HR - Trapping and Entrapment

ARTICLE 60

Trapping and Entrapment – Part 2

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC July 2010

Last week we had a look at what is considered legal (trapping) and what is considered illegal (entrapment).

Just to make sure that you are really clear on the difference (because it is really easy to get confused between the two), I am going to tell a story, so let’s bring in the protagonists. Mike owns a small retail stand outlet in a busy square and George is one of the sales staff. Mike’s store sells sweets and cold drinks as well as biltong and dry wors and some burgers and/or sandwiches type fast food. Mike is experiencing a huge shrinkage problem that only started when George started working at the stand. Mike suspects that George is either giving stock to clients without ringing it up and/or helping himself to stock for his own consumption or taking it home. Mike hires a new staff member, let’s call him Tim who is an ex-policeman. Tim will pose as the new employee and who will ‘keep an eye’ on what George is doing and will ‘learn’ from him.

Tim watches what George is doing and thinks that he can see that stock is sold to clients without being rung up on the till. Tim also watches to see if George consumes biltong, dry wors or sandwiches and burgers without paying for them. Tim, still pretending to be ‘learning from George’ asks George to show him how to serve the customers without putting it through the till. George refuses. Tim then makes himself a burger and also one for George and does not pay. Both men eat the burgers. Tim then reports this to Mike and George is disciplined for theft and summarily dismissed.

In this case, Mike (through Tim’s actions) had set up a situation where George was pressured into eating a burger that was not paid for. You see although George may have helped himself to a burger without paying for it, by himself – without Tim’s encouragement he may not have taken it at that time. Mike would be found guilty of ‘entrapment’ in this case.

Trapping an employee is, however perfectly legal. In the above case, if George had agreed to show Tim ‘how to’ serve a customer without putting through the till and even shown him how to do it with the next customer that came in – this would have been considered as legal trapping, but because George helped himself to the burgers and ate one himself that the line has been crossed.

Actually it reminds me of a TV program that I once watched where a policeman was under ‘deep cover’ in the mob and he was called upon to “kill” someone by the mob boss (as a token of his loyalty). He was in a really bad space because if he did kill the person anything that he (or the police) tried to pin onto the mob boss would be considered ‘entrapment’.

So be clear on what it is that you are doing when you set the trap up for the employee as the lines can often be quite blurred and if you are in any kind of doubt, seek professional assistance.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

BLOGGING TIPS - The Content - Part 9

BLOGGING TIPS – The Content – Part 9


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC July 2010

My being a specialist in terms of being an Internal Auditor means that I am a ‘generalist’ in most of the other fields that I write about. Does that mean that I don’t have a clue about what I am talking about when it comes to those articles – of course not! What it does mean though is that I will usually have to do some research in order to check my facts.

There are occasions where I may want to (or indeed need to) quote from something that someone else has written or base my writing upon an article that I have read. When I do this, I obviously need to give recognition to the person who either wrote the article or the person who I am quoting. Come on people – it really is the right thing to do. I know just how angry I would be if I found something I had written under someone else’s name – that’s just not right!

If you are going to be writing blogs that are technical in nature, it is very important to list where you did the research as well, particularly if like me, you are a bit of a technophobe. That way, not only will you give yourself that added bit of credibility but you also allow the reader to familiarize themselves with your source – and that is always a value add to both.

If what you are writing is merely an opinion and not necessarily a fact, then that also needs to be documented – clearly. There’s nothing worse than taking what someone has written to be absolutely gospel (and then sprouting off at the mouth about it) only to find out later that it is a load of nonsense and that they were merely voicing their opinion.

Next week we will look at some additional points on the content of your blog.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

The Power of Networking - Part 163

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 163

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. June 2010

Nothing beats a one-on-one! Okay, this is really important so let me say it again! Nothing beats a one-on-one!

Oh yes, I do know that we are in the middle (or perhaps even the start) of the technological age and that we can e-mail, twitter and instant message. We can video conference and conference call and SKYPE and all the rest, but there is nothing quite like talking to someone in the flesh – up close and personal.

You get the whole picture, the body language, the eye contact, the various tones of the voice – yip – there’s nothing that beats the one-on-one.

Meeting someone for the first time at a networking meeting or event is great, but at those meetings all you will get is a fleeting glimpse of an individual and I, for one, always want to know more about the person that I am dealing with.

I want to know more about who you are and what it is that you do. I want to know more about ‘you’ the person, the individual. I want to know what your dreams are and what you wish for.

I want to know what your challenges are so that I can best understand who to connect you to, in order to assist you with overcoming those challenges.

And you know what . . .? I want you to listen to who I am and what it is that I do. I want you to hear what my dreams are and what my challenges are so that you can connect me with people who can assist me. I want you to hear my dreams and my wishes so that you can also get to know me.

For sure – one-on-one meetings are very important!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

BUSINESS TIPS - Why Twitter - Part 5

BUSINESS TIPS – Why Twitter – Part 5


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC June 2010

As promised last week, here are some additional tips on tweeting and the last in this particular series.

Isn’t the electronic age exciting? I know that I am always on about the fact that I am a technophobe, but that is just because I don’t understand the technical jargon – on a logical level though, I do understand what different things can do and that, well that just confuses a lot of IT people who think that they can spin me a yarn and I will just accept it – that very seldom works. I digress – again!

What I am trying to tell you is that technology makes things so much easier and instead of us trying to do everything ourselves, some really clever people have made it possible for us (with the use of links and automation) to do a great number of things with the click on a button. For example, if you sign up for Tweetlater and set it up correctly (ok this is where you can’t ask me the questions as I don’t have a clue how to do this), it will automatically send a thank you message to all of the people as they ‘follow’ you. How clever is that?

The other really cool thing is if you link all of your social networking sites to your twitter account. That way everyone on those sites are linked to you and that will also increase your following as well as increase the traffic that you drive to your website or blog.

Finally, don’t forget to look for a BIG/SUCCESSFUL person who is in the same niche market as yourself. Once you have found them, follow them. The fact that they may be big and/or successful in their own right, doesn’t exclude them from being a potential client of yours. They may be doing research for something that they need to read up on and you may very well have the answer that they are looking for.

Be warned though, you will only be able to follow a maximum of 2000 people, until you have 2000 people following you. Once you have the required 2000 people following you, the sky is the limit.

As always, don’t forget to have fun!

Happy tweeting!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

MOTIVATION - Powerful Words - Part 1

MOTIVATION – Powerful Words – Part 2


By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – June 2010

Here we are at week two on this particular series – powerful words and how they motivate us. This week we will be looking at a few more and what they can mean in our lives.

Purpose:
This word really resonates with me – you see I often feel completely overwhelmed. Being the person that I am, I often have more than one project on the go. Some are short term, some are medium term and some are really long term. At the moment I am dealing with several really long term projects (the one we estimate will take around 15 years to complete) and there are two which will be on going. These three projects in particular are taking up a huge amount of time now and are not bringing any revenue in, at this moment in time. The result of course is that I find myself really stretched, physically, mentally, emotionally and also financially. On a logical level of course, I know that the long term projects will bring in huge amounts of money at some point down the line (and yes I know exactly what that point is because that is how it has been planned), but that doesn’t help me with putting food on the table right now. The reality is that I have to have several short term or ‘instant money’ projects on the go to bring the money in on a monthly basis, and somehow I have to find the time and energy to balance the two.

We all know and understand that finding balance in anything is quite difficult and it is usually when I am hugely ‘out of balance’ that I start to panic and feel completely overwhelmed and out of my depth. The pressure feels as though it is pinning me down and I have to struggle to get out of it’s clutches. During moments like this I understand that I am in dire need of what I call my ‘dream time’. It is the ‘me’ time that I take to just be. To be quiet in myself and in my space. It is the time that I take to think things over and dream of all the possibilities. It is the time that I take to reconnect to my soul, to the child and the adolescent within me. It is the time that I take to reconnect with my purpose in life, when I remember why it is that I started this journey, where I want it to take me and what I want to achieve. Taking ‘dream time’ gives me the opportunity to ‘remember’ my purpose and my purpose is the reason that I am on the planet. Forgetting or distancing ourselves from our life’s purpose can have some pretty drastic consequences, so always remember to reconnect, to take some time out and remember.

Motivate:
I seem to be on a mission with myself today. The reason that I am saying this, with a huge big grin on my face is simply this – I often write about the things that I most need to hear and both of these words, today are very definitely what I need to hear about right now. I spend about 90% of my time motivating people. Whether it is through my blogs and the various articles that I write for newspapers and magazines or whether it is when I am giving a talk or even when I am assessing a client’s business, I am motivating them. Whether it is to do things differently in order to get a better result or even when I am rescuing them from something that has happened as a direct result of some bad decisions – I am motivating them. “Well that’s not a bad thing.” I hear you say, and no of course it isn’t. Here’s the thing though – I seldom take time out to motivate myself and that’s not a good thing. I need to listen to some motivational CD’s or read a motivational book to get me ‘fired’ up every now and then! I need to attend more motivational workshops like the ones presented by Donna McCallum AKA The Fairy Godmother (http://www.fairygodmotherinc.com) and I definitely need to hear some motivational tips from a source other than me!

Hearing things from another person, often puts your own thoughts into a different perspective, it makes them more profound, more real and they often give you a greater clout about the ears than when you whisper them to yourself.

Clearly, I need to listen to my own words, so until next week when we continue with some more powerful words – where did I put Donna’s book “A Fairy Godmother’s guide to Getting What You Want”? Ah – there it is . . .

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR - Trapping and Entrapment

ARTICLE 60

Trapping and Entrapment - Part 1

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC June 2010

Winning at the CCMA as an employer is extremely difficult, usually because the employer is always the accused and as the accused you are always ‘seen to be guilty until proven innocent’! Is this fair? Of course not, but that is the perception and it is therefore up to you, as the employer to prove your innocence.

The most import three factors that you, as the employer need to take into consideration when attempting to convince the CCMA that you dismissed your staff member fairly are:

- that your employee was guilty of the offence, be it misconduct or poor performance. Having a case that is not ‘rock solid’ in this instance will just not cut the mustard!
- Trying to get rid of an employee because “you have too many”, does not help your case. If you are in this situation, bite the bullet and go the retrenchment route, don’t try and use evidence that is really not strong enough and not worth the paper it is written on – it will cost you more in the long run.
- Make sure that you can ‘prove’ your evidence. Many employers in a frustrated attempt to get rid of a ‘bad apple’ resort to illegal means to gather their evidence and make their cases stronger. This is really not a good idea and will also cost you big time in the long run.

Here’s the difference between what is legitimate and not:

Legitimate:
- getting your facts together by conducting a proper and thorough investigation of the course of events.
- Using your policies, procedures, templates and any other documentation that were used as proof to back up your facts.
- Using video footage and/or audio tapes (or any other electronic methods) and/or polygraph tests, stress tests, voice analysis, handwriting tests etc to back up your documentary evidence – remember the staff member will have had to give you written permission to perform these tests.
- Having witnesses who can corroborate your evidence and who will give testimony on the course of events as they occurred.
- Laying traps for the employee and supplying evidence of how those traps were laid and the course of events that employee followed and the result thereof.

Illegitimate:
- Using documentary evidence and/or video and/or audio evidence that has been falsified in any way.
- Using witnesses who lie in order to ‘prove’ your case.
- Forcing your employee to confess by using his family/his work etc as the reason he should confess.
- Entrapment, which basically means that you lay a trap and then force the employee to fall into it.

Please don’t get confused between the two.

Next week I will give you a story example of exactly what entrapment is and highlight the difference between Trapping and Entrapment.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

BLOGGING TIPS - The Content - Part 8

BLOGGING TIPS – The Content – Part 8


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC June 2010

I don’t believe that I am any different to anyone else who loves to read and one of my biggest pet hates around reading (apart from the fact that I hate starting a book and I hate finishing a book), is when there is an abrupt interruption of the story. Don’t you hate when that happens, you’re reading away, minding your own business, following the twists and turns of the story, engulfed in the plot, hardly daring to breathe as you turn the page and . . . well nothing! As you begin to read the next page, nothing that you are reading makes any kind of sense and you glance down at the page number and then look at the previous page number and in total disbelief you find that someone has torn out several pages – or even worse – you turn what you think is the last page only to find that someone has stolen the last few pages and after reading a thousand odd pages you have no idea how the story ends! Grrrrrr – that makes me mad as a snake!

Clearly this does not apply only to the books that you read but also articles that you read, whether those articles are in magazines or on a blog, makes no real difference – you want to know the whole story, well at least I know that I do. You want to know how the whole thing started and what happened then and then the result or consequence. Look, let’s be reasonable, we understand that unless your full time job is the writing of blogs, your time and energy is stretched and that that means that you probably won’t be able to research every single article to the ninth degree, but you also need to understand that the readers really do need to have closure. They need to know how it ends. They have to at least understand the basics of what it is that you are trying to say. Think about it for a moment, it’s like people walking around and starting a conversation, uttering half a sentence and then walking away leaving everyone looking at them with very perplexed looks on their faces. Remember the basics that you learnt at school (well I did), that every good story has a beginning, a middle and an end.

If you don’t at least follow the basics and leave your readers feeling confused and frustrated, they won’t be returning any time soon and not only will they not be returning, but they will also not be sending any new readers or referrals your way either.

Next week we will look at a few more points about the content of your blog.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

The Power of Networking - Part 162

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 162

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. June 2010

The infamous Napoleon Hill says “A group of brains co-ordinated in a spirit of harmony will provide more thought energy than a single brain.”

When I first started my business in 2003, one of my biggest fears was the fact that I was doing this on my own. Now don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with being on my own, in fact, if the truth be told I quite enjoy my own company. The scary thing was that I recognised the fact that I don’t know everything and not only do I know this, but I also know that I am a human being and in times of stress or if I focus really hard on one thing, it often means that I don’t see the ‘wood for the trees’. I doubt very much that I am alone in this, it’s a normal state of affairs, I am sure.

Belonging to and networking with several groups of very different and diverse people means that I get to ‘brainstorm’ with a huge number of individuals, some of who have no knowledge of what it is that I do, but who usually bring a fresh perspective to the problem or new ideas on how to deal with any given situation (and even some really interesting ones too), to the discussion. Let’s face it, we could all do with some extra help every now and then.

By now you will know that my friend GiGi won the Celebrity Survivor (well done GiGi). GiGi is the owner of the Lollipop Lounge (http://www.lollipoplounge.co.za) in Randburg and she tells me that not only did she have the experience of a lifetime, but she also learnt a great deal, some of which she has implemented into her business. Listening her speak, it is evident that one of the most important lessons that she learnt was in fact – to listen. GiGi says that if she didn’t just ‘shut up and listen’ she would have be out of the game! Keeping her own counsel and really listening to what the others were saying and what they were plotting and planning enabled her to make decisions about her own strategy that ensured that she appeared to be no threat whatsoever. This is fact was how she won the game.

In her business, GiGi now takes the time to listen to what her staff and her customers and her colleagues are saying. It allows her to ‘get the picture’ of what they are trying to tell her as well as allows her to see the whole picture of what is occurring and this in turn enables her to make meaningful and informed decisions.

This is also true of Networking – people love to talk about themselves. So ask them what they do, what they would love to do, what their dreams and aspirations are and then sit back and listen, really listen – you may be pleasantly surprised at what comes out.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

BUSINESS TIPS - Why Twitter - Part 4

BUSINESS TIPS – Why Twitter – Part 4


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC June 2010

As promised last week, here are some additional tips when tweeting.

Since it is all about giving to get, (and I believe this to be true irrespective of whether you own a business or not), don’t just tweet to drive the numbers to your website. Engage in conversation, join in discussions and respond to those who send you a tweet. Yes I know that it may seem a little awkward at first, they are strangers after all, but remember – you are in cyberspace and that makes you very safe!

The more you engage with people, the more involved you become and the more involved you become, the more friends you make and let’s face it, we can always do with a few more friends! Actually if the truth be told, because of twitter and facebook, I have reconnected with old friends and acquaintances that I had lost contact with – some of whom I have not spoken to or seen in over 35 years. They are both an incredible medium.

Despite the fact that this is cyberspace and as far as I am concerned, you are safe – there are some scary people out there and it is always better to be safe than sorry. So, no-where is it written that you have to put personal details such as your home or physical address or contact details and certainly it would be wise to exercise caution in these particular areas. I always look at the following as a guideline before following another tweeter:

1. If, when looking at their profiles, everything is written in a foreign language, then there is really no point in me following them as I cannot understand what they are on about and

2. If their tweets (and for goodness sake have a look at more than one or two, to be fair) don’t hold my attention or deal with anything that I find even remotely interesting, then quite frankly – what is the point?

Exercise reasonable caution and you will be fine. Remember though you can always stop following someone – there is no law that says you have to engage with anyone.

Next week we will have a look at some additional tweeting tips.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

MOTIVATION - Powerful Words - Part 1

MOTIVATION – Powerful Words – Part 1


By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – June 2010

We all have those words or those sayings that ‘pick’ us up when we are down – I know I do. In fact, if the truth be told, I have this whole conversation that goes on in my head and often is actually uttered out loud (hopefully when no-one is watching), that gets me out of whatever slump it is that I am in.

Let’s face it, when something untoward happens, it can mess with your momentum, your mood, your head and throw you completely off course. This is when this whole soliloquy takes place and one of two things happen. I either get really angry at what has happened and then I challenge everything or it gets me out of my funk. If I get angry and challenge everything, then I have to wait until I have calmed down, have the conversation again and at that point I can generally get on with life (hopefully going in the right direction)!

There are however some words that we can use that are generally accepted as “Power Words” that will assist us in getting our perspective right and boosting our confidence at the same time. There are words that will motivate you and even keep you passionate about what you are doing irrespective of what may come your way. Some of these words are (but not limited to):

Acceptance:
So often we push ourselves really hard and then on top of that we are really hard on ourselves if we don’t get everything done. Here’s the thing though – we are human beings, not robots. As humans, the reality is that there will be times when we are up and there will be times when we get down – that’s just life, in fact both the ups and downs are necessary for us to function properly and for us to ultimately be successful. The trick is for us to accept this and then deal with it effectively. When we don’t accept who we are and the ‘ups and downs’ of our lives, we then find ourselves in a situation where we can’t think clearly or innovatively and that’s just not a good space to be in. The other thing of course that we often harp on the past – that doesn’t help at all, it just gets our minds into an absolute loop tape and we go round and round going nowhere. Accepting that the past is exactly that – the past, and acknowledging what didn’t work makes it easier to understand what could work in the future. The key though is to accept it, deal with it and then move on.

Planning:
Many of the failures that I come across in life can be directly attributed to lack of planning. People have a dream, a vision if you will of something that they would love to do, that they are perhaps passionate about and they go for it! Nothing wrong with that and I will always say “well done”. The problem comes in when they go from zero to 100 in an instant and leave out all the bits in between. The bits in between, being mostly the planning! Having the desire and the passion are really great and very little can be accomplished without that essence – that said, nothing will be accomplished without planning and certainly, very little will actually succeed without proper planning. The research needs to be done properly to ensure that you are at least aware of what can go wrong and all the consequences of what your actions will be, both in the positive and the negative. You have to know what to do if or even when something should happen. Write everything down – all the positives and what to do with them, all the negatives and how to deal with them. Write it down, from the smallest detail to the biggest item. Run through each scenario several times until you think you have taken everything into account and then go through it again. Put timelines on everything, that way you will have a goal to reach and it will also keep you focused.

Next week we will have a few more words to keep you motivated.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR - Sex Workers Also Have Rights

ARTICLE 59

Sex Workers Also Have Rights

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC June 2010

To be perfectly honest, my sense of humour really got the better of me with this one and I must admit I laughed hard and out loud!

Apparently during the month of May 2010, according to Labour Bulletin “the Labour Appeal Court handed down judgement in the case of a sex worker who was unfairly dismissed by the brothel employing her.” Man oh man – I wish I could have been a ‘fly on the wall’ at that one. Probably just as well though as I probably would have laughed out loud during the handing down of that one too!

You see, in my opinion (and I know that I am going to take a huge amount of flak over this one), sex workers, strippers and well all of the girls who work in this industry are ignored or treated like they are not people and quite frankly, that’s just wrong on so many different levels. Irrespective of whether we condone what they do or not, the fact of the matter is that they work at the oldest profession in the world and until May 2010 have not had any protection what-so-ever and I say ‘shame on us’! Fact of the matter is that they are mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts – just like we are! Fact of the matter, that whatever the reason they work in this particular industry, generally speaking they are all just trying to get along with the business of putting food on the table, just like us! Fact of the matter is – they are people, human beings, individuals who deserve protection, just like us!

Here’s the thing – our very progressive and liberal constitution states that “everyone” has a right to fair labour practices and I guess, for once, ‘everyone’ means just that – every single person, irrespective of whether the employer or the employee is engaged in illegal practice.

Here’s a warning though – the constitution doesn’t absolve them from having engaged in any illegal practices and obviously if they are caught performing illegal tasks (such as a sex worker) they can and will be prosecuted.

What it does mean though, is that irrespective of where you work and the kind of work that you do (legal or otherwise), you have the right to be treated with dignity and respect by your colleagues, your clients and your employers.

Sadly though, even though sex workers have the right to the protection and their employers can be prosecuted for not complying with these rights, there seems to be some confusion as to the compensation for the employee as these may be seen to violate various provisions of the “Sexual Offences Act” – still, in my opinion, it is a step in the right direction.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

BLOGGING TIPS - The Content - Part 7

BLOGGING TIPS – The Content – Part 7


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC June 2010

Let’s face it – I write 5 new articles a week for my blog – that does not include what I write for the newspaper or the magazines such as Business Women or Your Business or Women’s Inc and it certainly doesn’t cover all the Policies and Procedures that I write for my clients – that’s purely just the blogs. As you can imagine, my blog becomes, on occasion a voracious beast – seeming to devour everything, including me. That said, it was my decision to write the blogs, it was my decision to share my knowledge and/or experience and/or research as I go along. So yes, it’s my decision to post when I do. That said, I know how I feel when I go to my favorite blog and notice that there are no new posts. It feels like I have been abandoned!

For the record I do not post blogs on South African public holidays (which is why there wasn’t one posted yesterday) and I ‘shut down’ the office from the 16th December to the 1st working day of the New Year. So there will be no blogs on those days. I know that recently there was a time when I just had to stop – I felt like I was having a meltdown – so much stuff happening, too little sleep and not enough dreamtime or even rest. What I should have done was posted something telling everyone that I was taking a break – people like to have consistency in their lives and reading their favorite blog on a daily/weekly/monthly (whatever time frame) means that you have to be writing their favorite blog on a daily/weekly/monthly (whatever time frame). So again it is one of those “do as I tell you and don’t do as I do things!”

For many people, reading a blog (or any article for that matter) is them investing time in what it is that you have to say. Time, as we know is money, so for them to be investing that time, is a great compliment to you. For many, the justification for them taking time out of their busy schedule is a negotiation (usually an internal one). The negotiation is this - “I am going to take time out of my busy schedule to read something that is interesting.” So here’s the thing – what you write has to be interesting! It doesn’t have to be funny (although that is my natural style of writing – so for me that helps), but it does have to be something that they want to read, something that is perhaps unique or something that is new or even something that is satiric. Even if the topic is one that the whole world is familiar with, make it interesting, look at it from a different perspective or from a different angle. Even if you use ‘your observation’ as the foundation of your blog make sure that it is interesting and full of information,

Next week we will look at a few more points about the content of your blog.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

BUSINESS TIPS - Why Twitter - Part 3

BUSINESS TIPS – Why Twitter – Part 3


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC June 2010

Twitter for me, as you no doubt seen in the last two posts, is about communicating with a much larger audience. Most sites that you get onto today have a link onto twitter – especially the social networking sites. This of course means that your ‘tweets’ are reaching a much larger audience and this of course also means that you are driving more and more traffic to your own website.

Most of the professional social networking type websites such as (but not limited to) Facebook, have Twitter groups. These are individuals who are passionate about their tweets and who love to grow their following and who love to interact and share information, knowledge, experience and generally just have good fun. Write a little something about yourself – remember to keep it short and to the point – find these groups and let them know you are about. Generally speaking, people who are interested in what you have to say, will be interested enough to follow you, thereby exposing your blog and/or website to a whole different group as well.

One of the quickest ways to get people interested in following you or driving traffic to your blog or website is to post a question with a poll. Yep, people are curious as to what other people think and love to see statistics on ‘who thinks what’ (actually how many people agree with what they think is more like it!). If you make the topic of the poll something to do with what it is that you do, not only will it drive people to your website, it will in all probability keep them there too and get them coming back, time and time again.

When I started my whole Networking experience, I started asking questions – lots and lots of questions. You see, I had come from a Corporate Environment and being on the road for almost three weeks of the month, I was pretty isolated from the rest of the Company. From there I went straight into my business and met the real world – in great abundance. There was so much new stuff that was happening that I was completely clueless about and so much that I needed to know. So I traded. For every question that I asked, I tried to ensure that I also ‘gave’ some useful information in return. As I used the new information that I was given I, in turn shared it with others and so the blog was born. One of the most important things I discovered though is that generally speaking, people love to share their experiences and their knowledge. Actually if the truth be told, generally speaking, people love to help others.

So don’t be scared to ask for help, but remember the ‘give to get’ thing. Don’t always just take – give as well! You’ll be amazed at just how good it will make you feel.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

MOTIVATION - Taking Responsibility for Our Failure

MOTIVATION – Taking Responsibility for Our Failure


By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – June 2010


Oh dear – looks like I got the soap box out again. Clearly the whole thing on “Failure” has got me in a bit of a spin!

It seems to me that most people think of success or failure as either good or bad luck – that’s just so confusing. Surely your success is based on what you did that was right or what worked and your failure is based on what you did wrong or what didn’t work?

I mean think about it for a moment – when someone succeeds at something, they celebrate all that went before it, the hard work, the making of the right decisions, the planning and precision, the long hours and the sleepless nights. So how then, when there is failure does it become everyone else’s fault?

How could it possibly by the fault of the rand being too low, or economics or politics or the tax man or the 2010 World Cup? That’s just bizarre! The fact of the matter is that very few people want to take responsibility for their own actions. Very few people want to look at themselves and then admit that perhaps it was their very own actions (or non actions for that matter) that have caused their downfall. Very few people are prepared to accept that what they have done is their own fault.

Now here’s the problem – if you don’t admit to failure being your own fault, how on earth will you be able to correct whatever it is that you did wrong so that you don’t do it again? How on earth will you learn from your mistakes and go on to grow as an individual? How on earth will you ever learn to take responsibility for your actions or when you fail to act?

Part of your goals should be ensuring that you give and receive accolades when they are due and not only for others but for yourself as well. We are all very quick to grab the limelight when we have done something right but seldom that quick when we have done something wrong. Part of your goals should be being able to look at a situation that has gone wrong and take responsibility, learn from the mistake, make adjustments and move on.

Part of becoming the best person that you can be is to be able to dig deep, admit to what has happened, I promise you, you will feel all the better for it.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR - Witnesses Must Testify

ARTICLE 58

Witnesses Must Testify

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC June 2010

I have had to facilitate a huge number of disciplinary hearings during the first half of this year and each one has just magnified the importance of having witnesses. Sure documents tell their own story but the weight of the testimony of a good witness is much stronger.

In the instances that the employee has taken their case to the CCMA – the witnesses also went along to present their testimony which has then been backed up, for the most part, by the documentation and/or other evidence.

Remember though, no matter how strong or convincing the witness may be, the employee has the right to cross examine that witness and challenge the documentation and/or other evidence, so it is of the utmost importance that the witness is clear on the facts and that the story is told clearly, factually and without embellishments.

Whatever the story, whatever the facts, these should be backed up with documentary evidence.

Obviously the more witnesses you have and the more documented evidence you have to support the testimony of your witnesses the stronger your case will be.

Disciplinary Chairpersons and CCMA Arbitrators make decisions based on three criteria (apart from the stories that are told by the employer and the employee) and these are:

• Documents
• Items such as video tapes, the actual items that may have been stolen and
• Witness testimony

Although the evidence is critically important, the most crucial is the witness.

Say for example that there is a document that states a particular process in a step by step manner, the author of the document and/or the person who used the document for training purposes would still be required to firstly, validate the document and secondly to explain the reason and/or intent behind why the document exists. Finally, how the employee did not adhere to the procedures as stipulated in the document would have to be explained to.

Remember though, that for witnesses to be effective they need to manage the witnesses properly, to ensure that they actually pitch to the hearing. They have to be properly prepared, to ensure that they have all the relevant details available. The biggest thing to control though, is to ensure that your witnesses are not bribed and/or persuaded to lie or negatively embellish the facts in any way.

Be prepared and always be pro-active.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

EARLY WARNING - World Cup Security Brief

EARLY WARNING

World cup Security Brief



By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting June 2010.

I received this mail from a colleague who works in one of the Security Companies that are working with and in the World Cup arena. I have been asked to pass it on and in the interests of keeping ourselves safe over this period, here it is. Please read it, make yourself aware of what could happen and pass it on.

Please note that the intention is not to scare the crap out of anyone, just make them aware.

Regards
Nikki

Here it is . . .

Email received - definitely worth the read.......

Yesterday afternoon I attended the World Cup security brief held at the Consular section and presented by Mr Aubrey Pieters. Those of you who have attended the security courses at the BHC when you first arrived will be aware of his pedigree and his background as an independent security advisor. It was an interesting brief which was well received by both the black and the white faces in the audience.

Due to the large number of Police (SAPS) that will be required to actually police the event, the criminals and the security advisors are aware that the World Cup period is going to be like another holiday period for the criminal fraternity. The SAPS will be concentrating on the areas most frequented by visitors/tourists. These will be at the Football stadiums, the Fan parks, ORT airport, hotels in the cities and the routes to the stadiums. This leaves the criminals to have a free run at the suburbs! The criminals are fully aware of this too. They understand that the reaction time for SAPS to get to an incident will be long - if they come at all.

The crimes that will increase are home invasions, driveway robberies and carjacking at your home.

Home invasions. These are likely to take place when the criminals see a number of cars in driveways of homes. This would indicate that there are a group of friends watching a match who will be distracted. Normally alcohol is involved and there is usually a door open where the guys have been at the BBQ. They will attempt to jump the fence or get into the property and rob everyone of their personnel effects.

Carjackings. No change to the normal brief from Aubrey. Gangs will target women (normally) in a supermarket and inform other gang members who are in the car park waiting to follow you home. The advice is to pay attention to who else turns the same way as you do at junctions. The car tailing you is likely to be 3 or 4 cars back. If you think you are being tailed head to a petrol station or large shopping centre and get out the car and phone for help. Do not try to get home and get in the front gate. Either phone ADT and get them to meet you somewhere or better still phone the Dip Police.

They will not be involved in football match security..

Driveway robberies. Be very aware of who or what is in your street or outside your house when you approach it. If somebody is loitering or if you pass a car with one or two occupants apparently sat idly, do not enter your drive.. Always pull up parallel to your drive and open the gate. Never pull up in front of the gate and then open it. That will be the time when you get boxed in by the car full of trouble and you wont have much time to react. They are then likely to steal what you have on you (wallets, purses, rings, mobile phones, laptops etc) and then shoot off or worst still get you to open the house and go in with you.


For those of you who are going to the games, the trouble you are likely to come across will be either a few drunken yobs looking for a fight or pickpockets. The security agencies are aware that major public gatherings like the World Cup will attract international pickpockets from around the world. These guys are experts and you will not know that it has happened until many hours later. Gents wallets are normally kept in the back right pocket of trousers. Move it. Split your money and cards. Be careful.

Smash and grabs will increase too. Tourists will leave cameras, phones and bags on car seats. Rich pickings for the smash and grab gangs. If you don’t already have the smash and grab film on your car windows go and get it done now. If you can’t afford it, the advice is to drive with your windows down about half an inch. This makes it 4 times harder to smash the window.

For those with children the World Cup is going to be a particularly bad time for child abductions. In South Africa there are 15 abductions/kidnappings every day and they see this as a crime which will get out of hand over the World Cup period. Human trafficking gangs know that the schools are all on holiday over the tournament. They will target shopping malls, cafes, cinemas, public toilets and toy departments in shops . The SA authorities estimate that approx 300,000 Africans will come over the borders for the tournament. The borders will not be able to cope with the surge and checks will be cursory in most cases. Babies will be abducted for scrupulous adoption agencies in Nigeria and the like. Children aged 4-8 will be targeted for the porn industry. Those children around 9 -13 for prostitution.

Keep an eye on your children! Do not send them off to the toilets alone. Do not let them go to the toy section while you do the rest of your shopping.

Please pass this on to your families (if they can cope with it).

The Key message is that crime is likely to increase and the response by the Police will be slow. Stay alert and street wise and you should be fine.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

The Power of Networking - Part 161

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 161

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. June 2010

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – in fact, I have no doubt that I will be saying it many times over, during the course of the remainder of my life – Networking is about relationships. It’s about, not only meeting new people and creating new relationships – it’s also about nurturing and maintaining current relationships.

That said, I do understand that not everyone is equally as good as I am at Networking. In fact, if the truth be told, not many people actually even like to Network. I have to be aware of that because I need to make allowances for those who do not network or operate in the same way that I do. It means that I also tend to gravitate towards those who do operate or Network in the same way that I do, people who will reciprocate, people who will “give to get”, people who not only want referrals from me, but also who want to send referrals to me. I tend to respond more quickly to requests from these individuals as I know that they respond more quickly to me.

I also know that the more help and assistance that I give, means the more help and assistance I will get. All I have to do is ask and the people in my Network automatically respond. How cool is that?

It’s all good and well to ask for help, but that doesn’t mean that you should expect everyone to drop whatever it is that they are doing to come to your rescue. That’s just rude! If you need assistance with something, don’t leave your request to the last minute. By all means, ask for assistance but let your Network have sufficient time to respond. So plan properly and ask early!

When you ask for assistance and you get it, don’t just leave everything there. Interact and communicate with your contact. Let them know how their information assisted you, what use you make of it and what the result is. Make them a part of what it is that you did.

Don’t, I repeat DO NOT, forget to say ‘thank you’! You cannot believe the number of people who contact me for information, who expect me to drop whatever it is that I am doing to give it to them at no cost and then who never say ‘thank you’, let alone show any other kind of gratitude. Understand the next time around, I am really not going to be available. It really is a very small price to pay for the information and/or interaction.

Networking is definitely not about “what’s in it for me” but rather about “How can I be of assistance to you.”

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

BUSINESS TIPS - WhyTwitter - Part 2

BUSINESS TIPS – Why Twitter – Part 2


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC June 2010

Everyone is ‘twittering’ about twitter! From what I have heard, it is often asked “what is twitter” or “how does it work?” and my personal favorite “What are you doing?”

Those of us who use social networking as a marketing tool, this last question is often seen on sites like Facebook, or MySpace or Linked in. The fact of the matter is that people are interested in learning more about you – be that in your personal capacity or in your business capacity. That’s just human nature – we are a curious species.

So for me it makes perfect sense to use Twitter as a marketing tool. As individuals “follow me” on twitter, so they link into my website and my blogs. If they like what they read, chances are that they will start looking out for my daily link and many of them don’t even wait to do that, they signup on the website to get the blogs sent to them on a daily basis. How cool is that?

Now, I’m not saying that everyone who “follows me” will be interested in all of the articles that I write, but since (in my opinion) there is something for everyone, it stands to reason that as I link up to people who I follow and then they follow me – more and more traffic is driven to my website and we could all do with that, I am sure you will agree!

From a marketing point of view, those who “follow me” on twitter have found something in my articles that interest them – this of course means that they are my ‘target market’. Here’s another cool thing – not only are these individuals looking at my information, but I am also looking at their information. Not only am I making a difference in their lives, but they are also making a difference and adding value to mine.

What an incredible way to collaborate! What an incredible way to interact with and meet new people!

Man, I love technology – yes, I know that I always say that I am a technophobe (but that is because I don’t understand the technical terminology) and that I don’t always understand it, but I do know, a little bit about what it does and I sure do love it!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

MOTIVATION - Advantages of Failure

MOTIVATION – Advantages of Failure


By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – June 2010

Okay, I know, I know, I know – I seem to be hell bent on the whole “failure” thing at the moment. Truth is, it is very important for me to make sure that we all (and that means me too) know that failure is not the end of the world but rather the beginning of a new chapter.

Here’s a whole new take on it. I was reading an article by Charlene Smith who says “It’s important to fail. But while you’re lying on the floor, what’s even more important is to be thinking ‘Okay, so how do I start again?’”

I really, really like the idea of lying on the floor (well you can’t get much lower or rock bottom than that can you) contemplating the world as it is right at that particular moment, thinking ‘How the hell did I get here” or blaming the government, the tax man, the competitors and the latest one that I heard the other day, the 2010 world cup (huh!) before you get to the real reason as to why you failed (oh come on, it’s got to dawn on you at some stage that you are responsible for your own failure)! I also think that it is important to allow yourself to ‘feel’ the pain, the sorrow and the angst for being that failure (well for a maximum of five minutes that is) – you need to remember what that feels like so that when you are tempted to repeat your mistakes, the memory will assist with not allowing you to. But then it is time to stop beating your breast or pulling your hair out or weeping and wailing and throwing your hands heavenward as you cry “why me”? Then it’s time to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, square your shoulders and get on with it.

The ‘it’ that you need to get on with is firstly, a plan to be getting yourself out of the mess that you currently find yourself in and secondly, how to start again and do things differently.

You don’t really think that every single successful person on the planet became mega successful without failing at some point do you? Here’s a touch of reality – what makes you think that you are any different? What makes you think that you are better than the ‘greats’ of the world – we all know them, we all read about them – people like Henry Ford or Thomas Edison or to bring us closer to our own time frame, Bill Gates and Richard Branson. Failure, in Charlene Smith’s words is “unavoidable”! So - take that!

The reality of that means that “no truly successful person has avoided failure or sometimes dramatic setbacks” – again, why would you be any different?

The reality of the situation is that, in order for us to grow ourselves and our businesses we have to be ‘streetwise’. We have to know where the potholes and pitfalls are and for that we need experience. We have to know how to deal with people be they clients or suppliers or staff. The reality of the situation is that we, as humans are lazy – we always want to take the short cut or get others to do things that we are too lazy to do ourselves and therein lies some of our biggest errors. That said, the reality is also that we cannot do everything ourselves, so when we rely on others it should be others that have the experience that we ourselves lack. It should be others that we trust and respect and who have the same values and morals as ourselves.

So while you’re lying there on the floor feeling sorry for yourself and the situation that you find yourself in – think about this in-between the moment where you are weeping and wailing and blaming all and sundry and the moment that you pick yourself up – failing at something gives you the opportunity to do something again, but differently.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR - Maintain Control of Your Staff - Part 7

ARTICLE 57

Maintain Control of your Staff – Part 7

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC June 2010

During the course of the several last weeks, we have had a pretty extensive look at some of the more common problems that line managers and SMME’s experience with their staff. I have touched on some of the ways in which to combat these problems but list hereunder some additional thoughts on the subject.

Before I get into any kind of serious detail about the “how to” of controlling the situation, let me make it very clear from the get go that it is not necessarily the Manager’s fault that the staff want to get up to the mischief that they manage to get themselves into. Human nature being what it is means that there will always be those individuals who are lazy or who actually are not interested in what they are doing or in fact have no interest in being an integral part of a team. That is just the way that it is sometimes.

Here’s the thing though, it is incumbent upon the manager to implement measures that control staff and this is usually done in the first instance by putting together preventative and even corrective measures. These measures of course have one of two effects upon the staff. They will either change the behaviour of the staff member, or alternatively where the staff member is just not interested in conforming or getting back into line with the rest of the staff – these measures can and should be used to discipline and where applicable, even dismiss the individuals concerned (be sure to follow the correct procedures though).

The manager, must therefore be able to quickly recognise where there is a problem with rebellious or lazy staff. Staff who are demotivated also need to be monitored closely to ensure that they too start working correctly. Managers need to deal with staff in such a way that they clearly understand that their bad behaviour is not going to be tolerated. Staff who have momentarily ‘lost’ their way, need to be guided back to what they should be doing in a fair, but also firm manner.

Where necessary, swift and appropriate disciplinary action should be taken, which not only deals effectively with the situation, but also is considered fair by the CCMA and/or the various bargaining councils.

Any kind of procedure must be fair though and disciplinary action taken must always be procedurally correct to ensure that the employer doesn’t end up on the ‘receiving’ end of the wrath of the CCMA.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

BLOGGING TIPS - The Content - Part 6

BLOGGING TIPS – The Content – Part 6


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC June 2010

Many of us read a huge number of blogs everyday. In fact, many of us get all our information in an electronic format. I know I do – it’s easier to get the daily news that way – I get to read it when it’s convenient for me to do so. I get IOL (Information on Line) as well as Mail and Guardian twice a day – that’s reading 4 newspapers a day (and I don’t kill any trees either) as well as several monthly and even weekly newsletters that I subscribe to. That’s a huge amount of reading and a huge amount of information, don’t you think?

When you consider however that according to statistics over 900K posts are uploaded everyday, together, what you and I read is a drop in the ocean actually. That said, I do have a day job and cannot (as much as I would like to) spend the whole day reading – so it is very important for me to choose newsletters or blogs that give me information that is relevant to me.

Catching my eye and getting me to subscribe to your blog is difficult at best but getting me to stick around and religiously read all of your articles or ‘wonder of wonders’ eagerly await the next one, is your greatest challenge.

Herein lies your personal challenge – you have worked hard to cultivate and grow your audience – you have to work even harder to keep them enthralled!

For me, staying true to my topic, is what will ensure that I bring my readers back time and time again. The information that I provide and the fact that I share my knowledge, my experience, my expertise and my research, makes me a very empowered entity.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

The Power of Networking - Part 160

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 160

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. June 2010

I am sure I am not the only person to hear people saying that they ‘work in a Corporate Company and therefore they don’t have to Network”. I don’t know how you feel about that, but it not only amazes me, it also saddens me! I mean, look at the potential that they are just dismissing out of hand.

It really doesn’t matter where you work or whether you work for yourself or not, Networking has got to form part of your communication and it is an essential skill to have if you really want to get anywhere. Think about us women who are always complaining about the “old boy’s network” – I mean, what on earth do you think that is exactly?

Quite frankly, Networking in the workplace is the most effective way to get your career advanced. How’s that for a statement?

Think about it for a moment – in every business and every Corporate there are those special few (and I wish I had the numbers for the ones in some of the companies that I deal with) who are a ‘cut above’ the rest. Often it is their knowledge, or the way that they deal with their customers (going the extra mile or putting the extra effort in) that sets them apart. Most of the time however, it’s in the relationships that they have built up around themselves from their network, both in the company and also outside of it.

I can just see the consternation on the faces of many of you – so let me explain. You see, Networking is about connecting with people. Networking is about building relationships. When you connect with people and have relationships with those people you put yourself in a position were you are either able to help them or alternatively, they are able to help you. How cool is that?

Big Corporate Companies, who understand the value of internal Networking and building of relationships are usually the companies that use things like ‘team building’ experiences or relationship building workshops to assist their staff in forming relationships (and no I am not talking about the lovey-dovey ones) and building their Networks. They understand that in order for their employees to effectively run or manage projects, or communicate ideas during a ‘brain storming’ meeting, or even obtain information that is critical to doing some research, the employees have to have a strong and effective Network that is well connected with them.

So the next time you hear someone say that they are employed and therefore don’t need to Network, perhaps you should exercise your right to do a ‘good deed’ for the day and gently explain to them, just how vital it is for them to Network – who knows, they may actually listen and you will have gained a grateful and probably strongly connected individual for your own database too.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

BUSINESS TIPS - WhyTwitter - Part 1

BUSINESS TIPS – Why Twitter – Part 1


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC June 2010

For the last couple of years now, I have been listening to all the hype about “Twitter” and “Tweeting” and “Tweets” and so on. Actually, now that I think about it, my technophobia aside – I really do love technology, I love the world that it opens up to me. The fact that I am not sure how the technical side of things work doesn’t really phase me at all. I do know that “Twitter” is another form of international communication and what I really love about it is that it allows me to put a one-liner up which will drive a considerable number of people to my website.

For example, on a daily basis I tweet – Today’s blog (and then the title of the blog), add the url address of my website and that’s it. Looking at the statistics afterwards shows me exactly how many people come and visit my website and they usually stay for a while and look around. How do I know this? Well the stats show that the average time anyone spends on my website is in excess of 5 minutes. See, my website is very content rich with loads of information that pertains mostly to SMME’s (small, medium, micro enterprise), Entrepreneurs and start ups but actually in general to everyone. The information is presented in bite sized chunks, with my own brand of humour and I know that many have not only learnt something but have also enjoyed a chuckle whilst doing so – and that’s always a bonus.

I also know that when I started the whole ‘twitter’ scenario, I was addicted. I couldn’t get enough of the site. I found myself standing in a queue and instead of reading my book (which is what I used to do), I would be logging onto the site via my phone to see ‘who had posted what tweets’ – it was an exciting time of information overload. Back at the office, I found myself logging onto the site at every opportunity and found myself going from one site to the other as I devoured all the information that others had so thoughtfully found and shared with me.

Reality hit me really hard one day, when I got up and it was still dark outside. I did the daily things that are routine to me and immediately logged onto the site. During the course of the day, I felt hungry and thirsty but every time I wanted to get up and get something to eat or drink, I found myself caught up in whatever it was that I was reading and thought ‘as soon as I finish this article I will go and get (insert food or drink here)’. Of course I got so involved that getting something to eat or drink just never happened. After what seemed like a couple of hours, not long at all, I suddenly realized that it had gone very dark and I thought it must be because there was going to be a Highveld storm. One of those that we are famous for – you know when suddenly the thick black clouds come over and then the rain comes down in sheets for about 10 minutes and then the sun comes out to play again? Sadly it wasn’t! What it was, was the onset of night – in fact it was after 7pm. I had sat in front of my computer playing on twitter and going from site to side from around 5.30am to after 7pm without eating or drinking anything. Needless to say, no work had been done for the day either and I gave myself a helleva fright.

The solution to the problem of course was clear, I went out and bought myself one of those oven timer clocks and limited my use of twitter to 15 minutes a day. When the clock alarm goes off, it doesn’t matter where I am and what I am reading, I have to close the site down! Addictive it is and I am not the only one to say this either!

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing some of the things that you can do with Twitter – I hope you will stick around and enjoy the journey with me.


Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

MOTIVATION - The Opportunity to Begin Again

MOTIVATION – The Opportunity To Begin Again


By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – May 2010

Henry Ford says “Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.”

What an incredible opportunity to change our mindsets! What an incredible opportunity to look at the world through different eyes. What an incredible opportunity to make a choice, to stop beating ourselves up, to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, learn the lesson and move on with renewed energy, a lot of insight and a smile of optimism on our faces. I surely do like it!

Most of us look at failure in a really negative light. In this country, we are so programmed to be successful that failure of any kind has a really bad stigma attached to it. People look at someone who has failed as though they have some sort of contagious disease and who should be avoided at all costs.

Yet the fact of the matter is that we all fail on a daily basis. The reality is that are not born perfect and that we have to learn. The challenge here though, is that we need to learn from our mistakes and not repeat the same mistake over and over again.

Then of course is the myth that many people have, that ‘opportunities’ never come their way! What a load of hooey! Yes of course opportunities can come your way (or not) but the other reality is that you can make your own opportunity. Our thoughts can become our realities if we put in the right ingredients and that of course is the ‘action’. Even those opportunities that fall out of the sky like manna from heaven, still need to be actioned. Without action they remain . . . well opportunities.

I am often amazed at the reaction of individuals who sit around and bemoan their fate, nothing works for them, everybody hates them, none of their ideas or their schemes take off, Networking doesn’t work for them and they wait for something to happen, something to rescue them and nothing does! Well, quite frankly – what on earth did they expect? The miracle that is, is life (and even that required an action), for everything else we have to get up off our rear ends and do something about it!

Simple, isn’t it? So when you fail and fall down – stop crying and moaning and waiting for an angel to come and rescue you. Think about what you have done that got you there in the first place, make adjustments to what caused the problem, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get going – find the opportunity and then do something (albeit different) about it.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR - Maintain Control of Your Staff - Part 6

ARTICLE 57

Maintain Control of your Staff – Part 6

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC May 2010

One of my ‘pet hates’ is when people miss deadlines. I mean, what’s the point of setting a goal or a deadline, if you don’t mean to meet it? It’s like having a meeting for the sake of having a meeting – a complete waste of time! Having employees who consistently don’t meet deadlines can have an adverse effect on the rest of the team and ultimately on the business, particularly if, by missing their deadlines they impact on what is to follow. Projects don’t flow, time is wasted and wasted time always means wasted money.

Ensuring that your staff meet their deadlines means that they need to be properly managed and that their performance needs to be measured. Staff need to understand that there are consequences if deadlines are missed and employers need to ensure that these consequences are in fact enforced.

Another situation that many employers find themselves in is where money is literally being thrown away is when production materials are wasted or worse, misappropriated for personal use by the staff. Wasting production materials will obviously have an affect on your bottom line, in that it will adversely affect the ‘cost of sale’, which in turn will have an affect on the margin and ultimately decrease the profits.

Finally, another of my pet hates is the employee who is always late, who takes extended tea and/or lunch breaks and then leaves early too. Stealing times from employers is one of the easiest things to do – think about it for a moment – which boss gets all bent out of shape because someone is 5 minutes late? Not many that I know of – but add it up! 5 minutes late for work, plus 5 minutes late from morning tea, then another 5 minutes late from lunch and 5 minutes late from afternoon tea and then they leave 5 minutes early at the end of the day. That’s already 25 minutes per day – almost 2 ½ hours per week or 10 hours per month – now the whole picture changes, doesn’t it?

Employees need to understand that there is a “zero” tolerance to tardiness. Again though, if this is not measured, controlled, monitored and implemented with consequences evidencing that you mean what you say, it is quite meaningless in itself.

Having consequences that are not enforced is the same as having no consequences at all.

Next week we will have a look at some examples of how to effectively control and manage your employees.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

BLOGGING TIPS - The Content - Part 5

BLOGGING TIPS – The Content – Part 5


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC May 2010

One of my greatest complaints about blogs and . . . well any kind of written piece actually, is the language or terminology that is used.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am definitely not talking about foul (bad) language or disparaging remarks of any kind, I am talking about the frustratingly difficult terminology that some folk use to try and impress.

Quite frankly, I am the least impressed and all that they really achieve is bamboozle those that they are actually wanting to reach out to and they seriously confuse the rest of us.

What’s the deal anyway? Why is it necessary to use big words that often don’t even mean what you want to convey, instead of just telling it like it is? It becomes a whole ‘bullshit baffles brains’ (and we all know exactly what that means) kind of article.

What does it mean anyway, if I know big words and use them? What have I proved at the end of the day? Pretty much nothing hey!

Most likely, I have chased a whole lot of potential away. Most probably, they will never return again and it’s very, very likely that they will go elsewhere to feed their information requirements.

Using big words, when a little one explains so much more, just shows in my opinion, that you are perhaps just a little frightened of being . . . well you.

Playing ‘devil’s advocate’ however, means that I get to share some of my favorite words that are no longer used much anymore in today’s terms.

Words like “umbrage” and “pontificate” have a sense of the dramatic and they conjure pictures of long lost days and ‘throwing down the gauntlet’ and honor amongst men (and women too) and . . . see there I go again.

Using simple words that everyone can understand on a topic that you are passionate about in a field that you are the expert in (or that you have hopefully done the research on) is all that you really need to get the reader interested and sure to keep coming back.

So keep it simple!

See you next week, when we will look at some more issues around some of the content that should be on/in your blogs.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

The Power of Networking - Part 159

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 159

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. May 2010

Whilst I am very passionate about Networking, I am also passionate about reading and what better reading than books about Networking, referral marketing and even sales. Some great books to get stuck into and get you started are (but not limited to):

• You can’t teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar by David Sandler.

• The little red book of selling by Jeffrey Gilomer.

• Masters of Sales by Dr. Ivan Misner and Don Morgan – this particular book has 80 of the most successful sales people in the world sharing their secrets with the reader – how awesome is that?

• The truth of delusion by Dr. Misner, Mike Macedonio and Mike Garrison

• Business by referral by Dr. Misner.

Don’t forget to add books that you have read and found to be inspiring as well as any other reading referrals you get from friends/family/colleagues/clients and ‘who have you’. It’s always a good idea to share stuff and this will save you time and energy. No-one wants to go around trying to read everything that is available on the subject only to find that it does not quite fit or it’s not really suitable or even relevant.

Keep these books close at hand and refresh your memory of their content from time to time.

Remember though that reading all the books in the world and attending all the networking events going will not make any difference if you don’t follow up or if there is no action on your part. You have to see the opportunity and/or synergy and then you have to do something to get it going.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

BUSINESS TIPS - Rising to the Occasion - Part 4

BUSINESS TIPS – Rising to the Occasion – Part 4


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010

Following on from last week, this week we will be looking at the last of the solutions that there are to assist us with dealing with some of the challenges that we came across over the last few weeks.

• If there is one thing that I have learnt on this journey of being an SMME (Small, Medium, Micro, Enterprise), it’s that I should never underestimate the value of friendship. Like any other relationship though, it is very necessary to cultivate, grow and nurture friendships. It’s really worth it in the long run though, especially in the workplace when you are faced with challenges – your friends will be there to assist you in finding solutions or assist you with analyzing the situation so that you can make the correct decisions. Remember, none of us are “an island”, we all need help from time to time and friends provide that help ‘on tap’.

• It is also imperative to ensure that you have enough energy to sustain yourself. Always try and keep ‘a little extra’ time, like you would savings in a bank, just in case there is an emergency or a crisis. Remember to take time out now and then to re-charge your own batteries. My friend Vanessa always laughs at me when I do this – I usually declare “a couch day” and then spend the day, horizontal on the couch, watching movies! I never fail to say that “it’s hard work having a rest”, which is what ultimately makes her laugh. That said, I do understand the importance of doing this from time to time, especially when I have pushed myself hard.

• Finally, don’t forget to choose new problems to deal with! I find dealing with the same problem over and over again tedious and boring – so learn from your mistakes, learn from each experience. Take note of the difficulties and learn to anticipate and be proactive instead of chasing your own tail around all the time. Try not to repeat mistakes. Make the changes, implement the policies and procedures and once the situation is under control or the problem has been solved – for goodness sake move on – don’t continue to ‘wallow’ in ‘what was’ – just make sure that you have learnt the lesson and only pay the ‘school fees’ once!

As always, remember why you started your own business in the first place and always have fun!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Motivation _ Responsive to Change

MOTIVATION – Responsive to Change


By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – May 2010


Charles Darwin says “It’s not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one that is responsive to change.”

Ain’t that the truth! Thing is though, that it is not only generally true to life, but very definitely true of business and in particular small businesses.

I know that when I started my business, I had a very clear idea of what was supposed to happen. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do and how it was going to get done and I had a very clear idea about who my clients would be.

Then I hit reality! You see just because I know what a small business needs, doesn’t mean that the guy who owns that small business will agree with me! Doesn’t mean that the guy who owns that small business even understands what the true value of what I do that help his business. Doesn’t mean that the guy who owns that small business, even though he may understand the value of what I do, has the money to put that value to good use.

The first couple of years were hard I must admit. Time and time again, I walked into businesses who were in desperate need of what I do, who could/would not afford me. Time and time again I walked into businesses that were floundering along and the owner was so engrossed in putting one foot in front of the other to keep himself above the water that he could not see, how with each footstep he was walking deeper and deeper into the water. People saw (and in many instances, still do see) what I do as a ‘grudge’ purchase (much as most of us see insurance) and they resented having to buy my wares. Sad that – really sad.

Here’s the thing though, I had to change my mind set and find other ways to bring money in. I had to change my thinking and expand my list of offerings, if I didn’t I would soon have become another statistic. People, especially small business owners, were not ready to see that what I do (no matter what they pay for it now) actually saves them money in the long run and until such time as I could make them see that and understand that, I would have to look in other directions to bring the monthly revenues in.

So I looked in similar but different directions and so my workshop A Basic Practical Guide to Starting a Business was born. From there my vision and dreams have expanded and now I have a whole bunch of facilitators – all small business owners, like myself, teaching small business owners what they need to learn. Each one of the facilitators are people who are passionate about what it is that they do and each one is an expert in their fields. What makes their training unique is the fact that they are entrepreneurs who teach others and share their knowledge. They share the experiences of what they did, how to avoid what they would have liked to avoid and how to ‘rake it in’ where possible. They are not the big corporate giants trying to teach entrepreneurs something that they have no clue how to do – run a small business.

Have I abandoned my dream, the original dream? Of course not, actually I do a great deal of work in that arena and I love it as much as I did when I started – more probably because of what I have had to endure to keep it alive. That said, I am constantly looking for new avenues, new opportunities and new adventures and believe me when I say “I mean to have my cake and eat it!”

In order to survive, to flourish and grow, though – you do have to adapt. Remember to constantly look around you and see the potential – not just see it, but feel it and embrace it and then do something about it.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR - Maintain Control of Your Staff - Part 5

This article should have been posted on 30 April 2010

ARTICLE 57

Maintain Control of your Staff – Part 5

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010

So here we are, Friday again and as SMME’s you are battling to keep your heads above water, you are battling to close the deals in order to bring in the funds to pay, not only yourselves and your suppliers, but also your staff.

Yet your staff are more often than not, your biggest adversaries. They steal your time, they steal your infrastructure, and in many instances, here in South Africa, they also steal your stock and even your assets and if that is not enough they will throw the legal book (being the Basic Conditions of Employment Act) at you if you don’t follow the correct procedures when you discipline them.

It is imperative that you have a proper ‘Code of Conduct’ and a comprehensive Disciplinary Policy in place to set the boundaries. As usual though, even if you do the boundaries in place, if they are not enforced or only enforced with some, they are not worth the paper that they are written on.

One of the strangest things that I have seen in the workforce though was a fight between two male employees who were after the same female employee, who ironically was happily married and actually wasn’t even aware of the tension that she had caused. It was like watching a movie as she went about her business totally clueless about the chaos that was going on in her wake. Sadly, both of the guys were badly hurt and even when their physical wounds had healed the friction and tension that the whole fight had caused had quite a ripple effect through the entire company. People were taking sides and giving advice and some enterprising youngsters had even started a betting pool going. The effect though of course was that the whole thing had a huge negative effect on productivity and of course the quality of the work was also affected.

The bottom line of course is that it is not okay for the staff to fight or get into fist fights. It’s not okay and it shouldn’t be allowed. In the above instance, both guys had to attend a disciplinary and because their behaviour was not properly monitored and because the friction carried on (if not escalated), things got out of hand and they were both eventually dismissed. This type of behaviour should never be allowed and again in order to ensure that it doesn’t happen in the first place, strict ground rules should be enforced.

This should be documented in the Code of Conduct as well as the Disciplinary Policy.

Next week we will have a look at some more examples of what employees get up to when they are not effectively managed.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

BLOGGING TIPS - The Content - Part 3

Here's the article for Thursday 29th

BLOGGING TIPS – The Content – Part 3


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010

We all look at newspaper headlines as we whizz all over town on our daily travels. Many of them make us angry, many more make us very curious. Some make us curious enough to even buy the newspaper to see what it’s all about. Sadly though, often the heading is misleading and sometimes the heading doesn’t even have anything to do with the actual story.

Now the bottom line is that I am not a journalist, I have no formal training in terms of writing, but logic tells me that the heading for any story should, not only reflect the gist of what the story is about, but also catch the eye of the person whose attention it is that you want to get. It has to make them stop in their tracks and want to read what you have written. It has to make them want to read more of the story and it has to make them want to join in the conversation and at least have an opinion.

What it also has to do though is uphold the promise of what is to follow. Having an absolutely “Knock Out” heading that is followed by nonsickle ramblings of a boring mind, will not serve your purpose! In fact, more often than not you will lose the reader – they may not come back and they will no longer be enticed by clever headlines and sweet promises of what is to come, that are then followed by stories that have no depth or substance.

Finally, always respond to the comments that others make, even if it is only to acknowledge their comment. Think about how you feel when you write something and no-one makes any kind of comment. They neither agree with you nor do they disagree and I guess in some ways that is not a bad thing. On some level though, it worries me that many people do not have an opinion at all. Sadly that is how many live their lives. So respond, acknowledge, engage with people who have taken the time and trouble to engage with you.

Pick your topics, do the research. Take the information that you have found, have fun with it – turn it into a story and share that story in your blog. Remember though, you have to take the first step!


See you next week, when we will look at some more issues around some of the content that should be on/in your blogs.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

The Power of Networking - Part 158

And here's the article for Wednesday 28th April

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 158

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. April 2010


Getting back to the issues around referrals and testimonials from your clients, both current and previous, I would just like to reiterate about the importance of these on your sales.

If someone has been referred to you, the person who has referred them is saying something very loudly and very clearly about you. The story that they are telling is that they trust you, that they are so impressed with what you have done that they are willing to stake their reputation and their credibility in attaching their name to whatever it is that you offer/sell/do.

Think about that for a moment. It is one of the greatest compliments that anyone can give you!

Think about that for another moment. I say again, it is one of the greatest compliments that someone has paid you and yet nine times out of ten, you let them down!

How disrespectful! How thoughtless and incredibly short sighted!

Look at the opportunity that has been thrown away – notice I did not say “missed”, but rather thrown away! How sad! Talk about killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

The better idea of course, would be to honour that person. Honour them by delivering on their promises. Honour them by living up to their expectations, which were based on what and how you conducted your business with them and how you delivered on your promises to them.

Honour them by keeping their reputation intact.

Honour them by being the best that you can be and by honouring your own credibility and your own reputation.
Never, and I repeat never, underestimate the value of a referral!

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

MOTIVATION - Self Esteem - What is My Reality

Here is the article that should have been posted on Monday 26th April

MOTIVATION – Self Esteem – What is My Reality


By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – April 2010

What is self esteem? When in doubt, look it up – so here is what ‘google’ and some of the other search engines say:

Self esteem is : “how much a person likes, accepts and respects themselves overall as a person.”

Or

Self esteem is : “what our unconscious believes to be true about how worthy, lovable, valuable and capable we are.”

Or

Self esteem is : “generally considered the evaluative component of the self concept, a broader representation of the self that includes cognitive and behavioral aspects as well as evaluation or affective ones.”

So what does all of that mean?

Well, in my opinion there are two types of self-esteem. The one type is a widespread, general type of self esteem and there is self esteem that is related to or about a specific situation. Clearly a lack of self esteem is the opposite. So for example, you may be a person who has little or no self esteem in general. These are people who are naturally shy or even introvert, who try and melt into the background. They are people who do not excel in anything – not necessarily because they can’t, but because they don’t believe that they could excel in anything or indeed that they believe that they are not worthy to excel in anything.

On the other hand a person who has self esteem issues that are related to specific situation, may be for example, a person who is bright and energetic and who, generally speaking is successful. That person may, for example have a fear of public speaking. That person would find it excruciatingly difficult to give a speech and their fear of talking in public may be related self esteem issues around how that person thinks that they are being perceived by crowds of people.

There are many myths about how your self esteem is manifested. Some of these are (but not limited to):

• “Your level of self esteem is fixed, it is a given.” This would then mean that you, as an individual, are not able to change your mind set or that you cannot change how you feel about yourself. Quite honestly, this does not work for me at all. I really believe that we are who be are and we can become who we want to become. Yes our mindset would need to change around the issues of our own self esteem, but it is definitely something that we can change.

• Another myth is that is quite common and that is that “only poor and uneducated people suffer from low self-esteem issues.” What a load of absolute poppycock! Bad self esteem is not about money, it’s not about possessions, it’s not about where you were born or when you were born. It’s not about your background, or how your parents thought about you. It’s not about how other people see you.

What it is about, is how you see yourself, it’s about your interaction with yourself. So open your eyes – see you for who you are and not how you think other people see you. In fact, see yourself as others do actually see you?

Be kind to yourself and stop beating yourself up. Change your mindset and rather start praising yourself. Start patting yourself on the back for the things that you are doing right.

Start looking for the rainbow in the storm, rather than the storm clouds

Start looking for the sunrise rather than the darkness.

Start seeing yourself, for who you are – an extraordinary person, living an extraordinary life..

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

HR - Maintain Control of Your Staff - Part 4

ARTICLE 57

Maintain Control of your Staff – Part 4

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010

As we have walked through some pretty hair-raising examples around this issue, I bring you some more.

Here’s a nasty – in terms of the “Communications Act”, the employer is responsible for the content/pictures/jokes/articles etc that the employee writes and sends out. So every time your wannabe office ‘Don Juan’ sends out leery suggestive e-mails to all the female staff in the office, the employer can be held responsible and accountable, should one of those female staff members file charges of ‘sexual harassment’. Yip – that is a fact! The fact of the matter is that it is the employees misuse of the internet and it can cost you, the employer – plenty. Not only in lawsuits but also in the time that they have stolen or the second rate work that they have produced whilst playing on the internet.

Talking about playing on the internet, I have recently discovered “Zoo World” on Facebook and along with my discovery of the game is my discovery that I have an addictive personality. This game has got me by the short and curlies and I find myself playing at every opportunity. Now I am relatively self disciplined and so I find myself getting up earlier or going to bed later, so that I can play – but what of the average employee?

Generally speaking, what employee, addicted to playing computer games, is going to give a damn about the fact that they are stealing time from their employers in order to meet their own needs?

Again proper policies and procedures should be implemented to prevent misuse of both the internet, the company telephones and personal cell phone abuse. Most medium and even some smaller companies now have an effective “Communications Policy” in place. Again there has to be a consequence and again it has to be monitored and managed.

Please remember that this policy should also apply to the number and content of private e-mails that are sent and received through business e-mail addresses, and just because an employee has a ‘yahoo’ or ‘hotmail’ or ‘gmail’ address, that doesn’t mean that is it personal – it just means that the employee is a bit more sneaky about how they use it with your infrastructure.

Next week we will have a look at some more examples of what employees get up to when they are not effectively managed.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za