I quite frequently hear the comment from my delegate customers: “I really wish my boss would be more supportive. He/she needs to be present and on my side/by my side”. Whilst I mostly agree with those making the commentary, there’s a fundamental difference, however, between the two phrases – “by your side” and “on your…
In medicine, particularly optometry and ophthalmology, refraction is a clinical test in which a phoropter may be used by the eye care professional to determine the eye’s refractive error and the best corrective lenses to be prescribed. A series of test lenses in graded optical powers or focal lengths are presented to determine which provides…
Many people don’t ever reach their personal or professional dreams because they limit themselves – e.g. a limiting thought like “it’s not what you know, but who you know” possibly holds you back from placing yourself in a position where you intentionally look and apply for new opportunities. Limiting thoughts produce doubt and doubt retards…
Globalisation, made possible over the past half-century through more speedy and efficient forms of travel (commuting intercontinentally) and telecommunications (mobile technology and fast data transfer through the internet), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies and governments all over the world. S Guttal (Globalisation, Development in Practice) notes: “As a complex and…
I have often wondered what it would be like to manage managers with a merit/demerit system linked to their potential bonuses – it would be punitive, but oh, so much fun. Just imagine a measurement system application linked to their respective smartphones where they can achieve merit points for doing well, but get penalised with…
“Proper preparation prevents poor performance” (British Army adage) More than ever before, there is pressure on businesses to ensure that their respective assets (people, intellectual property, products and machines) deliver real results. As cash is not as readily available as a decade or so ago, companies are forced to refocus energy on business efficiency, sustainable…
Some of them get it right – these select chief executive officers manage to exude a hopeful, caring and determined leadership that inspires the staff contingent to aspire to greatness (quality, speed, professionalism, superb customer service, reduction of waste, innovation, good results, etc.). Others “fail” dismally – these CEO’s somehow use authority and positional power…
“The flower doesn’t dream of the bee. It blossoms and the bee comes” (Mark Nepo) The use of positional power and authority to get employees to act on objectives and team tasks can certainly yield results, but this authoritarian style of leadership does not engender trust or willingness on the part of employees to offer…
“The mirror, a tool by which to ‘know thyself’, invited man to not mistake himself for God, to avoid pride by knowing his limits and to improve himself. His was thus not a passive mirror of imitation, but an active mirror of transformation” (Sabine Melchior-Bonnet) A mirror (or looking glass) is an object that reflects…
“The best way to demotivate and lose top performers is to reward mediocrity in an attempt to maintain status quo” (Jameson St Claire) Governments do it. Many big corporates do it. They reward poor performance to maintain the status quo. Governments prop up ailing industries at the expense of those same industries, of necessity, reinventing…
“The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion – the tunnel is” (Unknown) As a year, 2017 had its fair share of challenges – yes, global challenges of a serious nature, but somewhat equally important and significant, personal issues that made the year a difficult one to endure. We all have…
One of the major challenges in change initiatives, whether small or large in impact, is to deal with resistance amongst managers and employees. Even though resistance to change is a natural human phenomenon, resistance typically hinders progress and subsequently alignment to the new direction – it therefore needs to be addressed. One of the ways…
