When confronted by significant differences of opinion with others, aggressive communication or manipulative forms of behaviour, particularly from those in more senior positions, many employees are overwhelmed and overcome – they either fight (respond aggressively or sarcastically), flee (get out of the situation as quickly as possible) or freeze (absolutely dumbstruck, they become speechless, or…
“It does not make sense to hire chess players and then treat them like chess pieces” (Anon) I was always taught to treat the cleaner like I treat the managing director/CEO – i.e., with dignity and respect. This should be true of how we treat people from every level in the organisation, particularly those that…
I finally landed at the international airport, on my way home after a week-long trip abroad. It was an early arrival and I approached passport control, greeted the official, who answered: “Yeah”. I asked somewhat irritated: “Is that all I am going to get – just yeah?” He answered rather rudely: “Well, what do you…
We all have it – a nasty condition called ‘unconscious bias’. This “ailment” permeates our thinking. It guides the decisions that we make. It motivates favour for one above the other. It unconsciously works in our psyche, forming, even solidifying, a tendency towards certain opinions and reinforcing limiting beliefs. It breeds selfishness, whilst, at the…
“And the soul is like the eye: when resting upon that which is truth and being shine, the soul perceives and understands and is radiant with intelligence; but when turned towards the twilight of becoming and perishing, then she has opinion only and goes blinking about and is first of one opinion and then of…
They know what needs to be done. They are typically good at doing it, as they have had many years of practice. They are usually quite faithful. They work hard, albeit that many are somewhat tired. Many of them care deeply about the business brand and the company values. Some have become really successful and…
“It’s depressing to think that company culture is still seen as a ‘soft’ area of corporate life. Culture is everything: it dictates both the behaviour of those in leadership and the wider employee base” (Eugenio Pirri – Chief People & Culture Officer at the Dorchester Collection) In recent study results from Mercer, there is confirmation…
One of the greatest statesmen who ever lived, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, passed away last week at the grand age of 95 years, many of them extremely meaningful ones. This “Father of the South African nation” was a guiding light that illuminated the path ahead and became a beacon of hope for all South Africans to…
