The modern day manager finds himself, or herself if you like, in the tumultuous torrent of demands, expectations, requirements, compliance and regulatory pressure. As a sub-text to this malaise, one finds the issues of ethics, integrity and sacrifice as additional priorities in the managers intentions to lead effectively. Managers unite in the call to take these important issues in their “stride” as a qunitessential “lines of duty” in maintaining a profitable workplace. Clarke N. Western has now published this useful handbook that provides solace, encourgaement, practical tips and affirming stories of managers who have successfully navigated the murky mire of Management.
Continue reading ‘Ethics, Integrity & Sacrifice in the Workplace’
Yes, it exists … and you thought life was tough through your mid-life crisis. The Quarterlife Crisis is an often misdiagnosed period in the life of 20- and 30-somethings when the sheer weight of lifes choices bear down on the young and threatens to render them imobile. Travel, career, relationships, marriage, identity, passion, dreams, location … these are the decisions that Quarterlifers need to address when they are just shy of 30 years of age. Generally defined, the Quarterlife Crisis is that unique crisis of modern 20- and 30-somethings who are faced with overwhelming choices and expectations regarding their future.
Joanne Jowell weaves a wonderfully smooth narrative of her Quartlife experience when she woke up one morning in Cape Town and reliased that there was no script to guide her in decisions around career, home, idenity and dreams. This is a book that many young adults will identify with - Jowell has captured succintly the nuances of becoming an adult in todays changing world. Never before have people in their 20s and 30s had to face the magnitude of life choices and decision-making that we face today.
Jowell outlines her own Quartlife crisis and offers some observations and explanatiosn that will help fellow Quartelifers address the looming crisis in their own lives. Based in futurist observations, Jowell identifies how being a new generation in this world, along with advances in technology, travel, equality and early retirement creates a crisis that many folk don’t recognise, nevermind overcome. The book provides some wonderful to our Being Talented framework.
Buy it from Kalahari or find out more at The Quarterlife.
It is not breaking news that business paradigms are shifting significantly. The difference, in historical terms, is that the shift is taking place on a global scale never seen before. Thomas L. Friedman, in his seminal book The World is Flat, describes how our world is being flattened by historical events and forces that in the last 15 years have resulted in the globalised, connected, speed-orientated world we live in.
Many factors contribute to these changes - the advancement of the internet, outsourcing, production techniques, and many more. Although the global economy is a product of the cumulative efforts of local economies, many countries are finding themselves in precarious positions where some are forerunners and some are being left behind. Emerging economies are challenging the way we operate significantly. It is a defining time in history that no country is exempt from.
Continue reading ‘The community employer – a new employment contract’
I have no research to back this up, but I reckon we’ll soon be seeing the death of World Cup competitions … with the first being the soccer world cup. With the success of club competitions such as the EUFA Champions League, where the best clubs in Europe compete, loyalty is shifting from allegiance to one’s country towards the club one chooses to support. Some clubs even enjoy estimated supporter stats of roughly 43 million … or more. The thing about clubs is that they have no borders, they are brands. Loyalty is changing. We are seeing that one no longer need to originate from, or have some tenious link to a geographic region to be a supporter of that team. Sure, clashes between countries still draw millions and one’s nationality still rouses fueds of old. However, the power held within one’s nationality is not as potent as it was in days before global connectivity and globalisation.
it’s just that I cannot understand, nor see it, right now.
I’ve just come out of a forced 2-week sabbatical as a result of my system-board kicking the bucket on my Hewlett-Packard notebook. 14 days it has taken for HP, nay I lie, ICSS to fix it for me. HP, like many companies, outsources servicing and repairs to 3rd parties.
Clearly there must be a financial and logistical reason for this … but at what cost to the comsumer? I believe that the motivation to actually care for a customers problem is distilled in the process of outsourcing core functions such as servicing and repairs.
Continue reading ‘There must be a rationale behind out-sourcing …’
I had an argument with my mom on the weekend. My parents have recently stepped up the technology ladder by purchasing a digital camera (yes, I know what you’re thinking … “late uptake”). Anyway, my mom expressed disgust at how much the camera cost, and shared how she believes film is a better option. As the debate raged on, we entered into the realm of general technological advancement in recent years and the impact the advancement has had on kids.
My mom has a belief that the kids of today are impatient, lazy, intolerant and too heavily entrenched in a culture of instant gratification. This is not a unique belief, many Boomers would chorus in agreement. As an Xer (who she was aprtly referring to!) I shot back defesnively “But we’re not to blame, it was your generation who created the world we grew up in. Why should we be patient when we have never needed to be patient?” I rattled off examples such as fast food, email, cell phones and PC games that supported my argument.
As I engage more with generational theory, I begin to wonder who is responsible for “bridging the gap”? When we as the forerunners of a generational movement steam ahead in creating the world we want to live in, do we give much thought to the tpye of world we’ll be creating for our kids. Will we be aforded the privilege of writing off the values our kids adopt, when it is our actions now that will indrectly create the environment for the development of those values.
Any thoughts you’d like to add (especially from the parents amongst us)?
One of the significant shifts we’re seeing in talent management is around input versus output performance measurement. The traditional Company Man arrived at work promptly, spent solid hours at his desk, did not overstay his welcome at tea breaks and finished his lunch before the aloted lunch hour was up. His inputs were impeccable. However, todays young talent are asking for a different measure … outputs.
Continue reading ‘Sneaky outputs’
Today I sit as a judge at the Gauteng contest of the annual Anglo American Sowetan Young Communicators Award. Hosted at the Apartheid Musuem, 30 years since the Soweto uprising on June 16th 1976, young talented speakers have come from English 2nd Language schools to battle it out for a spot at the National Final in June. As a 26-year old white male, it is my first visit to the museum and the first time I have heard participants of the 1976 riots speak publically. Murphy Morobe, one of the convicted organisers of the uprising spoke of his experiences in Soweto some 30 years ago.
Continue reading ‘30 years on …’
There is a wonderful metaphor we can use to understand the differences between generations: Music playback medium … the gramaphone, LP Records, 8-track, Cassette Tapes, CD, and now the MP3, digital. Each one “belongs” to a certain generation.
However the nice thing about this metaphor is that it shows how generational cycles occur. i.e. Vinyl records are now a big part of Xer/Millenial dance culture … no longer are they just in the realm of Boomer taste.
Continue reading ‘Generational Metaphor’
I was watching the news a while back, and a story was featured on the Metrorail strike that is plaguing the commuter industry. The Labour court has just ruled that the strike is legal (wow, what a precedent!). The central issue in the strike, as with most in SA, is a dispute over wage increase. The Union is “demandingâ€? a 6.5% increase across the board while, and Metrorail is “offering” a 5.5% increase. And so, we have a deadlock. Neither party is prepared to move on the issue, let alone compromise. The Union is claiming that anything less than a 6.5% increment is unjust and underserved, while Metrorail is claiming that any increase beyond 5.5% will severely cripple its viability i.e. it cannot afford the increase. This scenario is typical of most strikes in SA, almost to the T. I ask Why is an annual increase seen as a right? Why should companies give wage/salary increases when there is not a related increase in their revenues?
Continue reading ‘The community employer’
Care of Barrie Bramley’s upcoming book review of the Toyota Way:
‘Is Toyota a conservative company? Yes. Does it seem to be very plodding and slow to make changes? Yes. Is it innovative? Remarkebly so. Go slow, build on the past, and thoroughly consider all implications of decisions, yet move more aggresively to beat the competition to market with exceptional products.’ - Jeffery Liker
The shifts taking place in the global economy are changing the way in which a company establishes its value proposition as a competitive differentiator. A few years back a company could bet on their “quality of product� as a sure winner. Such strategies today do not suffice, and if opted for will relegate the business to the abyss of redundancy as they are surpassed by companies who embrace the values of the emerging economy.
Companies that understand the changes required are positioning themselves in relation to what Daniel H. Pink terms the conceptual economy. Others are calling it the Emotional Economy, the Relationship Economy, or what we at TomorrowToday.biz call the Connection Economy. Whatever you call it, the game is changing, and strategies of old will not work. Tomorrow’s economy is all about connecting. Staying alive, nay, conquering your industry will be a matter of connecting with your customers, suppliers, employees, families of your employees and connecting with the communities your organization finds itself operating within.
Continue reading ‘Emotional Intelligence in an Economy of Connection’
My understanding of the TomorrowToday value proposition to our clients is that we actively and purposefully monitor the shifts that take place in society that will have an impact on the way business is run. In doing so, we then advise and educate clients on how best to confront and deal with these changes to generate competitive value propositions of their own.
We have seen of late that changes in economies and the values associated with those economies turnover at a yearly rate like none of the predecessors. So, for the last 5 years of so we have been spreading the “message” of the oncoming connection economy, that we cannot continue to work the way we have, that the way we relate to people in organisations has to change profoundly. This is a message true of any economical shift of years gone by. But our message is drilled down further in terms of how companies need to connect better with employees, customers and suppliers.
Continue reading ‘Staying ahead’
September 2004 was a significant moment in South Africa’s political history as 486 councillors ‘crossed the floor’ to opposing parties. Not particularly sure on how to curb future crossings, the political parties concerned have opted to fine councillors crossing the floor in upcoming seasons. Behold, the political world, in South Africa at least, has realised the pain of losing talent. And so, councillors are charged between 2% and 5% of their salaries for election costs and are being made to sign contracts that state they’ll have to repay up to R500, 000 if they cross the floor. Yes, it is a common clause in study agreements, but recovering the recruitment costs from the incumbent is a sure way of chasing talent away. Finweek, 2nd February.
As we watch society for shifts that will affect the way business is run, this is a liminal event in the course of South African retention strategies - the option of threatening the employee with exorbitant costs for “disloyalty”. It is widely known that the costs of replacing your better employees can amount to nearly 3 times their annual salaries. Opting for such a retention stratgey will surely prevent these talented employees from even getting out of their cars at the 1st interview. It is better telling a Gen Xer not to touch wet paint! It is doomed to fail.
Continue reading ‘Dis-incentivising Politics’
BBC News, 20 January, run a story on Google’s approach to releasing products “early and often”. “We want to try things out, lots of things. Our goal is to fail fast, get the product out, and see what users like,” says Marissa Mayer, vice president of search products. This approach flies in the face of traditional product releases, where Google release a product in Beta form, knowing that 9 out of 10 products will fail. So, “Beta” has become the new mantra of failure? Read the full article here. BTW, Google have underdelivered on market expectations for 2005, read here how rain is falling on Google’s parade.
Technorati : google
The caption reads, “It’s about a building with 88 stories and a boy with just one”.
Samsung built one of the tallest buildings in the world in Malaysia … but their marketing is also about communicating a story – that they connect with life. This is how companies are going to have to market to keep alive … they need to create stories.
In our Bright Young Things workshops we assist companies in identifying points of gravitation that draw talent into their hallways, offices and boardrooms. Typically, remuneration is listed as a primary gravitation point. However, we believe that this is no longer the top attracter of talent. Fortune (Europe Edition) January 2006, in profiling the 2006 100 Best Companies to Work for in America, argue that one of the resultant effects of globalisation is that companies have to push their “employee-pleasing ways further than ever” … beyond remuneration.
Regarding the 100 Best Companies:
* In 2001, 33 companies in the Fortune list paid 100% of employee’s health-care premiums. Today only 14 do so.
* Since 2005, 27 of the 100 companies have reduced what they pay towards health-care.
* The number of employers offering defined-benefit pensions has dropped from 40 to 27 in three years.
Why does America’s best talent then choose these companies over higher paying offers? It’s partly because the companies are skilled at finding staff-freindly ideas that don’t cost much. Some examples:
Continue reading ‘100 Best Companies to Work for in America’
Allan “White Lightning” Donald (AD) was the mainstay pace bowler of the South African cricket side for the better half of a decade . Donald also established himself as a prolific county player for Warwickshire and Worcestershire in England in recent years. In sporting terms he was prime talent (330 wickets in 72 Tests). News24.com report today that Donald is interested in fulfilling a role as England’s bowling coach. Just when I thought the world of sport could teach us a thing or two about managing talent, AD’s potential change in patriot nation poses some tough questions.
Firstly, it was reported on radio that AD was pursuing the position because such avenues were closed to him regarding the SA national team. Whether accurate or not, this spurns me. How can we let prime Talent like AD slip through our hands in such a fashion? We all know that our bowling attack is not the best in the world and we could definitely benefit from his insight and experience.
But then, would we? Do we not run the risk of making our best mechanic a workshop manager, so to speak? It is rare that mechanics make great managers. This also applies to talent in organisations: our Bright Young UPS delivery guys may not become great logistics managers, our Bright Young Accountants may not make great financial managers, etc, etc. But yet we feel agrieved when such great playing talent is not put into the ranks of “manager”?
News24.com:
“Donald is currently employed as a part-time consultant to South Africa’s Academy and the prospect of such a national hero joining England may prompt a more permanent job offer from the United Cricket Board of South Africa”.
If this indeed happens I’ll be upset. Why does it take an offer from a competitior to get due recognition from the company you’re currently choosing to work for? Granted, AD has always had one foot planted in the UK and one in SA.
Dan Pink, in his book, A Whole New Mind (get it at Amazon.com or Kalahari.net), captures nicely what relevance Story (which I prefer to call Narrative) has in our economy. In my own words:
The information age was all about managing facts. The connection economy (or as he calls it, the conceptual economy) will be about remembering stories.
Narrative is both high concept and high touch. It is high concept in that it stretches our minds beyond linear, binary modes of dealing with information - concepts and values come alive in the context of a Narrative. Through this process Narrative becomes high touch - there is an emotional connection with Story that transcends the connection with plain information.
And so, you’re sitting around one day as a broke 21yr old student pondering how you’ll pay for your university tuition fees. It’s really simple - host an advertising site where you sell space. Alex Tew is the brains behind www.milliondollarhomepage.com. At a premium of $1 per pixel, he is aiming to sell $1 million worth by the end of the year - he’s already $889,000 down the road and has only been going since September. Nice quick buck!
Technorati : million+dollar+homepage
Not like the name suggests, this is a strand of marketing that is being borne out of how the Smoking Co’s have been cornered by global health legislation (and soon too the breweries!). Now that they’re no longer able to utlise the ‘tried and tested’ marketing channels, smoking companies are needing to prove themselves as being adept at pitching their product “below the line”.
Hence Black Marketing - the art of selling their product through face-to-face interactions i.e. Direct Marketing. Now direct marketing is not new. It is a marketing strategy that has been growing over the years in popularity as companies realise the intangibility of billboard advertising and realise the rewards of actually connecting with customers (e.g. at the bottom of this post).
Continue reading ‘Black Marketing’
Yesterday I attended a presentation by Prof. David Block on the Power of Vision. He gave us a wonderful metaphor when thinking of what it means to remain at the cutting edge as a business.
He asked us how much TNT it would take to move a sand dune in Namibia? The answer: none. All it takes is a beetle walking along the leading edge to disrupt (scratching) the line so that the wind can do its job in moving the dune.
So, remaining at the cutting edge is about knowing where to scratch, and embracing the ability to be wind-swept.
I had a query about an international ticket with SAA, so I phoned 0861FLYSAA and this is what I heard …
10h34
(Ring -ring) Thank you for choosing South African Airways. All of our sales agent are presently occupied. Please try again later. (Click)
Being a stickler for instructions, I did so.
16h45
(Ring-ring) Thank you for choosing South African Airways. All of our sales agent are presently occupied. Please try again later. (Click)
I’m now thoroughly confused.
Sad day,
The world’s most influential business guru, Peter Drucker, passed away 11 Nov 2005.
Read about it on the Washington Post.
Continue reading ‘Peter Drucker 1909-2005′
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