tips often fail to seal the deal. To spur greater success closing deals, Fields suggests building a story that compels clients to sign on the dotted line, and proffering combinations of approaches, terms and fees that are highly tailored to resonate with each particular prospect. Fees are frequently a point of contention and, when objections to fees arise, Fields recommends a tactic he calls the strategic delay. Rather than offering one of the common responses to fee objections (defensively justifying the fee or weakly reducing scope), a consultant using the strategic delay acknowledges the fee objection then asks, what else? to surface other concerns and trepidations. By soliciting all opposition points before addressing any, the consultant avoids becoming defensive and can tackle the objections from easiest-to-hardest. This builds the time, trust and momentum needed to effectively combat fee objections. Clearly, in a profession with so much upside, many seek to garner success working as a consultant or other type of independent practitioner. Perhaps best exemplifying the lack of business development prowess in this profession was the last thought Fields conveyed in our exchange— that a great number of consultants fail at the most fundamental, yet mission-critical, final step in the sales process: actually asking for the business. Here professionals need to foil that fear of rejection and go for it. If you don’t ask you don’t get, it’s just that simple.
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Why Predictive Analytics Can Make
By Merilee Kern, MBA
or Break a CRM System Size doesn’t matter: Five ways predictive analytics prove your customer relationship management methods are likely falling short.
For a sales-driven organisation, it isn’t the size of your data that matters; it’s what you do with it. No longer a discretionary luxury, predictive analytics are now the name of the game for those who seek to utilise customer metrics in a meaningful way to establish a tremendous competitive advantage, gain notable market share and significantly boost bottom lines. In fact, according to the 2015 State of Sales Report published by Salesforce Research, “smart selling fuelled by predictive analysis is expected to jump by 77% among high performers,” throughout 2016. Not only that but high performers are also four times more likely to use predictive analytics.
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That’s why it’s critical to have a system that not only changes with your customers but also learns and adapts to their new actions to make predictive calculations based on the past, present and future behaviours.
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ust what exactly is predictive analysis? Simply put, it’s the ability to more precisely predict a customer’s future spending based on their past behaviours. Of course, there’s no way to actually predict the future but predictive analysis can give companies invaluable insight that can make or break a CRM system. “If you’re not using predictive analytics, your current CRM system is likely falling short in several areas,” says data driven marketing authority Lang Smith of Cloud Signalytics—a proprietary predictive intelligence software platform helping companies create highly precise, individualised customer profiles to maximise sales. Below, Lang offers five ways that predictive analytics can help a CRM-based marketing engine achieve more: Forecasting Likely Customer Behaviours There’s an old saying in sales: “buyers are liars.” Unfortunately, salespeople are forced to enter notes based on what the customer tells them. Besides these basic notes that are often unreliable, it’s almost impossible for a CRM system to determine a consumer’s actual behaviour. However, predictive analytics software comes with a certain level of assumptions. In this case, the assumption is the future will continue to be like the past. Often, however, behaviours change. That’s why it’s critical to have a system that not only changes with your customers but also learns and adapts to their new actions to make predictive calculations based on the past, present and future behaviours. Enhancing Customer Relationships It’s very difficult to build a true customer relationship if you have no way of accessing and analysing their prior behaviour with your company. Unfortunately, a CRM system cannot automatically track customer actions. It relies heavily on manual human interaction and cultivation relying heavily on the accuracy of a salesperson’s notes, which are often less than desirable.
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The most common use of predictive analytics is, in fact, to increase and improve customer relationships. The better you know your customer, the more sales you can ultimately make. Using sophisticated algorithms to reveal how your customer behaves allows you to also better communicate with your customer. For instance, isn’t it nice to hear your name when you walk in to your local coffee shop? Isn’t it nice that they already know what you’re drinking without you saying anything? On a larger scale, this is how predictive analytics enhance a company’s sales efforts. Many direct marketers have it figured it out, sending you offers in the mail that you are likely to actually want as opposed to the ones you consider junk. This is all done with predictive analytics. And, another great thing about predictive analytics data is that it doesn’t have to be big at all. In fact, sometimes the data can be just a small concentrated section of just a few hundred actions. Maximising Marketing Budget ROI If you’re like most companies and have an actual marketing budget, however big or small, it’s best to first make sure the audience you’re targeting actually wants what you’re selling. On its best day, a CRM system can only give you an educated guess. If you want to maximise your marketing budget, solely using a CRM platform to determine the best suited marketing audience is not the best direction. But, with predictive analytics, you can maximise your return on investment no matter the budget. For example, if you seek to spend R10 000 on a campaign for delivery to 10 000 customers or prospects, predictive analytics will curate that audience to deliver your message to 10 000 consumers that specifically want what you’re offering at the time. Conversely, CRM solutions alone have very limited filters that prevent a business owner from drilldown targeting the correct audience and, as a result, are undermining their ROI with opportunity loss. Allowing Data-Driven Decisions The core success benchmark of any company is its numbers. A CRM system cannot show you exact sales numbers broken down by each individual customer over time with any ease. A significant amount of training is usually involved in trying to properly access and formulate these tasks. This often requires a lot of time, which means less time spent making actual sales. Fortunately, good predictive analytics software will allow you to specifically identify where all your money is being made and where the areas of your business are lacking. It should also be able to provide you with a specific customer spending list based
on what you’re asking for. Adept systems can actually categorise all your customer spending and break it down for you in an easy to read format that allows you to properly make future predictions. Formulating Offer Intelligence Unlike a predictive analytics platform, CRM systems cannot recommend specific offers that are unique to customer spending habits. This is a huge downside in my opinion. It is very difficult to maintain and engage repeat customers without knowing what they want. CRM solutions are mainly a lead management system but, let’s be honest, who wants leads when you can have buyers? “Predictive analytics not only analyse customer actions and habits but also ‘learns’ as it goes,” notes Lang. “For instance, when an online offer is sent out to customers, or even different offers sent to varying customer segments, a predictive analytics platform can tell you who opened a particular offer, who clicked through on that offer, who redeemed that offer and, when they did, how much that customer spent—including any upsells. The data can also be finely filtered down further to key metrics like which date and day of the week a customer redeemed a particular offer. With the rich data predictive analytics provides, customers can be sent highly meaningful offers tailored specifically to their needs and, as a result, companies can more readily build stronger customer relationships that bolster the bottom line.” Lack of quality data is usually the greatest barrier a sales-driven organisation can face when deciding to implement predictive analytics. Lang underscores that “getting the most out of a predictive analytics platform requires that there is actually available data on customer spending habits, the attributes of the products or services they’re buying (other than the ‘people who buy this also but this’ type of model), date ranges of their spending, and how much they spend on an average.” Some demographic information wouldn’t hurt, either, he says. “If it’s really good, the predictive analytics platform will automatically track all your customer actions from start to finish. And, although it can be very difficult to find in current predictive analytics software, a really good system will also automatically capture this data for you to automatically create unique profiles of your individual customers.” With predictive analytics weaponry in your proverbial sales arsenal, it’s apparently a more than reasonable expectation to grow sales revenue and overall company profitability in kind.
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Six Core Values of
Empowered Leaders By Susan Smith Kuczmarski, Ed.D. and Thomas D. Kuczmarski
Success is not a plaque or a dollar sign. It can’t be bought or ascribed. Success is a personal reward borne out of a subscription to one’s core values. For a business to be successful, the company and the individuals that comprise it must be committed to the same values. This unifies the goals of the organisation by creating a standardised measure of success. Otherwise, everyone will pursue a different idea of success. Defining the Characteristics of Empowered Leadership The empowered leader of the future will have to embrace six unique qualities that are unknown to many leaders today. Emerging from our talks and research with leaders, these six values define the new core of leadership and form a new definition of success. 1. Humility means caring more about the relationship than the powerbase. It means learning not to be the
Everyone has a unique genius within, and it can be let out.
one who always has the answer, but to be the one who steps aside and lets others provide answers of their own. It’s being able to do that dance—back and forth—and be okay with it. It entails taking risks, making mistakes, embracing failure, and possessing self-confidence. 2. Compassion means to be in the heart of another person. The closer we are to others, the more we feel or relate to their situation. A leader who is compassionate is generous, supportive, kind and non-judgmental. It entails being non-judgmental, authentic, and genuine. The best compassion is “active” – not passive. Active forms of compassion include: deep listening and talking, providing recognition, and using descriptive praise.
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3. Transparency means being open, straightforward, direct, and having no hidden agendas or secret meetings. It means sharing information—good and bad. The team is able to solve problems because they get to the truth. When transparency is in place, openness, integrity, fairness, and truthfulness permeate an organisation or relationship. 4. Collaboration means working together to reach a common goal. It is leveraging people’s strengths and talents in a way that leads to a far-greater result than people try to accomplish the same single-handedly. The result is: the team owns ideas and projects. The mantra is: different people, same values. 5. Inclusiveness means to accept and recognise people’s differences, relish their perspectives, and establish an environment where people feel valued and trusted. You can’t begin to make people feel included if you don’t even know them. Inclusiveness means finding ways to connect with people and managing tasks and job responsibilities to ensure that the team is rewarded. 6. Values-based decisiveness means using shared values as decision filters. Timely, informed and objective decisions are made because values inform and guide the decision making process. When values guide the process, deciding on a course of action is trouble free and effortless. Values serve as a decision-making compass.
Ask, “Who Are You?” While individuals in a group must give attention to their own needs and interests, they must also interact with other group members and help them address their needs and interests. Leaders need to spend lots of time with employees communicating, mentoring and coaching. There is nothing more important than building, maintaining and perpetuating relationships, and helping others grow to reach their maximum potential.
Activating the Seven Steps to Rejuvenate Your Workplace The six leadership qualities work hand-in-hand with seven culture-altering steps. While you may not be able to activate all seven steps in your organisation, the benefit of each one that is undertaken will further advance your employees and workplace culture.
Root for People Our leadership approach places focus on encouraging people around us. When we support, promote, and root for others, then it is a win-win situation for everybody. Consequently, we find people far more able and willing to see leaders as facilitators, as peers, and as equals at work. A powerful transformation occurs. Rather than follow a leader, the people now root for others.
Reach Out to Serve Others Start with an other-directed mind-set and a service orientation. The first step is to reach out, beyond oneself and one’s organisation. Serving others benefits and bridges individuals and organisations. Each of us of can serve. It is a job that should not be delegated to others or brushed away. Giving magnifies our hearts in a way that loosens us up to better communicate, interact, and understand others. Ask, “Who Am I?” We must each get to know our personal values, needs, strengths, weaknesses, and the factors that have shaped our values. Knowing who you are can help to identify activities for personal growth. The work culture should value more than just bottom-line growth and security. It must be a pathway to personal discovery.
Find Common Ground Once a leader has an understanding of the individual, then that leader is able to build relationships connecting individuals. Culture is an amalgam of individuals who share a common goal. Everyone within an organisation needs to play a vital, supportive, and interconnected role. The best model for effective learning is a small, sharing group. Let professional passion and creativity reign Let individuals flourish. Employees must experience the freedom to pursue their unique interests, desires, enthusiasms, knowledge, and skills. They must be able to apply them to numerous opportunities and problems within the workplace. The culture shouldn’t be prohibitive. Individuals must be able to work at full capacity. Everyone has a unique genius within, and it can be let out.
Leave Some Money on the Table Negotiating for the last cent or jockeying for the best position or project does not always yield the greatest results in the long-run. It sounds like it would mean always trying to optimise. But other people will feel squeezed or sub-optimised after a while. What’s better is to leave some money on the table. And when making decisions and taking action, values should always be brought to that table. Choosing the financially beneficial or expedient short-term path is not always the best move. Taken together, these six core leadership values and seven-step prescription discussed above create empowered leaders and a compassionately competitive work culture, which ultimately benefits everyone.
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Why Your ‘Negotiation Personality’
Can Undermine Your Success
by Merilee Kern, MBA
Becoming an effective negotiator takes skill, and lots of it. Whether for personal or professional matters, knowing how to present yourself during each individual negotiation is critical to a successful outcome. Indeed, veteran negotiation and contracts expert Eldonna Lewis-Fernandez, author of Think Like a Negotiator, points out that one key to being a master negotiator is intuitively employing different approaches and taking an alternate direction based on each given situation. But, in order to do this effectively, one must first understand the varying, and quite distinctive, negotiator personality archetypes—one or the other of which most people typically utilise while they wheel and deal. She warns that, without this strategic aptitude and application of the right persona for the deal at hand, at best it’ll be harder than it needs to be and at worst all could be lost.
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An archetype is defined as a pattern of behaviour or thought or, according to Oxford Dictionary, ‘a very typical example of a person or thing,’ so one’s ‘negotiation archetype’ is someone’s ‘way of being’ throughout the process—those particular characteristics and behaviours that one would use to describe the person and their deal-making methodology,” notes Eldonna. “This can be regarded as a ‘role’ being played, whether contrived or realistic, but the emphasis being on how the person is operating within that role.” “Learning how to effortlessly and seamlessly apply certain archetypes to specific situations is a powerful skill,” she says. “This kind of adaptability and fluidity among different deals—and even as one given deal ebbs, flows, unfolds and changes course—can gain you substantial leverage and advantages, including the ultimate win. Even better when it’s a win-win for all parties involved.” What are the typical negotiation personalities? While Eldonna underscores that the following nine personality archetypes are not all-inclusive, they do represent the primary means by which the majority of people negotiate. She assures that achieving the right balance and striking just the right cord with these archetypes based on each negotiation situation at hand will pay dividends. Without further ado, here are negotiation personalities to ponder. The Politician This archetype is someone who influences or outmanoeuvres others. They often seek support by appealing to popular passions and prejudices through carefully crafted language. A negotiation politician typically campaigns to influence or persuade others to support their point-of-view. Often this approach is only advantageous for one’s own advantage—also known as a win-lose proposition. Helpful because: The politician archetype is personalitydriven more than anything else. Using your charisma to get everyone on the same page for a positive cause or outcome is a great way to build success for a particular cause. This can be helpful in any situation where the greater good is the goal. It is also a great leadership strategy to guide a group towards a particular positive outcome.
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The Nutburger – This archetype is someone you can’t negotiate with. There’s no reasoning with someone whose behaviour is irrational, overly emotional or just plain nutty. Hindrance because: Relying only on our charisma and ability to galvanise others rather than facts, figures and other pieces of information that can make a deal swing your way in more logical and quantifiable terms can render you vulnerable when it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty for the close. Trust may be compromised if you don’t have the data to back up your position. The Direct Communicator This archetype is someone who gets to the point every time. They don’t have any time for hearing the story or any excessive communication that will waste time. They want to discuss the facts only and not hear any of the back story or an overabundance of detail. They ask for what they want. Their way of communication is clear, concise, powerful and quick in order to achieve an agreement or resolution to the negotiation situation. Helpful because: you will get to the point and not waste time in the weeds with details that could delay, and possibly derail, the deal. Hindrance because: you might put the other side off and offend if they are not receptive to this hard-hitting style. You also may miss out on a critical piece of information that might otherwise have been revealed had you spent more time in discussion with the other party. The Hinter This is the opposite of the Direct Communicator. The Hinter archetype does not ask for anything directly but rather they hint around at what they want. It can be done out of fear of being rejected or, sometimes, it is done as a manipulation technique to get the other party to do what is wanted without having ever been directly asked or mandated. Helpful because: It’s a way to test the waters without putting what you want out there in a more committed way. By not making direct requests, you may glean more information—and results—than you would have otherwise by leaving your hints open to interpretation. Hindrance because: You may not get any positive traction on what you want to occur or you may appear to be overtly manipulative, which could hinder the deal. This ambiguity can also make coming to terms a much longer and more frustrating and arduous process.
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The Storyteller This archetype wants to tell the entire story. This is the person who, if you ask what time it is, they’ll tell you how to build the watch. With this archetype it’s hard to understand what the point is because of the overabundance of information they are sharing. Helpful because: You will disclose all details so the other side can fully understand what it is you desire or are presenting—and justifications related thereto. This approach leaves little room for the other side to doubt, can foster a sense of trust and may result in conversation that opens negotiations further to great benefit. Hindrance because: Many in today’s time-pressed society don’t have time, patience or inclination to hear the story and don’t want to know ancillary details. The receiving party may tune you out and not hear a word you are saying—and perhaps get impatient and frustrated— because there is too much information being provided. This may make people averse to working with you again. The Bully This archetype uses aggressive and browbeating behaviour to get their way in a negotiation. It could be by yelling or body posture, threats or harassment, menacing words or other fear-based tactics they deem necessary to back the other side into a corner so as to take the power position. The object is to intimidate the other party so they’ll give in and agree to the bully’s terms. Helpful because: Exerting your power and dominance up front may prevent the other side from attempting to employ a strategy that takes advantage of you. If they see your strength up front they may change their position before ever asserting it. Hindrance because: The other side may regard you as out of control, not in your right mind, and generally unpleasant to deal with. It’s more than likely they’ll not want to do business with you again, and that your reputation will precede you with others. The Non Negotiator This archetype doesn’t negotiate at all. They fear negotiation, which they regard it as confrontational, and want no part of it. They will agree to whatever the other
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party wants even if it means losing out significantly. They just want the situation to go away as quickly as possible. Helpful because: The only reason this might be helpful is if the other side interprets this as a shutdown strategy and they either take pity on you or don’t want to take advantage of you. They may offer a better deal because of it, but clearly this is not an expected or common outcome. Hindrance because: Aside from being perceived as weak from an image standpoint, you will also most likely get a bad deal or taken advantage of. Most discussions start out with each side offering something to negotiate up or down from and go from there. If you take the first offer that’s presented when the other party started high fully expecting to negotiate down, as most do, you may end up in a deal that doesn’t make sense financially or otherwise. The Victim This archetype attempts to parlay their hard luck to gain sympathy regarding their situation so the other party will go easy on them. They may go on in great detail about the situation they are experiencing in an attempt to make others feel sorry for them—the hopeful end game being that the opposing party will be more receptive and agreeable to their position and terms and not negotiate as hard as they would otherwise. Helpful because: Someone may indeed feel sorry for your situation and give you a break. We all have things happen in our lives and careers and, if you use this as an honest way to get a better deal, both sides can often feel good about the outcome. Hindrance because: Oftentimes people use this as a manipulation tactic in an attempt to get out of a situation. The other side may see this for what it is and call you out on it, which can be embarrassing and undermine your credibility. Not only will you not get a better deal, the other party may actually negotiate harder than they would have otherwise in response to what they feel is an attempted manipulation. The Nutburger This archetype is someone you can’t negotiate with. There’s no reasoning with someone whose behaviour is irrational, overly emotional or just plain nutty. This
personality type can be construed as anxious, stressed, frustrated, angry or downright weird. Helpful because: Deflection by rant is indeed a negotiation strategy. If you go on a rant or are clearly upset about an injustice or something that is justifiably not fair and reasonable, the other side may be more apt to re-evaluate your position and give you a better deal. Hindrance because: You can’t negotiate with crazy. You may lose the deal all together if the other side thinks you are unstable or unreasonable to do business with. Being logical and having the ability to effectively give and receive information is an important aspect of deal-making and this personality type doesn’t have—or utilise—this capacity. My Fair Lady/An Officer and a Gentleman These archetypes are what you want to strive for in your negotiations. Characteristics include negotiating with integrity, ethics and considering what is and is not fair and reasonable for both sides to create a win-win outcome. Those most effective use some or all of the archetype characteristics above in differing situations. The key is knowing which ones to use and when to use them ethically and honourably in order to achieve your objectives in the negotiation. Helpful because: You are using a balance of all applicable archetypes when it is required. Understanding how you and how other people negotiate, and where they are coming from, allows you to present your side utilising a calculated approach that can throttle as needed. Hindrance because: You may spend more time analysing how a person is negotiating than paying attention to the details of the negotiation, itself. Over analysis is paralysis as the saying goes and you don’t want to get stuck scrutinising on a macro level instead of negotiating the all-important micro matters. Understanding these nine archetypes and discerning where you tend to naturally fall, how other people are categorised in relation to you, and how to capitalise on a different type of personality approach (and deal with those of others) is a tremendous asset in your negotiation arsenal. Such archetypal adaptability is sure to serve you well as you strive to reach agreements with others—however challenging a person they may be.
“Learning how to effortlessly and seamlessly apply certain archetypes to specific situations is a powerful skill,” she says.
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As our always ld ou h s s view under n e k be ta ent advisem
what’sHOTorNOT
We share brief perspectives with you on items that we think are worthy of your consideration. *some of the images were obtained from 123rf.com
Office in a Box Ever wonder why you need all those different phone servers, e-mail servers, routers and document servers stuffed into your tech room? The truth is, you don’t. Products like the Sutus BC 200 (price starts at USD2 000) and edgeBOX office SOHO (price varies by configuration) are combining phone servers, e-mail servers, routers, document servers and firewalls into a single low-cost device.
Dough Saver Changing fonts can save printer ink. That’s right, fonts are not created equal. People create different kinds of fonts for all kinds of reasons: to convey a message, for decoration, embellishment or as iconography. The theory is, if you use a ‘lighter’ font (with a lighter stroke), you’ll use slightly less ink per page.
Trumped Out
Spicy Hot Penny for your thoughts? Human beings are the only animal on the planet that enjoys spicy food and no one really knows why!
The man dubbed “Prediction Professor” for accurately calling almost every presidential election since 1984, including the 2016 election, forecasts the impeachment of US President Donald Trump. Allan Lichtman, a political historian who teaches at the American University in Washington, says he uses his own system of 13 true or false statements to judge whether the incumbent party will retain the White House. However, when it came to his bold prediction of a Trump impeachment, he said it’s based on his instinct.
INTHEKNOW
Big Sponsors by Aki Kalliatakis
With the exciting but scandal-ridden Rio Olympics now a thing of the past, I was reminded again of the arrogance of the various sports governing bodies like the International Olympic Committee, (IOC) and the Federation of International Football Associations, (FIFA), cooperative politicians, and the huge corporations that provide money for sponsorships.
W
hen the Cricket World Cup was held in South Africa in 2003, I was thrilled to be lucky enough to get a ticket for the final at the Wanderers Bullring. My delight lasted until the front entrance of the stadium, for as I was about to enter with my cooler bag, my drinks were ‘confiscated’ (read ‘stolen,’) by a security man because the official drinks sponsor would not allow customers free choices for their own drinks. Since that day 13 years ago I have never bought or drank any of their branded products, and go out of my way to buy from their competition. This pattern repeats itself at various important sports and other social events every year – and I don’t like it. And it’s not just drinks – you cannot wear a T-shirt or cap with a sponsor’s rival’s badge on it. You have to eat and drink the fat-, salt- and sugarladen food of the sponsoring companies – at substantially higher prices. I bet that the ATMs in the stadium won’t even let you use a credit card belonging to the ‘other guys.’ And don’t you dare try to wear your normal wristwatch or use your normal phone in the stadium, or it will be stripped off you together with your clothing! (Okay, I made up the last few.)
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Make It Hard to Swallow Legitimate businesses within a few kilometres of every stadium have to take down their own branding, and so do companies that have paid for advertising billboards in the socalled ‘exclusion zone.’ (By the way, Budweiser, that American excuse for a beer, tried that during the Football World Cup in South Africa, and put many people off the brand for life. It was all about greed rather than promoting local beer.) I have no problem with marketing executives taking advantage of global events to get prospects’ attention. It’s a magical opportunity to be associated with the excitement and courage and triumphs of sports stars. But if you examine the rules governing Olympics branding – what is and isn’t allowed – it becomes quite scary. Here are some of them taken from the IOC’s own website. Remember that no business is allowed “… to use any intellectual property of the Olympic and/or Paralympic games without permission, or imply that your event, advertisement or promotion is related to or affiliated with the Games.” As far as I can ascertain, this means that using any of the following are strictly off limits: The Official Olympic and Paralympic branding, including logos, symbols, official designations, and even expressions such as “Olympics”, “Olympic Games”, “Rio 2016” and so on. The Olympic rings and Paralympic symbols, mottos, creeds, flames, mascots, posters and medals. Images of previous games. (Ridiculous!) Mentioning specific competitors, coaches, trainers or officials participating in the games without the permission of the IOC Executive Board. (Known as Rule 40, this is in place throughout the games as well as 15 days before and after the event.)
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It’s all just getting too much now, and I don’t like it at all. It’s come to the point now where sports sponsors even want stadiums to be re-named after their company: for me Ellis Park will always be ‘Ellis Park,’ no matter who pours money into its upkeep. It looks like all the PR spin about ‘free markets’ and customer choice is just hypocritical corporate BS. It’s corrupt and immoral – the ugliest face of capitalism gone mad – with weak and ’democratic’ governments allowing it to happen – for a fee. I’m not sure if these deals are actually even legal, and they have never been challenged in a constitutional court as far as I know. Clever and courageous marketing people can agitate against this hypocrisy, and here are some possible ideas: Tell stories of triumph over adversity using the personal struggles of athletes that really exist, and catchy slogans. (Guinness in the UK successfully used two rugby players including our own Ashwin Willemse in their gripping ‘Made of More’ advertising campaign a few years ago. Its main theme was one of “against all odds…”) You can even get your customers (or staff ) to share their most inspirational moment in sport when they were playing or competing, and write these up. Special events are also a great excuse to communicate more with your customers. Forget about Valentines’ Day and Bosses Day. Here is something that can be used weeks before, during and afterwards to keep in touch with customers. It becomes more powerful when you also choose specific themes for your communication: how teamwork creates success and friendships, how women have advanced in sport and the world in general, how competition can break down barriers and create acceptance of other people, the value of perseverance and endurance, or even how in the good old days people participated for the honour, not for the money. Tie these in to your own company’s values.
Use the theme of ‘competition’ to generate excitement and get people involved. Get customers involved in interactive surveys: “What was your favourite part of the opening ceremony?” or “Which sport do you like best?” In one company, they even used ‘Office Olympics’ for the staff to create amusing contests like which accountant counts a column of numbers fastest, and similar. There’s also nothing stopping you for using a podium and a ceremony that almost replicates the one at the games, provided you don’t use any of their symbols. Letting you customers become winners with a sales promotion is also fun – and they will reward you with their loyalty. Piggy-back or even hijack specific themes or events. For example, there’s nothing stopping you from having a special promotional event in your business during the actual events such as the 100m final, or when a South African athlete or team participate in a final. Put up screens, get some drinks and snacks, run contests (or even a betting shop,) but get customers actively participating. And it doesn’t have to be ‘live’: you can also do it using emails and social media. For example, you can offer a special discount to anyone, (first 100?) who predicts an outcome. Use terms and related events or activities that they can’t ban you from using freely. For example, there’s no copyright on ‘Gold, Silver and Bronze,’ or on the use of olive-branch wreaths that were used in the original games. Alternatively, show a countdown clock on your website or your emails, or even in your business, without saying that it’s a countdown to a major event. Everyone will know that, of course. Another example is how judges do their scoring in events like gymnastics, judo and diving, whether it is fair or unfair. And don’t forget to use all the media channels that you can. In South Africa, most people that use the internet do it on a smart phone. How many people get on their phones to check final results? Why can’t the come to your website or mobi-site to check out the latest? Are you there? And are you also using the power of all the social media? Imagine if that day at the Wanderers had gone a bit differently. Instead of the bullying security official refusing to let me into the grounds if I didn’t get rid of my drink, with a bit of insight, this negative experience could have been turned into a very positive moment of truth. Instead of banning the rival cola, the sponsor could have equipped and trained young staff at the gates to explain that they had paid a generous eye-watering sum of money to support this event, and to then offer to replace my drinks for free – or even with two bottles of their cola in exchange. No stress for gate officials and customers alike – and a cheap win for the sponsors. Business life is filled with exceptional situations. If you plan ahead you can easily overcome potential negative conditions with positive, creative and generous ideas. It’s not necessary to leave a bitter taste in your customer’s mouth.
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Disrupt own
The traditional telephone took 70 years to reach 50% penetration within households, while the Internet took approximately ten years to reach satisfactory levels worldwide. This is in stark contrast to the rapid evolution and adoption of digitisation we are currently experiencing. Taking the Internet leaps ahead; the concept of digitisation has led to widespread technology innovation, increasing consumer power and competition. Quinton Pienaar, CEO, Agilitude, a Salesforce platinum reseller and customer experience evangelist, says that now is the time to disrupt your own business and embrace digitisation if you want long-term success.
“I
n reality, almost everything will or already is digitised and if businesses don’t proactively disrupt their traditional business models, the competition will do it and you are then at risk becoming a commodity,” says Pienaar. He says the danger of becoming a commodity is that it could instantly erode the business’ competitive edge. Conversely, actively disrupting a business also has
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implications and it is imperative that the process is done in a well-managed way, using the correct technology. “Digital transformation can lead to a loss of control of the customer relationship and ironically, more competition. There will also be a need to digitise the supply chain, including suppliers, partners and employees in addition to customers. It will be these digital competences that will gradually determine which businesses will create or lose value,” says Pienaar. He says the challenge with the new world of digitisation is that the technologies know no borders and nor do the customers. They want a unified and consistent experience, which is why digitisation isn’t a one-stop journey. It is essential that when using all the channels, the business creates a seamless and consistent relationship with the customer. “One way that innovative companies are approaching digitisation is to identify the essentials of each channel that their customers value most, and combining them to deliver a more valuable experience overall,” says Pienaar. The challenge is that customers will not wait for you to evolve; their expectations will continue to evolve and push traditional boundaries. This places businesses under increasing pressure to address their business processes quickly. Pienaar says that it is not simply a revamp of a process, but more a reinvention based on the principles of
INTHEKNOW
your
business digitisation and how to accelerate the process of change. While a large proportion of businesses recognise the productivity benefits and operational efficiencies of better integrating digitised information into their business processes, there are still too many outdated processes and approaches. This is despite the presence of smartphones and a growing interest in cloud computing. “We have found that too many companies are still grappling with the concept of integration and how to digitise a process that has been in place for decades,” says Pienaar. The danger for these traditional businesses is that any ‘new-age’ business that is launched will instantly have a competitive advantage, as they will effortlessly offer digital products and services from the get-go. Pienaar says that order to improve efficiencies and be innovative moving forward, a radical overhaul of business processes is required: “Analysts report that customers want intuitive interfaces, around-the-clock availability, real-time fulfillment, personalised treatment, global consistency, and no errors. This is the expectation of the digitised customer. They want a superior user experience, but also want better process, exceptional service and reduced risk.” While the process of reinvention will not be easy or inexpensive, the long-term benefits are worth it according to
Pienaar. Once you have the right system in place and the process are established, businesses can cut their costs by exceptional margins based on not only time saving, but improved turnaround times, which hopefully leads to more business. By simply, reducing paper and manual processes with software, the system will automatically collect data that can be mined to better understand process performance, cost drivers, and causes of risk. Real-time reports and dashboards on digital-process performance will permit managers to address problems before they become critical. Data models can also be adjusted and reconstructed to permit improved decision-making, performance tracking, and customer insights. “It is also important to reduce the number of steps in the system, decreasing the number of documents required and developing automated decision making processes. As part of the reinvention the businesses operating models will also need to be remapped. This includes roles and responsibilities, skills and organisational structures,” says Pienaar. Digitisation may bring about a reinvention of traditional business processes, but it will also assist in improving competitiveness, process efficiency and overall success: “It is becoming a case of do or die, digitisation is here to stay and businesses need to decide if they are too?” concludes Pienaar.
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Business Interruption 101 Can you keep the wheels turning if a spanner hits the works? Starting a business is a huge achievement, while the greatest challenge is to sustain and develop it. There are many threats to a business that can take it from profitability to extreme financial hardship in an instant, and many risks are entirely beyond our control. When a constrained economy combines with other unexpected physical mishaps, the results can be as calamitous as the effects of throwing a spanner into the pistons of an engine.
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ne of the most important business conversations an entrepreneur can have is with a professional risk advisor who can objectively interrogate the nature of your business, its unique needs, reliance on its supply chain, the range of likely risks and how to mitigate the impact of such in a worst case scenario. “Many businesses have the usual property and assets cover for their buildings, vehicles and other essential equipment. All good and well if you have an accident, theft or fire and your policy is able to take care of the replacement of the physical assets, but what happens if you are also unable to trade for weeks, even months and your revenue declines or even stops altogether as a result? If the
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only road to your luxury B&B in the Drakensberg is blocked off for a month due to a landslide or sinkhole, how would you recoup the lost income of no guest bookings? If your fast-food franchise burnt down and it took three months to rehabilitate the site and rebuild the store, how would you pay staff, rent, taxes, franchise fees and so on? If a multimillion Rand, imported machine in your component factory explodes and the replacement from overseas is three months down the line, how will you pay your creditors? None of these costs stop simply because you’re unable to trade due to a physical disaster or force majeure,” explains Clayton Ellary, Senior Account Executive at Aon South Africa, a leading global insurance brokerage and risk advisory. This is where Business Interruption insurance becomes a necessity. It can mean the difference between surviving a disaster with your profits and turnover intact, or shutting your doors, permanently. Business interruption insurance is designed to compensate the business for the financial impact of the interruption/interference as a result of physical damage to the insured property or other key external events, for example damage at a key customer or supplier’s property. Businesses can purchase contingent business interruption coverage, an aspect of business interruption insurance, where the insurance is triggered by property damage at the premises of a supplier or customer, or other
INTHEKNOW
None of these costs stop simply because you’re unable to trade due to a physical disaster or force majeure.
trigger such as loss of utility, denial of access or the act of a local authority which results in a financial loss you may suffer. The intention of Business Interruption insurance is to restore the business to the same financial position as if the loss had not occurred as well as to cater for additional increased costs/expenses incurred to minimise further loss of revenue and lessen the time to do so, subject always to the terms and conditions of the policy. Business interruption claims are normally linked to material damage/property damage. “While your property or assets insurance covers the damage to physical property or equipment and replaces the actual assets, business interruption is vitally important to tide your business over in terms of the lost income as a result of physical damage, until you get back to operating your business as usual,” explains Clayton. What does Business Interruption Insurance cover? Although the specifics of cover vary from one insurer to another, the basic tenets of BI are: Payment of a specified amount of money that reflects the difference between what you should have earned versus what you actually earned in the period following the disaster. This figure is determined at the inception of the policy and is based on audited financials and turnover determined through a thorough risk assessment conducted by a professional broker. Payment of a percentage of the sum insured to help you make temporary arrangements to get your business back up and running. Business Interruption Insurance is not sold as a standalone policy. It is linked to your business property
insurance, and is triggered if the business interruption is as a result of one of the insured perils on your property insurance policy for example fire, flood, explosion. Manage insurability through effective risk management “While covers like Business Interruption play a fundamental role in seeing your business through a major disaster to trade again, the need for effective risk management and mitigation simply cannot be emphasised enough,” adds Clayton. Consider the case of a manufacturer committed to risk management that has in place the best controls possible. His supplier may not be so dedicated in this respect. Where there are a large number of suppliers, the manufacturer is less likely to have a problem. He will merely buy from the others. However, where there is, for example, a duopoly and one suffers a serious interruption, the other may not be able to cope with the demand. Also, foreign markets may need to be accessed but usually at higher cost. With the ‘suppliers extension’ in place on a BI policy, this additional cost would be covered. If no alternative source of supply can be found, the manufacturer may well find itself unable to produce its product. “The resultant loss of sales will also be covered by the supplier’s extension, assuming it will respond. In a worst case scenario, assuming the supplier’s extension did not respond, a company could even go out of business as a result of an occurrence which was beyond its control. It’s vitally important for businesses that are reliant on others for supply of critical stocks to address the potential risk associated with suppliers throughout the supply chain. If not, the potential knock-on effect could be both severe and far reaching as end users find themselves let down by their suppliers,” advises Clayton. Finally, Clayton advises that it’s important to engage with a qualified, expert broker who can assess how your different business insurance covers mesh together to create a veritable safety net against the many challenges besetting SMES. “Business Interruption cover is simply one of a number of important risk products that businesses need to safeguard their continuity. A clear description of a business and its operational environment is central to the drafting of a well-conceived insurance strategy. A comprehensive risk assessment will greatly aid in identifying the potential hazards, in addition to determining what physical precautions and management processes should be in place. It’s also very important to have an accurate assessment of the replacement costs of buildings, contents, vehicles, IT, stock and other assets, particularly in the event of a catastrophic loss. By linking professional advice to an aligned insurance program that covers virtually all the ‘what if’ scenarios of not only physical damage, but the knock-on implications for business continuity, Aon clients get to experience the real depth of value of a comprehensive risk analysis backed with professional advice and expertise,” concludes Clayton.
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Building a Positive Organisation Culture Improves Performance
The importance of creating a healthy corporate environment is at the core of any successful business. Val Nichas, principle consultant and owner of VBN Consultants, has enjoyed several executive positions at leading companies with sizeable staff teams and says that an employee’s good business performance starts with management getting back to the basics. “Employees are far more productive when the nitty-gritty of their daily work experience in the office is organised and arranged. For example, a comfortable chair to sit in, decent coffee, accessible drinking water and a laptop that works with an uninterrupted internet connection, are some of the fundamentals that should be in place in order for an employee to successfully operate, however all too often they aren’t,” she states.
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INTHEKNOW
Many leaders allow pride to get in the way and are unable to admit to mistakes, acknowledge weakness and simply just deal with the issue at hand.
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ichas elaborates that: “Employees excel when the culture in the organisation is nourishing. For example when bosses are accessible and approachable and employees are treated like adults, a wholesome atmosphere develops which creates a positive knock-on effect in all quarters. Employees lose sight of the issues at hand when spoken to badly, and any progress that has been made, rapidly disintegrates. A CEO that I once worked with always reminded us to ‘play the ball and not the player.’” According to Nichas when a negative culture exists in an organisation and the performance of staff is numbed and stunted, the cause can be tracked back to two primary origins, namely fear and ego. “Leading by fear gives rise to a threatening environment. Fear is the mafia of the brain and any specialist involved in the study of the brain will confirm that the release of the stress hormone, adrenalin, occurs when the body is preparing for a fight-orflight reaction in a threatening environment. [And] anyone in the know will confirm that, in order to perform at an optimum level, adrenalin should not be present. And then there is ego, which is a common trait in leaders which gives rise to the ‘ego trap’. Many leaders allow pride to get in the way and are unable to admit to mistakes, acknowledge weakness and simply just deal with the issue at hand. Humility is probably one of the most valuable leadership attributes evident in successful leaders,” says Nichas. At a recent international conference Nichas was exposed to a remarkable company with an incredible corporate culture and story. Chobani Yoghurt Company was started in 2005 after entrepreneur and dynamic CEO, Hamdi Ulukaya, noticed an advert in the newspaper for a yoghurt factory that had closed down and was up for sale. He bought the factory, started it with five people and began living his dream of building a company that matters. By 2007 he had hired a Master Yoghurt Maker and by 2010 Chobani had become the leading Greek yoghurt brand in the USA. Today it is a multi-billion dollar company, employing over 1 300 employees, and is a leader in the yoghurt market. So what did he do to make Chobani successful and unique in such a short time? “It is the company culture that pervades through the organisation; from the CEO down to the lowest factory worker,” declares Nichas. “The vision
of the company is ‘Better food for more people’ and in making this vision a reality, Ulukaya continually looks after his employees. During the past year alone remarkable initiatives to build employee loyalty have been introduced. In April 2016, 10% of the company’s shares were given to the employees, for when and if the company is sold or listed. In October 2016 mothers and fathers were offered six weeks paid parental leave when they have a baby. The employee care and culture is supported by a 52 week programme that gives back to local communities in need.” The Age of the Millennials When looking at the current and future employment markets around the world Nichas talks of how the Millennials have transformed the landscape. “In the past, the employer was in control of the employment process and dominated it, but nowadays the Millennials are in the driving seat. They will research a company well, using Google and social media, and will only then consider going for the interview if the company culture is what resonates with them – are the products and services of a high standard and does this company give back to society?” “Most Millennials are looking for an accessible boss, who will give direction but who will also act as a mentor and coach,” comments Nichas. “Millennials want to learn and develop and are committed to putting in the hours, if it impacts on their personal growth. They are looking for flexible work environments where the focus is on the outputs and deliverables and not only on the 9-5 working hours or sitting at the office. They are on the move, mobile and adventurous and companies need to tap into this need if they want to attract the top performing Millennials out there.” According to Nichas another area to be considered when building a positive corporate environment is to look at the company’s values. “In reality, the only time that the values of a company are often seen or referred to are on the company’s website, annual report or in a gold edged frame in the main reception,” she remarks. “It is impressive stuff that sounds so grand but that’s about it. The time has come to bring a company’s values to life and live them! Once that is done a typical and unique behaviour is born that the company becomes known for, and what’s more, performance levels increase.” VBN Consultants has developed a propriety values tool called VBN ValueSurfTM.... that does exactly that. This versatile methodology can be applied to factory workers right up to the exco level. “We work with a client to bring real values to the surface as well as identify anchoral behaviours, “says Nichas. “We then entrench these into business processes such as on boarding programmes to performance management processes, and ensure that values are real and form part of every-day behaviour across all levels.
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Africa 4.0 A Vision for Africa
The traditional telephone took 70 years to reach 50% penetration within households, while the Internet took approximately ten years to reach satisfactory levels worldwide. This is in stark contrast to the rapid evolution and adoption of digitisation we are currently experiencing. Taking the Internet leaps ahead; the concept of digitisation has led to widespread technology innovation, increasing consumer power and competition. Quinton Pienaar, CEO, Agilitude, a Salesforce platinum reseller and customer experience evangelist, says that now is the time to disrupt your own business and embrace digitisation if you want long-term success.
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n fact, this emergent era, is a great enabler for Africa. An era that could unlock the potential of these emerging technologies with use cases that benefit business and communities across the continent. It could also position Africa as a leader in this 4th industrial revolution and provide a platform for us to realise our true vision for the continent. An Africa 4.0 if you will! Consider the following: Africa’s youth population is massive and ever more connected. According to the United Nations, in 2015, 226 million youth aged 15-24 live in Africa, accounting for 19% of the global youth population. By 2030, it is projected that the number of youth in Africa will have increased by 42%. What’s more, the middle class is growing and consumer expectations are shifting. Fundamental economic systems are fledgling and ripe for acceleration. Business-as-usual operating models are changing to connect with new customers and market opportunities. The potential for digital-driven growth is massive. Just look at the growth of mobile on the continent. According to GSMA at the end of 2015, 46% of the African population subscribed to mobile services which is equivalent to more than half a billion people. Over the next 5 years an additional 168 million people will be connected by mobile – reaching 725 million unique subscribers by 2020. If you couple this digital growth with a mobile- first, and some would argue mobile-only continent; one that is
void of restrictive legacy systems, then the opportunities are endless. We just need to think creatively, embrace disruption and be smart about using technology to transform business and democratise opportunity. And that’s exactly where Africa’s potential lies. To be sure, this is an ambiguous time – the crossroad between the past and the future - the risk and reward. We cannot truly predict how the future will unfold, but we can be prepared by being open to change and having the right conversations. By analysing the data, opening up platforms, co-creating with like-minded customers, start-ups and universities and challenging the status quo, we open ourselves up for change, innovation and possibility - and that’s exactly what Thomson Reuters are doing. There is an evolution happening and we must accept and participate in it if we are to succeed and realise the vision of Africa we want to create. So let’s take this journey together. As we know, innovation is about experimentation. Thomson Reuters is committed to partnering and experimenting with our customers and other thought leaders to make Africa 4.0 a reality. The importance of true partnership and cocreation in building solutions of the future cannot be underestimated. We are all change agents and together we can navigate the complexities and ensure that Africa can realise its true potential and take its rightful place in the global innovation arena.
INTHEKNOW
SA’s outdated
banking regulations stifling innovation, preventing competition
While the stringent financial regulations in South Africa protect consumers and the financial services sector from systemic risk, they also create high entry barriers for innovative entrepreneurs looking to improve the industry’s customer value proposition.
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hat is the view of Nadir Khamissa, founder and chairman of the Hello Group, who believes the current framework of the banking industry in South Africa is such that the oligopoly enjoyed by the bigger banks is extremely difficult to break. “In the long-term, this could be detrimental to the banking industry, access to financial services by the previously unbanked population, innovation in the industry and the South African banking regulatory system. Khamissa points out that technological advances in the last 10 years have opened the door to new ways of carrying out banking transactions at far cheaper costs – for both the service provider and the consumer. ”A financial transaction today is nothing more than a database entry and should carry zero costs for the consumer,” he says. “The future of banking globally is moving towards a system where consumers have transaction accounts that do not carry any charges. However, banks will still be able to maintain a successful business model by offering their customers valueadded services or additional products such as mortgage loans, car finance, and savings products,” he explains. Khamissa believes the idea of a free bank account might sound like a death toll for banks, but it actually will drive volume growth as consumers increasingly look for safer ways to save and protect their money and opt into an electronic transaction lifestyle. However, he says that because of the high barriers to entry in the local banking industry, the incumbent banks have very little incentive to truly transform their business models.
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He says a significant entry barrier into the South African banking industry is the large, upfront capital requirement of R250 million cash for a banking license. “This appears fairly restrictive for an entry level player in the electronic money space, particularly when one considers that the UK equivalent works out to roughly R5 million. “More significant than the high cost of entry is the fact that we have a banking and regulatory framework in SA that is incentivised to maintain the dominance of the large banks and to exclude new entrants. There are a large number of bureaucratic rules and regulations which effectively turn incumbent banks into the gatekeepers of the industry. It is obviously not in their interest to allow innovative entrepreneurs to introduce technologies that serve customers much better at a fraction of the cost. The result is a closed market where consumers pay more than they should for service that is not as good as it would have been if South Africa’s banking industry had a more level playing field for new entrants.” He adds that the danger that the South African banking industry faces is that by enforcing restrictive regulations on new players, they open the industry up to competition from international, online competitors who are not regulated in South Africa. “That means local innovators as well as the established banks will get shut out of the market as consumers turn to online applications that are easy to access and much cheaper to use.” “What stops South Africans from downloading a payment or banking app from abroad and using it now? Nothing whatsoever. The reality is that this is already happening with crypto-currencies. Once this trickle turns into a flood, it will be too late and the disruption of our rigid regulatory structure will be unstoppable,” he cautions. Khamissa says that as one of the most progressive financial systems on the continent, the South African financial services industry needs to pay close attention to global trends and embrace fintech entrepreneurs or face losing control over financial services providers who enter the market via the cloud.
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LIFESTYLE
The world economy is poised to regain momentum and business travellers are increasingly seeking luxury-level travel experiences for employee group getaways, company-sanctioned prospecting and entertaining activities, and individual free time itineraries, alike. With so many options in what’s become a very mature luxury marketplace, where will attentions be focused this year for corporate travel departments, road warriors and those in between? One notable development is that high-end business travellers want ever more unique and personal experiences proffered with an extraordinarily high quality of service.
Five Travel Trends
Benefiting Luxury Business Travellers
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By Merilee Kern, MBA
LIFESTYLE
Business travel is tough enough in the best of circumstances and is all-toooften replete with challenges.
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elative to these specific key drivers, here are five notable trends that luxury-minded business travellers can benefit from in the months ahead:
Small Group Cultural Immersions Loom Large Business travellers are increasingly seeking exclusive and regionally-authentic itineraries that cater to small groups. Tour companies like Fort Washington, Pennsylvaniabased Gate 1 Travel are capitalising on this trend with offerings that can provide business groups the convenience of an escorted tour with the intimate view of local cultures that large groups just can’t provide. “Our small group tours option has seen, by far, the most significant increase in booking volume–up 50% in 2016,” the company reports. Those on business trips are becoming more interested in indigenous experiences, for themselves or while entertaining others. A City Lodge Hotel Group report concurs that the trend of being connoisseurs of local culture will boom this year. It emphasises that indigenous tourism experiences and cultural immersion will remain a big factor whether travelling within your own home country or jaunting to faraway lands. “We’ll see more people wanting to visit more than the big landmarks and monuments of their destination,” it says. “Rather, people are more likely to be interested in knowing about the locals–those that call that place home. Trips to the rural communities will become popular, and travellers are likely to be more interested in private guides that teach them about the traditional ways of life.” Private Villa Travel Surpassing Leading Luxe Resorts Today’s breed of private villa rentals have become the ultimate in luxury travel lodging for business travellers. This is due to the vast array of benefits and creature comforts it proffers for VIPs and small groups. While maximised privacy and security, uber-tailored guest service and five-star accommodations and amenities are chief reasons the trend toward private villa lodging is exploding, an elite few have offerings far beyond that don’t just rival, but far exceed, those offered by high-end resorts, including those elite penthouse suites. According to luxury travel agent Sandy Webb who books elite vacations all over the world “private villa residences offering first class, one-of-a-kind services are ushering in an entirely new era of bespoke business hospitality around the globe. They are, in fact, singlehandedly setting a new and decidedly elevated standard for luxe business and corporate travel worldwide.”
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According to owner Cathryn Arnell, this includes proffering a bevy of premium benefits to those on business trips, for corporate events, or those companies proffering the experience as an employee reward. This includes customprepared gourmet meals from an on-site private chef in an authentic and stylishly-appointed residential setting, 24/7 bilingual butler service and multiple staff, monitored security, housecleaning services, private infinity-edge ocean view pool, fully equipped state-of-the-art gym, large mediaentertainment room, concierge and spa service, musicians for hire, sports and boating excursions, red carpet treatment at the city’s leading beach club and most renowned restaurants, and more. “Given that guests enjoy complete privacy and security in the most exclusive area in Puerto Vallarta, commandeering the entire 10,000 square foot space with all of the relaxation, solitude and discretion that affords, the result is a one-of-a-kind business trip providing an unparalleled culinary and luxury living experience.” Higher Calibre Private Jet Jaunts According to Sergey Petrossov, founder and CEO of JetSmarter—an industry-leading private jet company based in Dubai, people are increasingly growing accustomed to personalised experiences, so much so, that it isn’t a demand anymore; it is now an expectation that needs to be met. In order for brands to be memorable, they need to remember their customers and offer unique customised experiences. For its part, this JetSmarter achieves by placing a heavy emphasis on member relationships, with each assigned a relationship manager who is responsible for creating personalised and customisable private travel experiences. This level of tailored service is something highend business travellers are coming to expect and depend on to help ensure getting from point A to point B is as enjoyable and problem-free as possible. JetSmarter also cites that there’s a very thin line between high-end and luxury, with the difference barely noticeable. “The travel industry is inundated with both high-end and luxury brands, however the distinction is relatively minor,” Petrossov said. “People often confuse highend brands for luxury ones. Luxury brands essentially need to heighten their levels of service to be able to distinguish themselves from their high-end counterparts.” Next-Gen Travel Tech Eases and Expedites Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a tech trend that will continue to evolve at a rapid pace. According to Advito’s 2017 Industry Forecast, AI has already enabled a range of apps, bots and software that make it easier for industry
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purveyors to interact with business travellers at every step of a trip to expedite, ease and enhance. AI automates computer processes to work in the same way as the human brain. Natural language processing (NLP) helps computers understand human speech or typing, and AI then applies machine learning to provide a useful response. Advito reveals that the travel industry is “well-positioned to embrace AI,” and also that the wider travel industry is adopting AI as, for example, KLM passengers are now able to use Facebook Messenger to confirm bookings, get boarding passes and flight status updates. “AI is still in its infancy, but it is in our immediate future,” the report asserts. “As it develops, it will help simplify complex travel decisions, shorten the buying process and deliver a more personalised offering.” Game Changing Smart Suitcases Solve Perennial Problems Business travel is tough enough in the best of circumstances and is all-too-often replete with challenges. From crowded freeways, overbooked flights, Wi-Fi downtime and generally not having necessary items at hand, traversing to and fro can be fraught with more than its fair share of frustrations. Not surprisingly, technologists have responded with problem-solving gadgets and gear that exemplify tremendous innovation and ingenuity both in concept and execution. One glowing example of this is the Bluesmart Suitcase, which can be a business traveller’s best friend. Billed as “the world’s first smart suitcase,” this carry-on keeps traveller’s belongings tracked, devices charged, bag secure and trips hassle-free thanks to integrated technology that syncs to an associated mobile app that’s compatible with both iPhone and Android. The suitcase features a built-in battery/charger with two USB ports. The substantial 10.000 mAh battery can charge your phone up to six times, juicing up this and any other USB-connectable device from the USB port on the back or the inside. The bag also boasts a 3G+GPS tracker with global coverage to track the suitcase anywhere in the world; a scale built right into the handle that interfaces with the app to tell you the approximate weight of your suitcase; and a remote digital lock that can be set up to lock itself when you step away and to unlock when you return. The TSA- approved smart lock provides distance alerts, notifying you if you leave it behind. Of course, the bag needs to carry your belongings, so the main compartment does provide large space for clothes, shoes, and coats, while a secondary TSA-friendly compartment is able to accommodate up to a 15” laptop. Despite widespread geopolitical uncertainties of late, the future is bright for this crucial category of businessborne luxe hospitality.
Ford Focus RS:
A beast, but what a feast by Carl Wepener
I was well aware of all the hype around the Ford Focus RS but since I was not invited to the launch I really just glanced and mmmmd an aaad at the comments of my colleagues. I knew it was good but as usual you don’t get the real feel until you have driven the Ford Focus RS.
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know the BMW M2 has been mentioned and the Mercedes AMG A45, Audi RS3, but since I have driven both of them I did not really believe that the RS was going to rock me. Add to that the base price of R699 000.00 and it looks like the Ford RS is going to be really fighting for sales. Again add that to the costs of the options like Recarro shell seats, sunroof and the price reaches R709 000.00. That being said and only 300 units to be coming to South Africa should have given away what was in store for me. I had my son bring the RS to me and for the first time, after hearing the sweet bass sound I gave attention to the car itself. In all true forms it is a blue blooded Ford but it was set apart from other siblings by its aggressive body kit those big bore sound enhancers at the back and the big wheels with its low profile tyres. Brembo brakes have to do the stopping bringing the all-wheel drive, 2.3 litre turbocharged 4 cylinder engine with 257 kW with 440 Nm of torque motor to a quick standstill. By the way this is the same motor as used in the Ford Mustang. On the inside there is a lack of features, price considered, but the Recarro shell seats do look neat. Finishing is of premium quality, good and functional but a bit Spartan against its rivals. It was a given that the Ford RS looked the part of being a very fast hatch that should be able to keep up with the pack and maybe more. The more came in the form of a launch control as well as a drift
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mode (for track only) which sent the RS into a slide like it was made for it. Actually it is made for it but wow, does that eat tyres! The six speed gearbox is excellent, fast and direct with 3rd gear being a real gem as it seems like it never stops and just adds to the blistering performance of this little brute. Ever heard of the term, “six of the one, half a dozen of the other”? Well this is the case with the RS’s performance needing all-wheel drive to handle the torque and the RS being super-fast. Zero to 100kph is reached in 4,7 seconds. The apex of enjoyment is getting to change gears just before it redlines and then feel the kick in the butt as the next gear propels you further to lock up and throw away the key speeds. The Ford Focus plays many a tune through its pipes depending on the different driving modes such as sport or Track and it was sheer pleasure to hear the tune change from bass, to invasion of pops and bangs. It is when you hear all these exciting sounds that you really start to enjoy the RS and do things little boys do with their dinky toys on the floor. It is very hard not to throw the RS into different positions and thus experience the ultimate delight of being behind the steering wheel of a magnificent sport hatch. Handling is really its true strength and the RS just compels you to try and test the limits and then it just blows through whatever you set it to do. Don’t expect to go far on a tank either. The RS is thirsty even when driven sedately, if that is possible. I ended up on the wrong side of 13 litres per 100 km’s. I believe you will be changing between Sport and Track mode just for the hell of it and because it brings out the kid in you and it seems like everlasting playtime during a school day. At the end of the day you will be tired as the ride in Sport and Track is harsh on our roads but you will be satisfied with the experience that the Ford Focus RS has given you. The Ford Focus RS is priced at R699 900. It is sold with a 5-year/120 000 km warranty and a 5-year/100 000 km service plan. Ford has given their clients a vehicle that is uncompromised, unconventional and aimed at giving unconditional driving pleasure for those that are man enough to take
it through its paces. It is not the fastest, the prettiest or the cheapest but it is the most enjoyable of them all on the track where drifting or sliding makes up part of the fun to be had. For the more conservative amongst us I can promise them that they will get a vehicle that will become a classic, it should not lose value to quickly and to say you own one will not only make other people jealous but you will sort of become an icon or seen as a fundi of real blue blood cars. My son who studied B Com Aviation and likes to strap the vehicle onto himself was very direct in his comment after discussing what we get for the price. His comment was, “Dad, you get what you pay for even if it is not what others expect. The RS is a performance machine, lacking nothing of what is necessary for sheer enjoyment and having nothing more that will make it a boring premium vehicle� I rest my case.
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PORSCHE CAYMAN and
BOXSTER
718
The Porsche Cayman and Boxster have always been acknowledged as true sports cars with its rich racing heritage. My first encounter with the Cayman and Boxster were about 4 years ago and I then declared that it was one of the more affordable and enjoyable sports cars available.
perfection on the
by Carl Wepener
move
LIFESTYLE
I
Prices: 718 Cayman with a 5 year maintenance plan - R904 000.00 718 Cayman S with a 5 year maintenance plan - R984 000.00 718 Boxster with a 5 year maintenance plan - R918 000.00 718 Boxster S with a 5 year maintenance plan - R997 000.00.
t was with a real small boy eagerness that I attended the launch in Cape Town. All the readers that know me, know that sound plays a very important role in the enjoyment of a sports car and thus I was a bit concerned about the new 718’s sound, as it said goodbye to the flat six cylinder engine so well known for its poise, power and sound. Walking into the Cape Town dealership the 718’s in the foreground looked beautiful. Their wider muscular fronts showed their stance and the other subtle changes added to the already good looks. From the back the wide stance and tyres really rounded off these 718 Porsches. The interior is classy, well-crafted and I loved the steering wheel thickness and the comfort of the body hugging seats. Seating position caters for drivers of all lengths. The business part of the controls are well laid out with all of the important controls and information right at hand. I really was worried for a moment when I started the 220kW 4 cylinder 1,988cc engine. It had a mechanical sound to it that said, I am tough I may not scream it out as my predecessors did, but try me. I did. What a surprise. The 718 Cayman came to live reaching 100km/h in 5.1 seconds and it howled all the way to a top speed of 275 kph and reaching about 8000 rpm. And remember this was the baby not even the Cayman S with its 257kW, 2,497cc 4 cylinder engine that can do 285 kph and reaches 100km/h in 4.6 seconds. Sorry I got carried away I did not do those speeds. I did however put the 718 Cayman through its paces going up and through the Franschhoek pass. O what bliss when turning, braking and accelerating. This is one, if not, the most perfectly balanced, mid-engine sports car I have driven. It may not be the fastest but it surely provides pleasure to both driver and passenger. Part of the fun was using the four driving modes ranging from Normal, Sport, Sport+ and Individual. The setting you choose changes everything from the suspension, gear ratio, steering an engine. The 7 speed PDK gearbox is brilliant as it changes so fast and without losing power.
LIFESTYLE
The 718 Boxster is not as good looking as the Coupé when the roof is up but then again with the roof down it looks much faster and sexy. The roof goes up fast and sound insulation is excellent. Porsche has always been seen as a prestigious brand and technologically advanced that again brings its own problems especially when having to deal with mechanical breakdowns which is not really heard off when you have a Porsche. That being said, what is the experience when you do find yourself with mechanical failure of the gearbox of your Cayman when you are driving and it gets stuck in sixth gear? Let Dr Paul Erasmus tell you. “Whilst travelling on the high way between hospitals my 2012 Cayman got stuck in sixth gear and would not budge. . I was upset as the Cayman had only done 69 000 km’s. I stopped the car, phoned Porsche SA call centre and they sent a flatbed to pick up the car and took it to Witkoppen. Later in the week the service manager called to say that the gearbox will have to be replaced and the estimated cost is R100 000.00. The car was out of its four years maintenance agreement. After negotiations done on my behalf with Porsche head office in Germany, I was informed that Porsche Germany will pay 70% of the cost and I was further informed that Mr Toby Venter offered to pay the remaining 30%. My Cayman was repaired and is as good
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as new. This is the best ever experience I ever had from a company in the last 30 years. Porsche and Mr Venter really put service and loyalty to a customer before money. “This won’t be my last Porsche.” On discussing this incident with Tobie Venter his comment was short and simple; “If it is not the fault of the customer then why must he be held responsible. He paid to enjoy his Porsche and that is what we see to.” Congratulations on Porsche for ensuring excellence for their customers. What makes a great car even greater is the assurance that you have a great dependable brand, dealership and team behind you that is as passionate about your car and your experience as they are about selling the brand.
A stay at Sun International’s Sandton business hotel, The Maslow, not only provides you with what you should expect from accommodation for professionals, it promises a look into the future of the corporate world. Creating an environment in which ideas can be both conceptualised and realised, while enjoying: 281 beautifully appointed rooms, an alluring bar, an urban bistro, relaxing lounges, a soothing spa, an auditorium, conference centre, and 12 unparalleled meeting rooms. Complimentary shuttle every 15 minutes to Sandton City and Sandton Gautrain, free Wi-Fi and complimentary business lounge. It’s just one more way you can experience getting all you need, as well as what you want when visiting this state-of-the-art business destination. Discover The Maslow Hotel. Because the mind’s preoccupation relies on the body’s location.
Corner Grayston Drive & Rivonia Road, Sandton, 2146, South Africa Central Reservations: +27 11 780 7770 Telephone: +27 10 226 4600 maslow@suninternational.com www.suninternational.com/maslow TheMaslowHotel
@themaslowhotel
• Voted best corporate hotel in SA. • Voted best small conference venue in SA. • Complimentary breakfast, Wi-Fi and transit lounge. • FREE shuttle every 15 minutes, free car park and gym. • Bistro & bar overlooking a tranquil oasis garden. • On-site spa. • Meeting rooms overlooking an oasis garden with a dedicated butler.
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LIFESTYLE
How to
Travel Around
South Africa By Andrew Ngozo
The holidays are the perfect time to get away from the hustle and the bustle of the big city and throw back a little. South Africa is one country that is endowed with many beautiful attractions that are within easy reach by various modes of transport. When travel blogger Kristin Addis from Be My Travel Muse started planning her South Africa trip, a lot of questions went through her mind: Is a country that big easy to travel around? Is it expensive? What is even possible?
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he resources she found online were vague, negative, or simply non-existent. But after travelling through the country for close to two months, she found a wide variety of reasonably affordable ways to get around. So, to fill the void, here is a breakdown on how to get around South Africa.
By Bus There are several companies that run in the country including Greyhound, Intercape, and Baz Bus, which caters specifically to backpackers. Baz Bus runs a route from Johannesburg to Cape Town (or vice versa) with several stops along the way. You can hop on or off whenever you want and can begin your trip anywhere, but as those two cities have major airports, most people start in one or the other, or sometimes Durban. There’s no limit on how long you can take to go from one end to the other. Baz Bus is not a big money saver, as the
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a last-minute planner, that is a real treat! For less common routes or smaller airports, prices go up the closer the date is. Unsurprisingly, inconvenient times and early morning flights tend to be the cheapest. As with most budget airlines the world over, checked baggage and meals on-board cost extra. By Car Road-tripping through South Africa is not much of a problem at all, as other cars are passing by all the time should a breakdown occur, and South Africans are incredibly friendly and helpful. That’s not to say driving in South Africa is without risk. There are carjackings from time to time, and break-ins are common, but being aware of this and taking precautions to keep valuables hidden and doors locked greatly reduces the risks. Regardless, if you would rather not travel alone, there are options. You can post on travel forums such as Nomadic Matt’s, Thorn Tree, the Africa Backpacking Facebook group, or Couchsurfing.org. Gumtree and hostels also are good ways to find ridesharing buddies. There are always travellers looking for a ride to some off-the-beaten-path destination. Renting a car is the most convenient way to get around since one can get to many out-of-the-way parks, cities, and destinations, and, when splitting fuel and rental fees with one or more other passengers, it beats the price of Baz Bus.
fares are more than the train and other bus companies, but it is a convenient option for those who are happy to travel along the popular routes and meet other backpackers. The route includes the big cities in South Africa, the famous Drakensberg mountain range, popular spots along the coast, and the famous Garden Route in the Western Cape. For one-off trips, Greyhound and Intercape serve various bus ports around the country. Be sure to bring along snacks, as the buses run on a tight schedule and most stops are very brief, if they happen at all. By Air Flying around South Africa isn’t that expensive. Budget airlines like Mango and Kulula serve all major — and even minor — airports in the country with several flights per day. They are easily booked online using any major credit card. Even last-minute flights, as long as they still have quite a few seats left, tend not to go up in price if it’s a major route. For
By Train South Africa has a lot of train tracks. Most aren’t currently in use, as the population has increasingly come to rely on the extensive highway system. However, major cities in South Africa are still served by a few train companies that range from cheap to high luxury. Shosholoza Meyl long-distance trains serve Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Durban, East London, Johannesburg, Queenstown, and East London. They’re comfortable and safe and make various stops at smaller towns along the way. The fares are some of the cheapest available for any mode of transport in South Africa. You can visit the company’s timetable for more information on fares and stops. For those who are interested some luxury, there is the famous Blue Train, which runs from Pretoria to Cape Town. It’s an expensive but offers an luxurious experience that includes wine, cigars, great food, and comfortable compartments. In South Africa, muggings are still common, especially among tourists and particularly in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Additionally, one shouldn’t walk around alone at night, be flashy, or leave things showing in the car, but much of that is true around the world. Regardless of which of the above transport methods you choose, South Africa is easy and relatively affordable to travel around, whether you’re solo, in a group, or a duo. Happy holidays and safe travelling! Source: http://www.nomadicmatt.com
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A f r i c a ’ s
M o s t
I n f l u e n t i a l
WOMEN i n
B u s i n e s s
a n d
G o v e r n m e n t
Dr Suzanne Ravenall, CEO of the Effectiveness Company, began working as a personal assistant at the age of 16. She attended Bedford College of Higher Education and the University of Metaphysics where she received her doctorate in metaphysics. In 1994 she decided to leave the UK, her birthplace, and move to South Africa. In her blossoming career she has been honoured with several awards and is the leading authority in her field. She is a member of the Young Presidents Organisation, Institute of Directors and the Business Women’s Association.
W
hat prompted your move to South Africa in 1994, as the country entered democracy? A short contract in the cellular industry and the excitement of the beginning of a new era in telecommunications and then during my stay I just fell in love with South Africa; people’s desire to make change; their openness, friendliness and, their willingness to try new ways. The last twenty years have flown by, it seems impossible that it could have passed so quickly.
Being the Best
by Andrew Ngozo
Dr Suzanne Ravenall CEO of the Effectiveness Company
What have been your key lessons in life and in business, which any leader could live by/follow? I am of the view that you learn from everybody every day, that applies to the people I talk to on the street to those I talk to in the office and in business. So my lessons will be learned for the rest of my days! If we are wide awake, conscious and observant enough, the learning provided by what we see, hear and experience from others is immeasurable. It’s coming at us in spades. It’s amazing
2016/2017 what we can gain from the observation of what our energy field draws in. The challenge that applies to us all is: ‘what do we do when things don’t go so well? These become the defining moments in our life, the time we make the greatest decisions. As I have travelled through life I have learned that there is a solution to just about any problem that arises; it may not always be that obvious, it all depends on how you look at it. Giving up is just not an option.
What is your leadership style and what elements do you think, makes it work for you? I think it all goes back to the fact that there are traits or behaviours as leaders that we should all look to develop, a balanced of feminine and masculine traits that compliment. I am an entrepreneur through and through and there are similar qualities within all entrepreneurs I guess. What is important to me is upholding the values that I entrench in my life and that we entrench in our business. Our culture is very important to us and we try to embody this every day. One of our values is honesty and this is something that not all people always like to hear. I am not talking about perception or feeling. We all like to think we are honest with ourselves and the people around us. Honesty for us is about what you say you going to do… you do and for us that’s integrity. Watching a Ted Talks recently I was interested to hear that people generally lie to up to 200 times a day, even small or white lies. What stands out for me is a life with integrity. We try and promote that to our staff and our customers. I am passionate about transformation and the positive power of change and believe that if you love what you do you won’t work a day in your life. Do you think men and women’s style of leading is different and what impact do you think this has on a business? People often say women are from Mars and the men are from Venus! Whilst we are different, I believe that both men and women, over a period of time, must develop a certain set of leadership behaviours, a balance in both the feminine and masculine and a lot of courage in order to be good or great at what they do. It is not about your gender or your
colour, but it is the wisdom and the capabilities you bring to operate successfully. Winston Churchill once said the kite rises higher against the wind. People come in all different colours, shapes and sizes and have different capabilities. We should therefore focus on those areas in which leaders should excel and hone those skills and in so doing set an example for others to follow. Often leadership is about the tough decisions; the right path is rarely the easy one. If we do that then, we may have better businesses all over the world. Be daring, be first, be different, be just.
What achievement are you most proud of? Receiving an acknowledgement with ten other women worldwide, as one of the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World was a wonderful feeling. But mostly having the courage to start a business in a different country. The learning and the life that the business has given me I will always be grateful for. What is the next step for you? I am really excited to be launching a new business called Parinama, Sanskrit for transformation. Parinama is an Elevation Consulting business, with a unique transformatory approach, that identifies individuals who operate at the Top 10% of a group/department/business/career. These people typically track their KPI’s at around 90-100%. We then study and profile, their decision making processes, behavioural traits, problem solving approach, amongst many other aspects. We reduce this behaviour into a system that can be replicated straight back into the average performers. By using a neuroscience approach to training, we transfer knowledge and expertise from top performers to the rest and lift their ability to operate at top performer level within the organisation. Anything else you would like to share with our readers? Do the absolute best that we can, learn from every event that happens in our life good and bad, whatever we term as good and bad. Work at all areas of our life in balance, this is the only way to become a better person and enjoy greater success in your life.
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2016/17
James Chona
James Chona was until recently Business Leader for Samsung Electronics, Zambia branch responsible for operations in Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Among his many responsibilities, James was also the company’s spokesperson in the region. He has over 18 years’ experience, having previously served as General Manager at Pronet Zambia Limited, National Roll-Out Project Manager, and Sales and Marketing Manager at Africonnect Zambia and Regional Business Development Manager (Africa) at STM Networks in Los Angeles, USA. His current role is that of deputy spokesperson of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD)’s Publicity and Information Committee. by Andrew Ngozo
Passionate
Growth Is Inevitable Given his background at Samsung and in the information and communication technologies sector in general, needless to say, James is very passionate about technology. Thus, he foresees an ICT market revolution in Zambia. He says of the Zambian market: “It is showing positive growth, driven mainly by the two key factors of government commitment to the growth of ICTs as well as consumer driven demand growth. If the Zambian market continues to grow as it has been, then positive growth across all sectors is inevitable.” In terms of technology adoption, he points out that Zambia is on the right track. “In Zambia there are three highly competitive mobile operators with consumers purchasing three or four phones to try out every offer available. We are moving at a rapid pace, and adopting services as quickly as other operators worldwide. Zambians are particularly open to new technologies and keeping up with latest trends. It is apparent that Zambians are trying to stay up-to-date by acquiring the latest technologies, from mobile phones to cars and TVs. The mobile network and smartphone capabilities are reach-
About Technology J
ames is a widely experienced businessman and infleuntial leader, he is a PRINCE2 practitioner and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from the Copperbelt University, a Diploma in Aeronautical Engineering from Zambia Air Services Training Institute and an Advanced Certificate in Telecom Market Policy and Regulation from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Karlskrona, Sweden. Prior to this role and its subsequent responsibilities, James was Zonal Business Manager at Airtel Zambia a position he held for two years having worked as Lead – Corporate Projects, in the office of the Managing Director and Head of Data and Enterprise within Airtel Zambia.
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ceo b u i l d i n g
c e l e b r a t i n g
e x c e l l e n c e
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n a t i o n s
ing almost every corner of the country, and at least one mobile operator has launched 4G services. We are happy to observe that even in the remotest corners of Zambia, one can find at least a 3G signal,” says James. He believes increasing access to technology and information in remote and rural areas of the country is an imperative. According to him, the key to increasing access to information is making technological products affordable; the infrastructure for accessibility is already in place. Getting partners in the government and stakeholders to take developments to rural areas and to ensure affordable devices are some of the ways of realising this dream. He says most users wanting access to a mobile phone need some level of literacy, so there is a need for technology companies to ensure that the interface is equally accessible to people with higher or lower literacy levels. He stresses that the interface should
Son of a Politician James is the son to the late politician, Maiza Chona who was the nation’s first prime minister. Maiza was the founding president of the former governing party, the United National Independence Party. He relinquished power to his close friend, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, who became the country’s first president. Maiza was one of Zambia’s most respected citizens. He served in various government positions. Just before his death he had been ambassador to China until 1992, when President Frederick Chiluba recalled him. He was also a leading opposition lawyer in the country, who worked on many high-profile cases, including the defence of soldiers who tried to overthrow Chiluba in 1997. James’s father was also among the elders who initiated moves to bring all the political parties in Zambia together to resolve conflicts before the approaching general elections. It follows, then, that the son of the country’s first
“If the Zambian market continues to grow as it has been, then positive growth across all sectors is inevitable.” also deal with hearing and vision impairment. “The challenge for developers and content managers is to produce content that is relevant to customers, at a grassroots level and in the local language,” he explains. The key driver of mobile trends is usage, according to James. He says everything around mobile technologies is centred on how data is used. Broadband internet on the phone is the biggest driver of trends, and social networking has become the most popular way to communicate on mobile phones. Voice, and even video calls, is coming in through social networking. For mobile communication operators the biggest revenue driver is voice calls and the challenge for companies now is competing with applications, such as WhatsApp, that allow one to make voice calls. He postulates: “Along with SMS, we are seeing a reduction in people making traditional voice calls, and mobile operators will now have to think of ways to generate more revenue on data usage.”
prime minister will, inevitably, be a politician. James is an aspirant mayor for the Zambian capital city Lusaka. James has been an active leader and activist from his early school days. His early leadership experience started when he was deputy head boy at Libala Boys’ Secondary School. His leadership journey brought him to being president of the Zambia Air Services Training Institute Students Union (ZASTISU) in 1990 and President of the Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU). James is a born again Christian who has served as a praise and worship leader at Northmead Assembly in Lusaka and Maranatha Assembly in Kitwe for a combined period of over 20 years. James is very passionate about community service projects. Some of the projects he has been a part of include: supply and donation of a solar powered internet school in Shiwangandu, supply and donation of a solar powered internet school in Kabwe in conjunction with area member of parliament Sydney Mushanga, construction of houses for underprivileged families in Chipulukusu, Ndola with the UN Habitat for Humanity and the construction of houses for underprivileged families in Makululu Township, Kabwe.
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InConversationWith Willie Vos is the CEO of Waterfall Management and Operating Company. Vos is an experienced property developer with more than 20 years’ experience in residential property developments. He has a strong passion for the industry; playing a key role in shaping the successful development of Waterfall. Vos is responsible for all commercial and residential developments undertaken by Waterfall Management and Operating Company.
wv Willie Vos What is the value of assets under your control? Currently approximately R40 billion, including those of our partners. Once the Waterfall Development is completed the value will be approximately R90 billion.
What’s the best decision you ever made? Deciding that my family comes first. On a professional level, my decision to work for Waterfall Management Company – as I feel I have one of the best jobs as there is never a dull moment.
What is the number of employees in your organisation? We have 17 full time employees. We also make use of many consultants.
Five people you’d invite to dinner? My dad (who has passed on), Paul the Apostle, I would like to speak to Warren Buffet, Einstein – as I believe he would be very interesting to talk to him and lastly, since I am a fan of history, Winston Churchill.
What does a typical working day entail? Mostly meetings, but from time to time I undertake site drives and, of course, set aside some time to answer emails and attend to any admin. What occupies your time outside work? My family occupies my time. I am also involved in the rugby referee society - I am a television rugby match official and referee. Favourite music? I enjoy a wide variety of music interest – from classical to rock, country and pop music. Favourite food? My wife’s cooking. I really enjoy Braaivleis and Italian food. What’s the worst decision you ever made? I have made a few, but I do believe it is important to make some mistakes, to be able to learn.
What can’t you live without? Most definitely good company (including my family), and I don’t think I would be able to live without my cellphone. Three words to describe your leadership style? Direct, but also accommodating and responsive. What’s your pet peeve? People that lie. Three words to describe your leadership style? Direct, but also accommodating and responsive. What was your dream job as a child? My dream job was to be a teacher. What do you know for sure? That I will die.
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