There would be more trust in my employees capability of doing tasks. I will communicate the deadlines but expect people to be able complete the tasks. Are people not hired for their abilities and experience or have I missed the boat completely?
A culture of respect and dedication for the job will run rampant in the company mainly because I will be setting the example and invite participation from the staff members. People will be compensated accordingly for a job well done and actually feel as though they are contributing to the bigger picture. A picture which has all the internal members buy-in which is then communicated back to all involved. I can go on and on about my shining example of being a boss but the bottom line, the all important thing that will be done is....
Acknowledging colleagues by greeting them and in doing so acknowledge that they form part of a bigger picture - the company's excellence.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Two men walk out of a building...
Mike: What did you think of that meeting
Dan: Seems like there is a lot of work to be done. I'm hoping that it will align the company's strategy with the expected output. It's looks promising. What are you doing over the weekend?
Mike: Having a braai with friends and a few beers
Dan: Me too... enjoy and see you on Monday then?
Mike: Yes you too. See you then
At the very same time two women who were in the same meeting came out of the building as well
Jean: What did you think of that meeting? It was hectic with so many changes coming up don't you think?
Paula: I know what you mean. What did you think of the new manager? I think he will be able to marry up the company's goals and help us see changes in the profits? Besides he is quite cute and if anything he will at least be something to look at...laughter
Jean: I think so but we'll have to wait and see, but what are you doing for the weekend
Paula: I have a list of 20 things that need to be done and as an example ....
Jean: Yes my life seems even crazier over the weekend that I actually need another break from it.
The conversation goes on for 5 more pages ending on
Jean: Have a good one and I'll see you on Monday
Paula: Yes you too. See you then
The moral of this story is that we all have similar concerns, aspirations, goals etc in common but we have different ways of communicating them. Some need less words compared to others. Even so should we not respect the different ways in which we all express oyrselves?
Dan: Seems like there is a lot of work to be done. I'm hoping that it will align the company's strategy with the expected output. It's looks promising. What are you doing over the weekend?
Mike: Having a braai with friends and a few beers
Dan: Me too... enjoy and see you on Monday then?
Mike: Yes you too. See you then
At the very same time two women who were in the same meeting came out of the building as well
Jean: What did you think of that meeting? It was hectic with so many changes coming up don't you think?
Paula: I know what you mean. What did you think of the new manager? I think he will be able to marry up the company's goals and help us see changes in the profits? Besides he is quite cute and if anything he will at least be something to look at...laughter
Jean: I think so but we'll have to wait and see, but what are you doing for the weekend
Paula: I have a list of 20 things that need to be done and as an example ....
Jean: Yes my life seems even crazier over the weekend that I actually need another break from it.
The conversation goes on for 5 more pages ending on
Jean: Have a good one and I'll see you on Monday
Paula: Yes you too. See you then
The moral of this story is that we all have similar concerns, aspirations, goals etc in common but we have different ways of communicating them. Some need less words compared to others. Even so should we not respect the different ways in which we all express oyrselves?
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Empathy
Is it not amazing how we tend to think "I would have handled the situation better" or "how childish is this person, was it really necessary to perform like that?" when
we witness someone else throwing their toys out of the cot? These prime "tantrum" spots being at the airport ticket booth, the till point in the shop when returning an item that was bought, on the phone with Telkom, Eskom, Vodacom the bank and the list goes on and on with the same statement; "I want to speak to a manager.."
We would always have done it differently, said something better and (lets face it) be more adult about it if we were in the same situation. Then of course this is all theory... until it happens to us and the injustice of the situation gives us great gifts of hindsight, empathy and the strange ability to be less judgemental of others. Wisdom comes to us in the words or thoughts of "Now I understand why..."
Maybe we should re look at our moral / ego benchmark which is quite difficult when we are expected to be right whenever we attempt to speak at work, at home, even during play and when you don't know something you have to "wing" it. As an example where are the days of having empathy for the new staff member. For the most part the newbie has to be up and running with 12 years of experience after the introductory week and don't be silly to ask questions like "how do I" or "where can I find". The answers might resemble a hypocritical smirk or the look - "for crying out loud how can you not know?" This comes from an employee that works for the company for 5 years.
Can it be that we have become so programmed to think:
making a mistake = stupid
don't know (due to lack of experience) = stupid
asking questions = cringe because you are definitely not a rough diamond
Maybe we can all re look at our tolerance levels when we are witness to the next "toys thrown out of the cot" session?
we witness someone else throwing their toys out of the cot? These prime "tantrum" spots being at the airport ticket booth, the till point in the shop when returning an item that was bought, on the phone with Telkom, Eskom, Vodacom the bank and the list goes on and on with the same statement; "I want to speak to a manager.."
We would always have done it differently, said something better and (lets face it) be more adult about it if we were in the same situation. Then of course this is all theory... until it happens to us and the injustice of the situation gives us great gifts of hindsight, empathy and the strange ability to be less judgemental of others. Wisdom comes to us in the words or thoughts of "Now I understand why..."
Maybe we should re look at our moral / ego benchmark which is quite difficult when we are expected to be right whenever we attempt to speak at work, at home, even during play and when you don't know something you have to "wing" it. As an example where are the days of having empathy for the new staff member. For the most part the newbie has to be up and running with 12 years of experience after the introductory week and don't be silly to ask questions like "how do I" or "where can I find". The answers might resemble a hypocritical smirk or the look - "for crying out loud how can you not know?" This comes from an employee that works for the company for 5 years.
Can it be that we have become so programmed to think:
making a mistake = stupid
don't know (due to lack of experience) = stupid
asking questions = cringe because you are definitely not a rough diamond
Maybe we can all re look at our tolerance levels when we are witness to the next "toys thrown out of the cot" session?
Monday, February 15, 2010
Designer PR
PR, by nature, should have attributes such as trustworthiness, credibility, accountability and the processes that make provision for implementation and feedback from top management to the administrators / labourers and back up the communication pyramid again.
Yet these very attributes, the "haute couture" of PR that should be tailor made to suit the company's needs, are what organisations are still trying to master.
There could be a number of reasons why so many companies / PR professionals have not succeeded in mastering these attributes. One of them might be because PR is not viewed as a strategic role within most companies. The profession finds itself forming part of the marketing division ready to conjure up a press release at a managers request.
Also when investing in good relations:
1. It costs money and during the lean times the budget for PR, sometimes considered as marketing, is thrown out the door
2. Understand the vision of the company and developing well defined standards can be a time consuming investment. Communicating this understanding and / or "spirit" of the organisation to both internal and external stakeholders demands that a vast amount of attention be spent on the details of managing and/or maintaining perceptions.
PR (I believe) is a misunderstood role and the challenge lies in having to educate companies about the value that the profession can bring to any organisation. To illustrate think of what fashion icon Ralph Lauren could do to a clothing store on a street corner?
It's not just about the clothes but about communicating the importance / valuable attributes of the brand.
Yet these very attributes, the "haute couture" of PR that should be tailor made to suit the company's needs, are what organisations are still trying to master.
There could be a number of reasons why so many companies / PR professionals have not succeeded in mastering these attributes. One of them might be because PR is not viewed as a strategic role within most companies. The profession finds itself forming part of the marketing division ready to conjure up a press release at a managers request.
Also when investing in good relations:
1. It costs money and during the lean times the budget for PR, sometimes considered as marketing, is thrown out the door
2. Understand the vision of the company and developing well defined standards can be a time consuming investment. Communicating this understanding and / or "spirit" of the organisation to both internal and external stakeholders demands that a vast amount of attention be spent on the details of managing and/or maintaining perceptions.
PR (I believe) is a misunderstood role and the challenge lies in having to educate companies about the value that the profession can bring to any organisation. To illustrate think of what fashion icon Ralph Lauren could do to a clothing store on a street corner?
It's not just about the clothes but about communicating the importance / valuable attributes of the brand.
Birthdays
Admittedly I love birthday's along with Christmas and any other occasion that brings the family together. Lately I've been wondering about why we only celebrate these momentous birthday occasions over a one day period. (We will leave the wrinkles and the scale out of this conversation)
Some birthdays such as turning sweet 16, your 21st and the big three zero (30) has a big planning session that goes with it for most of us but why are we not treating the in-betweens with as much excitement?
After all, every year we make it through 1-10 learning curves, have some fantastic / momentous achievements along with all the good and bad hair and clothing days in-between. In actual fact we make it through a cycle of 365 days!
So for making it through this great feat should we not get to celebrate every birthday over a minimum of 3-5 days? It does not have to be about making the malls richer but we should be basking in the feeling of "yeah, I made it" for a longer period of time.
I recently witnessed a 2 year old celebrating her birthday over 5 days (can you believe it?). This is how it went:
Day 1: She was treated to balloons and singing when the clock struck 12 on her special day followed by a colourful party, gifts and well wishes for the entire day
Day 2: More gifts and family time
Day 3: Spending some time away with the family
Day 4: A scenic view of Cape Town (this because she said she wanted to see the "mountain table"
Day 5: More time with family at a farm in Franshoek
We should all be so lucky and here's the thing, we can all be this lucky by taking turns in making loved ones and the important people in our lives feel special during their birthday period. Not to be too optimistic, some people might return the favour while others will take a bit longer to catch on but the memories of good times is a lifetime investment don't you think?
Some birthdays such as turning sweet 16, your 21st and the big three zero (30) has a big planning session that goes with it for most of us but why are we not treating the in-betweens with as much excitement?
After all, every year we make it through 1-10 learning curves, have some fantastic / momentous achievements along with all the good and bad hair and clothing days in-between. In actual fact we make it through a cycle of 365 days!
So for making it through this great feat should we not get to celebrate every birthday over a minimum of 3-5 days? It does not have to be about making the malls richer but we should be basking in the feeling of "yeah, I made it" for a longer period of time.
I recently witnessed a 2 year old celebrating her birthday over 5 days (can you believe it?). This is how it went:
Day 1: She was treated to balloons and singing when the clock struck 12 on her special day followed by a colourful party, gifts and well wishes for the entire day
Day 2: More gifts and family time
Day 3: Spending some time away with the family
Day 4: A scenic view of Cape Town (this because she said she wanted to see the "mountain table"
Day 5: More time with family at a farm in Franshoek
We should all be so lucky and here's the thing, we can all be this lucky by taking turns in making loved ones and the important people in our lives feel special during their birthday period. Not to be too optimistic, some people might return the favour while others will take a bit longer to catch on but the memories of good times is a lifetime investment don't you think?
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Is polygamy a feminist issue?
Yes it is. According to the dictionary a feminist is "a person who believes in equal rights for women."
Polygamy, on the other hand, is a practice that allows a man to have a number of wives. It is a custom that has been practiced for hundreds if not thousand of years in a number of countries. To date this custom does not allow the female of the species the same "privileges" as their male counterparts. This practice dictates that women should remain married only to one husband.
Whether we agree to this practice or not, women still do accept these marriage proposals willingly as it is a welcoming practice in various cultures. Others view it very negatively as polygamy has seen it's fair share of males in search of domestic slaves or a means to gain wealth.
There are so many issues around the practice of polygamy but in answer to the question, polygamy is definitely a feminist issue because it is not practiced equally by both men and women.
Polygamy, on the other hand, is a practice that allows a man to have a number of wives. It is a custom that has been practiced for hundreds if not thousand of years in a number of countries. To date this custom does not allow the female of the species the same "privileges" as their male counterparts. This practice dictates that women should remain married only to one husband.
Whether we agree to this practice or not, women still do accept these marriage proposals willingly as it is a welcoming practice in various cultures. Others view it very negatively as polygamy has seen it's fair share of males in search of domestic slaves or a means to gain wealth.
There are so many issues around the practice of polygamy but in answer to the question, polygamy is definitely a feminist issue because it is not practiced equally by both men and women.
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