WORD Issue 8 June 2021

Coach me!

Featuring Heléne Smuts

ISSUE 8

JUNE 2021

THE GIVE BACK

Clean C PG10

PG32

That’s what he said ...

Featuring

RYAN STRAMROOD

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A MO M EN T O N Y O U R L I P S , A L IF E TI M E I N THE R A P Y PG24

The Enquirer

WITH DIANE BOORMAN!

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" The Strategy of it all "

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Lisa Bell DESIGN: ART DIRECTOR: Krystin Morgenrood COVER IMAGE: Marike Herselman Photography EDITORIAL QUERIES: Address to Lisa Bell, E-mail wordmag@thewordarchitect.co.za Tel. +27 82 466 4806 ADVERTISING SALES: Cape Town Tel. +27 82 466 4806

LEFT PAGE IMAGE: Freepik RIGHT PAGE MODEL: Lisa Bell PHOTOGRAPHY: Marike Herselman photography

FROM THE E D I T O R

C

an you believe we are in the middle of 2021 already?

Winter has arrived in SA, and we are all preparing for many more online meetings. As I sit and write, the wind is playing havoc with the trees, and I can see that the birds have hidden away.

With winter comes a sense of hide-away-and-hibernate, but that could be the worst decision for your business.

If nothing else, use this time to re-evaluate your business strategies. What you decided to do at the beginning of the year may need some tweaking. Look at your marketing plans as well as sales targets. Can you do things differently to make more of an impact?

Our 8th issue is all about 'The Strategy of it all," and we hope you enjoy the amazing nuggets of gold that our contributors have brought to you.

Yours in writing,

Lisa Bell FROM THE EDITOR

IN THIS

issue

That’s what he said ...

Ryan Stramrood

14

The Give Back Community, Coastline, Cape Town, Country Is it tho?

Business Myths

08

Clean C

10

Feature A moment on your lips, a lifetime in therapy Lisa Bell

24

IN THIS ISSUE

Kreatively Yours

The Bizz Buzz OptiGrowth

28

Design is the silent ambassador of your brand Krystin Morgenrood

35

Recruiting ...

Not A Swear Word Team Training Anthony Kettle

42

The Enquirer Coach Me!

Diane Boorman

Are you ready to flip the drama Triangle?

Heléne Smuts

32

Must Read Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

36

IN THIS ISSUE

46

WHAT'S YOUR

WEAK POINT? When you feel that little niggle or spasm that has you hobbling out of bed, you shouldn't leave it. From sitting all day, to leaning over our phones or even cleaning the house and gardening, you can easily tweak a muscle.

A physiotherapist is trained in treating pain and locating its source. And, very often, the source is not where the pain originates from. A physio will look for areas of weakness or stiffness that may be adding stress to the places that are causing pain.

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WHO’S EYES WILL BE ON YOUR BRAND

ONLINE SUBSCRIBER TOTAL

18 425 LSM 7-10

GENDER SPLIT

Outside SA borders

AREA

47% Male

53% female

South Africa

13%

87% AGE RANGE 22

67

CLOSER TO HOME

INDUSTRIES REACHED 40%

Business Services

32%

Engineering/Manufacturing

10%

Technology

8%

Retail

3%

Healthcare

4%

Financial

3%

Other

Cape Town

Johannesburg

57%

23%

Durban

Other

15%

5%

ADVERTISE IN THIS MAGAZINE 7

Is it tho?

SMALL BUSINESS MYTHS YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO

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SMALL BUSINESS MYTHS YOU ALWAYS THOUGHT WERE TRUE (but, were always too unsure to ask about ...)

As small business owners, we are often caught in the rut of simply doing what has always been done. We don't think we should question age-old myths or traditions. Take the time to read about a few myths that need busting!

8

A few golden nuggets have been passed down over the years when it comes to business. They have stood the test of time so they must be true ... right? Well, some definitely need a complete overhaul.

1

THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT If the customer were always right, every company would be out of business! Running a

IS IT THO?

IMAGE: Freepik

5

By Angie Fraenkel

business at the whim of each client will never lead to a profitable company. However, since the customer is always the customer, it is essential to see things from their perspective, listen and empathise. The true essence of keeping the client happy is setting the criteria for expectations!

2

UNDER-PROMISE AND OVER-DELIVER Always buy time. Start with a realistic expectation but ensure you buy yourself a little extra time. If your client is happy with the initial time frame given, delivery before the deadline is a score!

The client will be pleased to continue doing business with you and may even refer you!

3 4

SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY MAKING MONEY Sure, it's one way to keep score, but if the small business owner focuses only on getting rich, he will never achieve it.

Always look at building value with your clients, and the financial rewards will follow!

SPEND MONEY TO MAKE MONEY This is a seriously old adage and one used too often by small business owners. Instead of spending more money, slow

down and understand the needs. Sometimes a small intentional strategising session is what can help you solve problems instead of throwing money at it. Apply your mind instead of your cash.

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BE ACTIVE ON ALL SOCIAL NETWORKS A true myth!

The truth is that the wrong social media platform for your business can be a waste of time, money and energy!

Business owners should find out where their customers' and prospects' conversations are happening. Become active in that arena and focus on that platform.

IS IT THO?

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The Give Back COMMUNITY

C O A S T L IN E CAPE TO W N

C O UN T RY

The “C” in Clean C stands for Community, Coastline, Cape Town, Country.

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THE GIVE BACK

C

lean C is a Non-Profit Organisation that started up in 2013 after seeing the huge need in an area called Joe Slovo Park in Cape Town.

Take a few steps back where Greg Player and a few friends started doing beach cleanups in Table View. Every time they went to the beach to surf or kiteboard, there was always a huge amount of litter on the beach.

potential, dream big, and be prepared to work “bigger”.

This started their iconic beach cleanups. They also helped start up a soup kitchen and rebuild a creche. As relationships were built with people in the community and the community leaders – they started identifying more and more potential projects from needs identified by the community.

Clean C's dream is to see these projects grow in Cape Town and other areas in South Africa.

And, so Clean C was formed.

They started to diversify and added onto their projects, including kids' homework classes, youth leadership programs, entrepreneurial start-up support, and skills development training. Clean C also has a wonderful Girls Group called Kingdom Girls Hub. In addition, a running project called “Run to Lead” where kids are taken to races and given leadership training – the main goal is for the kids to realise and un-tap their own

Clean C still host their beach cleanups at over 16 beaches every month around Cape Town.

And recently rebranded their recycling collection business to a company called Kerby, which collects recycling from over 1000 houses in Cape Town and employs 16 people on a full-time basis.

To find out more, head on over to their website and social platforms. www.cleanc.co.za greg@cleanc.co.za

THE GIVE BACK

@CleanCCCC @BloubergBC

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Interview by Lisa Bell

That’s what he said ...

RYAN STRAMROOD

14

LEFT PAGE PHOTOGRAPHER: Shamil Tanna

S

itting on the top floor of the Radisson in the CBD, admiring the eclectic view of skyscrapers, blue sky and deck pool lounge, I am reminded of how privileged we all are in the bigger scheme of things. My gaze moves to an equally eye-candy view of my next magazine cover, Ryan Stramrood. Ryan smiles, looking relaxed after a fun photo shoot with Marike Herselman, who is hovering to catch a few more. Ryan is a multi-faceted man, and while many know him for his swimming prowess and achievements, there is so much more to this charismatic businessman. Let’s dive in (pun intended!).

Ryan is an international speaker and extreme swimmer, besides the owner of his marketing business.

“A dip into Ryan Stramrood’s swimming CV is impressive and cold: he has already completed 115 Robben Island-to-mainland crossings and swam solo across the notorious English Channel.

With a team of South Africans, he swam the first official “Ice Mile” in -1°C water in Antarctica, completed a swim in the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon in Iceland, and competed in the IISA World Championships in

Borghausen, Germany. More recently, Ryan completed the False Bay crossing of 33kms in 8 hours, 39 minutes, a record time and Guinness World Record too. And this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of his swimming achievements.” www.ryanstramrood.com/biography

Q1 – What have you been up to over the last year or so?

So, what's kept me very busy recently is obviously trying to pivot during COVID as a public speaker, going from very busy making nice traction globally to having everything literally destroyed overnight.

Like many other people in similar circumstances, I sat and tried to figure out what to do next. As soon as I figured out that I had to get 100% online with my speaking, it all started to work really well. And, now I’m pretty busy. That’s on the work front. The other thing that's kept me busy has obviously been training really hard trying to get my body, and more my mind actually, ready to take on the False Bay crossing.

Q2 – What is the process to get ready for a mammoth swim like that?

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To get myself to the start line, to be honest, is to get fit enough, which also gets my head in the game. Once you step into the ocean, you may not touch anything until you get to the other side, so it's quite daunting actually to commit.

The swim is non-stop except for the occasional refuelling break, which is every half an hour, where they throw me liquid and stuff to hydrate. And then there was the challenge of the blue bottles. If you’ve ever been stung, you will know it’s excruciating, and on this swim, it was still dark when I hit them, and while treading water.

out there cause it's completely black. So, I grabbed a torch, and there was half a seal floating nearby – I literally would have hit it. And, now I'm wondering where the other half is!

Q3 – What was the end result of this swim? I believe there was a record to beat?

Yes, correct. I did it in a record-breaking time.

Believe it or not, 8 hours and 39 minutes are record-breaking.

And, I was the sixth person ever to succeed but the first person to pioneer that particular route.

The tried and tested route has a very high failure rate, with only 5 successes ever. The different routes are simply in opposite directions East to West being the common route, with West to East never been done successfully before.

Absolutely brutal! And then I had to stop to try to pick them out from under my watch, in my nose and my mouth, stinging my lips. So, that kind of rips you out of that focused mental state you've been trying to get into -trying to find the flow. Something like that can jeopardise everything; however, thankfully, I got through it.

The different routes have the same distance; however, it’s the currents and conditions that differ. And, even though we had all the knowledge on hand, from weather charts to current predictions, with different moon and tide cycles, as well as winds that come before and after, it can completely mess up the currents. And, then, of course, you've got the fear and psychology of the Great White sharks, never mind the blue

But, back to the start - the way it worked was we got there quite early, so it was pitch dark (can’t see your hand in front of your face pitch dark!) down at Miller's Point. I met the boat crew there who were already setting up their boats. Before I'm about to jump in, I wonder what is 16

Q&A

bottles. We actually waited and watched for a westerly wind, which flows in the direction we wanted to go, but that never came, so I knew what I got on that day was going to be the best of all options. And that got me brave enough to get off the slipway. Once I was out there, I just went with it. Sure, there are moments of like, “What am I doing here” but there are great moments too.

many years back when I decided to get off the couch at the age of 30. I was getting fat and lazy, loving the TV remote.

I needed to get fit, so a client advised me to join a little swim squad with a coach called Gary Freeling, and I'm still with him to this day. I managed to do 20 lengths at the first session, and while it was tough, it was the first time in my life, on a sporting level, that I actually stuck to it. Along the swimming journey, I met amazing people who had swum Robben Island, and I went ‘Wow!’, putting them on this pedestal, then someone says, “Ryan, why don't you try it?”. I always thought Robben Island wasn’t for me, reserved for the superhuman, for the athlete, definitely not for me.

Long story short, I eventually

Q4 – What are the lessons you have learned on these swims, and how do you take it into your motivational talks?

I have learned so much about myself - it's been a real journey for me, but I didn't wake up one day and decide to swim False Bay. It really started Q&A

17

PHOTOGRAPHER: Marike Herselman Photography

ended up setting it as a goal and giving it a try, and I made it. And that set me on a journey second to none. In my talks, I speak more about how no one thought I could do it, which motivates me today. I take that into motivating others that it’s pretty much all in your mind, setting goals that you don't think you can achieve, because those are the ones which are the hardest, taking you out of your comfort zone. If you can get passed your toughest challenge, you literally know you can achieve anything else, in life, in business, and personally.

A few years back, I attempted the North Channel from Ireland to Scotland. That nearly, very nearly killed me.

I got something called swimming-induced-pulmonary-oedema, and I couldn’t finish the swim. It was devastating and actually knocked my confidence in a big way. As humans, we default to looking for excuses mostly because of the fear of failure. When I stopped and thought about it, it all made sense to me. That is what I preach on stage. At the time, you have to acknowledge that and figure out why you’re making excuses. Once you get that, you demystify it all.

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Q&A

Don't be so scared of failure.

For me, especially the False Bay swim, there were many eyes on me, many expecting me to fail.

Now, everyone is waiting to see who is going to attempt it next.

This will open the floodgates to a lot of people trying it. When you decide to swim in the opposite direction, while everybody is saying you’re a fool, yeah, there is irony in that and a life lesson for sure. But, I'm very glad for my support team.

Derrick Frazer (of BigBayEvents) also helped me and gave me the confidence I needed.

talking is not cool. This new way is working well.

Q6 – Anything new we can look forward to from you?

Yes, my new keynote, which I haven't really started yet, came to me on the boat ride home from False Bay. It’s called Failing Forward because, after the North Channel swim, which rocked my confidence, I realised again that you have to fail in order to move forward. You can have all the excuses in the world, but you have to face the fact that you may fail. So, it's about stepping outside of failure and looking back at failure objectively, mixed with subjectivisms, and that is where you start learning. It’s about the lessons you take from that.

It makes failing valuable.

Q5 – Let’s talk about your speaking engagements. You’re obviously doing more online now, but are you also doing some face-to-face like you used to?

Yes, there are more onstage/in-person speaking engagements happening now, slowly. But, the online space has started to work out really well too. I have worked out a smooth way of presenting online, and it has to do with sharing a link in the chat, so this eliminates the issue of lagging. I had to come up with something that ensured a highly engaged virtual experience to hold attention.

I am used to presenting with a lot of images and videos, and having a lagging video whilst

Everyone says you have to fail to succeed. True. But, if you're just failing, like I did on the North Channel and don’t do anything with it, then you’re not learning anything. I am hoping to teach that in the corporate

"but you have to face the fact that you may fail."

Q&A

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sense. It also, of course, applies to everyone, especially kids.

So, I want to talk to high net worth individuals running multimillion US dollar corporations and filter it down to their salesteams, who most definitely need the inspiration.

They can draw lessons from it in order to help them sell better.

Everyone hits those brick walls and finds the excuses. It’s about getting past that, reaching for those impossible targets, starting the journey and believing in yourself.

Q7 – Advice for the 18-year old version of yourself?

To believe in yourself, know that there will be failure, but to learn from it.

To get in touch with Ryan

Thank you, Ryan, for the motivation and inspiration that you bring. We look forward to seeing what amazing feats you will take on next!

and keep up to date with his swims or to book him for a speaking event, link through to his website or via social. www.ryanstramrood.com

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A MOMENT ON YO UR LIPS,

a lifetime in therapy

Y

ou’ve heard these phrases many times – “Watch what you say”, “You’re going to eat those words” “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me”, “Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out” and how about “The words you speak become the house you live in”?

From the moment you are taught to speak, you’ve been in a place of power. What you say and even what you think can shape your future, your words and thoughts can either break it

24

or make it. Yes, it is true – a moment on your lips, a lifetime in therapy. And, it may not be you in therapy either … your words have consequences.

Mark Pollard, who I came across in research for this article, has written a book called Strategy is your Words, where he waxes lyrical about how words are pretty much a part of everything. To quote him, “Here’s how to get good at strategy: words. Start with words, continue with words, and finish with words. You have one job - get good at words. Why?

FEATURE

IMAGE: Freepik

BY LISA BELL

IMAGE: Freepik

At some point, everything is words. If you can see it, it’s words. If you can think of it, it’s words. If you can feel it, it’s words. You live in a world of your own making, and you use words to sustain it because you see the world through the words you’ve used to create it.

Like everyone else, you choose the meaning of these words because their meaning keeps your world’s meaning alive.

Words are your world’s life support. However, a word you use every day means something else to someone else somewhere else because that’s how that someone keeps their world alive.”

As this is my passion, work, and everything, I think I will be placing this book on my reading list. And, he makes some good points. Not only are words a part of everything in our lives, but so is strategy, and as that’s the theme of Issue 8, let’s explore that a bit more.

well-thought-out speech ended up a horrible melted mess on the pavement in front of your love’s bare feet. And, when you felt so strongly about that promotion, you practically won an Oscar for your heartfelt montage of why you deserved it; your surprised boss was taken aback by your words, even though he was going to give it to you anyway.

VERBALLY YOURS Think about when you first had to stand up and speak in front of others. You probably stumbled over your words and felt like a total two-year-old. What about the time when you decided to be all gung-ho and deliver your undying love at the tender age of 15? More than likely, your

THE POWER OF THE PEN But, words are not always spoken; they are primarily written nowadays – in emails, in text messages, on social posts – how do those words come out? Often better than our spoken ones. We have time to think about them. We can use Grammarly to ensure we don’t

FEATURE

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Yes, words are everything.

But, even the most thought-out email or WhatsApp message can bring someone down. The words we ‘think’ and send out are not always received the way we imagined they would be. And nowadays, once you’ve handed over your words, you often cannot take them back, you cannot edit them, they’ve left, and you must handle the consequences. It’s a scary thought for many. Releasing your words into the universe, that is.

So, how can you ensure you control your words, both verbally and written?

PAUSE, PLAN and PAUSE SOME MORE Yes, we live in a fast-paced world, space where there is no time for pausing. We need to get it out today, yesterday, right away! Our audience wants to hear from us now. They don’t have time to wait. And, when you give it to them, it better be concise, engaging and even a little shocking. Shew! That is a lot of pressure – and I don’t know about you, but when I am put under pressure like that, I generally make mistakes.

When considering your words, take a moment to pause. That pause can mean the difference between a calamity you may not get out of in a hurry or at all, or it can mean a well-received piece of content that will set your future on fire (in a good way, though).

Pausing also means possibly allowing a few close confidants in, those who can take a look at your words, who can objectively give you helpful feedback.

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IMAGE: Freepik

sound like that two-year-old, and we can attempt to impress.

Sure, there isn’t always time to ask for feedback, but it will be worth the wait when it’s a super important piece.

Planning – what do I mean?

Whether verbal or written, every piece of content should have a beginning, a middle, and an end, much like any good story. Because, at the end of the day, you are telling a story.

Yes, even in an email. You want to plan out that structure. Start with an opening line, something engaging enough to keep the reader or listener intrigued. (this may be when it comes to an email, the subject line).

Then once you have that right, head into the meat of the story; this too needs to be engaging, though, and of course, needs to get your audience to the end, the call to action. That may sound super formal when all you’re doing is possibly speaking to someone, but it really is part of everything we put out there.

and wine pairing day. (blaa blaa fish paste details here) …)

(THE MEAT) “Would you like to be in charge of the announcements on the day, as I know how good you are behind a mike?”

(CALL TO ACTION) Okay, that was so super simple, but you can see that even the simplest of dialogue can have that planned order. Yes, there may be other received dialogue in between, but you get my meaning, right?

PAUSE, PLAN AND PAUSE SOME MORE … the extra pause is just to make sure you’re really ready to release your words out into the universe – use it wisely.

Think about this scenario: “Hey Jill, I thought I would have a chat with you about the end of year function, coming up in 4 weeks.” (OPENING LINE) “We had planned to go to Hillcrest for that amazing buffet

www.thewordarchitect.co.za 27

THE BIZZ BUZZ

GETTING YOU THERE ...

ONE BUSINESS FOCUS AT A TIME!

T H E S T R AT E G Y OF IT ALL

By Damion Stander

O

ne of the significant areas most business owners tend to neglect is the strategic planning of their business. Not because they don’t necessarily want to do Strategy sessions, but rather that the immediate tasks or customer requirements mean that Strategy is reprioritised and pushed out – sometimes indefinitely.

What makes Strategy so important then?

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Consider this; there are roughly 250 working days a year. If you take 5 days out of the year to do strategy, 1 day to define your 3 – 5 year plan and then 4 days throughout the year to follow through on your strategy, you’ll only spend 2% of your year focusing on strategy.

It’s probably a little lame, but I think strategy planning is like a road trip. For the vast majority of us, when going on a road trip,

LEFT PAGE IMAGE: Marike Herselman Photography IMAGE: Freepik

it means setting a destination to get to and then planning the route.

The road-trip then starts taking form: · w e know where we want to go, · w e know when we want to get there, · w e know the route and potential pitstops/checkpoints we’ll need to make, · a nd we can put a budget together to afford it.

By doing this, we can share this plan with either the convoy with us and/or those interested in our road trip. By putting this plan together, we can also tackle any potential detours or breakdowns should they happen.

Considering this, think about your business in this way. Have you planned where you want your business to be in the next one, two or five years? What are the checkpoints to get you there, and have you defined a budget needed to get there?

I can almost hear you asking, “There’s no guarantee this strategy will happen; what’s the point when I can’t predict the future?”

That’s a great question, and the answer is we can’t guarantee anything. A pandemic can hit us and shut our business down or

boost sales if you’re in the right industry.

However, a strategy is a plan and not the outcome. We do many strategy development workshops and use a 5-step process over 1 day to help businesses define their strategy.

From my perspective, there are two primary outcomes from a strategy session, and those are:

1. Does this strategy achieve the goals of the shareholders?

2. What is the business going to do to fulfil this strategy?

Considering the first point there are several debates around the purpose of a business and the impact on social-beneficial obligations versus profit-driven.

Regardless of our views on this, a business needs to be profitable, and a business model needs to work. The way that profit is used to achieve the objectives of the shareholder's purpose can be discussed away from this.

However, the business has investors and shareholders whose needs need to be satisfied. As a business owner, you need to be satisfied the business can achieve the reasons you started the business.

THE BIZZ BUZZ

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As we prepare these forecasts, we’ll start to develop the potential checkpoints and areas of concern that need to be prevented from achieving a profitable business model that satisfies the shareholders.

clear and measurable checkpoints that you can periodically assess and measure your progress. This helps you keep to your plan and ensure your team follows through on their individual plans and targets.

Hopefully, this has indicated why it’s important not to avoid or put off doing a strategy at least once a year because we have a chance to take a step back, realign our teams to plan our business journey for the next few years.

If you don’t know where to start or just want to have a chat about your strategy to people who have built, implemented and delivered on strategic plans, go to www.optigrowth.co.za

·A s part of developing and finalising a strategy, we need to include and allow our teams to influence the strategy. These are the staff you will rely on to help you when delivering your strategy, and they need to define their own departmental or team plans to achieve the business strategy. Lastly, we need to share the results of the strategy session with the wider team, which is to ensure that the broad details and “route” are clear. Your plan should have 30

THE BIZZ BUZZ

IMAGE: Freepik

The second point looks at how the business is going to achieve this strategy. There are multiple areas in this, but I want to focus on two:

· I t all starts with your financial forecast and particularly your sales plan. We need to try and predict how much revenue we are going to make and set these targets for our sales teams. From this base, we can predict the COS (cost of sales) and then the expenses needed to achieve and deliver these sales amounts.

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ARE YOU READY TO FLIP THE DRAMA TRIANGLE? It’s time to cripple conflict and boost engagement

By Heléne Smuts Credo Growth

W

orkplace drama is crippling your bottom line and slaying employee productivity. Sound dramatic?

Let’s look at the facts.

According to a study by the Gallup Wellbeing Index, conflict costs companies one day per employee per month.

So, if you have 10 people in your business, that’s 10 unproductive days per month and 120 days per year. Another way to look at it is that this equates

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to a GBP 33 billion loss per year in the UK alone!

So, let me ask you a question - how are you contributing to conflict in your organisation?

What is it that you are doing, and how are you potentially making it worse?

In this article, I’m going to unpack the drama triangle by Stephen Karpman. It manifests in a myriad of different ways; for example, someone may be:

COACH ME!

·e xtremely sensitive and take offence easily; ·u pset because someone else stepped up and took control of a failing project, causing jealousy of that proactiveness; · i n a new leadership role and not spending enough time understanding the culture of the team.

In conflict, we need different roles to act in this drama. And the roles identified by Karpman are explained in this diagram.

Rescuer

Persecutor

"I can save you"

"This is all your fault"

These roles depend on each other and actually need each other to survive. The victim needs the persecutor so that they can have the victim pity party and invite a rescuer to save them. A rescuer also needs the victim; otherwise, there is no one to save them and keep them dependent. The prosecutor needs the victim to lash out.

If you think about your behaviour and communication style, which role in this triangle do you take first? What signal or invitation do you send to team members?

And which role do you move on to next?

For example, you may go from victim to persecutor (from feeling sorry for yourself to punishing the person that did this to you); or from rescuer to victim (from constantly doing stuff for others to feeling that people always take advantage of you).

Victim "Poor Me"

Here is a snapshot of what each role typically feels like: 1. Victim: poor me; why does this always happen to me; people have it in for me.

2. Rescuer: I can help you; I will save you; let me do that for you; if only you would listen to me, as I know how to fix this for you.

3. Persecutor: this is all your fault; you will get what is coming to you; I will make sure you get what you deserve.

We all move between these roles, BUT we also accept invitations from others. So when you are in conflict and experiencing drama, be aware of who is creating the drama and what roles you accept.

The bottom line is that we will stay in this drama triangle until one party decides to change and move into a healthy behaviour.

This forms part of the Transac-

COACH ME!

33

tional Analysis Theory by Eric Berne, which is a great tool to put a strategy together to be the first person to step out of drama and invite someone else to also move to a healthy position in order to work through the actual conflict.

of understanding but with respectful assertiveness. This shift requires you to take on a different mindset, as playing the drama game can be exciting, as we get to blame and justify why we are absolved of being responsible for the conflict.

And, this is where The Winner Triangle comes in, which we call The Engagement Triangle:

So, if you take away one thing from reading this, remember that your strategy should be to focus on The Engagement Triangle and identify what role you can use to turn drama or conflict around into a meaningful, effective discussion, even though it might be super hard.

The Creator "with problem solving"

The Coach "with clear support"

The Challenger "with clear instructions"

1. The rescuer becomes the coach by asking more openended questions and providing support without physically doing the tasks for the victim.

2. The victim becomes the creator by problem-solving and focusing on the circle of influence by Stephen Covey - asking what do you have direct and indirect control over? What can you do to change the situation?

3. The persecutor becomes the challenger through clear instruction and also by providing a choice that works for both parties. They bring in a sense 34

At Credo Growth, we help our clients to develop skills to enable high performance at all levels of an organisation, using tools like this that are easy to understand and practical to implement.

We have also developed an online course to give more people access to these tools and a strategy to lead teams and peers more effectively, which you can find here: http://bit.ly/DHPT_course www.credogrowth.co.za

COACH ME!

Kreatively Yours

by Krystin Morgenrood

OF YOUR BRAND Paul Rand

While we believe in the power of words, bad graphics and design can bring down your brand in a matter of seconds.

From your website to your social platforms, you should be aware of how your design affects others.

A few elements to focus on: • i s there clarity of purpose?

• d oes it communicate your message?

• a re you using too many typefaces?

• a re you sticking to brand colours?

• are your images high res?

• d o your images load quickly on your website?

• i s your website design mobile-friendly?

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OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! ...

WHEN YOU HAVE A BOOK!

– Anna Quindlen

36

Image Source: Pexels

“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.”

Extreme Ownership

by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin Detailing the mindset and principles that enable SEAL units to accomplish the most difficult combat missions, Extreme Ownership demonstrates how to apply them to any team or organisation, in any leadership environment. A compelling narrative with powerful instruction and direct application, Extreme Ownership challenges leaders everywhere to fulfil their ultimate purpose: lead and win.

RECOMMENDED BY Heléne Smuts

Let My People Go Surfing

by Yvon Chouinard & Naomi Klein From his youth as the son of a French Canadian handyman to the thrilling, ambitious climbing expeditions that inspired his innovative designs for the sport's equipment, Let My People Go Surfing is the story of a man who brought doing good and having grand adventures into the heart of his business life-a book that will deeply affect entrepreneurs and outdoor enthusiasts alike.

RECOMMENDED BY Greg Player

MUST READ

37

Strategy is your words

by Mark Pollard Here’s how to get good at strategy: words. Start with words, continue with words, and finish with words. You have one job - get good at words.

Why? At some point, everything is words. If you can see it, it’s words. If you can think it, it’s words. If you can feel it, it’s words.

RECOMMENDED BY Lisa Bell

Conscious Leadership

by Mike Handcock & Landi Jac With a view to be conscious, one must be prepared to do the deep inner work within oneself.

This formative work heads deep into human potential and new science, whilst supported by ancient wisdom, practical application and broadening the view by asking the questions most people never ask themselves, or their colleagues.

RECOMMENDED BY Diane Boorman

38

MUST READ

The Richest Man Who Ever Lived

by Steven K Scott In this short, powerful book, multimillionaire and bestselling author Steven K. Scott reveals King Solomon’s breakthrough strategies to achieve a life of financial success and personal fulfilment.

RECOMMENDED BY Melissa Garcia

Man’s Search for Meaning

by Viktor Frankl At the heart of Frankl’s theory of logotherapy (from the Greek word for “meaning”) is a conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but rather the discovery and pursuit of what the individual finds meaningful.

Frankl’s classic work continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living, in spite of all obstacles.

RECOMMENDED BY Ryan Stramrood

*As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

MUST READ

39

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RECRUITING ...

NOT A SWEAR WORD

Team Training

IMAGE: Freepik

FOR IMPROVED TEAM SPIRIT!

42

T

raining; the very often dreaded word amongst staff, but for what reason?

The connotation with the word ‘training’ is that it is generally in a formal environment with no fun or room for expression.

Well, this does not have to be the case!

Informal learning is estimated to make up to 75% of learning within organisations, a stat often overlooked!

It includes learning through self-reflection, learning from your colleagues, supervisors, and mentors and learning from reading articles or books.

Other ways of learning that have been proven to be beneficial are group work. You allow the teams to break into smaller groups, step away to strategise, and later reconvene to share.

This often gives more introverted team members who function better in smaller groups an opportunity to shine and express themselves in a way they might not have in a larger group setting.

This is why investing in team building is crucial as the better your team gets along, the higher the chance of them learning informally from each other is.

Training together often gives 43

Better interaction of team members leads to better productivity, team morale is increased, and your team will generally function more effectively!

Don’t underestimate team training!

Ask Anthony

Anthony Kettle Anthony Kettle is a true serial-entrepreneur always taking on new business opportunities with passion and zeal.

He is the co-owner of West Coast Personnel, a successful recruitment agency that has been around for going on 21 years in the Table View, Western Cape area.

He co-founded Skills Cafe, an online platform for Recruiters and corporates looking for Manufacturing and Engineering staff. He is also co-owner of Equip-Yourself, where job seekers can increase their chances of finding their dream job by up to 80%.

anthony@wcp.co.za

www.westcoastpersonnel.co.za

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RECRUITING ... NOT A SWEAR WORD

IMAGE: Freepik

team members better insight and helps them learn about each other in a setting other than from behind the desk!

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THE ENQUIRER Ask Diane Boorman

W

hether you’re navigating a multi-million-dollar business or just starting up, you will have burning questions. Diane Boorman is here to answer them.

"If I am a Creative Director and not a business owner, how do I gain access to information in order to make decisions?"

- Mary of Linenz Functions and Events So many people start out as a Product Developer, or it started as a hobby which has now turned into a business or a way of making money. A lot of what is needed to be learnt is practical stuff; how to talk to clients, how to sell, negotiating with suppliers, and so much more. My favourite analogy for this group of business owners is; if you need to walk the street, you need to find your clients; you need to understand their problem and how you will solve it. More importantly, you need 46

to know you do not have the backing of the other divisions like in corporate or a support structure like your parents if you were a student.

It is really time to put those big girl panties on and take one step at a time. It is also essential for you to make the decisions and then analyse the consequences – not every decision will be the best decision, but take time to work out which are the best decisions for you and your business and your goals. There are so many hubs available for startups. There is so much information available and courses and more – you need to know your questions first. What do you really want to know? What do you know now, and what decision are you going to have to make in the future?

They work hard, make money, use that money to buy a machine or employ staff depending on the need and then the circle starts again. Often, when we analyse a business, the business has so many areas that have not been thought out thoroughly – the customer is often wrong, the product levels are not there and more. Business owners need to take time to work ON their business.

I am struggling to find funding for machinery I need for my start-up. What is the best route?

- Sandisile David (Start-up) This has been the burning question for over a year now; finding funds to keep the business alive, funds to help the business out of debt, funds for growth, funds to help the profitability. The realistic answer is there is no pot of money waiting for you. 99% of business owners do it alone.

THE ENQUIRER

47

They need time to strategise, and they need time to work with management to understand the needs for now and the future. The most important question is – What are my client's problems tomorrow, and how can I solve these problems today?

Then, when you get to needing money – there are lending houses, banks, joint ventures, startup funds, angel investors, venture capitalists and more – reach out to all to understand the criteria, what they expect and how you will pay it back.

Diane Boorman Every business owner expects to be successful in their business, BUT how many have achieved their most significant potential of business growth?

As a business enabler and growth accelerator and global guest speaker, Diane Boorman uses her 55 000 hours of entrepreneurial and corporate success to help uncover the hidden opportunities and future potential by identifying business areas often forgotten.

Diane is a Board Member of the Cape Chamber of Commerce, Accountability Accelerator for Circle of Excellence and Columnist at Word Magazine.

Further, she is President for BNI Edge, International Networking Organisation, and the CEO for Brand Analytics. www.brandanalytics.co.za H AV E A B U S I N E S S QUESTION FOR DIANE?

EMAIL US 48

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THANK YOU

for indulging us with your time ... ... Issue 9 with you 1 August What's your Story?

DISCLAIMER Despite the constant care and attention that we devote to the structure of this magazine and the information it contains, The Word Architect and it’s various contributors (hereinafter collectively referred to as: TWA & Contributors) cannot guarantee the completeness, accuracy of the data and content of the magazine, nor that it is up to date at all times. TWA & Contributors, therefore, accept no liability for any direct or indirect damage of any kind whatsoever that arises from or is in any way related to, the use of the content or its accessibility or lack thereof.

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