During this pervasive corona pandemic, there has never been a more telling moment for those working in the human resources field to care for their colleagues, many of whom are part of essential services and find themselves on the frontline of defence against the COVID-19 virus. Those in the human resources component of the business…
“Thinking collaboratively is not new. What is new is the increasing complexity of information flow in organisations that calls for high levels of engagement, innovation and collective problem-solving” (Bruce Wellman) COVID-19 and its debilitating effects, not just on people’s health, wellness and state of mind all over the world, but also on economies, businesses and…
“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope” (Martin Luther King) Have you ever known a time more desperate than what we are facing currently? We are in the midst of a devastating pandemic in the world. Many of our financial institutions are on the brink of collapse. Businesses and large…
I happened to be looking at the flight radar application on my mobile a couple of days ago, the same radar which indicates the positions of all airplanes with connected transponders all over the world. I noticed, with some degree of approval, the relative absence of flights over Africa, no flights landing or taking off…
The COVID-19 virus is presenting huge challenges for our world, with most countries reporting infections and some deaths, and some countries reporting many thousands of lives that have been lost. These are the statistics of a pandemic – an acceleration of infections worldwide, community transmission and the resultant deaths of many precious lives. None of…
I was fascinated watching my seven year old grandson paint a picture using watercolours that had been bought for the holidays. He had decided to paint a yacht – a majestic vessel that was cutting through the choppy sea. He chose colours for every part of the boat, maybe colours that I wouldn’t have chosen…
In these extremely difficult times that the world is experiencing with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, populations have been asked to retain a physical distance between each other to prevent the transmission of the disease. The human being, however, is hot-wired for social interaction. It is a basic human need to feel loved, appreciated…
All managers want their respective teams to function well and meet or supersede team goals. Getting the team to achieve over and above expectations, however, requires more than encouragement or inspiration. The manager will need to keep the team focused on the goals consistently if energy is going to be applied appropriately by each team…
We need to be aware as a manager, having adopted and implemented a 21st Century approach of truly engaging our employees with authenticity and care, that there might be one or two employees who pull the ring out of things and attempt to get as much out of the manager as possible. These specific employees,…
The practice of branding cattle (making a mark, usually on the rump of a beast) is thought to have begun with the ancient Egyptians about four thousand years ago to differentiate one person’s cattle from another’s. These distinctive symbols were burnt on the skin with a branding iron. If any of the cattle were stolen,…
For companies, effective communication is essential to effect change and create and sustain a culture of collaboration and engagement. Companies are not always successful in terms of designing communication in such a way that it accomplishes the desired outcome. In fact, many businesses fail dismally with their communication efforts – the same communication being fragmented,…
“Find your faith and your fears will starve to death” (Ona Brown) A new-born antelope, once released from the womb of its mother, struggles at first to get to its feet. The mother nudges her offspring with her nose, forcing the youngster to start moving. There are a few wobbly moments, a few falls, a…
