THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 22

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 22

Craig Harrison says that the reason that Networking may not be working for you is because of the basic 9 mistakes that Networker’s make. I will be going through these over the next few weeks and let’s see if this is what is holding you back.


To get to know a bit more about Craig Harrison, please visit his website on www.craigspeaks.com.

The ninth and final mistake that Networker’s make, according to Craig is “Disrespect the Tao of Networking. Networker’s who are obsequious to those they believe can help them, yet rude to those they believe can’t help them, disrespect networking. I’ve had networker’s disparage the last person they met whilst in conversation with me. I was afraid to let them go for fear of what they would next say about me! That’s the antithetical to the spirit of networking. One networker took my card and in front of me, wrote the letter A on it, and boasted he was “putting me in his A list.” Let’s just say he was clearly the biggest A I met that night!”

I recently experienced someone who disrespected me and my time and quite frankly I am still peeved about the whole incident. This person, let’s call him George, was happy to set up an appointment with me and I sat with him for an hour, listening carefully to what he did and what his target market was and then put together a list of people out of my data base that I felt could help him or even, in some cases who he could pitch his product to. It took another hour to sit down and mail him with the names and contact details of all these referrals and copy them on the mail, telling them who he was and what it was that he did – so that they knew he would be contacting them. I call this a warm lead.

A few months later George and I met at another networking meeting. After the meeting he, another fellow and I sat having a drink and discussing how networking was ‘working’ for us, when George asked me if I had any additional folk that I could recommend him to. I again made a list of people and a few days later repeated the exercise of mailing him and the people that I was recommending him to.

Imagine, my disgust when several months later George and I hooked up, again at a networking event. George had had a few too many glasses of red wine and was clearly not in control of all of his faculties as he smilingly told me that he had not bothered to contact a single person that I had referred him to. I was absolutely astonished, and he ‘sort of realising’ his mistake, actually asked me to re-send all the information and contact details that I had so painstakingly already sent to him.

This for me was the highest form of disrespect to me as an individual. George had not only wasted my time, but in not contacting anyone, he had basically told me that my contacts and referrals were not worth the paper that they were written on.

You see, George had a mindset that he himself couldn’t get past. George had decided in his own mind that I was not worthy because he could not sell me anything and therefore there was no-one that I knew who could possibly be worthy of his product.

The worst of it is that George believes that he is a networker of note!

Needless to say, George will never get a name or a telephone number out of me again, let alone the time of day.

Understand that although the individual with whom you meet, may not be able or need whatever widget that you are selling or whatever service that you are selling, they have, without a shadow of a doubt, someone in their own database that will need that widget or that service.

Don’t be quick to judge someone. You have no idea who they are and more importantly, you have no idea who they know.

THINK POSITIVE & SUCCESS WILL FOLLOW

This is yesterday's post.

Absolutely I agree wholeheartedly. There is also the aspect of having 'negative' people in your life, especially on a personal level. Get rid of them! I don't mean that you have to pick a fight and banish them from your life. Just disengage. Vanessa Paige, my clairevoyent, my friend and my mentor always says - if someone doesn't serve your soul - get rid of them. The bottom line is that they will literally bring you down. Don't go there. Rather surround yourself with people who are upbeat and positive themselves. Who make things happen rather than sitting around and waiting for someone else to make it happen and then complain because it didn't happen fast enough.

Liken this life that we live to a movie - you are the star, the writer, the director - it's your movie, so make it go the way that you want it to.

Have an awesome week!

'Think positive and success will follow'
John Mullins

28 June 2007 at 11h00

I know I'm not the first or the last person who's going to suggest that the secret to your success is the power you hold within yourself. Whether you choose to believe it is another question entirely. There are hundreds of authors and speakers out there who touch on the same thing. "It is all up to you," they say. Frankly, it's getting a little tired. But my next question is, "So why don't we all get it then?" I keep coming back to this rather troubling question. What really is the secret of success? It seems that it has been a well guarded secret all along. But now one person has taken the trouble to research a link between many of the world's most famous philosophers and motivators. It comes down to some simple truths.

In her book The Secret, Rhonda Byrne manages to describe a common thread between centuries of writings. The golden thread is that we can change our world through our own thinking. Despite critics who believe she's oversimplifying life, what Byrne does is to bring hundreds of theories together in a powerful message. And the message is all positive. Without going into the detail of the book, I want to highlight some of the things that make a lot of sense to me. Let's start with the idea of thinking your way to success. It's difficult to argue that creation is not preceded by thought. Although some of the greatest inventions of the world happened in an instant and by accident, they were seldom without any thought. On the contrary, in most cases you hear about the tremendous power of the mind, as inventors overcome failure, criticism and massive problems.

More recently, there has been an increase in what can be called "positive psychology". Instead of focusing your awareness on problems, deficiencies and shortcomings, you should be harnessing the good you have, your strengths and positives.

As the secret reveals, positive thoughts attract positive results, while focusing on negatives tends to bring on more problems. Apply that in your own life for a second. Can you see how your thoughts can be contagious? Have you ever felt that when you were surrounded by negatives, you became negative? Imagine you could control your thoughts to always achieve positive outcomes. Well, the truth is you can. You just need to learn some of the basic steps that will ensure your positives outweigh your negatives. This is where feelings also play a role. You would be excused for thinking that this is about the logical and rational world of thought. Not true. Emotions are critical in helping us stay in the positive. Emotions reveal our thoughts. If you are feeling bad, it's because you are consumed by negative thoughts. As the secret says, it's impossible to have bad feelings with positive thoughts. So if you are constantly feeling down, you need to change your thought patterns.

The minute you stop believing that your thoughts can change your situation, you give yourself up to circumstances. This is dangerous, as your mood is controlled by things around you. From here you begin to think that some other force is to blame for your problems. Yes, things could happen to you. Some of these things could be bad, but you still have the choice of how you wish to think and feel about the situation. My advice is to learn from the bad things and celebrate the good. Keep yourself in a positive frame of mind, and soon the bad will be less significant. If you are constantly getting a raw deal, it could be that you have not been able to shake off a negative pattern. Take note of where your luck originated from. It's inside of you. Bad luck will disappear if you change the source. If you don't, success will only ever be a fantasy.

John Mullins can be contacted at John.Mullins@peoplefutures.com

THINKING WITH YOUR HEART COULD COST YOU

Finally someone who has written an article on something that I have said so often, I sound like an broken record!

Put proper procedures in place - they take the emotion out of the situation! Play the facts not the individual.

If it's not in writing, it ain't worth the paper it's written on!

One day someone will listen to me and then I won't have any work! Not going to happen I'm afraid. There is always someone out there that knows better and at the end of the day, they are the ones that pay the biggest 'school fees'!

Thinking with your heart could cost you

Companies make the mistake of trying to settle outside of court and often pay the price
04 January 2007 at 19h00

When dealing with disciplinary matters and individual labour-law disputes, greater focus has to be placed on managing such risks in a cost-effective and pragmatic manner. Too many individual cases are being handled by means of a costly and mechanical approach, and unfortunately, the presence of subjective emotions in dealing with these matters effectively, is too prevalent amongst both employers and employees. Hereunder are some examples where emotions have cost the employer and employee dearly and which highlight some very important learning points, mistakes being made and issues to consider when planning and implementing these customary industrial relations (IR)/labour-law processes.

The first example is that of a senior accountant who referred her alleged unfair dismissal to the CCMA for arbitration. The employer had a strong merit case. However, a primary witness had emigrated and the company was forced, at all costs, to negotiate a financial settlement. Notwithstanding the aforesaid predicament, which the other side was not aware of, the individual believed that she was entitled to a 24-month (R408 000) settlement even though her dismissal was not an automatically unfair one. In the four days preceding the arbitration, the individual, her labour lawyer and the company's advocate met three times. And no amount of explanation, from both legal representatives, could induce the emotionally charged individual to understand, for example, that she would not get an arbitration award remotely close to her perceived and legally unjustifiable entitlement, if anything at all. It was only the day before arbitration, when she realised that she would have to represent herself, that she settled on three months (R51 000) and still had to pay her own legal fees of approximately R16 000. This was very fortunate for the company as it would probably have received a much greater award due to the absence of an important witness.

Another case that comes to mind is that of a sales executive who was charged by his employer with misconduct, mainly insubordination, and non-performance-related issues. After having charged the individual, the company appointed a labour-law advocate to chair the disciplinary hearing and an external IR consultant to act as "prosecutor".

Before the company's evidence had been completed, the accused was removed from the hearing proceedings (for just and fair reasons) on the 32nd day and the hearing continued in his absence. A total 107 90-minute tapes and a direct expense of R760 000 bear testimony to the duration and cost, notwithstanding the "prosecutor" having withdrawn many charges in order to save time and costs. However, early in the disciplinary proceedings, the IR consultant pre-empted the possible duration and cost, and advised the board, which conceded to offering a settlement of up to 12 months (R204 000) Settlement was not to be as the employee wanted payment until he some day found another job. This was unacceptable to the board and the disciplinary hearing continued. The outcome was a dismissal in the inevitable CCMA arbitration and after that, a further R340 000 was spent in legal fees. The dismissal was upheld. An unfortunate and costly exercise for the employer and for the foolhardy individual who had forsaken a R204 000 settlement and still had to pay his legal fees.

Another emotions-driven example is that of the owner of a medium-sized manufacturing concern which was at the receiving end of a default judgement of 24 months' compensation (R216 000) for dismissing a female employee, in writing, due to her pregnancy, which is an automatically unfair dismissal. The employer's reputable labour lawyer, who only got involved after the award, was trying to explain to this self-righteous employer that there are no legally justifiable grounds at all for a rescission application and that he was merely wasting money. However, as we all should know, the employer's sentiment of "where-I-come-from-this-would-never-have-happened" was not going to sway a Labour Court judge. Although obviously not so, we should all know by now that emotions do not win any arbitration or Labour Court cases, but that facts do!

Rather use your head and not your heart when trying to resolve individual disputes, by facing practical realities and managing your risks.

Pierre Marais is managing director of the Labour Law Group. Contact him on 011-679-5944 or via e-mail on labourlaw@global.co.za

AUDITING IN NEED OF TRANSFORMATION

Wow! It seems that there is a very real shortage of skilled financial people out there and a very real shortage of youngsters getting this kind of skill.

It's a no brainer people - you need to meet the challenge.

Auditing in need of transformation
14 May 2007 at 04h00

The Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) has raised the alarm over a shortage of coloured auditors in South Africa, as only 38 are registered to sign audit opinions. Kariem Hoosain, chief executive of the IRBA, says the figure is "worrying". He wants to encourage more coloured people to pursue the registered auditor qualification. "It's a particularly auspicious time to follow this career path as financial skills are very much in demand in South Africa, with salaries and job prospects rapidly growing, not just in auditing firms but in private and listed companies as well as the government sector." Hoosain says in November's Public Practice Exam, the final test to qualify as a registered auditor or chartered accountant, only 115, or 4,7 percent, of successful candidates were coloured, out of 2 451. Of those that passed, 15.7 percent were black, 12 percent Indians and 67 percent white."We hope many of those who passed the exam will register to become RAs now they are eligible."

He says since 2000 there has been a 66 percent increase in coloured candidates passing the exam, compared to a 272 percent increase in blacks. "Although numbers are increasing and progress is being made, it's not happening fast enough." He says the IRBA plans to increase awareness of the qualification in coloured communities. "We plan to raise funds for bursary schemes so more people have access to the qualification, as well as making visits to several key campuses. The IRBA will also raise the issue through targeted media." Hoosain says candidates who have to repeat the exam should take advantage of the IRBA's programme designed to assist such candidates to pass.

Yay! Up to date again!

Oh boy am I glad that this is a thing of the past - it really didn't serve any purpose other than to actually make the company lose credibility. Well done!

Tokenism 'on its way out'
06 March 2007 at 04h00

The slant on "tokenism" has taken an interesting turn in recent years, according to Madge Gibson, a senior associate at Jack Hammer Executive Headhunters." In the past, tokenism was often associated with resistant corporates who wished to be seen as publicly compliant on "all matters BEE", when in fact they were simply manipulating the system by appointing EE (employment equity) candidates to senior positions while giving them little actual responsibility.

"Nowadays, many companies … are genuinely embracing transformation and tokenism is becoming increasingly rare," Gibson said. "However, it does still creep in from time to time, but the mere whiff of an appointment being associated with tokenism is enough to put off most senior EE candidates. "We are regularly encountering this scepticism, where diversity candidates want to be appointed for their expertise - not the colour of their skin."

BEWARE OF LABOUR LAW AND YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

This is the post that should have been posted on 25th July

Those of you who know me, know exactly where I stand on this subject. Most companies land up in the CCMA because procedures have not been correctly implemented and then staff are usually dismissed without the proper processes being in place. To then compound the situation, the employer then also does not seek professional assistance in handling the matter and either attempt to sort it out themselves and/or take the advice of someone they think knows something about the Labour Law and that's where the absolute mess up starts.

As can be seen below, it's in your own best interests to get something like this done with professional help!

Be aware of labour law and your responsibilities
19 June 2007 at 11h00

The LRA gives the Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court numerous and strong powers to make decisions relating to labour disputes. Section 158 gives the Labour Court the power to make orders

Granting urgent relief and interdicts
Remedying wrongs and determining disputes
Clarifying legal circumstances (declaratory orders)
For compensation and damages
For legal costs to be paid by the loser to the winner of a case
Enforcing compliance with the provisions of the LRA
Enforcing arbitration awards
Condoning the late filing of disputes or documents with the court
Reviewing decisions made or acts performed by the State
Reviewing awards and rulings made by the CCMA and bargaining council arbitrators.

These orders may deal with various dispute types - including unfair dismissals for misconduct, poor performance, illness and operational requirements. In addition, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) gives the Labour Court the power to determine disputes relating to employment contracts. And the Employment Equity Act (EEA) empowers the Labour Court to make orders relating to unfair discrimination disputes. The Labour Appeal Court, is senior to the Labour Court, and has higher powers. It can hear appeals against decisions made by that court. It also has the power, when required, to deal directly with matters normally dealt with by the Labour Court under the LRA. It is clear that, between them, these two courts have very substantial powers. And they are not normally reluctant to exercise their powers strongly even if it results in a very severe financial burden to the party on the receiving end. For example, in Evans v Japanese School of Johannesburg, the Labour Court found that the employer had unfairly dismissed and unfairly discriminated against the employee.

The court ordered the employer to pay compensation and damages totalling R377 000. Some years ago the Labour Court awarded a R1-million compensation amount against the Ministry of Labour. While these courts have extensive powers, they do not seem to be sure of the exact extent thereof. There seems to be disagreement between the different courts as to the maximum amount they may award to unfairly treated employees. To illustrate this point it is necessary to explain the difference between two types of awards the Labour Court may make - compensation awards and back-pay awards.

Compensation awards are made where the unfairly dismissed employee is not reinstated. The court then awards the employee financial compensation for the loss of his/her job. However, under the LRA the court is required, where feasible, to reinstate the employee rather than award compensation. When reinstatement is ordered the court usually requires the employer to pay the employee for the period between the dismissal and the date of the reinstatement order. This is to make up for the employee's loss of earnings prior to reinstatement. The LRA specifically lays down the maximum amount that the court may award when the dismissed employee is not reinstated. This limit is 24 months' remuneration in the case of an automatically unfair dismissal and 12 months' remuneration in all other unfair dismissal cases. However, the LRA is silent on a maximum limit on the amount of back-pay in tandem with a reinstatement order. It has for a long time been assumed that the amount of the back-pay is only limited by the number of months between the date of dismissal and the date of the reinstatement. As recently as 2005 the Labour Appeal Court upheld this view.

In Kroukam v SA Airlink, the Labour Appeal Court held that the amount of back-pay could be calculated back to the date of dismissal even if this exceeded the limits for compensation payments. However, soon after this, in CWIU and Others v Latex Surgical Products, the Labour Appeal Court held that the amount of back-pay ordered must be subject to the same limits as are laid down for compensation orders. Then, in Saccawu and others v Primserv ABC Recruitment, the Labour Court held that the amount of back-pay orders are not limited to the maximums set for compensation orders. This lack of agreement between different courts is not limited to this issue. It should further be noted that, in the Kroukam case, one of the three judges on the Labour Appeal Court bench disagreed with the majority finding. It is most disturbing that there is such little agreement within the courts as to the law as this makes decisions for employers very unclear.

In the light of this confusion, the only solution for employers is not to end up in the Labour Courts.They can only achieve this by ensuring that, before they take any decision affecting employees, they get labour law and practical strategic advice from a reputable labour law expert.

Ivan Israelstam is chief executive of Labour Law Management Consulting. Contacted him on 011-888-7944 or at labourlaw@absamail.co.za

TRAIN YOURSELF TO THINK, ACT LIKE AN ENTREPRENEUR

This is the post that should have been done on 24th July

So here you have it in a nutshell!

Train yourself to think, act like an entrepreneur
28 June 2007 at 11h00

An entrepreneur is an increasingly important person in business, says Robin Wheeler of BEntrepreneuring, who develops entrepreneurship in big business. "The entrepreneur is someone with a particular stance towards the world, whether they work for themselves or an organisation. You can become an entrepreneur by adopting this stance as a way of life."Wheeler says the successful entrepreneur must be:

An adventurer

The word "entrepreneur" has its roots in French and literally means "someone who undertakes" a venture, Wheeler explains. "To do this, one has to be a risk taker who is prepared to see the venture through. An entrepreneur is an explorer who lives the adventure of realising vision."

A business person

Entrepreneurs are associated with business, whether small, medium-sized, social or corporate, he says. "So to be entrepreneurial, you need to operate in a business arena, but not necessarily in your own business. In fact, most entrepreneurs are not in their own businesses, as such, because business is a communal and interdependent process in which we all work, trade and build with one another."

A visionary

Entrepreneurs know themselves, their potential, and what they have to offer. They also understand what the world needs, and have an enterprise that combines what they offer with meeting what the world needs. "They have a vision where individual and collective potential is realised, and are in the creative process of manifesting this vision for a living."

An innovator

Entrepreneurs create, and thus innovate, in all they do, he says. They have an inventive spirit that permeates all their endeavours.

A rebel with a cause

Entrepreneurs influence industry and society. They are inherently rebellious, not only against mediocrity and stagnation, but for a purpose. That purpose benefits everyone involved, says Wheeler.

A leader

Because entrepreneurs have vision and the tenacity to implement it creatively and flexibly, they always find themselves leading people and processes. They set an example of what they advocate, and teach others, often in challenging circumstances.

A service provider

Entrepreneurs have something to give and they understand its value to the their market and to humanity. "They help people live better lives. They are, ultimately, agents of evolution."Wheeler says: "Being an entrepreneur is a way of managing yourself and engaging with others in the free market and in jobs. It is the key to personal fulfilment, business success and the future of the world."

For more information, visit www.bentrepreneuring.com

TEST

AUDITING FIRMS OFFER TOP PAY TO ATTRACT STAFF

This is what should have been posted on 23rd July

As I smile quietly to myself. For all of those 'financial' people who would love to live in the Cape - here is your opportunity!

Auditing firms offer top pay to attract staff
10 April 2007 at 04h00

There is such a shortage of personnel in auditing and general accounting firms in Cape Town that top salaries are being offered to attract the right staff, says Geoffrey Allison, MD of Isilumko Accountants, a recruitment company. There are a number of reasons for the shortage, including the rapidly growing Cape economy which has resulted in increased company growth. Another factor is the pressure on firms to improve their corporate governance, after several high profile cases of financial mismanagement.

"Articled clerks tend to move to other firms before completing their articles, mainly due to financial incentives. This has resulted in a lack of second- and third-year articled clerks," said Allison."Higher up the personnel scale audit managers are in great demand, especially at the larger auditing and accounting companies."
Contact Isilumko on 021 4613606

This is the post for 21st July

My first reaction was "what a badly written article"! It confuses what it is trying to say. I suspect it should be that "of the people who have died, of HIV and Aids, so far this year, 71% have been between the ages of 15 and 49." and instead of " about the needs and importance of staying negative" should be something like "about the needs and importance of staying HIV negative."

Badly written article aside, the content and what the author was trying to say is of huge value to all. the very heart of our future work skilled individuals who will be desperately needed to take our economy into the 1st world are being plucked from us by this terrible pandemic.

Youngsters, must be made aware of how vulnerable they are and what the consequences are of contracting the disease - and yes, it can happen to everyone!

Aids hits youth at crucial career stage
Ntokozo Ndlovu

19 December 2006 at 06h00

At least 71 percent of people between the ages of 15 and 49 have died of HIV and Aids so far this year. This is according to the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Centre for Actuarial Research and the Actuarial Society of South Africa. According to Kelly, career peak ages are between the ages of 26 and the late 30s. These are the stages where one's career develops gradually from supervisory position, to junior level management into senior management, depending on your field of work. And depending on how you take care of yourself, you may or may not reach one of these stages. Although there are anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs), which are meant to enable people to continue living positively and progressively, the plea is to sustain one's health and prevent in all means possible to allow future and career development. "There is need to create awareness around HIV and Aids, especially among young people, to be able to have a future generation that will build our workforce," says Xola Yoyo, loveLife's project co-ordinator. He says the challenge facing South Africa is educating young people, especially those between the ages of 15 and 21 or even younger than 15,
Aids hits youth at crucial career stage
Ntokozo Ndlovu19 December 2006 at 06h00

At least 71 percent of people between the ages of 15 and 49 have died of HIV and Aids so far this year.This is according to the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Centre for Actuarial Research and the Actuarial Society of South Africa.According to Kelly, career peak ages are between the ages of 26 and the late 30s.These are the stages where one's career develops gradually from supervisory position, to junior level management into senior management, depending on your field of work.And depending on how you take care of yourself, you may or may not reach one of these stages.Although there are anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs), which are meant to enable people to continue living positively and progressively, the plea is to sustain one's health and prevent in all means possible to allow future and career development."There is need to create awareness around HIV and Aids, especially among young people, to be able to have a future generation that will build our workforce," says Xola Yoyo, loveLife's project co-ordinator.He says the challenge facing South Africa is educating young people, especially those between the ages of 15 and 21 or even younger than 15, about the need and importance of staying negative."And to lay a foundation for this, young people need to have a future focus, and future plans for themselves."Without this they will not understand the need to protect themselves," he says."What needs to be understood is the amount of responsibility that young people have towards their families, themselves and the future of our economy," says Judi Nokwedi, the founder loveLife.

Nokwedi notes that the pandemic mostly hits the economically active youth in our country, and this in turn has a huge impact of the lives of a lot of people."HIV and Aids does not only affect the young working person but greatly impacts on those who are dependent on that workingperson."Therefore there is need for employers to understand the profile of the pandemic and target their interventions appropriately," says Nokwedi.She says that most of the time, it is outside of the workplace that most young people engage in behaviour that puts them at risk."And most employers have no sense of how young people behave outside of the workplace."Workplace HIV and Aids interventions must be designed with consideration of the reality of how young people behave in their social activity," says Nokwedi.Most HIV and Aids workplace interventions are often designed without the reality of how young people behave outside of the workplace. She says that there is need for employers to understand that HIV and Aids strategies should not be three-day workshops, but instead a full 365 calender year intervention."They have to intergrate interventions in accordance with the culture of the organisation and their workforce," she says."HIV and Aids programmes should not be treated as an event, it needs to be looked at as an ongoing continuous and systematic programme, that addresses the wellness of the most important assets of an organisation, the employees," concludes Nokwedi.

For more information on HIV/Aids for the youth visit www.loveLife.org.za or call 0800-121 -900.

UNPACKING A CAREER IN FORENSICS

This is the post that would have been done on 20th July.

Oh Wow! CSI or not, this is something that I suspect I would be very good at (except the good interpersonal skills that is) and something that I would love to do. Sigh. Perhaps in my next life!

However, lives aside - here is yet another opportunity for those who weep and wail and gnash their teeth and say 'there's nothing out there available to us'.

Go get em!

Unpacking a career in forensics
14 May 2007 at 04h00

You have to remember, this is not CSI. Reconstruction takes time - it can take months to get information from the authorities and evidence seldom turns up in the nick of time. To manipulate the outcome of an investigation is common practice. We do not support this, and we are respected for it.

You often find yourself in life-threatening situations and you have to be prepared to deal with them. For instance, you could arrive at an accident to find it is a hijacking gone wrong, or robbers could have arrived on the scene before you and you will have to deal with them before assisting any accident victims.

In addition to investigative skills, you need good interpersonal skills to be able to deal with the family and friends of accident victims. You must be able to stay calm in very trying and chaotic situations and deal with people who may be very distressed or angry.

Qualifications needed: The three-year diploma in accident reconstruction will be available soon.

Where to train: Independent Bureau of Forensic (IBF) Investigation will soon be offering a three-year course.

Expected earnings: Rates range from R350 to R450 an hour, or R1 000 an accident.

Contact: IBF Investigations on 073 674 9268, stan@ibfsa.com, or www.ibfsa.com

A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO EMPOWERMENT

This is the post that should have been done on 19th July

This is exactly the kind of mind set that should be in place when dealing with BEE issues. Well done Jonathan for making it so simple.

A sustainable approach to empowerment A
im is to create a broad ownership base that includes youth, women
Jonathan Goldberg
14 March 2007 at 06h00

The final Codes of Good Practice for Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) were approved by Cabinet in December last year and were gazetted into law on February 9. In this article we will attempt to introduce the approach that needs to be taken by organisations in respect of BBBEE implementation. In the first instance, organisations should note that BBBEE must be fully integrated with the business strategy, not implemented as a separate function. In other words, before an organisation decides on a specific course of action in respect of how it wishes to implement BBBEE activities, it must ensure that they will drive value upwards and costs downwards over time. For example, assume that you own a transport firm. The serious shortage of Code 14 drivers may very well form the basis of enterprise development initiatives such as free driver instruction and financing of ownership schemes. This assists the firm in ensuring more code 14 drivers are available to it or a proper business unit is created on an outsource basis. The decision is seen from a business perspective, not handout perspective. The codes include a scorecard outlining elements of implementation for which points can be scored.

There are two separate scorecards: one for enterprises with annual turnovers of more than R35-million and one for "qualifying small enterprises", which have a turnover of between R5-million and R35-million a year. The scorecards award points for the following elements: Ownership; management control; employment equity; skills development; preferential procurement; enterprise development and socio-economic development. The elements each have a weighting and compliance targets (over five and 10 years in the case of the bigger enterprises).It is clear that BBBEE must be broad and have substance. The focus is on a sustainable approach to addressing socio-economic matters of poverty eradication, skills creation, entrepreneurship, equity and broad based ownership. Enterprises whose annual turnover is between R5-million and R35-million have an easier scorecard to implement. They can select four of the elements to score themselves out of 100. Enterprises with a turnover of less than R5-million are be exempt from BBBEE implementation.

The first two elements are explained below. The others will be addressed in a later article. The first is ownership. This refers generally to shareholding that results in economic interest being paid to shareholders as well as attributable voting rights. Care has been taken not to create "capitalists without capital" in that a full eight points of the 20 are based on net economic interest. In the event that "payment" is not made against the debt incurred in purchasing the shares at the required rate, the realisation points will be forfeited pro rata. In addition, ownership has been shaped in order to drive a broad ownership base (eg youth, disabled, unemployed) and to incorporate new entrants (participants who have not previously done a deal worth R20-million) into ownership structures.

Broad-based schemes such as Employee-Owned Trusts and Employee Share Options have resultantly become very popular. There is also an allocation on the generic score for compliance of the target of 40% for black women in ownership to achieve maximum points. A structure that does not include black women would lose points. The second element is management control, which ensures diversity in respect of strategic business and financial direction decision-making power. This is achieved by measuring the transformation status across four levels in the organisation, which are: the board of directors, senior top management (CEO, chief operating officer, chief financial officer), other top management (eg heads of marketing, strategy and HR) and non-executive directors

This element will become one of the more difficult to address given skills shortages at these levels. It has been estimated that SA will require an additional 3 000 black executive directors across the top 200 listed companies by 2016 in order to meet the targets set for the element.The importance of mentoring, coaching, career and succession planning and staff retention is highlighted at this level. Any of these activities are an extension of the existing Employment Equity and Skills Development initiatives and will have to form a part of enterprises' strategy going forward.

Jonathan Goldberg, is the CEO of Global Business Solutions, and can be contacted on 083-281-9571, or johnny@iafrica.com

7 STEPS TO MADIBA MAGIC

This is the post that should have been done on 18th July

In keeping with the fact that it was 'Tata's" birthday - here is an article on him. Well done to Timothy Webster for this insightful piece of work.

I think that we all need to stop from time to time, look around us and see if we are still going in the right direction and if those around us, still identify us with what our passion is - a true lesson for all of us.

Hope you had a wonderful day Tata, and many more

7 Steps to Madiba magic
Timothy Webster

19 July 2007 at 11h00

Is it possible that arguably the greatest statesperson ever to have lived has been reading this column? On his 89th birthday, former president Nelson Mandela will receive every type of gift you can imagine, from inspiring local text messages to artefacts flown in from thousands of kilometres away. But his greatest gift will come from his very own foundation - a personal brand makeover! The chief executive officer of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Achmat Dangor, said that, at Mandela's insistence, the organisation will be working hard to break down "the mythology around the man". Mythology is defined as a collective body of stories associated with a culture, institution or person. I can imagine Madiba himself woke up one day, looked around and recognised that despite all the bridges, municipalities and malls named after him - and having every major celebrity in the world clamouring to get an opportunistic photo - his real legacy of encouraging peaceful dialogue and debate could be totally lost. Madiba is wise enough to recognise that for his true brand legacy to remain, that a branding campaign must be engineered to combat the unconscious tendency by the media to turn him into a myth. In the spirit of celebration and gift-giving, I would like to give Mr Mandela a gift synonymous with his own legacy - and that's to give you the reader the opportunity to undergo the same rebranding effort that he himself has decided to embark on. Most of you aren't aware of the body of stories associated with your brand. The reality is that all of us exist in the mind of others and if you aren't careful, the perception of your existence could get lost in the agendas of other people.

Therefore, I am revealing, for the first time, the seven ways to ensure your true brand legacy lives forever! Seven Steps to Madiba Magic

1. Know your purpose and mission in life.

2. Be prepared to go to prison and die for your purpose.

3. Forgive even when it's not popular to do so.

4. Know when it's your time to step down.

5. Be willing to undergo an image makeover (going from tailored suits to the Madiba shirt).

6. Learn the art of networking - get people on board to promote your cause and mission (eg former US resident Bill Clinton).

7. Remain humble and connected with the poor!

Thanks Madiba for giving us the greatest example of what true personal brand is all about. Happy birthday and thanks for staying human!

SARS NOW OFFERING THE RICH THEIR OWN TAXMAN

This is the post that should have been done on 17th July.

Well I guess I am not quite there yet! Still I can dream can't I - when I have my own 'Taxman/woman", it will mean I have finally made it!


Sars now offering the rich their own taxman
February 15 2007 at 06:35AM
By Margie Inggs

The latest status symbol? To have your own taxman. The 500 most wealthy people in the country have been sent letters by the South African Revenue Service (Sars) informing them that they will be assigned their own individual tax assessor to look after them personally. However, being among the top 500 has been seen as a status symbol and some wealthy people who have not received a letter from Sars are apparently upset at being overlooked. Deloitte director, Nazrien Kader, said the principle of working with taxpayers to ensure timeous tax clearance was sound if taxpayers were squeaky clean but that people who had anything to hide would not welcome being in the spotlight.

Finance Minister Trevor Manuel will present his Budget next Wednesday. Manuel is expected to announce a further relaxation of exchange controls, although there is not much pressure to relax these. Currently, individuals can take R2,5-million out of the country.

This is the post that should have been done on 16th July.

This article is so true and it hits the nail right on the head. This is true, not only in the workplace but certainly as an SMME and an owner of my own business. There are many occasions that I refer work to a colleague (I am always on the lookout for work for the people in my network) and there have been occasions where that has not worked out too well as the person is not who they say that they are or perhaps they have a hidden agenda.

It makes me question my ability to judge another person (not that we should be judging anyone, but I am sure you know what I mean). It hurts, somewhere deep inside of me, somewhere deep inside my soul. I am very careful though not to let it colour how I look at other people, or how I look at myself. My friend and mentor Vanessa, taught me that lesson - I am not wrong or stupid (or anything else for that matter) to be 'taken' in by someone like that - actually, it's not about me at all - it's about the other person and how they have misrepresented themselves.

So, I still meet people and refer them and try and help where I can - it is after all what I would like others to treat me.

When your trust is put to the test, stay resilient
John Mullins

07 February 2007 at 11h00

There is no doubt that in each and every one of us there is at the very least a tiny desire to be looked after. I'm not really talking about a spoonfed, maternal pampering kind of caring. Although that does sound quite tempting. I'm talking about that occasional feeling that someone perhaps has our interests at heart. This is vital in the workplace, where it is almost certain that you are going to be dependent on others for your success. You will not notice it all the time, mainly because you are expected to pretty much get on with your work. But shucks! When this feeling is lost or deliberately broken, it can feel as if your whole world is in danger of collapsing.

That is, of course, if you really placed your trust in another person for the well being of your career. Something happened this week that gave me such a good illustration of the different symptoms that blind trust can display in the workplace. It immediately showed up in a company that has been brought to its knees through a sheer tabloid-style exposé of its leadership. It's given me two perspectives. These are what I call superficial loyalty and counterfeit trust. They're slightly different in principle, but seem to have similar results.

When I come across an organisation that appears to have great success, I become interested in understanding what the seeds are for that achievement. It's often because managers and leaders heroically tackle the external world for the company, blazing trails and opening new opportunities. The charisma and magnetism that often come with leaders like this can easily cause you to follow in a gullible, almost naïve, manner. It's not to say these leaders are wrong. It just means their amazing visionary talents can leave people in a state of constant nirvana-like belief.

This positive energy can be so strong that thoughts of problems or difficulties are almost denied. You can probably get away with that for a while but at some point someone's got to do the dirty work. Business is like that, and your career will consist of times when things are more tough than easy. You have to learn to build some resilient tactics to remain productive. If you choose to remain blindly loyal to leaders, the results can be catastrophic when things go wrong. Never hand over your destiny to someone else who may show a tendency for stubborn heroics. It also doesn't mean you have to question every move. I just believe that you have to keep your wits about you.

The other more sinister trust breakdown is when it comes across in a counterfeit way. This is more menacing and can play horribly on your emotions. It's when your leaders and managers purposefully and sometimes forcefully buy your trust. The bottom line is that it's fake. It often occurs when you are feeling insecure and you reach out to someone who appears to have the answers. Leaders like this give a little here and there and lock you into a relationship that is built on falsehood. Whether it's sharing information with you, or promises of a bigger salary, you begin to hand over your trust cheaply in return for the recognition and reward. Beware of this danger. Unless there is a genuine meaningful foundation, the relationship can be broken swiftly when things go wrong.

So what do you do about it? Always stay in control of your thoughts, beliefs, behaviour and choices. Develop your own wisdom through exploring the truth. Understand your personality and what feeds your decision-making. You also need to remember that visionary leaders are not the sole cause of trust and relationship breakdowns. Often the combination of this and insecurity or plain old gullible belief is what leads to the ultimate breakdown. So, if you find yourself in a situation where your trust is tested, remain resilient. It's the strength inside that will allow you to bounce back. Not the heroics of an imaginative conqueror.
Contact John Mullins at john@dnalearning.net

"WORK LESS" - GLOBAL COMPANIES TELL TOP MANAGERS

This is the post that should have been done on 14th July.

Ok, so that makes it official now - we, as Enterpreneurs and Small Business Owners, also need to take some time out every now and then - to re-charge our batteries.

Don't feel guilty about it - everything will still be there tomorrow - take time out and smell the coffee!

"Work less!" global companies tell top managers
23 March 2007 at 11h01

By Susan Fenton

Hong Kong - Chi-Won Yoon likes to leave his office by 6pm - 7pm at the latest. A banker with Swiss investment bank UBS, his day is far from over, what with conference calls with London and New York that will keep him busy until midnight. But he wants to send a message to his staff that it's okay to go home. For many managers at global companies, 70-hour weeks are becoming the norm. Yet their firms would rather they took Yoon's approach. A global study in the Harvard Business Review showed more than 50 percent of male executives and more than 80 percent of women executives working 60 hours a week or more said they would not be able to keep it up for more than a year.

Women tend to quit such jobs after a few years, the study shows. Men often stay but more than 40 percent who worked those hours experienced "brown-out" within five years and had lost their creative zeal. Globalisation, instant communication and the huge financial rewards on offer in many top jobs are leading to "extreme" working hours, says Sylvia Ann Hewlett of the New York-based Centre for Work-Life Policy and a co-author of the study. "These factors are not going to change so companies will have to create alternative work models," Hewlett said. "But for nimble companies at the cutting edge there's an opportunity to hang on to talent if they allow breathers and restorative time."Hewlett said several companies are trying new things:

American Express Co allows top talent to apply for a two-year assignment doing high-impact projects for part of the year. "It means they can get down to, say, 40-hour workweeks for part of the year," said Hewlett.

Network equipment provider Cisco Systems Inc allows some staff to take 6-12 months out to work at a non-profit organisation.

Google Inc encourages workers to spend 25 percent of their week on their own projects, free of distractions.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc has introduced standing-only meetings where BlackBerries are left at the door. "The point is to cut to the chase," said Hewlett. Back at UBS, Yoon underlines his point by arriving in the office at around 9:30 a.m. - two hours after many staff. Emphasising sane work hours is all part of talent management for Yoon, the head of Asian equities for the Swiss firm."If you have the talent management right you can get the business right," he told a human resources conference hosted by his company.

It's no easy matter, though. Executives say that as their businesses expand globally, unpredictable work demands and tight deadlines are adding pressure, while endless meetings give them little time to focus. Weekly travel and back-to-back meetings also are making senior managerial positions less attractive. "Not everyone wants to travel every week and wake up in a different hotel room. Management has got to ask: is this person going to be happy in this job?" said Ronnie Tan, Asia managing director of Development Dimensions International, a human resources development firm.

Women in particular are being deterred from high-level careers, a trend that could have risky consequences as an aging population narrows the talent pool. "Women are backing off because they see these extreme jobs and losing women from the talent pipeline is going to become an issue with an aging population," said Hewlett. - Reuters

DOZENS NABBED FOR FRAUD

This is the post for 13th July.

This is absolutely disgusting! Thousands of people, who have legitimate claims against the RAF, will be denied assistance because of lack of funds because of fraudsters!

I urge and challenge everyone out there - if you know of anyone that is trying to defraud this fund (and any other for that matter) - report it. The lives of some needy people may very well depend on it!

Dozens nabbed for fraud
June 15 2007 at 06:13AM
By Sibusiso Mboto

The combined efforts of Commercial Branch of the police, the National Prosecuting Authority and Road Accident Fund investigators has resulted in the arrests of 80 people in June for defrauding the fund. Police said that more than half of the 80 suspects were from KwaZulu-Natal and the rest from Gauteng. The value of the fraudulent claims totalled more than R3,7-million. The clampdown was aimed at curbing rampant defrauding of the fund. The police said that while RAF fraud syndicates had mainly involved doctors, lawyers and civil servants in the past, taxi drivers had now also become involved. "We have found that some of the drivers fabricate information on vehicle accidents and false claims are submitted to the RAF for payment of fictitious injuries sustained in accidents that never occurred," said police spokesperson Phuti Setati.

Setati said remarkable progress had been made in the fight against fraud. This was reflected by the fact that 15 fraudsters had been arrested in KZN and 13 in Gauteng in a similar operation in May. In 2006 four doctors from KZN operating as a syndicate who had allegedly assisted in 178 false claims were arrested and charged with defrauding the fund. Setati said that one of the four doctors had been sentenced to a R1-million fine or 15 years' imprisonment with an additional 15 years suspended. He said the team was on the verge of making further arrests in Durban.sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za

YOUR VOICE IS VITALIN THE WORLD OF COMMUNICATION

This is the article that should have been posted on 12th July.

I think we should take note of this - there is nothing worse, for me that is, than having the strong dynamic visual turned on it's head as the person opens their mouths to speak and emit this squeak of a voice - terrible! I lose all focus at this point. We all need to learn how to speak properly in order to have the best auditory results!

Your voice is vital in the world of communication
JUliette Jenner16 July 2007 at 09h00

You are competent, sassy and successful. Yet boardroom success feels elusive, leadership feels tenuous and every time you speak it sounds like someone with self-esteem issues has just hijacked your throat! These days we find listening difficult. We have grown tired of the clutter of meaningless words in our modern world and we are desensitised by the endless information blasted at us. It is a startling ray of light then when someone actually says something inspirational, something that brings the proverbial light bulb moment alive. If you want to be that someone, its time to learn how!

An authentic, self-assured voice generates successful personal branding and is key to realising your potential. Successful people know that how you communicate is just as important as what you communicate. The first impression you make is with your voice and controlling how you sound opens up a world of communication success. It's not enough to look good and know your stuff; you need to sound good to make a real impact. Yet what does the voice of a true leader entail, what is a truly authentic voice? We often believe as women that in a "male-dominated" business world our voices have to sound as assertive and powerful as male voices to compete, or even just to be heard. However, in my experience of coaching business leaders, I have realised that leadership requires something more.

In an interview Jules Newton, a dynamic MD, put it well when she said that finding her true voice within her company is more challenging than any high-powered presentation or boardroom sales pitch. I believe what becomes crucial for the success of a leader is a voice that is true to the kind of leader you are, or want to be. It is a voice that is integrity with you. When you are asked to inspire, contribute, and lead, knowing your true voice and being in command of it is a potent skill to hold. It can make the difference between having a real impact in this world or making a contribution that is quickly forgotten. Can you honestly say that you are allowing yourself to create the space to speak your truth, or are you simply telling people things in the manner you think they want to hear them? Simple vocal exercises can be a vital part of this process of self discovery. Your exploration of these issues can deeply enhance your relationship with your voice and your potential as an inspirational leader. I have come to discover and passionately believe through my experience of coaching voices in the Dynamic Voice Programme, developing your relationship with your voice is a symbolic and powerful step to speaking your truth as an individual. It moves far deeper than sounding great in the boardroom, it moves into finding your authentic voice. Great leaders and role models have accessed theirs and that is the kind of voice we should be striving to share with the world!
Juliette Jenner is a Voice Coach Neuro-Linguistic Programming practitioner.
For more information contact her on 082-771-7911 or jennerstar@mweb.co.za

Firstly, my apologies for no scribblings for the better part of a week. I had a death in my family and the emotion was too much to deal with.

Having said that, it's back to business as usual. This is what should have been posted on Wednesday 11th July.

I wonder if they kept to the rules and if they managed to achieve all that they set out to - everything seems to have been fairly quiet except for the posturings of my friend Jacob Zuma.

Call for ANC to retain working-class bias
Johannesburg, South Africa
27 March 2007 06:57

The African National Congress (ANC) leadership debate must shift from personalities to the collective to take the ruling party forward and retain its working-class bias, Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Tuesday. "As ANC members we need to defend the progressive strand in ANC policy and its continued bias towards the working class," Vavi said at the South African Communist Party and Cosatu bilateral summit in Johannesburg. "The challenge is how we retain its progressive posture and working-class leadership under the current conditions of intense contestation?"

This requires an examination of how the ANC reflects working-class bias in its policies and leadership structures. "Without doubt we know that leadership contests can either place an organisation on a higher growth path or lead to paralysis and disintegration. "For that reason, as we approach the ANC conference, we need to exercise maximum caution not to destroy the movement due to narrow factionalist positions." Neither should we allow a sense of paralysis or helplessness to creep in as we tackle leadership questions. We must shift debate from personalities to what collective will take the ANC forward and retain its progressive working-class bias," Vavi said. Vavi said the union has attached "lots of importance" to the ruling party's policy conference to be held in June and will convene to critique the conference-discussion papers, published in March, on April 3 and 4. "In our view this is part and parcel of achieving our strategic objectives that we so clearly spelt out in our ninth national congress."The union will then debate the leadership issue at its fourth central committee meeting in September.It will also review the progress of implementing its resolutions and adapt its "political, organisational and international strategies".

Cosatu reportedly announced a radical strategy to change the ANC's leadership and policy direction last week.The trade-union federation has also warned it might not endorse the ruling ANC in the next election if the party does not deliver results for workers. Vavi said "flooding" the ranks of its alliance partner is the only workable strategy."Our members cannot stay outside and choose to complain about the ANC. There is massive anger exploding ... and our members have given us the most militant directive to date in the history of Cosatu," he said. "We have been given strict dates to engage with the ANC and our affiliates will check what has been achieved and what we need to do." Vavi said the mood in Cosatu is it will no longer complain about the alliance and marginalisation."We want progress and we must define what we want to do with the ANC," he said. -- Sapa

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 21

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 21

Craig Harrison says that the reason that Networking may not be working for you is because of the basic 9 mistakes that Networker’s make. I will be going through these over the next few weeks and let’s see if this is what is holding you back.


To get to know a bit more about Craig Harrison, please visit his website on www.craigspeaks.com.

The eighth mistake, Craig says is “Slinging slang. Many networker’s profess to have excellent communication skills yet use slang or mispronounce big words when little words would have been better. Beware the use of contractions, excessive acronyms and name-dropping too. Don’t tell us what you’re gonna do! I would like to hear what you are going to do instead.”

This is also one of my favourites and I must say I am often hugely amused when people used words that they don’t know how to pronounce and then given time once I have worked out what they were trying to say, I have lost most of what they did say.

The one that springs to mind right now is the chap that said ‘a certain’ instead of ascertain! Obviously the mean of ‘a certain’ is completely different to ascertain and the result of that was that what he was saying made no sense at all. By the time I had figured out that he had meant to say ‘ascertain’, I had lost the rest of his speech, what he was trying to say and what he did. Make no mistake, I had also lost the will to try and do any kind of networking or business with him as well.

I know that we live in the ‘new’ South Africa and that there are 11 official languages out there – 10 of whom I have no idea how to communicate in, and yes I am often amazed that the fact that many people here can speak four or five of those languages, clearly I am not one of them. The bottom line is that most business is conducted in English and if you cannot speak English so that it can be understood, by the people who do speak, you will have a very difficult time and you will miss out on opportunities that will be snapped up by others.

Make sure that the words that you do want to use, are pronounced clearly and in the manner in which they are supposed to be pronounced. Practice what you want to say in your delivery speech and if need be get someone who is fluent in English, to listen to your delivery and make corrections where needed.

Most of all, have fun! Having your own business should not be all stress and serious. Remember why you went into business for yourself in the first place. It’s an intergral part of your life and you should be enjoying it to the hilt.

PREPARE YOUR BUSINESS FOR SALE - BY MARK CORKE

Mark Corke of Suitegum is a Business Broker. We, as SMME's are usually at fault with respect to our businesses, as we work for the business rather than allowing the business to work for us.
Most of my memories of Mark, are of him telling us how to get our businesses ready for sale and making sure that that they stay that way, so that in the case of any emergency, like the demise of the owner of the business etc, everything is ready.

Then of course comes the real 'whammy'! We are all so caught up in our own little eccentricities that we often become quite paranoid - especially when it comes to compliance - It's the government/SARS/my competition/etc that are out to get me and make my life difficult! Sound familier? Perhaps a mindset change is in order! Here are the facts:
1. "Getting your 'house' in order and compliant will add to the value of your business."
2. "Getting your books up to date and ensuring that you are having a good relationship with SARS (your VAT is up to date, your PAYE, UIF & SDL are also up to date and your semi annual and annual tax returns are up to date), will add to the value of your business."
3. "Getting your HR issues up to date with regards to Letters of appointment, Job Descriptions are up to date as well as all of the leave requirements etc, will increase the value of your business."
4. "Having all your legislative requirements up to date (such as your Basic Conditions of employment, Employment Equity & Occupational Health and Safety Act posters up etc) will add to the value of your business"
5. "Having all of your processes and controls documented and ensuring that your staff are well trained in them, will add value to your business."
All the above, and any other requirements that I have failed to mention, will not only increase the value of your business, but it also shows that you are serious about what you do and that you are serious about business.
Here is what Mark has to say:

Most businesses don't sell for anything close to the value they should, and frankly...THAT'S JUST WRONG.

Particularly when the owner isn't around to defend the value.

If you were to sell your business today, would you get true value for it?

And if you were not around, would your loved ones be able to sell it for what it's worth?

Do you really think they could?

Do you even know what the real value of your business is?

The simple truth is that businesses are often sold unprepared under unforeseen circumstances.The unfortunate answers to these questions lie in the fact that most business owners never consider preparing their businesses for sale before a purchaser asks them to supply the financial statements, management accounts and VAT returns. No sooner are these supplied, than the prospective purchaser asks about the customer mix and debtor analysis. Another challenge all together…

Prepare your business for sale!

You can learn to prepare your business for sale so that at the drop of a hat you are ready to sell for 209% more than you believe it is worth today. An impossibly silly claim? Not at all!Businesses that are properly prepared for sale, well in advance of the event, and then kept prepared through a simple maintenance program, always sell for higher values, in quicker, cleaner deals, than if the business had not been prepared properly, or at all. So why don't we prepare our businesses for sale? Most sellers simply don't know where to begin. They know they need to present a profit figure, and they know that VAT returns will be used to prove the turnover. They hastily sketch out some cash flow forecasts based on improving “this” and implementing “that”. They are scared that their staff will up and go if they discover the business is for sale. They don't want their suppliers and customers to find out.

Any of this sound familiar to you?

Do you fit the bill?

And so you do nothing until the buyer is sitting in the office asking awkward questions. At that point, of course, it becomes a bit of a mess, as the bookkeeper is called in, sworn to secrecy, and has all the pressure transferred to his shoulders. By the next morning even the cleaners and drivers know there is something afoot. If I can show you how to pre-empt this entire debacle, and add value to your business, would you be interested in “Preparing your business for sale”?

Well, of course you would.

You will be empowered to prepare a complete prospectus on your business, to be easily updated every month in less than an hour.

You will learn exactly how to add value to your business so that both you and your buyer benfit from the improvements.

You will be able to identify the elements in your business that savvy buyers are after, and show those elements to your best advantage.

You will gain....oh never mind; I promise you that you will get so much value that you won't ever want to take me up on my money back guarantee... but I'll offer it anyway (It's all in my full offer on my website).

I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked to sell a business in a hurry.

“I will take any reasonable offer.”

“I don't know how to run my wife's business, and I don't have the time.”

“I'm getting divorced, and my wife wants the business.”

“We've had enough, and we're going to emigrate. I need my money by December.”

"My husband has had an accident. He says I must sell his business because it is going out of business. "

Why condemn yourself to this unhappiness?There is an easy solution, you know. What's more, it is so easy if you are already running your business in a slightly better than basic fashion. By following our techniques, nobody need ever know that your business is being sold, or in fact that you have prepared your business for sale, if this is an issue for you.

Great news for business owners who think their businesses will never be sold:
Not only will your business be sold, but you will use the proceeds from that sale to improve your life and leapfrog your dreams to a higher level.

Join me for a few hours of good advice and solid pointers as to how you will create a life raft of opportunity in your business, ready to be launched at short notice.

All businesses should be in a constant state of readiness for sale. We live and work in an uncertain environment with new challenges being thrown our way constantly.

Do not be caught unaware. Do not be caught investing most of your life’s time in a business to keep the wolves from the door today, and to provide for your future tomorrow, when you have no idea of what a buyer would be looking for in a business today.

Do not be caught flat footed when circumstances such as illness or death dictate that you have to sell at short notice.

Wouldn’t that be sad?
So to take the first step towards preparing your business for sale, go here.

Cheers

Mark Corke

If you are serious about your business, please check out Mark's website on www.suitegum.co.za.

BUDGET SURPLUS: GOOD NEWS OR BAD

Well I don't know about you guys, but 'too much money' sounds a helleva lot better than too little money!

Whilst I understand that it should be spent, I also don't think that it needs to be spent for the sake of spending it either - perhaps the spending powers, should step back from the situation, just for a while, to gain perspective of what is needed and then concentrate on spending it, where it is make the most difference!

Take some time to make an informed decision rather than just spending for the sake of just spending.


Some economic question state capacity to spend, while others point to high tax burden.

Budget surplus: good news or bad?
February 5, 2007
By Thabang Mokopanele

Johannesburg - As South Africa faces huge socioeconomic problems, speculation that the country is likely to record a budget surplus in the new fiscal year has met with mixed reaction. In his medium-term budget policy statement in October, finance minister Trevor Manuel said he expected a R9.3 billion budget surplus for 2007/08, an historic first for a South African budget. Manuel will deliver his budget speech on February 21. At the time of the medium-term statement, Manuel said robust economic conditions had resulted in higher-than-forecast revenue collections in the current fiscal year and a continued decline in debt service costs. He said the fiscal balance would go from a deficit of 0.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the current fiscal year to a surplus of 0.5 percent in 2007/08.

The latest estimates represent a significant improvement on those made in the last annual budget, when Manuel projected a deficit of 1.4 percent of GDP for the next fiscal year and 1.2 percent thereafter. He announced that government revenue flows would be R20 billion higher in the current year than the original budget projection, while expenditure would be only R1 billion higher. This will help moderate inflation. A surplus effectively sterilises money in the economy, countering the rapidly expanding money supply. And a dramatically lower borrowing requirement takes the pressure off long-term interest rates.

But economists are debating whether a budget surplus is advisable in a developing country such as South Africa, given its huge socioeconomic challenges. Pan African Investment and Research Services economist Iraj Abedian said it was questionable from an ethical point of view. "The important point is that the budget surplus is not by design but by default, because government does not have the capacity to plan and implement spending," he said.

"The economy is growing and generating state revenue; hence we end up with a budget surplus." He said attention should focus on inadequate capacity within the state machinery. "Why should provinces and national departments be allowed to send back allocated money?" Abedian said that from a political perspective, the government should invest in its capacity. "The challenge remains: you can allocate money, but can you spend it?"

Dennis Dykes, Nedbank's chief economist, said the budget surplus would be a result of underestimation and better collection of revenue. "It seems as if government has taken a decision to move into a surplus because the country is experiencing an upswing." Dykes argued that the reason for delivery failure was not a lack of money but a lack of efficiency and capacity. "Manuel has told all departments and provincial governments to demonstrate that they can spend the money instead of putting it in the bank account."

Dawie Roodt, the chief economist at Efficient Group, said the primary reason for a possible budget surplus was a huge increase of the tax burden. "The surplus is obviously good news: the state will borrow less and have money available for other things. But the bad news is that a surplus is as a result of an increase in tax burden, which is really bad."He said Manuel should reduce the tax burden on the productive side of the economy, meaning corporate tax." Although South Africa is still faced with socioeconomic challenges, we should not increase social expenditure because we have done so substantially over the years."

SA'S ASPIRING CAs FAIL TO MAKE THE GRADE

Oh! How sad, and not only is it sad, but it is also going to cause a huge problem - particularly in view of the fact that it is the 'black' students who have failed so dismally!

What does this mean, well for the people what passed, and passed well - well done, but seeing what happened in the engineering arena, this does not necessarily mean that you will be able to find a job anywhere - the government could still very well pass you by and then import 'skilled' CA's from elsewhere in the world.

The reality of the situation, of course is a great opportunity for you, and that opportunity is for you to start your own business in the world of Finance or join another SMME who is probably being run of his/her feet due to the shortage of skilled labour.

Whatever you decide - the opportunites are vast and the rewards are great - go out there and get your share, there's more than enough to go around!

SA's aspiring CAs fail to make the grade
Johannesburg, South Africa
24 February 2007 07:30

The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica) on Friday expressed disappointment at the poor pass rate of chartered accounting (CA) students. This year's overall pass rate, in the qualifying exams written as part of a process to becoming fully qualified CAs, was 41% -- a 14% decrease from last year, said Saica president Ignatius Sehoole. A total of 124 students sat for this year's qualifying exams. Repeat candidates, especially, did not do well. Only 25% sitting for this year's exams passed, compared with 33% last year. Of this year's first-time candidates, only 51% passed, compared with last year's 61%. "We are disappointed at the low pass rate, especially among the black candidates, as we had committed ourselves to growing the number of black CAs in South Africa. "Regrettably the most recent statistics have come in well below our expectations, pointing partly to the exceptionally high standards required of aspirant accountants and to the need to redouble our efforts," said Sehoole. She said candidates who were writing "financial management part two" exams reflected a poor level of interpretation and battled with financial analysis. "This is of concern, as the part-two exam is a test of professional competence which is sat by candidates who have already completed part one of the qualifying examination as well as completed at least 18 months of their practical work requirement," said Sehoole. Rowan Ashley Lang, a trainee from Investec, was one of the few students to pass with honours. -- Sapa

A TIME FOR BEGINNINGS . . . . AND ENDINGS

My friend and colleague Linda Hart, sent this to me at the beginning of the year. Since many of us would like to celebrate "Chrismas in July", which means yet another perceptive New Year, I realized just how many things we put off until the 'New Year' because that is the 'most logical time to look at new things'. How sad!


Life, old and new, should be looked at all year round - we should be constantly allowing for mind set changes and shifts to occur in our lives, to allow for the 'old' to fade gracefully away and to allow the 'new' to come to the forefront!


We should take very careful note of the issues that Linda has raised in this article, and make conscious decisions to change what needs to be changed - for our own sake and for the sake of all of those whose lives our life has touched.


Have a great, reflective day.

A Time of Beginnings...And Endings

The New Year is not only a time of beginnings but also of endings. A recognition of birth of the new, but also of the passing of the old. A time to reflect on what will be, while we reminisce about what has passed us by. Which brings me to the topic of this article, a topic that is as important as it is unpleasant to contemplate: What happens to the life-changing work you've created after you're gone?

This subject came up for me via a story linking to author Neil Gaiman's blog, in which he discusses the tendency for writers to neglect to provide for the disposition of their works in their wills (assuming they've made wills to begin with). And although Gaiman's post was aimed at traditional writers, it occurred to me as I read the piece that this was something coaches needed to hear, as well. Think about everything you've created. It could be as simple as a resourceful webpage or a few useful worksheets, or as complex as an extensive and interrelated series of books, programs, downloads and other materials. Now imagine your family, confronting the devastation and confusion of your passing, faced with the prospect of not only figuring out what all this stuff is, but what they're supposed to do with it now that you're gone and how they're supposed to go about doing it. Eye-opening, eh?

Although many of us coaches have been lucky in having families who are very supportive of what we do and who understand the value of our work, we simply can't count on them having intuited through some sort of psychic osmosis just how we would prefer our work and the materials we created to be handled in the event of our death. In some cases, solving this issue is merely a matter of sharing your wishes and preferences. But in other cases, the situation can be deeply problematic. I know for a fact that no one in my family knows the first thing about even the basics of website technology, let alone how to access and hand the materials I have on my site - or even how to begin to find out, for that matter. They don't know FTP from UPS. They wouldn't know what folders on my computer contain useful or important papers or what to do with them once they figured it out. And let's not get into how they're supposed to track down my online and offline contacts and let them know what's going on, let alone differentiate between who needs to know what. And for those whose families don't understand or support their work, or are even actively hostile to it for whatever reason, the need to carefully prepare for the disposition of what remains behind gains even greater urgency.

Sad though it may be, there are some coaches whose friends and family don't understand or support what they doing - or who actively oppose it - for reasons ranging from personal issues to religious differences to long-standing family problems. It's unthinkable what could happen to the life's work of a coach in this position who passed on without leaving clear, explicit and legally incontestable instructions behind. What matters isn't the size or quantity of what you've created, but what happens to it after you are no longer there to oversee it. A lot of questions need to be answered, and they need to be answered while you're still around to make the important decisions about who and when and why - not left to grieving, disapproving or simply oblivious family members to puzzle out on their own. Some questions you will need to address include:

Website: What happens to your website after you die? Do you want it to be taken down, or stay up as a resource guide? If the latter, what changes will need to be made, and by whom? How will the cost of hosting and domain renewal be taken care of? Who will be responsible for site maintenance and responding to emails from visitors and service vendors?

Clients: Who will inform your clients of your passing, and will what they say be left up to the, or do you want to pre-create a goodbye message? Will survivors know how to contact your clients (and do they have the usernames and passwords to access your on and off line contact lists)? Will active clients be referred to colleagues or simply informed of your passing, and in the former case is there an updated list of referrals to be passed on?

Products and Services: Will materials for sale remain available for sale and if so, who will handle this? If not, what do you want done with them, and who will oversee that? Do you want free materials left available and if so, who will be in charge of maintaining access to these and how will they be compensated for doing so? What about existing service contracts - will clients be reimbursed, referred to a colleague or otherwise compensated for their remaining purchased time, and if so by who? Is there a system in place to handle product returns and existing purchase fulfillment after your death? What about service you are paying for - do your executors know how to contact these vendors to cancel services and shipments and handle reimbursements? And most importantly, is there a pre-existing way for survivors to access your business records and financial accounts in order to handle all of this smoothly, without lengthy and costly probate delays?

Books and other intellectual property: What will happen to all that IP you created over the course of your practice - the worksheets, the assessments, the software applications and so on? Will they still be available and if not, what happens to them? Who is responsible for overseeing their disposition? What about your books - who will the rights (and the royalties) revert to and who will make decisions regarding reprints, paperbacks and other rights? Who gets to decide what happens to that rough draft or unfinished manuscript you've been working on? What happens to collaborations and existing contracts? Your notes? Your ideas? Your unpublished bits and pieces? These are just a few of the things everyone who has ever created anything of value needs to consider. I realize that this topic can be uncomfortable to talk about, let alone bring up with family and friends. But that discomfort is nothing compared to the possibility of years, if not decades, of hard work and valuable, life-changing material being forgotten, lost or even intentionally destroyed because pre-planning an alternative was just too uncomfortable.

On Gaiman's blog, he links to a pdf copy of a sample will that addresses IP disposition. You can download and use his version for free, or have a lawyer who specializes in IP draw up one customized to your needs. In either case, you will need to research what is considered legal and binding in your specific location (the will is written for use in the US) to ensure that everything is in order with any local legislation. So, while it's certainly more pleasant, and more fun, to start off the New Year with resolutions, reaffirmations and realignments for the coming year of life, consider taking a little time after the confetti finished falling to ensure that the unique and valuable legacy you've created - and it's ability to change the lives of those who most desperately need it - outlives the death of the genius who created it.

DECLINE OF THE HOME PAGE

This for me, was a very useful article indeed. For someone who is pretty much a technophobe, I generally leave all this kind of stuff to the people who look after my IT requirements. This has assisted in my understanding of what happens on the internet and on my website.

I hope it helps you too.

Net Savvy
Decline of the Homepage
Matthew Buckland
23 January 2007 08:01

Remember when the main way to surf a website was via its homepage?

Well, that was the old days. The rise of super-fast, super-efficient search engines mean that users are increasingly accessing websites via deep links that bypass their homepages directly to a website's articles. It's essentially a backdoor into your website.

Search engines aren't the only ones to blame. Bloggers generally link directly to the articles they are writing about, ignoring homepages. RSS feeds, which allow users to subscribe directly to article feeds, are also responsible for the decline of the homepage.

So what does this mean? Paradoxically it is both a problem and an opportunity for publishers. What publisher wouldn't want search engines to send traffic to his or her site, even if it is via a backdoor? It's no secret that the news sites dominating the top of the South African website rankings are getting a huge chunk of their traffic via deep links to their articles by Google.

But there is also a downside. A homepage is important real estate to a publisher. It is the grand entrance hall and the wrapping for the site. It is a carefully constructed mix of links and graphics designed to deliver the right message and the right stories to the user.

If a news website's homepage is bypassed then the news-gathering, agenda-setting function that is so key to all media companies is effectively bypassed. In effect, Google is telling your readers what the most important story on the site is - not your editors!

Another problem is that this search traffic is often not particularly loyal. The reader finds the link in a search engine, parachutes in, without noticing or caring about the brand, gets the article and then leaves as quickly as he or she arrived - probably never to return. It's a very different reader from the one who regularly visits the homepage, understands the website brand and attaches some loyalty to it. This is the reader most likely to interact with the advertising the online publisher places around articles.

So what should you, the online publisher, do? Well, you could block Google from visiting your site. This is quick and easy to do - and Google will obey. In fact, the worldwide media industry is now coming up with its own protocol to control search-engine access. But I doubt any online publisher in their right mind would block off this valuable source of traffic.

So online publishers have to live with it and adapt. You are fighting a losing battle if you don't think users will increasingly bypass your homepage as internet consumption patterns evolve. The trick is that you need to understand users' habits.

It means that you should treat every article as if it's a "mini-homepage". Stack all your article pages with links inviting users to your homepage. Ensure that you have links to other articles from your article page. Have a headline feature that lists the top stories appearing on your homepage on every article.

An article may be the first time a user comes into contact with your website. This is your chance to not only present the article, but market the website brand. If you present a good image the user may come back for more.

The homepage will never die. A loyal, core base of users will always access your site from the homepage. But it's important to understand that it's not the only way users are arriving at your site.

Matthew Buckland is publisher of Mail & Guardian Online. E-mail him at matt@mg.co.za