The expression ‘throwing out the bay with the bath water’ is an impressive symbolic saying. Can you imagine in your mind’s eye somebody actually throwing out the baby with the bath water? For most of us the saying probably means to be careful; not to reject the good or authentic by unwise association with that […]
This article follows on from what I wrote about the unfolding leadership revolution that is sweeping across the globe. How do we prepare leaders adequately for it? This is not an easy task as we have fallen behind and therefore have to somehow leapfrog current preparation techniques. We have to implement “Leadership Catch-Up”. What is […]
I cringe every time our society fumbles its way through a very challenging and/or controversial issue, then letting it blow over like all these things do, without taking the time to consciously learn from it. It seems like we utter a sigh of relief, hoping it never happens again. To mention but a few: #PennySparrow […]
I have marveled time and again how often people, while driving, will come up behind me, pressing me to go faster, and when I look ahead it is clear we are not going to make it through the traffic light. Often these people will become frustrated or even aggressive if I do not speed up […]
Of late we have had some significant activities, news worthy events and occurrences within our society – US Elections, ANC Elections, Lance Armstrong episode, Oscar Pistorius drama, Dr Mamphela Ramphele launching her movement (or party?), State of the Nation address, more disruptions in the mining sector, budget speech, to name but a few. Of course […]
It is a new year with all its challenges and opportunities. All of us are bound to have a rich variety of positive as well as negative experiences. Our attitudes are the single most important leadership X Factor that will determine our happiness and success in the year to come. During the month of December […]
If you venture into your local bookstore, you will find shelf upon shelf containing books written by those claiming to turn you into the next Stephen Covey, Nelson Mandela, Jack Welch, Bill Gates, or Steve Jobs. Titles possessing declarations of excellence and behavioural change fill one’s view and it is very difficult to decide which […]
Almost two years ago I had a leadership conversation with Mike Brown who at the time was fairly new in his role as CEO. Our meeting happened while the HSBC deal was on the cards, but shortly after fell through. A lot has happened since, as Brown explains: “The Nedbank today is a significantly better […]
Listen to this powerful statement Dr Mamphela Ramphele, founder of the Citizens Movement for Social Change, made a couple of weeks ago at a media briefing in Cape Town, ahead of an international leadership education conference: “I want to make sure my three-year old grandson, in 30 years’ time, is in a country he can […]
Recently during a consulting session with one of our mining clients, the leader I was speaking to shared that he had been struggling to convince one of his seniors to reconsider a policy that is in place that is affecting their ability to be productive. In some ways he felt that his senior was being […]
