We have witnessed some of the most amazing scientific and technological advancements over the last decade in the world. All these ground breaking solutions in most instances started with a singular thought, in response to a prevailing problem. Even on the economic front, we have seen some people amassing substantial wealth because of the entrepreneurial solutions they brought to the
Easter weekend provides most of us a welcome break and there are also a lot of festive activities going on during this weekend. But the forthcoming Easter weekend is one of the most important dates on the Christian calendar as we bring to remembrance the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In many church circles there have been
The health and fitness industry, is a mega one. Deloitts published an article last year indicating that the global fitness and health club industry generates over $90 billion per annum. The industry’s product offerings ranges from the highly intensive exercise regimes to the countless array of devices, miracle supplements, magical diet plans; promising us the quickest solution with the least
A rhythm is a regular, repeated movement or sound. If one thinks of some examples like the rhythm of a wall clock, the heartbeat, your pulse, our breathing, the rising of the sun in the morning; it all carries with it some element of regularity and predictability. If these rhythms stop, it leads to dysfunctionality and may even be life
Life is defined by moments. We all have vivid recollections of certain life defining moments in our lives; some pleasant and others not so pleasant. My own life has been defined by moments eg. getting married to Liz almost 42 years ago, the birth of our first child, graduating at university, being appointed the first MEC of Finance in the
It never fails to amaze me, how the conduct of some people with impressive academic credentials, is glaringly inconsistent with what is expected from a person who has been exposed to countless learning opportunities of skills, knowledge, values and attitudes. It confirms the notion, that you can have all the knowledge in the world, if it has not led to
In our last engagement we dealt with the importance of pursuing that one important thing this year that will put your life at a much favorable level. The operative word to translate this into reality is focus. This week I want to take our endeavor a notch higher by dealing with the important subject of building a margin into your
I trust that you had an enjoyable festive period and a time of refreshing for you and your loved ones in order to take on the exciting journey of 2023. During the holiday period I also had time to reflect on the past year and what will inform the journey of 2023. I am sure that most of you went
We are about to enter the festive season where our appetites for fun, the nice things of life, feasting and just having a great time, goes into overdrive. Given the hectic demands of our working life throughout the year, it is justifiable to wind down a bit, replenish our energy levels and as one of my friends put it so
As I am writing this blog, the world’s attention is captivated by the dazzling action on display at the FIFA 2022 Soccer World Cup tournament hosted in Qatar. I still have vivid memories of 2010 when South Africa had the honor to host the World Cup tournament. You have to live through this experience to explain it. It is arguable
Trust is one of the most essential attributes that defines us as human beings. The dictionary defines trust as a firm belief and confidence in the reliability, truth, ability and strength of someone or something. Trust is indispensable for a relationship to succeed. Trust is the foundational component that informs all our endeavors with others in life and needs to
One of the down sides of the rapid technological advancements in the world, is the demise of meaningful personal relationships from which we draw strength, identity and a sense of purpose. It is surprising how a meaningful conversation has become such a luxury. Linda Stone so aptly calls it ‘’… the age of continuous partial attention.’’ Tweets, texts and chats, have sometimes become inferior substitutes for meaningful engagement. What do I mean with meaningful engagement?
From a distance, people always marvel at the glamour, glitz and attention that is sometimes accorded to people in influential positions. It seems that leaders unknowingly attract interest and respect that will make people to instinctively give anything to be in the company of the leader they hold in high esteem. Every word spoken, any initiative launched, any social activity..…
All of us have a need for approval and acceptance. It is very traumatic to be deliberately marginalized, ostracized and just simply being ignored. The market place can be a ruthless space, where certain people for reasons best known to them, can conjure up the worst kind of things to make one feels totally rejected. In my own corporate journey,
Life can at times throw curve balls at us that totally take the wind out of our sails. Some of these eventualities are totally unforeseen and unavoidable. If we are not careful, it can hurt us for the rest of our lives and keep us in captivity to never regain what we have lost. When you lost your job after
There is one thing that really gets me upset and that is for my words, views or opinions to be willfully and deliberately twisted and distorted to make others look good and I look bad. No one wants to be labelled a liar or be subjected to a situation where others spread malicious lies to tarnish your good name and
We all have little or sometimes big things that we don’t like about ourselves. I remember during my primary school days I used to have a slight speech defect that usually provoked some jokes or even at times quite embarrassing comments from my school mates. It initially bothered me but being one of the most intelligent kids in my class,
South Africa commemorates Woman’s Month in August as a tribute to the more than 20000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 in protest against the extension of Pass Laws to women. South Africa will forever be indebted to the courage and unity displayed by women from all walks of life on that historic day, that
Last Sunday morning, I was having breakfast with my wife at one of the restaurants in a trendy part of Joburg. The place was quite full and what fascinated me was the amount of people browsing on their smart phones, totally disengaged from those around their table. I even saw a mother working on her laptop with her two children
To say that the world is in bad shape, is an understatement. The global economy is in bad shape, the environment is in bad shape, politics is in bad shape, social cohesion is in bad shape, our collective moral fiber is in bad shape…… When you and me go through the media headlines on a daily basis, there are just
For South Africans, this must be a very dumb question. We are in winter and this year by all indications, will indeed be a very cold and challenging one. The greater part of the country was over the last two weekends gripped in an icy chill and we are forever reminded of some cold front coming from the western part
Navigating through peak hour traffic on the highways of Johannesburg, especially during the rainy season, can be a daunting task. The unpredictability of a mini bus taxi driving in front of you or the weaving of motorbikes in between lanes, awakens the Lewis Hamilton within me. One always needs to be in a state of high alert with regard to
I spent about five years of my life in the quality industry as CEO of the South African Bureau of Standards and also had the privilege to serve on the International Council for Standardization ( ISO ), the highest authority for industrial standards in the world, based in Geneve. The whole notion of standards and conformity assessment to these standards,
Over the last weekend, we experienced some of the most horrific natural disasters in the history of South Africa. The floods in KwaZulu Natal claimed the lives of more then 500 lives at the time of writing this blog, and left in its wake a trail of destruction never seen in our country’s history. As rescue efforts continue, many lives
Half of the problems in the world are due to people who want to feel important. Lurking in the heart of every ego-centric leader, is the need to always be seen, heard and acknowledged. These attributes start very subtle and can later on define the whole personality of the leader. The root cause of this problem, is that leaders have
The myth of the so called self-made man or woman has long been debunked in leadership circles. No significant people in life, made it without the influence of others. Central in the scheme of things, is the role of mentors. “When we consider the fragmentation of the family, the speed of change demanding the constant learning of new skills and
Today we are commemorating Human Rights Day here in South Africa. It is a stark reminder of the tragic Sharpeville massacre in 1960. It was on that fateful day where police opened fire without warning, on a crowd of about 5000 people killing 69. The people were merely marching to the police station in protest against the demonic pass laws
Human beings by nature, are attracted to those who are champions and winners in their respective field. Some of us will go to great lengths to follow every move, trend and achievement of our heroes whether being in sports, music, the arts, academia, business, or whatever interest that we are passionate about. Everybody loves a winner. I am sure that
This post was triggered by the sudden passing away of Ricky Rick, so soon after the suicidal death of another icon, Patrick Shai last month. My heart goes out to his family and the broader artistic community. According to the World Health Organisation “ Every 40 seconds a person dies by suicide somewhere in the world.” In South Africa there
The song “ It is Well with my Soul “ was written by a successful Christian lawyer, Horatio Spatford. His only son died at age 4. A few years later, the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871, reduced the city to ashes and wiped out his vast estate made from his thriving legal practice. Two years later he decided to
Difficult conversations can cause anxiety because it is not always comfortable, at times the risks are high and we are not guaranteed what the outcome might be. The difficult conversation cannot be postponed into perpetuity; it can make the difference between success and failure in a relational or organizational context. I am sure at some stage of your leadership journey
It never fails to amaze me when you ask somebody – how are you doing? Most people will respond in the negative. There is quite a pervasive sense of disillusionment in the air for a wide range of reasons. When we consider the socio–economic fibre of our country South Africa; to say that we are in a crisis, would be
I spent the greater part of Tuesday morning at my family doctor’s consulting rooms for my annual medical check-up. The elaborate range of tests and procedures are not fun and games, even sometimes a bit uncomfortable. The heart, prostate (and a few other things) need thorough scrutiny because at my age certain health risks are a bit higher and you
Today marks one of the most traumatic days in our country’s history, as we remember the day when Nelson Mandela passed away on 5 December 2013. He was arguably one of the greatest leaders that not only graced our shores but became a global icon, whose legacy is etched in the memory of the world at large. When we started
When you walk through a book store, there are three things that attracts your attention on the shelves – the design of the cover, the title and the author. There is an old adage – don’t judge a book by its cover. If truth be told, in our day and age we instinctively judge people by their cover. Most people in themselves would like people to admire their cover. They go the extra mile to present themselves in the most spectacular manner to grab attention. This cover is in many respects a very subtle way to sometimes compensate for their own insecurities, misplaced ambitions, unfulfilled dreams and a distorted longing to be known.
Life in our current day and age has become a very complex undertaking. We can get caught up in a myriad of activities, which can become self-serving which can easily get out of control. The key to reverse this destructive trend and gain control of your life, is to pursue your life with a high degree of simplicity. It’s about pacing yourself correctly, knowing which things to commit to and simplifying issues to free up your heart and mind form unnecessary clutter. Life is not all about doing but by being and becoming. To know more…..Click