Motivation – Just Take the First Step
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd – October 2011
Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr said “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
Ironically, I had to give a speech the other day around the theme of liberty and chose the topic “Freedom from Fear”.
You see, as children we are fearless – well certainly we were when I was a child, growing up. I remember hearing the scary stories around the table or the campfire – you know the ones I am talking about. The ones that make you giggle and squirm deliciously whilst you try and show the grown-ups (or grups as I called them then), just how brave you were.
To be honest, I never really heard the ‘traditional’ Grimm’s Fairy tales because I preferred to sit at the cook’s fire at the staff quarters on the farm, and there I heard the traditional African stories - stories of a different kind. I heard tales of the tokalosh and skelms that hunted stealthily at night on unsuspecting prey. I heard tales of witchdoctors who were shape shifters and magic muti spells or ‘juju’ and I along with the other children would squeal with delight as we listened intently to this strange and mystifying folklore. The tales and stories that we feasted on were handed down from generation to generation. We would giggle behind our hands and try and make ourselves as tiny and as little as possible so as to be a very small target for the magic that was sure to come out of the darkness and we shivered in delicious anticipation and our toes curled in terror and we peered into the night to see if we would be the first to see which shape the witchdoctor had become.
Were we terrified – oh absolutely! But we were also fearless and brave! Our ancestors demanded it and we were willing to face the test to be recognized.
Slowly but surely as time passed, our fearlessness, our confidence in ourselves and our abilities, have been stripped away from us. Slowly but surely, the fear that most adults carry with them as part of their baggage, was shared with or indoctrinated into us. You know the ones . . . . the ‘don’t climb up there, you’ll fall” or “Don’t do that you’ll get hurt!”
And you know what? They were absolutely right . . . we did get hurt!
We lost our fearlessness and we replaced it with fear. We lost our self-confidence and we replaced it with insecurities. We lost our trust - trust in ourselves and who we are – and we replaced it with self- doubt – how terribly sad is that!
For many of us, this meant the end of our risk taking days. We could no longer be Captain Kirk going beyond time to exotic galaxy’s. We could no longer be Captain Hook sailing off to unmapped lands to face untold dangers. We could no longer be Zorro or Tonto or General Custer or Huckleberry Finn or even Tom Sawyer, going on wild and carefree and fearless adventures . . . and how incredibly sad is that?
As Entrepreneurs however we have once again become fearless. We have taken that first step into the unknown and unchartered territories. We have faced uncaring bank managers and unsupportive spouses and nagging children and hungry pets – oh yes! My cat bites me when I have been out of the house too long!
We have struggled to make sense of the numbers and battled with business plans or marketing or branding or the logistics and HR and hell . . . even government red tape and legislation, much of which many of us had never even heard of, much less had to contend with. We have faced our most ardent critics and judges – ourselves – and we have prevailed. We have once again found our fearless selves – even if it is only for a few moments at a time.
Fortunately for me, I never entirely lost the ‘wild child’ that I was and many of my friends will attest to that. I can often be fearless, but I long for the days when it was the natural order of things – when my toes curled in terror and I shivered in delicious anticipation of seeing the frightening apparition taking the form of the witchdoctor as he appeared out of the swirling mists and the darkness.
And so I challenge you to let go of the fear and to find your own freedom from that fear.
Take that step, irrespective of how scared and frightened you are – take that first step, you’ll find the next one will be so much easier.
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
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Monday, May 21, 2018
Friday, May 18, 2018
HR 101 - What to do When . . . You Have to Pay UIF
HR 101 – What to do When . . . You Have to Pay UIF
By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice.
It is said that there are three things in life that you can count on, they are:-
1) You will pay taxes;
2) Things will change; and
3) You will die.
Keeping this in mind, I am constantly amazed at the number of people who think that they don’t have to pay UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund) for themselves and their staff members.
Here’s the thing, it is a legal requirement. If the Labour Department sends an Inspector to your place of business or even your home and they discover that you have staff members or that you have a gardener or that you have a Domestic worker or that you pay yourself a salary and you do not pay UIF, you will be fined. There is a penalty.
Don’t be thinking that because you have had the same gardener for the last 20 years and he only comes in once a week, that you don’t have to pay UIF on his behalf. You do and please don’t come with the ‘he’s a casual’ story either!
The Basic Conditions of Employment Act is very clear on this. A casual worker is someone that you pick up on the side of the road and who does something for you on a ‘once off’ basis. You never see him again, you probably don’t know his name and you certainly don’t welcome him into your home or your garden on a weekly basis.
In fact anyone who works for you for more than 24 hours a month (that 3 days people) is considered a permanent employee and is entitled to the benefits of a permanent employee irrespective of whether you have given them a letter of appointment or not!
So make sure that you have registered your business as an employee and make sure that you have registered yourselves as employers and register your gardener and your Domestic worker and then register yourself.
It’s really not a big deal and the amount of money that has to be paid every month is really quite insignificant in the grand scheme of things. That said, the irritation, the inconvenience and the size of the fine that you will get if you do not comply is far greater than making the payment every month and with the introduction of e-filing, paying this is an absolute pleasure.
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
By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice.
It is said that there are three things in life that you can count on, they are:-
1) You will pay taxes;
2) Things will change; and
3) You will die.
Keeping this in mind, I am constantly amazed at the number of people who think that they don’t have to pay UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund) for themselves and their staff members.
Here’s the thing, it is a legal requirement. If the Labour Department sends an Inspector to your place of business or even your home and they discover that you have staff members or that you have a gardener or that you have a Domestic worker or that you pay yourself a salary and you do not pay UIF, you will be fined. There is a penalty.
Don’t be thinking that because you have had the same gardener for the last 20 years and he only comes in once a week, that you don’t have to pay UIF on his behalf. You do and please don’t come with the ‘he’s a casual’ story either!
The Basic Conditions of Employment Act is very clear on this. A casual worker is someone that you pick up on the side of the road and who does something for you on a ‘once off’ basis. You never see him again, you probably don’t know his name and you certainly don’t welcome him into your home or your garden on a weekly basis.
In fact anyone who works for you for more than 24 hours a month (that 3 days people) is considered a permanent employee and is entitled to the benefits of a permanent employee irrespective of whether you have given them a letter of appointment or not!
So make sure that you have registered your business as an employee and make sure that you have registered yourselves as employers and register your gardener and your Domestic worker and then register yourself.
It’s really not a big deal and the amount of money that has to be paid every month is really quite insignificant in the grand scheme of things. That said, the irritation, the inconvenience and the size of the fine that you will get if you do not comply is far greater than making the payment every month and with the introduction of e-filing, paying this is an absolute pleasure.
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
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Blogging 101 - The Content - Part 2
BLOGGING 101 – The Content – Part 2
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd April 2010
Many of us are ‘visual’ beings – I know that I am because of the constant ‘videos’ that play themselves in my brain. Brighten your blogs up with pictures that are relevant to whatever it is that you are writing about. The visuals will add depth to your article and enrich your post.
It’s also a good idea to visit other blog sites. It will give you an opportunity to have a look at different styles of writing and different layouts. You will be able to see what works and what doesn’t and take what works together with your own style and make something uniquely different.
To get readers to ‘follow you’ make sure that it is easy for them to do so, either with an RSS feed application or at the very least set it up so that an automated e-mail is sent to them containing each post. If they don’t have to go and ‘look’ for it all the time, chances are that they will read your blogs more often.
Encourage your readers to leave a comment or engage in a discussion or even a debate. It makes people feel that they are all part of the process and part of a community and if it’s one thing that I have learnt watching the celebrity survivor, its that people need to ‘feel’ that they are a part of something.
Challenge people and get them to challenge themselves. When an article gets people thinking about who they are, what they are doing etc, they will return time and time again to see what there is that may be of interest. Get them thinking and talking.
Don’t forget to give due, where and when it is deserved. If you are quoting someone or using any part of their work, give them the appropriate credits. I know how I feel when I see that someone has used my pontifications and they have not credited me.
Don’t jump on the bandwagon, just to promote your own stuff. One of my personal pet hates is when people respond to one of my articles by plugging their own products. That’s just rude and they should start their own blogs if they feel that strongly about it.
See you next time!
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
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd April 2010
Many of us are ‘visual’ beings – I know that I am because of the constant ‘videos’ that play themselves in my brain. Brighten your blogs up with pictures that are relevant to whatever it is that you are writing about. The visuals will add depth to your article and enrich your post.
It’s also a good idea to visit other blog sites. It will give you an opportunity to have a look at different styles of writing and different layouts. You will be able to see what works and what doesn’t and take what works together with your own style and make something uniquely different.
To get readers to ‘follow you’ make sure that it is easy for them to do so, either with an RSS feed application or at the very least set it up so that an automated e-mail is sent to them containing each post. If they don’t have to go and ‘look’ for it all the time, chances are that they will read your blogs more often.
Encourage your readers to leave a comment or engage in a discussion or even a debate. It makes people feel that they are all part of the process and part of a community and if it’s one thing that I have learnt watching the celebrity survivor, its that people need to ‘feel’ that they are a part of something.
Challenge people and get them to challenge themselves. When an article gets people thinking about who they are, what they are doing etc, they will return time and time again to see what there is that may be of interest. Get them thinking and talking.
Don’t forget to give due, where and when it is deserved. If you are quoting someone or using any part of their work, give them the appropriate credits. I know how I feel when I see that someone has used my pontifications and they have not credited me.
Don’t jump on the bandwagon, just to promote your own stuff. One of my personal pet hates is when people respond to one of my articles by plugging their own products. That’s just rude and they should start their own blogs if they feel that strongly about it.
See you next time!
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
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Networking 101 - Branding who you are
Networking 101 - Branding who you are.
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Do you know what you stand for? Well . . . . . do you?
What is it that you represent? What do you stand for? When you walk away from a conversation – do you leave a part of yourself behind? What about an e-mail or a sms – when you send one, does it contain something that reflects who you are and what you represent?
When you enter a room – do people notice you? Well . . . do they?
I’m sure you’re wondering “what’s with all of the questions?” It’s about branding who you are.
You see, I’m ‘in love’! I can just see all of you who know me, fall laughing to the ground! Ok you can get up now!
Yes I am, I am in love! I am in love with what I do. I am crazily, passionately in love with what I do - and that shows.
It shows in my energy. It shows in every conversation that I have regarding work and even if it is a conversation that has nothing to do with work - it shows. It shows because I live to do what it is that I do!
How fabulous is that!
It shows in every e-mail that I send out. It shows every time I enter a room.
It just shows!
So, I ask again – do you know what you stand for?
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za. Or https://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Do you know what you stand for? Well . . . . . do you?
What is it that you represent? What do you stand for? When you walk away from a conversation – do you leave a part of yourself behind? What about an e-mail or a sms – when you send one, does it contain something that reflects who you are and what you represent?
When you enter a room – do people notice you? Well . . . do they?
I’m sure you’re wondering “what’s with all of the questions?” It’s about branding who you are.
You see, I’m ‘in love’! I can just see all of you who know me, fall laughing to the ground! Ok you can get up now!
Yes I am, I am in love! I am in love with what I do. I am crazily, passionately in love with what I do - and that shows.
It shows in my energy. It shows in every conversation that I have regarding work and even if it is a conversation that has nothing to do with work - it shows. It shows because I live to do what it is that I do!
How fabulous is that!
It shows in every e-mail that I send out. It shows every time I enter a room.
It just shows!
So, I ask again – do you know what you stand for?
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za. Or https://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Business Tips - An Amazing Journey
Business Tip – An Amazing Journey
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd - October 2009
If you had told me years ago that this lifetime is made up of several journeys, I probably would have laughed you out of the ball park.
Thing is though, we do go on several journeys. Some of these journeys that we go on are personal and some are business or even work or professional in nature. Some we take on our own and others we share with husbands, wives, lovers, children, friends, clients, colleagues and even business partners.
There are journeys that are long and arduous or lifetime journeys and others that are short term, perhaps for a specific period, for a specific project or customer or even a special friend. Each journey has its own starting place and its own ending place. Some you may even start alone and then pick up some passengers along the way. Some you may start with a whole bunch of people but end on your own.
Each journey is its own unique experience. Each experience may be similar but all are quite different. Some are pleasant and fun and some are just disgusting and we can’t wait for them to end.
Think about it for a moment – we would all like to think that we give all our customers great service and perhaps we do, but there is always a client that will get a little extra. A little extra care and attention, or a little extra effort or extra time that we don’t charge for.
Let’s face it, the way we treat our customers is not always dependent upon the quality of the journey that we are taking with them. Customers who always pay on time and who don’t give us a hard time, may actually not be the customers that we ‘give’ more to and we need to be seriously very careful about this because they should be the customers that we treat as VIP guests. Difficult customers who are yelling and shouting at us all the time, who are never satisfied and who we have to battle to get money out of, are traditionally the customers that we bend over backwards for and quite frankly that’s just not right! In fact those are the customers that we should be firing, not pandering to.
I know that after writing this article I am going to do some serious evaluations on my clients. Going forward, the customers that do what I tell them to, who pay on time and who give me very little hassle are going to be treated like the Kings and Queens that they surely are and those who give me as much grief as they are able, who don’t pay on time and who are just generally unpleasant to deal with are a) going to be charged an additional tax which I am going to call FOST (Full of S&*T Tax) and that is going to be dependant on how much hassle they give me and b) I am going to keep records of who pissed me off the most and give them points for bad behaviour, bad attitude and bad payments and c) I am going to set a limit on what I am prepared to put up with and when they reach their limit, I am going to fire their asses and get myself some more decent clients!
The journey that I want to take with my clients must be one of mutual respect. It must be an amazing journey where we both profit from each other. I can think of nothing worse than having to bend over backwards for clients who do not respect me, who do not respect what I do for them and who keep demanding more and more from me and at the same time they disrespect me, by not paying me on time or always wanting more and more of a discount.
Yip – that’s what I am going to do in future! Work with ‘like minded’ people. People who respect what I do, who respect me and who value what I do for them.
What about you? What kind of journey do you want to travel and have with your clients?
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
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd - October 2009
If you had told me years ago that this lifetime is made up of several journeys, I probably would have laughed you out of the ball park.
Thing is though, we do go on several journeys. Some of these journeys that we go on are personal and some are business or even work or professional in nature. Some we take on our own and others we share with husbands, wives, lovers, children, friends, clients, colleagues and even business partners.
There are journeys that are long and arduous or lifetime journeys and others that are short term, perhaps for a specific period, for a specific project or customer or even a special friend. Each journey has its own starting place and its own ending place. Some you may even start alone and then pick up some passengers along the way. Some you may start with a whole bunch of people but end on your own.
Each journey is its own unique experience. Each experience may be similar but all are quite different. Some are pleasant and fun and some are just disgusting and we can’t wait for them to end.
Think about it for a moment – we would all like to think that we give all our customers great service and perhaps we do, but there is always a client that will get a little extra. A little extra care and attention, or a little extra effort or extra time that we don’t charge for.
Let’s face it, the way we treat our customers is not always dependent upon the quality of the journey that we are taking with them. Customers who always pay on time and who don’t give us a hard time, may actually not be the customers that we ‘give’ more to and we need to be seriously very careful about this because they should be the customers that we treat as VIP guests. Difficult customers who are yelling and shouting at us all the time, who are never satisfied and who we have to battle to get money out of, are traditionally the customers that we bend over backwards for and quite frankly that’s just not right! In fact those are the customers that we should be firing, not pandering to.
I know that after writing this article I am going to do some serious evaluations on my clients. Going forward, the customers that do what I tell them to, who pay on time and who give me very little hassle are going to be treated like the Kings and Queens that they surely are and those who give me as much grief as they are able, who don’t pay on time and who are just generally unpleasant to deal with are a) going to be charged an additional tax which I am going to call FOST (Full of S&*T Tax) and that is going to be dependant on how much hassle they give me and b) I am going to keep records of who pissed me off the most and give them points for bad behaviour, bad attitude and bad payments and c) I am going to set a limit on what I am prepared to put up with and when they reach their limit, I am going to fire their asses and get myself some more decent clients!
The journey that I want to take with my clients must be one of mutual respect. It must be an amazing journey where we both profit from each other. I can think of nothing worse than having to bend over backwards for clients who do not respect me, who do not respect what I do for them and who keep demanding more and more from me and at the same time they disrespect me, by not paying me on time or always wanting more and more of a discount.
Yip – that’s what I am going to do in future! Work with ‘like minded’ people. People who respect what I do, who respect me and who value what I do for them.
What about you? What kind of journey do you want to travel and have with your clients?
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
Monday, May 14, 2018
Motivation - Believe Your Dream
Motivation – Believe Your Dream
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd – September 2011
Eleanor Roosevelt said “The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams”.
Having recently watched “The Mountain Within” and read the book with the same title, by Herta Von Stiegel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRqt2wtIqzk), the issue around our dreams and hopes and goals and aspirations has once again hit home – hard!
In retrospect, I find that I am guilty of not dreaming enough! Strange as that may sound, the fact of the matter is that I have become too caught up in the day to day struggle of getting things done, of juggling the balls and ensuring that they all remain in the air. The fact of the matter is that realistically, I need to schedule some time in my diary – some quiet time to think, to dream and to engage with that part inside of me that allows thoughts and dreams to become reality.
Growing up on a huge farm in the then Rhodesia, “Dream time” was something that I did on a daily basis and it was done naturally and without any conscious thought to how important it is in everyone’s life.
Dreams of visiting Russia as I read books on the colourful character, that was Rasputin and the deep love between Nicolas and Alexandra, or the man of action that was Peter the Great and all the loves of Catherine the Great, turned into reality when I visited Russia in 2001. I can still remember the grown ups (or grups as I called them as a child) laughing at me and mocking me when I vocalized my intention of visiting Russia day. You see, this was the early 60’s and of course on-one visited communist countries then. I remember the sting of their laughter and my own 5 year old resolution – I would visit Russia one day!
I also remember standing at the canal, outside the Cathedral of the Resurrection in St. Petersburg, right at the spot where they tried unsuccessfully to drown Rasputin. My thoughts this time, full of emotion – full of pleasure, at the realization of the fact, that this particular dream had never died. This dream, had stood the test of time and had endured some 40 odd years to become a reality.
I cannot begin to tell you all the thoughts that went through my mind. I was exhilarated and humbled at the same time. Excited, sad, awed and also proud. One thing that I do remember though, is the thought that played itself over and over again in my mind (and I am sure that I even said the words out loud at some point too), “I told you I would come to Russia one day!”
And that’s exactly how it should be – that’s how it can be – our dreams turning into reality – our dreams becoming our future.
So, I don’t know about you, but I now have my diary at hand and I will book the time and hopefully I will be able to return to that childhood time, when ‘dream time’ was a natural thing and where I will once again be in charge of the future that I will take part in and that will become my reality.
What about you? Do you “dream” enough?
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
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd – September 2011
Eleanor Roosevelt said “The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams”.
Having recently watched “The Mountain Within” and read the book with the same title, by Herta Von Stiegel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRqt2wtIqzk), the issue around our dreams and hopes and goals and aspirations has once again hit home – hard!
In retrospect, I find that I am guilty of not dreaming enough! Strange as that may sound, the fact of the matter is that I have become too caught up in the day to day struggle of getting things done, of juggling the balls and ensuring that they all remain in the air. The fact of the matter is that realistically, I need to schedule some time in my diary – some quiet time to think, to dream and to engage with that part inside of me that allows thoughts and dreams to become reality.
Growing up on a huge farm in the then Rhodesia, “Dream time” was something that I did on a daily basis and it was done naturally and without any conscious thought to how important it is in everyone’s life.
Dreams of visiting Russia as I read books on the colourful character, that was Rasputin and the deep love between Nicolas and Alexandra, or the man of action that was Peter the Great and all the loves of Catherine the Great, turned into reality when I visited Russia in 2001. I can still remember the grown ups (or grups as I called them as a child) laughing at me and mocking me when I vocalized my intention of visiting Russia day. You see, this was the early 60’s and of course on-one visited communist countries then. I remember the sting of their laughter and my own 5 year old resolution – I would visit Russia one day!
I also remember standing at the canal, outside the Cathedral of the Resurrection in St. Petersburg, right at the spot where they tried unsuccessfully to drown Rasputin. My thoughts this time, full of emotion – full of pleasure, at the realization of the fact, that this particular dream had never died. This dream, had stood the test of time and had endured some 40 odd years to become a reality.
I cannot begin to tell you all the thoughts that went through my mind. I was exhilarated and humbled at the same time. Excited, sad, awed and also proud. One thing that I do remember though, is the thought that played itself over and over again in my mind (and I am sure that I even said the words out loud at some point too), “I told you I would come to Russia one day!”
And that’s exactly how it should be – that’s how it can be – our dreams turning into reality – our dreams becoming our future.
So, I don’t know about you, but I now have my diary at hand and I will book the time and hopefully I will be able to return to that childhood time, when ‘dream time’ was a natural thing and where I will once again be in charge of the future that I will take part in and that will become my reality.
What about you? Do you “dream” enough?
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
Friday, May 11, 2018
HR 101 – What to do When . . . You Need to Compile a Job Description - Part 5
HR 101 – What to do When . . . You Need to Compile a Job Description - Part 5
By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd.
Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
In the final instalment of this series, let’s have a look at some more of the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of writing a Job Description.
• Do ensure that the questions “what”, “why”, “how” and “how often” are answered, clearly and concisely. Remember to use words that are easily understood so that there can be no confusion.
• Do make sure that there is sufficient detail for each task. Again, you don’t want to confuse the issue – make sure that it is simple and to the point.
• Do use examples in order to highlight or explain tasks, especially where a task is described in general terms.
• Do use short and concise sentences.
• Do begin all sentences with an action verb (for example use words like assists, advises, controls, approves or authorizes.)
• Do use precise numbers (for example – reports into two directors rather than reports into a number of directors.) It is better to be specific.
• Do number the task.
- Don’t use an individual’s name in preference to job titles (for example – reports into Operation’s Manager rather than report into Joe Soap – Joe Soap may leave the Company in the next few weeks and then who do they report into?)
- Don’t include duties or responsibilities of others where these don’t directly affect the job that is being described.
- Don’t include incidental activities which occur once only and are never likely to be repeated.
- Don’t lose the basics of the task by putting in data that is totally irrelevant.
- Don’t describe attitudes and opinions – stick with the facts.
- Don’t start sentences with “if” and “when”.
- Don’t pad the job description to make it look more important than what it is. Some times things just what they are – leave it simple clear and concise.
Remember always, the Job Description must fit the job not the person or the person must always fit in with the Job Description.
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
By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd.
Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
In the final instalment of this series, let’s have a look at some more of the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of writing a Job Description.
• Do ensure that the questions “what”, “why”, “how” and “how often” are answered, clearly and concisely. Remember to use words that are easily understood so that there can be no confusion.
• Do make sure that there is sufficient detail for each task. Again, you don’t want to confuse the issue – make sure that it is simple and to the point.
• Do use examples in order to highlight or explain tasks, especially where a task is described in general terms.
• Do use short and concise sentences.
• Do begin all sentences with an action verb (for example use words like assists, advises, controls, approves or authorizes.)
• Do use precise numbers (for example – reports into two directors rather than reports into a number of directors.) It is better to be specific.
• Do number the task.
- Don’t use an individual’s name in preference to job titles (for example – reports into Operation’s Manager rather than report into Joe Soap – Joe Soap may leave the Company in the next few weeks and then who do they report into?)
- Don’t include duties or responsibilities of others where these don’t directly affect the job that is being described.
- Don’t include incidental activities which occur once only and are never likely to be repeated.
- Don’t lose the basics of the task by putting in data that is totally irrelevant.
- Don’t describe attitudes and opinions – stick with the facts.
- Don’t start sentences with “if” and “when”.
- Don’t pad the job description to make it look more important than what it is. Some times things just what they are – leave it simple clear and concise.
Remember always, the Job Description must fit the job not the person or the person must always fit in with the Job Description.
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
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Blogging 101 - The Content - Part 1
Blogging 101 – The Content – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Over the next few weeks we will have a look at the type of content that you can blog with. I will use some of my clients (their names will be changed) to illustrate what kind of information can be used when blogging.
Now remember I am a bit of a technophobe, so some of the stuff that I tell you about, I don’t actually use – well because I don’t know how to . . . ! It is however, on the list of things to do, so once I find a few minutes to sit with my very patient IT gurus, it will be added to my own blogs to enrich them and therefore enhance the output to my readers.
Whatever the business though, your blog needs to put you apart, so your content and the issues that you write about must create visions in the minds of the people that read them – no-one is going to read boring stuff, you have to capture the readers interest. For example on a Friday my blogs are HR related. I often take actual CCMA cases and turn them into stories of things that can and in fact do happen, not only to big Corporations but also to the one or two man businesses at the bottom of the ladder.
Now believe me, reading actual CCMA cases has got to be one of the most boring stuff ever to cross my desk and I can guarantee you that if I had to post it on the blog as I get it, no-one would be reading it and in fact many people would make the decision not to read any more of my blogs, going forward. What is great though is that the content of what transpired at the CCMA is what is important and I have the ability to turn that information, through putting it into a story with protagonists that we can all relate to, into something that makes sense and is easy to read. That is what makes it different and that is what makes it powerful and that is what makes the information readable and valuable to my readers – they can relate to the people in the story and in many instances they have been in similar circumstances and now they know exactly what to do. That is one of the things that makes my content stand out from the rest.
One of the other tools that I use all the time is simply, simplicity. I don’t use big words that have people rushing to dust off the dictionary. My posts are in simple to understand language that most people can read and process, irrespective of whether they have a basic education or the CEO of a large Corporation with a string of degrees. I know that if I get frustrated when reading something because the language gets too technical or the author has become over indulgent with their use of language, the article usually gets put down in favour of something that is easier to read and understand.
Most of all, my articles are also usually written with my own special brand of humour. I know for a fact that most people don’t always ‘get’ my humour, but here’s the thing – I love to laugh at life! I have fun with it and the truth is that if I don’t have fun writing the article, then what am I doing it for? If I don’t have fun writing the article, then I will probably procrastinate to such an extent that the article will never get written – there goes my blog, my marketing and to some extent my Networking. So always remember the ‘why’ you are doing this and always, always, always have fun.
See you next time!
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
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Over the next few weeks we will have a look at the type of content that you can blog with. I will use some of my clients (their names will be changed) to illustrate what kind of information can be used when blogging.
Now remember I am a bit of a technophobe, so some of the stuff that I tell you about, I don’t actually use – well because I don’t know how to . . . ! It is however, on the list of things to do, so once I find a few minutes to sit with my very patient IT gurus, it will be added to my own blogs to enrich them and therefore enhance the output to my readers.
Whatever the business though, your blog needs to put you apart, so your content and the issues that you write about must create visions in the minds of the people that read them – no-one is going to read boring stuff, you have to capture the readers interest. For example on a Friday my blogs are HR related. I often take actual CCMA cases and turn them into stories of things that can and in fact do happen, not only to big Corporations but also to the one or two man businesses at the bottom of the ladder.
Now believe me, reading actual CCMA cases has got to be one of the most boring stuff ever to cross my desk and I can guarantee you that if I had to post it on the blog as I get it, no-one would be reading it and in fact many people would make the decision not to read any more of my blogs, going forward. What is great though is that the content of what transpired at the CCMA is what is important and I have the ability to turn that information, through putting it into a story with protagonists that we can all relate to, into something that makes sense and is easy to read. That is what makes it different and that is what makes it powerful and that is what makes the information readable and valuable to my readers – they can relate to the people in the story and in many instances they have been in similar circumstances and now they know exactly what to do. That is one of the things that makes my content stand out from the rest.
One of the other tools that I use all the time is simply, simplicity. I don’t use big words that have people rushing to dust off the dictionary. My posts are in simple to understand language that most people can read and process, irrespective of whether they have a basic education or the CEO of a large Corporation with a string of degrees. I know that if I get frustrated when reading something because the language gets too technical or the author has become over indulgent with their use of language, the article usually gets put down in favour of something that is easier to read and understand.
Most of all, my articles are also usually written with my own special brand of humour. I know for a fact that most people don’t always ‘get’ my humour, but here’s the thing – I love to laugh at life! I have fun with it and the truth is that if I don’t have fun writing the article, then what am I doing it for? If I don’t have fun writing the article, then I will probably procrastinate to such an extent that the article will never get written – there goes my blog, my marketing and to some extent my Networking. So always remember the ‘why’ you are doing this and always, always, always have fun.
See you next time!
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
Wednesday, May 09, 2018
Networking 101 - You have to focus on You too
Networking 101 - You have to focus on You too
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Do you focus enough on you? Strange question you may think, but here’s the thing.
It is always a good thing to focus on the other person at the right time, in fact it is critical to focus on the other person at the right time. Having said that, first of all you need to understand yourself. You need to understand who you are, what the difference is that you make. What it is that you do, how you do it and why other people need whatever it is that you are selling. You need to understand that your credibility needs to be intact and that you can and do meet the deliverable requirements.
Nick Heap calls this Your Core Process, whilst Roger Hamilton calls this “Being in your flow”. Penny Power who is the founder of Ecademy (www.ecademy.com) calls this Emotional Understanding of your Self, your Emotional Wealth.
Whatever you call it, it needs to be done and established before you start networking, or enter into any kind of networking discussion with anyone – if you want to come across as a ‘real’ person or the genuine article.
So take some time out, sit down with yourself and have a ‘heart to heart’. Ask yourself the question – who are you? What difference do you make, and if you don’t know, ask yourself what difference is it that you would like to make? Be honest with yourself (and that does not mean that you have to beat yourself up). Set yourself some realistic goals and when you know which direction it is that you are going in – so will the people that you engage with, believe me!
The time that you invest in yourself, will always yield far greater returns than the time that you don’t.
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Do you focus enough on you? Strange question you may think, but here’s the thing.
It is always a good thing to focus on the other person at the right time, in fact it is critical to focus on the other person at the right time. Having said that, first of all you need to understand yourself. You need to understand who you are, what the difference is that you make. What it is that you do, how you do it and why other people need whatever it is that you are selling. You need to understand that your credibility needs to be intact and that you can and do meet the deliverable requirements.
Nick Heap calls this Your Core Process, whilst Roger Hamilton calls this “Being in your flow”. Penny Power who is the founder of Ecademy (www.ecademy.com) calls this Emotional Understanding of your Self, your Emotional Wealth.
Whatever you call it, it needs to be done and established before you start networking, or enter into any kind of networking discussion with anyone – if you want to come across as a ‘real’ person or the genuine article.
So take some time out, sit down with yourself and have a ‘heart to heart’. Ask yourself the question – who are you? What difference do you make, and if you don’t know, ask yourself what difference is it that you would like to make? Be honest with yourself (and that does not mean that you have to beat yourself up). Set yourself some realistic goals and when you know which direction it is that you are going in – so will the people that you engage with, believe me!
The time that you invest in yourself, will always yield far greater returns than the time that you don’t.
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
Tuesday, May 08, 2018
Business tips - Rising to the Occasion - Part 4
BUSINESS TIPS – Rising to the Occasion – Part 4
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Following on from last time, this week we will be looking at the last of the solutions, in this series, 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
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Following on from last time, this week we will be looking at the last of the solutions, in this series, 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
Monday, May 07, 2018
Motivation - Making the Decision
Motivation – Making the Decision
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Harvey Mackay says “People begin to become successful the minute they decide to be.”
Yes – actually it is that simple! I think that for most of us, certainly for me, this is true. We have been conditioned to believe that being successful is hard work, and I suppose that to some degree there is a certain amount of work that needs to be done, but for me – the mindset is what is most important.
We’ve all heard, and I am sure even uttered the words on occasion “It can’t be that easy!” When things just seem to slot in, or fall into place – that lucrative deal that you have signed just as the previous one was ending, or even more unusual, robots turning green just as you are about to apply the brakes – all way to work or home!
I have learnt over the years that it is actually that easy. When my mindset is right and I am going in the right direction – things just seems to fall into place. When I am totally committed to what it is that I am doing, my plans are in place and I am mentally geared up – things seem to be very easy.
It’s when I am not sure, or hesitant, when I haven’t done as much research as I probably should have or I am not completely sure of what it is that I am doing that I tend to second guess myself.
When I second guess myself is when the doubts start creeping in – you know which ones I mean, not only the ones that I am prepared to vocalize and get out onto the table, but also those that I very seldom admit to - even to myself – those that I grapple with and do battle with in the dead of the night.
By the time it gets to that point, I know on every level that I am ‘dead’ in the water and that there is no way that whatever it is that I am doing, is going to be successful. You see, I have on some level decided that I cannot do it! That is the decision that has been made and therefore that is the decision that will be successful.
So here’s the bottom line – if it is success that you are looking for then clearly that is the decision that needs to be made.
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
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Harvey Mackay says “People begin to become successful the minute they decide to be.”
Yes – actually it is that simple! I think that for most of us, certainly for me, this is true. We have been conditioned to believe that being successful is hard work, and I suppose that to some degree there is a certain amount of work that needs to be done, but for me – the mindset is what is most important.
We’ve all heard, and I am sure even uttered the words on occasion “It can’t be that easy!” When things just seem to slot in, or fall into place – that lucrative deal that you have signed just as the previous one was ending, or even more unusual, robots turning green just as you are about to apply the brakes – all way to work or home!
I have learnt over the years that it is actually that easy. When my mindset is right and I am going in the right direction – things just seems to fall into place. When I am totally committed to what it is that I am doing, my plans are in place and I am mentally geared up – things seem to be very easy.
It’s when I am not sure, or hesitant, when I haven’t done as much research as I probably should have or I am not completely sure of what it is that I am doing that I tend to second guess myself.
When I second guess myself is when the doubts start creeping in – you know which ones I mean, not only the ones that I am prepared to vocalize and get out onto the table, but also those that I very seldom admit to - even to myself – those that I grapple with and do battle with in the dead of the night.
By the time it gets to that point, I know on every level that I am ‘dead’ in the water and that there is no way that whatever it is that I am doing, is going to be successful. You see, I have on some level decided that I cannot do it! That is the decision that has been made and therefore that is the decision that will be successful.
So here’s the bottom line – if it is success that you are looking for then clearly that is the decision that needs to be made.
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
Friday, May 04, 2018
HR 101 – What to do When . . . . You Need to Compile a Job Description - Part 4
HR 101 – What to do When . . . . You Need to Compile a Job Description - Part 4
By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd.
Please not that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
So far we have covered that the Job Description needs to be accurate and realistic. It has to outline the location of the job within the organization, the purpose of the job, the content, the relationships, authority, controls and checks. Both the supervisor and the staff member must understand and interpret it the same way.
Today we will examine some more of what must be in the Job Description and the first thing that we need to understand here is that the Job Description MUST be used as an interview guide. The candidate must match the basic requirements of what is expected in the Job Description. Remember, it must always be the ‘person’ who matched the Job Description and not the other way around. So if the Job Description requires someone who has Matric, then interviewing someone who never finished school is not a good idea. You wouldn’t hire a medical student as the Chief of Surgery, so you shouldn’t hire someone who doesn’t have the right qualifications to do the Job.
When your staff members are appraised, the Job Description should also be used as a tool to assess their performance. If the perception is that they are not fulfilling their obligations in any way, this could be established by checking to see what their requirements are and if the particular task, in question is listed, then you have a case. So make sure that all the tasks that are required to be performed are listed.
It also makes sense to list the tasks in order of importance or alternatively in some sort of logical sequence. Each task should have enough information with them to ensure that the incumbent (and the supervisor) understands the WHAT and the HOW of the job. When this is stated correctly, it becomes a measurable entity and it makes the requirement clear, concise and to the point.
Next time we will continue with some Do’s and Don’ts - tips when writing a Job Description.
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
By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd.
Please not that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
So far we have covered that the Job Description needs to be accurate and realistic. It has to outline the location of the job within the organization, the purpose of the job, the content, the relationships, authority, controls and checks. Both the supervisor and the staff member must understand and interpret it the same way.
Today we will examine some more of what must be in the Job Description and the first thing that we need to understand here is that the Job Description MUST be used as an interview guide. The candidate must match the basic requirements of what is expected in the Job Description. Remember, it must always be the ‘person’ who matched the Job Description and not the other way around. So if the Job Description requires someone who has Matric, then interviewing someone who never finished school is not a good idea. You wouldn’t hire a medical student as the Chief of Surgery, so you shouldn’t hire someone who doesn’t have the right qualifications to do the Job.
When your staff members are appraised, the Job Description should also be used as a tool to assess their performance. If the perception is that they are not fulfilling their obligations in any way, this could be established by checking to see what their requirements are and if the particular task, in question is listed, then you have a case. So make sure that all the tasks that are required to be performed are listed.
It also makes sense to list the tasks in order of importance or alternatively in some sort of logical sequence. Each task should have enough information with them to ensure that the incumbent (and the supervisor) understands the WHAT and the HOW of the job. When this is stated correctly, it becomes a measurable entity and it makes the requirement clear, concise and to the point.
Next time we will continue with some Do’s and Don’ts - tips when writing a Job Description.
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
Thursday, May 03, 2018
Blogging 101 - Responding to Comments
Blogging 101 – Responding to Comments
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Most of you who know me, know that I have an opinion about most things and I am not afraid to voice that opinion. It wasn’t always like that – there was a time when I just kept quiet, sucked it up and said nothing. Problem with that of course is that it does damage inside, to your being. So once I realized that and got over myself, I stated my opinion, not just to be difficult or give someone a hard time, but to get it out there – to make others think perhaps a little more and even sometimes (if I am perfectly honest) to see if I can get someone to change my mind.
That means of course, that I often leave comments on the blogs or articles that I read and I must say that I feel kind of deflated when I don’t get a response. I understand that we are all busy, that we all have 101 things that need to be done and usually they all need to be done yesterday – but that said, it’s kind of rude don’t you think? It’s like not saying ‘you’re welcome’ when someone says thank –you, or not saying ‘bless you’, when someone sneezes.
Think about it for a moment, by ‘enabling’ the comments section on your blog, you are actually inviting people to interact with you, to share their feelings and emotions or thoughts on what you have written and then what . . . nothing happens, it’s like having a one sided conversation and quite frankly, that for me is just boring.
For me, it would be the same thing as not answering questions about the topics that I train on or being ‘indifferent’ to others. We all know that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference and ignoring someone who has taken the time and trouble to comment on something that you have written, irrespective of whether it is good or bad - well that is just being indifferent in my book.
Being ignored, that’s just horrid and quite frankly, I often don’t go back to that particular author. Why should I? Blogging for me, is not only about getting my message across, it’s also about interaction and engagement and with interaction and engagement comes relationships and we could all do some more of those.
My blogs have opened my life up to the rest of the world and I now have people who I correspond with all over the world. From the USA to Russia – from Holland to the UK, Australia to Canada – I’m sure you get the picture. Do I get business from these people – well not directly, but I have learnt a great deal and I am exposed to more than my little world and yes, indirectly I have gotten business and even a mentor or two.
Responding to comments for me is a must, it’s a way to open up a dialogue, to interact and to grow as a person.
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
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Most of you who know me, know that I have an opinion about most things and I am not afraid to voice that opinion. It wasn’t always like that – there was a time when I just kept quiet, sucked it up and said nothing. Problem with that of course is that it does damage inside, to your being. So once I realized that and got over myself, I stated my opinion, not just to be difficult or give someone a hard time, but to get it out there – to make others think perhaps a little more and even sometimes (if I am perfectly honest) to see if I can get someone to change my mind.
That means of course, that I often leave comments on the blogs or articles that I read and I must say that I feel kind of deflated when I don’t get a response. I understand that we are all busy, that we all have 101 things that need to be done and usually they all need to be done yesterday – but that said, it’s kind of rude don’t you think? It’s like not saying ‘you’re welcome’ when someone says thank –you, or not saying ‘bless you’, when someone sneezes.
Think about it for a moment, by ‘enabling’ the comments section on your blog, you are actually inviting people to interact with you, to share their feelings and emotions or thoughts on what you have written and then what . . . nothing happens, it’s like having a one sided conversation and quite frankly, that for me is just boring.
For me, it would be the same thing as not answering questions about the topics that I train on or being ‘indifferent’ to others. We all know that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference and ignoring someone who has taken the time and trouble to comment on something that you have written, irrespective of whether it is good or bad - well that is just being indifferent in my book.
Being ignored, that’s just horrid and quite frankly, I often don’t go back to that particular author. Why should I? Blogging for me, is not only about getting my message across, it’s also about interaction and engagement and with interaction and engagement comes relationships and we could all do some more of those.
My blogs have opened my life up to the rest of the world and I now have people who I correspond with all over the world. From the USA to Russia – from Holland to the UK, Australia to Canada – I’m sure you get the picture. Do I get business from these people – well not directly, but I have learnt a great deal and I am exposed to more than my little world and yes, indirectly I have gotten business and even a mentor or two.
Responding to comments for me is a must, it’s a way to open up a dialogue, to interact and to grow as a person.
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
Wednesday, May 02, 2018
Networking 101 - Radiators & Drains
Networking - Radiators and Drains
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
I don’t know about you, but I have, of late, had to take a step back from the world and do a bit of re-examining. Not always the most pleasant thing in the world to do – but certainly something that must be done from time to time if you want to get rid of the ‘dead wood’ in your life and make sure that you are on the right path going in the right direction.
“Dead wood” is pretty much what I want to talk about today – and it is the ‘energy’ sapping, frustrating, pulling out of hair in frustration type of ‘dead wood’ in particular that I want to discuss.
We all have them in our lives – the Radiators and the Drains. There are some people on the planet that you are just drawn to, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing (unless you yourself are a Drain!). They give out the type of energy, or aura, or whatever, else you would like to call it that makes you feel good. Those people are a pleasure to have around – they are fun to engage with or have any kind of interaction with as they usually give very freely of themselves and you come away from them with a smile on your face and a song in your heart and usually with a benefit or two, whether it is something that you have learnt or a joke that you have shared. It’s that warm fuzzy feeling that tells you that all is good with the world today and you actually can’t wait to see them again – to engage in a mutually satisfying conversation or even debate. These, clearly are the Radiators and it is always a good thing to have a few of them in your circle of influence, and hopefully you are also a Radiator and therefore a good thing in the circle of influence yourself.
Then, of course, you have the Drains – these are the people who I (not so) affectionately call human vampires! They suck and draw out all your energy and then off they go on their merry way to their next un-suspecting victim and you are left behind in an exhausted heap. Not much fun at all.
The dilemma arises when some of your client’s or the people that you network with, are Drains. The rest you can walk away from or see as seldom as you can – but with clients and people who you meet at networking events, this is not always that easy to do.
A lot of it has to do with the energy that you yourself give out. It could be that if you are ‘down’ or not in a good space yourself – the negative energy that you are giving out is simply attracting the wrong people and it means that they will, in all probability bring you down even further.
It is critical for you to attract the right kind of people, when you are networking. You yourself need to be happy, passionate about what you do and interesting to those around you and those that you meet at networking events. You need to be ‘on fire’ for life, for your business, for the things that you hold dear to you. Most importantly you need to protect yourself from the Drains, so mixing with or attracting other Radiators is always a good thing – safety in numbers I think! All that positive energy driving the negative away!
Drains you see, feed of off people to get their energy. Radiators get their energy from inside of themselves (well at least I do) and that is obviously is like gold, a very sort after commodity.
Well, I’m off to get rid of some of the ‘dead wood’ drains in my life and I know that this will also let in some more Radiators, can never have enough Radiators!
So, who are you? Where do you get your energy? Are you a Drain or a Radiator?
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
I don’t know about you, but I have, of late, had to take a step back from the world and do a bit of re-examining. Not always the most pleasant thing in the world to do – but certainly something that must be done from time to time if you want to get rid of the ‘dead wood’ in your life and make sure that you are on the right path going in the right direction.
“Dead wood” is pretty much what I want to talk about today – and it is the ‘energy’ sapping, frustrating, pulling out of hair in frustration type of ‘dead wood’ in particular that I want to discuss.
We all have them in our lives – the Radiators and the Drains. There are some people on the planet that you are just drawn to, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing (unless you yourself are a Drain!). They give out the type of energy, or aura, or whatever, else you would like to call it that makes you feel good. Those people are a pleasure to have around – they are fun to engage with or have any kind of interaction with as they usually give very freely of themselves and you come away from them with a smile on your face and a song in your heart and usually with a benefit or two, whether it is something that you have learnt or a joke that you have shared. It’s that warm fuzzy feeling that tells you that all is good with the world today and you actually can’t wait to see them again – to engage in a mutually satisfying conversation or even debate. These, clearly are the Radiators and it is always a good thing to have a few of them in your circle of influence, and hopefully you are also a Radiator and therefore a good thing in the circle of influence yourself.
Then, of course, you have the Drains – these are the people who I (not so) affectionately call human vampires! They suck and draw out all your energy and then off they go on their merry way to their next un-suspecting victim and you are left behind in an exhausted heap. Not much fun at all.
The dilemma arises when some of your client’s or the people that you network with, are Drains. The rest you can walk away from or see as seldom as you can – but with clients and people who you meet at networking events, this is not always that easy to do.
A lot of it has to do with the energy that you yourself give out. It could be that if you are ‘down’ or not in a good space yourself – the negative energy that you are giving out is simply attracting the wrong people and it means that they will, in all probability bring you down even further.
It is critical for you to attract the right kind of people, when you are networking. You yourself need to be happy, passionate about what you do and interesting to those around you and those that you meet at networking events. You need to be ‘on fire’ for life, for your business, for the things that you hold dear to you. Most importantly you need to protect yourself from the Drains, so mixing with or attracting other Radiators is always a good thing – safety in numbers I think! All that positive energy driving the negative away!
Drains you see, feed of off people to get their energy. Radiators get their energy from inside of themselves (well at least I do) and that is obviously is like gold, a very sort after commodity.
Well, I’m off to get rid of some of the ‘dead wood’ drains in my life and I know that this will also let in some more Radiators, can never have enough Radiators!
So, who are you? Where do you get your energy? Are you a Drain or a Radiator?
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
Monday, April 30, 2018
Motivation - Victory Over Oneself
MOTIVATION – Victory Over Oneself
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Lao Tzu says “He who gains a victory over other men is strong; but he who gains a victory over himself is all powerful.”
There have been several programs on TV over the last few months that have been about bullying and they were all somehow focused on the victim. Let’s take one of them as an example – I think it was one of the Private Practice shows a couple of weeks ago. There was this young chap (let’s call him Eric) around 14 who had lost his father at the age of 8 (or so) and now it was just him and his mum. His dad had gotten him interested in Japanese comic strips and it was something that he continued on his own. The kids at school really didn’t ‘get it’ and he became the butt of their jokes and because he didn’t react in any way, pretty soon the ‘jokes’ became violent and he was being taunted and beaten up on a regular basis.
Eric’s mum’s way of dealing with this was to take her son out of harm’s way and the result was that over a period of 2 years, Eric changed schools 8 times. Not a good situation, I am sure you will agree. As Eric moved from school to school, he became more and more the ‘butt’ of the bullies and not having any time to form any of his own roots and find friends who had similar interests, meant that he was on his own more of the time and being on his own, made him more susceptible to being the prey of bullies, and so the cycle continued.
Eric eventually started making up ‘pains’ and fevers to get out of school and his mother eventually took him off to see a doctor. The doctor (let’s call him Phil) happened to be a child psychologist and when Phil examined Eric for his so called ‘stomach ache’ the truth came out. Phil told Eric that he needed to ‘stand up’ for himself and that bullies, when confronted, would usually back down and he would then be left alone. Good advice, I am sure you will agree – but this is a TV program, so of course it didn’t work like that.
Eric, in an attempt to ‘stand up’ for himself, took a knife to school and of course he was busted by one of the teachers. Mother dearest was furious with Dr. Phil, because this was of course all of his fault, and would not allow Eric to see the doctor again and of course to ensure a good dose of drama, Eric attempted to commit suicide.
As he regained consciousness Eric spoke to Phil and explained how he felt that he could not meet anyone who he could connect with at school because his mum kept moving him and Phil explained that the first step would be to ‘stand up’ to his mother. Eric’s mum, of course only wanted to keep her son safe and again wanted him to move to another school.
Eric, eventually stepped up to the plate and convinced his mother that this was something he had to do for himself, he had to overcome his own fears and he had to face his tormentors, without showing them any fear, and he had to find ‘the others’ like himself – he could no longer run and he could only do this if she left him in the same school.
The message for me, was very clear – there is a very wrong and a very right way to gain victory over your enemies, but in order for that to happen you have to gain victory over yourself and (as in this case) it meant Eric facing his own fears and gaining control over them.
Gaining a measure of control over myself, my fears and insecurities was one of the biggest steps forward that I took and for what it’s worth, it made my (at that point) self- esteem soar. I felt as though I had conquered the world and that made me feel and react differently and that made other people see me in a totally different light altogether.
So the next time you feel tiny and insignificant in the face of the world, remember to gain control of your fears, of yourself and that victory will carry you through any kind of adversity.
You will be all powerful because you will be victorious over your biggest enemy – yourself!
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
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Lao Tzu says “He who gains a victory over other men is strong; but he who gains a victory over himself is all powerful.”
There have been several programs on TV over the last few months that have been about bullying and they were all somehow focused on the victim. Let’s take one of them as an example – I think it was one of the Private Practice shows a couple of weeks ago. There was this young chap (let’s call him Eric) around 14 who had lost his father at the age of 8 (or so) and now it was just him and his mum. His dad had gotten him interested in Japanese comic strips and it was something that he continued on his own. The kids at school really didn’t ‘get it’ and he became the butt of their jokes and because he didn’t react in any way, pretty soon the ‘jokes’ became violent and he was being taunted and beaten up on a regular basis.
Eric’s mum’s way of dealing with this was to take her son out of harm’s way and the result was that over a period of 2 years, Eric changed schools 8 times. Not a good situation, I am sure you will agree. As Eric moved from school to school, he became more and more the ‘butt’ of the bullies and not having any time to form any of his own roots and find friends who had similar interests, meant that he was on his own more of the time and being on his own, made him more susceptible to being the prey of bullies, and so the cycle continued.
Eric eventually started making up ‘pains’ and fevers to get out of school and his mother eventually took him off to see a doctor. The doctor (let’s call him Phil) happened to be a child psychologist and when Phil examined Eric for his so called ‘stomach ache’ the truth came out. Phil told Eric that he needed to ‘stand up’ for himself and that bullies, when confronted, would usually back down and he would then be left alone. Good advice, I am sure you will agree – but this is a TV program, so of course it didn’t work like that.
Eric, in an attempt to ‘stand up’ for himself, took a knife to school and of course he was busted by one of the teachers. Mother dearest was furious with Dr. Phil, because this was of course all of his fault, and would not allow Eric to see the doctor again and of course to ensure a good dose of drama, Eric attempted to commit suicide.
As he regained consciousness Eric spoke to Phil and explained how he felt that he could not meet anyone who he could connect with at school because his mum kept moving him and Phil explained that the first step would be to ‘stand up’ to his mother. Eric’s mum, of course only wanted to keep her son safe and again wanted him to move to another school.
Eric, eventually stepped up to the plate and convinced his mother that this was something he had to do for himself, he had to overcome his own fears and he had to face his tormentors, without showing them any fear, and he had to find ‘the others’ like himself – he could no longer run and he could only do this if she left him in the same school.
The message for me, was very clear – there is a very wrong and a very right way to gain victory over your enemies, but in order for that to happen you have to gain victory over yourself and (as in this case) it meant Eric facing his own fears and gaining control over them.
Gaining a measure of control over myself, my fears and insecurities was one of the biggest steps forward that I took and for what it’s worth, it made my (at that point) self- esteem soar. I felt as though I had conquered the world and that made me feel and react differently and that made other people see me in a totally different light altogether.
So the next time you feel tiny and insignificant in the face of the world, remember to gain control of your fears, of yourself and that victory will carry you through any kind of adversity.
You will be all powerful because you will be victorious over your biggest enemy – yourself!
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
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Blogging 101 - Being a Blogging Master
Blogging 101 – Being a Blogging Master
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
First off, let me just say this – not everyone can be a Master (or a Mistress for that matter) – that said, we are still always the Master (yes and the Mistress) of our own destiny’s.
As a Master (or Mistress) what are our expectations? What are our expectations of other Masters and Mistresses? For me, it’s not only about the content, it’s not only about the construction of the sentence or whether the grammar is correct (although that is also very important) it’s also about how much of yourself, your emotions that you put into your writing and how you connect with the emotional requirements of your audience. You have to get them excited, you have to connect with their heart strings, you have to challenge them, you have to make them reflect, you have to make them indignant, you have to shock them, you have to move them in some way!
Again for me, the biggest challenge was getting over my own fear. You know what I mean, the ‘what if I fail’, ‘what if people don’t like me’, ‘if I succeed, what will be expected of me’? You can’t be afraid to let yourself out of the bag (never mind the cat)!
We all have conversations with people and we connect and engage with those people – write like that. Write like you are having an engaging conversation. Write with compassion, with humour, with passion and yes even with anger.
People need to believe in what you are saying and they can’t do that or connect with you if you are disconnected with yourself. Don’t be bound by your own limitations – move past those, go through those, go around those or over them or under them – you’ll learn the best way to connect with, to link to and to create that particular emotional connection.
If you battle to get started, it’s a good idea to perhaps write down the reasons why you are battling to get started. Some of the most common reasons are:
- Why – because I am not sure that people will be interested in what I have to say
- Why – because I am not in the mood to write about anything right now
- Why – it’s a really sensitive subject and I am not sure that I should be putting it out there.
- Why- it’s really difficult to write about stuff that I have never really done before, I need to do some more research.
Actually at this point you probably need to really think about what it is that you want to do.
Why do you want to write ? Are you passionate about what you do – are you passionate about who you are and are you passionate about what you want to share? If your answer to these is yes, then you need to tell the story. Every article or blog that you write needs to tell a story and every story must have a value, otherwise you are not “sharing”.
Stand up and look at yourself, really look at yourself – you know that you have what it takes, you know that you are really good at what you do. Let go of your fear and your uncertainty.
Stand up, be yourself, be all of who you are and all of who you can be and write that story.
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
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
First off, let me just say this – not everyone can be a Master (or a Mistress for that matter) – that said, we are still always the Master (yes and the Mistress) of our own destiny’s.
As a Master (or Mistress) what are our expectations? What are our expectations of other Masters and Mistresses? For me, it’s not only about the content, it’s not only about the construction of the sentence or whether the grammar is correct (although that is also very important) it’s also about how much of yourself, your emotions that you put into your writing and how you connect with the emotional requirements of your audience. You have to get them excited, you have to connect with their heart strings, you have to challenge them, you have to make them reflect, you have to make them indignant, you have to shock them, you have to move them in some way!
Again for me, the biggest challenge was getting over my own fear. You know what I mean, the ‘what if I fail’, ‘what if people don’t like me’, ‘if I succeed, what will be expected of me’? You can’t be afraid to let yourself out of the bag (never mind the cat)!
We all have conversations with people and we connect and engage with those people – write like that. Write like you are having an engaging conversation. Write with compassion, with humour, with passion and yes even with anger.
People need to believe in what you are saying and they can’t do that or connect with you if you are disconnected with yourself. Don’t be bound by your own limitations – move past those, go through those, go around those or over them or under them – you’ll learn the best way to connect with, to link to and to create that particular emotional connection.
If you battle to get started, it’s a good idea to perhaps write down the reasons why you are battling to get started. Some of the most common reasons are:
- Why – because I am not sure that people will be interested in what I have to say
- Why – because I am not in the mood to write about anything right now
- Why – it’s a really sensitive subject and I am not sure that I should be putting it out there.
- Why- it’s really difficult to write about stuff that I have never really done before, I need to do some more research.
Actually at this point you probably need to really think about what it is that you want to do.
Why do you want to write ? Are you passionate about what you do – are you passionate about who you are and are you passionate about what you want to share? If your answer to these is yes, then you need to tell the story. Every article or blog that you write needs to tell a story and every story must have a value, otherwise you are not “sharing”.
Stand up and look at yourself, really look at yourself – you know that you have what it takes, you know that you are really good at what you do. Let go of your fear and your uncertainty.
Stand up, be yourself, be all of who you are and all of who you can be and write that story.
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
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Networking 101 - Surround Yourself With Like Minded People
Networking 101 - Surround Yourself With Like Minded People
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Networking for me is also about building the right people around me. Let me explain.
Part of adding value, when I refer someone or add someone to my data base, is to have a selection of people who do not do what I do, but rather do what I don’t. I need people who will do the things that are not my strengths.
Let’s explore this for a moment. I am an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and the fact of the matter is that I am very good at what I do – now that’s not a boast, it’s a fact. I have the accolades (and the clients) to prove it.
One of the areas that I check when I am doing an assessment, is whether the client has got contracts in place and if so are they the correct contracts. Now I am not a lawyer and I don’t profess to know too much about the law (other than it can get really confusing), so instead of that becoming a weakness (because I know that you have a problem, but I cannot solve it for you), I turn it into a strength (for me) and a value add (for both you and the specialist that I refer), by referring you to the correct lawyer for your problem. Notice I said the correct lawyer – not just a lawyer. You see there are many different aspects to the law, so many lawyers choose to specialize. The result is that I have a Contractual Lawyer, a Litigation Lawyer, a Trust Lawyer, a Labour Attorney and a Generalist Attorney. I also have a Tax Advocate and if pressed, I am sure I could find you a really mean Divorce Lawyer as well.
Just by knowing these people, I have increased my value and therefore the value to my Company. I have provided a solution to a problem that my client had (notice had – the problem is now resolved), I have given work to a colleague who will now ‘remember’ me if anyone of their client’s needs the kind of help that I can give and I have increased and added to my ‘Circle of Influence’ How awesome is that?
So, although it appears that I work totally alone, I am actually a very small part of a very large team! That’s not the end of the story either because, I tend to work with other individuals who are entrepreneurs and SMME’s, so I work with Specialists rather than generalists, which is what you usually find in the Corporate environment. What does this actually mean though? It means that you get assistance from people like me – people who are passionate about what it is that they do, rather than just people who work to put food on the table.
People who are determined to make a difference in your life and your business. People who deliver what and when they say they will deliver. Now that for me is the biggest value add of them all!
Where do I get these people from, I hear you ask – well that’s simple to answer – from networking of course!
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or https://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Networking for me is also about building the right people around me. Let me explain.
Part of adding value, when I refer someone or add someone to my data base, is to have a selection of people who do not do what I do, but rather do what I don’t. I need people who will do the things that are not my strengths.
Let’s explore this for a moment. I am an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and the fact of the matter is that I am very good at what I do – now that’s not a boast, it’s a fact. I have the accolades (and the clients) to prove it.
One of the areas that I check when I am doing an assessment, is whether the client has got contracts in place and if so are they the correct contracts. Now I am not a lawyer and I don’t profess to know too much about the law (other than it can get really confusing), so instead of that becoming a weakness (because I know that you have a problem, but I cannot solve it for you), I turn it into a strength (for me) and a value add (for both you and the specialist that I refer), by referring you to the correct lawyer for your problem. Notice I said the correct lawyer – not just a lawyer. You see there are many different aspects to the law, so many lawyers choose to specialize. The result is that I have a Contractual Lawyer, a Litigation Lawyer, a Trust Lawyer, a Labour Attorney and a Generalist Attorney. I also have a Tax Advocate and if pressed, I am sure I could find you a really mean Divorce Lawyer as well.
Just by knowing these people, I have increased my value and therefore the value to my Company. I have provided a solution to a problem that my client had (notice had – the problem is now resolved), I have given work to a colleague who will now ‘remember’ me if anyone of their client’s needs the kind of help that I can give and I have increased and added to my ‘Circle of Influence’ How awesome is that?
So, although it appears that I work totally alone, I am actually a very small part of a very large team! That’s not the end of the story either because, I tend to work with other individuals who are entrepreneurs and SMME’s, so I work with Specialists rather than generalists, which is what you usually find in the Corporate environment. What does this actually mean though? It means that you get assistance from people like me – people who are passionate about what it is that they do, rather than just people who work to put food on the table.
People who are determined to make a difference in your life and your business. People who deliver what and when they say they will deliver. Now that for me is the biggest value add of them all!
Where do I get these people from, I hear you ask – well that’s simple to answer – from networking of course!
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or https://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Business Tips - Rising to the Occasion - Part 3
BUSINESS TIPS – Rising to the Occasion – Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Here we are looking at some more solutions to challenges around us as individuals and how we view ourselves as either winners or losers. How we look at ourselves in terms of success or failure and how we can solve some of these issues.
• Words: Think about the words that you use. Change your mindset and instead looking at “problems”, look at ‘challenges’; or ‘opportunities’. The way that we use words and what they mean to our subconscious minds is very important to how we look at ourselves and how we judge ourselves.
I am sure that we are all aware of the thinking around affirmation and how if we tell ourselves, often enough and long enough, how excellent we are that we will eventually believe it. Surely then if we continue to say the words “challenges” or “opportunities”, we will start looking for opportunities and finding solutions to challenges!
• I am sitting at a “Women Making a Difference In Africa Conference” as I write this and so far this morning, all the speeches have been about ‘doom and gloom’. My upbeat and optimistic mood of this morning has definitely slipped its moorings and has drifted somewhat southwards. As I look around the people in the room, the looks on their faces speak volumes. Some are bored to tears, some are filled with fear, some are angry at what is being said and me . . . well I have found something useful to occupy my time . . I am writing this article and rising to this particular occasion.
You see, I refuse to be engulfed in the fear that is all around us. I refuse to live my life in accordance with what other people desire to do in their own lives.
For me it is of the utmost importance to get past the fear and pessimism if I want my life and my life’s purpose to inspire greatness in others.
Next time will be the final part in sharing some of the solutions to the challenges that we may encounter as we all attempt to rise to the challenge.
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
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Here we are looking at some more solutions to challenges around us as individuals and how we view ourselves as either winners or losers. How we look at ourselves in terms of success or failure and how we can solve some of these issues.
• Words: Think about the words that you use. Change your mindset and instead looking at “problems”, look at ‘challenges’; or ‘opportunities’. The way that we use words and what they mean to our subconscious minds is very important to how we look at ourselves and how we judge ourselves.
I am sure that we are all aware of the thinking around affirmation and how if we tell ourselves, often enough and long enough, how excellent we are that we will eventually believe it. Surely then if we continue to say the words “challenges” or “opportunities”, we will start looking for opportunities and finding solutions to challenges!
• I am sitting at a “Women Making a Difference In Africa Conference” as I write this and so far this morning, all the speeches have been about ‘doom and gloom’. My upbeat and optimistic mood of this morning has definitely slipped its moorings and has drifted somewhat southwards. As I look around the people in the room, the looks on their faces speak volumes. Some are bored to tears, some are filled with fear, some are angry at what is being said and me . . . well I have found something useful to occupy my time . . I am writing this article and rising to this particular occasion.
You see, I refuse to be engulfed in the fear that is all around us. I refuse to live my life in accordance with what other people desire to do in their own lives.
For me it is of the utmost importance to get past the fear and pessimism if I want my life and my life’s purpose to inspire greatness in others.
Next time will be the final part in sharing some of the solutions to the challenges that we may encounter as we all attempt to rise to the challenge.
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
Monday, April 23, 2018
Motivation - Work
Motivation - Work
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
The quote today comes from Zig Zigler who says “The most practical, beautiful, workable, philosophy won’t work – if you won’t.”
This one sure made me smile – a big smile! You see for years now, I have sat in Networking meetings and for me it was kind of like stating the obvious. Networking doesn’t work unless you work at it! No matter how great the opportunity that presents itself, if you don’t do something with it – nothing will happen. Building relationships is futile, if you don’t work at them.
I am often astounded by the fact that people go to Networking meetings (or even Business meetings for that matter) and say things like – ‘It doesn’t work for me because nothing happened.’ Well of course nothing happened! You did nothing!
Despite the fact that the Universe is really abundant, despite the fact that opportunities abound, despite the fact that for every door that closes, several open – you, the individual still have to do something! For goodness sake people, think about it for a moment – in order to win the Lotto, you still have to buy the ticket!
So perhaps you will believe me now – now that I have the endorsement of the great Zig Zigler!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
The quote today comes from Zig Zigler who says “The most practical, beautiful, workable, philosophy won’t work – if you won’t.”
This one sure made me smile – a big smile! You see for years now, I have sat in Networking meetings and for me it was kind of like stating the obvious. Networking doesn’t work unless you work at it! No matter how great the opportunity that presents itself, if you don’t do something with it – nothing will happen. Building relationships is futile, if you don’t work at them.
I am often astounded by the fact that people go to Networking meetings (or even Business meetings for that matter) and say things like – ‘It doesn’t work for me because nothing happened.’ Well of course nothing happened! You did nothing!
Despite the fact that the Universe is really abundant, despite the fact that opportunities abound, despite the fact that for every door that closes, several open – you, the individual still have to do something! For goodness sake people, think about it for a moment – in order to win the Lotto, you still have to buy the ticket!
So perhaps you will believe me now – now that I have the endorsement of the great Zig Zigler!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Blogging 101- Great Articles Equal Great Experiences
BLOGGING 101 – Great Articles equal Great Experiences
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
One of the quickest ways to get me to unsubscribe, fire you as a service provider or indeed walk into your competitors lair, is to irritate me.
You see, for me it is not just about what the offering is, it’s not just about the product or even the service – for me it’s about the whole experience. It’s about how that whole experience makes me feel (and I don’t necessarily mean in a warm and fuzzy or touchy feelie kind of way). Does it make me want to return, does it make me want to share (in a good way or even when I’m spitting mad), does it make me smile or laugh, does it make me want to change something?
Reading for me, be it articles or magazines or books, have the same kind of effect. Is it written in a simple manner that is easy to read and understand? Does it bring forth images that make me smile or laugh or even cry and squirm or shake with anger? Not every ‘good’ experience is sweetly pleasurable – some sadden and make me think and then act, some challenge and some . . . . well, they just irritate!
They irritate because they are too technical or they use words that necessitate me being permanently attached to the dictionary or they are so devoid of any type of truth or figment of reality that I am blinded by a red mist of anger and indignation at the fact that someone would even think that I would be caught up in their absolute nonsense!
Like many, I do not like to steeped in and surrounded by negativity and if I am reading something that constantly brings this emotion to the forefront, I will stop and move onto the next article.
As a creature of habit, I usually return time and time again to the same sites. When I find an article that I enjoy on a site, I will usually ‘follow’ it to see what else comes up. That said however, I can just as easily ‘unfollow’, which is something that I will do from time to time, if I become disgruntled and irritated with the author or their content.
The reality is that I am not any different to anyone else out there in terms of how I deal with my own set of particular likes and dislikes. The reality is that there are truckloads and more, of information out there – useful stuff, enjoyable stuff and of course a load of nonsense too. It’s freely available to anyone and everyone. The only thing between someone reading your articles or not is the choice that they make about the experience that they are having.
So, if you want your readers to keep coming back, time and time again, you have to make sure that you do not irritate and annoy them. Make sure that every article equates to a memorable experience.
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
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
One of the quickest ways to get me to unsubscribe, fire you as a service provider or indeed walk into your competitors lair, is to irritate me.
You see, for me it is not just about what the offering is, it’s not just about the product or even the service – for me it’s about the whole experience. It’s about how that whole experience makes me feel (and I don’t necessarily mean in a warm and fuzzy or touchy feelie kind of way). Does it make me want to return, does it make me want to share (in a good way or even when I’m spitting mad), does it make me smile or laugh, does it make me want to change something?
Reading for me, be it articles or magazines or books, have the same kind of effect. Is it written in a simple manner that is easy to read and understand? Does it bring forth images that make me smile or laugh or even cry and squirm or shake with anger? Not every ‘good’ experience is sweetly pleasurable – some sadden and make me think and then act, some challenge and some . . . . well, they just irritate!
They irritate because they are too technical or they use words that necessitate me being permanently attached to the dictionary or they are so devoid of any type of truth or figment of reality that I am blinded by a red mist of anger and indignation at the fact that someone would even think that I would be caught up in their absolute nonsense!
Like many, I do not like to steeped in and surrounded by negativity and if I am reading something that constantly brings this emotion to the forefront, I will stop and move onto the next article.
As a creature of habit, I usually return time and time again to the same sites. When I find an article that I enjoy on a site, I will usually ‘follow’ it to see what else comes up. That said however, I can just as easily ‘unfollow’, which is something that I will do from time to time, if I become disgruntled and irritated with the author or their content.
The reality is that I am not any different to anyone else out there in terms of how I deal with my own set of particular likes and dislikes. The reality is that there are truckloads and more, of information out there – useful stuff, enjoyable stuff and of course a load of nonsense too. It’s freely available to anyone and everyone. The only thing between someone reading your articles or not is the choice that they make about the experience that they are having.
So, if you want your readers to keep coming back, time and time again, you have to make sure that you do not irritate and annoy them. Make sure that every article equates to a memorable experience.
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
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Networking 101 - Are You In Love With What You Do?
Networking 101 - Are You In Love With What You Do?
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Do you love your work? Are you passionate about what you do? Does it show? Can people see how you feel about what you do?
If you have answered “No” to any of the above – well quite frankly you are in trouble!
I understand that there are some folk out there who have not yet found their passion, and on a personal level, that is one of the saddest things. What is even sadder though, is that some people don’t know that they haven’t found their passion. A quick test for me is to answer the following question – honestly!
If you had to win the lotto – say 100 million – once you have had the holiday and bought the dream house and car, what would you do? For me it’s a ‘no brainer’ – I would continue to do exactly what it is that I do now. The only difference would be that it would not be financially driven. In other words it wouldn’t matter if payments were late, because I would obviously be financially stable, so I wouldn’t need to ‘chase’ money the way that I do now.
I am often told that my passion and joy of living is infectious! Well if I’m going to be ‘infectious’, I would rather it be with my love of life than any other strange lurgy. Actually I really don’t understand those around me who live in a perpetual state of ‘doom and gloom’. Seriously, what’s the point? Walking around with the world on your shoulders, being constantly sad or angry or both. Sounds like too much hard work to me.
Think about it seriously for one moment – would you rather do business with someone who is obviously in love with life and who has a positive attitude towards life or would you rather do business with someone who is forever predicting a future that has . . . well no future?
I know which one would attract my business!
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Do you love your work? Are you passionate about what you do? Does it show? Can people see how you feel about what you do?
If you have answered “No” to any of the above – well quite frankly you are in trouble!
I understand that there are some folk out there who have not yet found their passion, and on a personal level, that is one of the saddest things. What is even sadder though, is that some people don’t know that they haven’t found their passion. A quick test for me is to answer the following question – honestly!
If you had to win the lotto – say 100 million – once you have had the holiday and bought the dream house and car, what would you do? For me it’s a ‘no brainer’ – I would continue to do exactly what it is that I do now. The only difference would be that it would not be financially driven. In other words it wouldn’t matter if payments were late, because I would obviously be financially stable, so I wouldn’t need to ‘chase’ money the way that I do now.
I am often told that my passion and joy of living is infectious! Well if I’m going to be ‘infectious’, I would rather it be with my love of life than any other strange lurgy. Actually I really don’t understand those around me who live in a perpetual state of ‘doom and gloom’. Seriously, what’s the point? Walking around with the world on your shoulders, being constantly sad or angry or both. Sounds like too much hard work to me.
Think about it seriously for one moment – would you rather do business with someone who is obviously in love with life and who has a positive attitude towards life or would you rather do business with someone who is forever predicting a future that has . . . well no future?
I know which one would attract my business!
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Monday, April 16, 2018
Motivation - Yes We Can
MOTIVATION – Yes We Can
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
We’ve all heard these words at some point in our lives – hell, I’m sure that on occasion we have uttered them ourselves. I know I have – in my youth when I entered some or other competition (usually sport for me) and I was up against someone who was really, really good, I would usually give myself a ‘pep’ talk of sorts that had the words ‘come on Viljoen – you know you can do it!’
So why am I telling you all of this? Simple really – for your own good! Ok, I’ll stop teasing and get down to it.
Somehow, when we are business owners, these words seem to fly out the window and we are left to our own devices, little puddles on the floor. Scared witless, petrified that we will fail, that we will fall down, that we will embarrass ourselves and in doing so embarrass friends and family. We take all the crap that the rest of society hands out like we are second class citizens in our own lives.
I don’t think that there is a day that goes by that we don’t have it thrown in our faces that businesses fail, the percentages of failed new start ups, the numbers flaunted in our faces and yet in the very next breath we are put under tremendously serious pressure when we are told that the economy is dependent on upon our success. I mean what’s with that? Why would you do that to somebody? Why would you put the weight of the world upon their shoulders and then just as they are about to take their first wobbly step out into the unknown you chop them off at the knees!
Oh and let’s not forget the big corporate companies, banks and even government who, stand on their soap boxes and pontificate to the world (and anyone else who wants to listen) on how they are assisting the SMME (small, medium, micro enterprise) and the entrepreneur. All the stuff that they give away such as money, training, freebies and what have you and yet, behind the scenes they are actually crippling and even killing small businesses, when they don’t pay invoices on time and pay 60 or 90 or 120 days and even worse in some situations, which means in reality that the small business owner is ‘carrying’ the cash flow of the large corporate, on their shoulders.
What about the various banks who want to be ‘seen’ as doing everything for the SMME in terms of loans and guidance and whatever other words that they can sugar coat to get us to believe what they are saying, only to make it so difficult to qualify for anything that it’s easier to just, ‘go for it’ on your own because it’s a lot less hard on the nerves (not to mention the wallet) in the long run – oh yes, I’m sure they forgot to mention just how much you are going to pay for that ‘help’ that they so lovingly gave.
Often we are so bullied by our colleagues, our so called friends and family, who are just ‘looking out for’ us, that we begin to believe all the BS that get sprouted out of their ‘well intentioned’ mouths that we forget that we actually ‘can’ do it!
Yes of course we can – actually we have been doing it from the moment we were born. We have survived, we have grown (usually in length as well as in width *Sigh* as we have grown older). We have learnt to crawl and learnt to walk and then to run, we have passed exams and played sport and learnt how to read and write and ride bicycles and ridden horses and learnt to drive a motor car, found ourselves a job and met and married the person of our dreams (or not) and had children of our own (or not) and gotten divorced (or not) and started our own businesses, which have succeeded or not and yet we have survived – often against all odds.
Let’s put it into a bit of perspective shall we. There is this child, let’s call her Suzie – she is almost a year old and she is starting to walk. Her family and their friends all clap when she takes a step or two, they all reach out to steady her if she looks like she is going to wobble or fall over. They cheer and encourage her when looks like she is hesitating and they even praise her and tell her what a good job she is doing, even when she is actually falling flat on her face. Here’s the important part – when she does fall flat on her face, they all encourage her to get back up and try again.
You don’t hear anyone saying things like ‘hey Suzie, this walking thing is overrated, most people never learn how to do it, why don’t you just give it a miss and let someone else carry you around for the rest of your life” or “hey Suzie, I don’t think this walking thing is for you, perhaps you should stick to crawling,” or “don’t you think you’re a bit young/inexperienced/wet behind the ears (insert your own issue here) to be doing this – perhaps you should wait a bit and learn from your peers or mentors” or my personal favorite “haven’t you learnt yet that you are going to get hurt – why do you continue to try?”
The worst of it is that by choice, we as SMME’s seem to take pleasure in surrounding ourselves with the very people who, in the name of ‘looking out for us’ are constantly putting us down. We socialize with those, who have never owned their own businesses themselves and are therefore in no position to give any advice, and yet who constantly tell us how stupid, naïve, idiotic we are for trying to do this thing. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why, Why, Why?
The reality is that “YES WE CAN” do it. We can be successful, we have more often than not been successful in the past, and you know what, even if we do fall over, make a silly decision, trust someone that we perhaps shouldn’t, we are survivors. We can overcome any obstacle, we can get up again and go forward and the best of all, we can surround ourselves with positive people. People who will encourage us, who will reach out and steady us when we wobble. People who will praise us, even when we fall flat on our faces and who will reach out to help us up again. People who will be telling us why we can succeed not people telling us why we cannot.
More importantly, people who genuinely care, instead of corporates and governments and people, with hidden agendas, who care only about how they are ‘seen’ and what they are ‘seen to be doing’.
I, for one am going to be making a whole bunch of changes in my life this year. I will be getting rid of whomever and whatever causes chaos in my life. I am going to surround myself with people who are trying to make positive changes in their own lives and in the lives of others. I am going to be walking away from friends, relatives and colleagues who don’t add any value to my life and concentrate on those who do and who I can add value to.
I am going to hang about with those who encourage me and who I can encourage. Who will you be hanging out with?
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
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
We’ve all heard these words at some point in our lives – hell, I’m sure that on occasion we have uttered them ourselves. I know I have – in my youth when I entered some or other competition (usually sport for me) and I was up against someone who was really, really good, I would usually give myself a ‘pep’ talk of sorts that had the words ‘come on Viljoen – you know you can do it!’
So why am I telling you all of this? Simple really – for your own good! Ok, I’ll stop teasing and get down to it.
Somehow, when we are business owners, these words seem to fly out the window and we are left to our own devices, little puddles on the floor. Scared witless, petrified that we will fail, that we will fall down, that we will embarrass ourselves and in doing so embarrass friends and family. We take all the crap that the rest of society hands out like we are second class citizens in our own lives.
I don’t think that there is a day that goes by that we don’t have it thrown in our faces that businesses fail, the percentages of failed new start ups, the numbers flaunted in our faces and yet in the very next breath we are put under tremendously serious pressure when we are told that the economy is dependent on upon our success. I mean what’s with that? Why would you do that to somebody? Why would you put the weight of the world upon their shoulders and then just as they are about to take their first wobbly step out into the unknown you chop them off at the knees!
Oh and let’s not forget the big corporate companies, banks and even government who, stand on their soap boxes and pontificate to the world (and anyone else who wants to listen) on how they are assisting the SMME (small, medium, micro enterprise) and the entrepreneur. All the stuff that they give away such as money, training, freebies and what have you and yet, behind the scenes they are actually crippling and even killing small businesses, when they don’t pay invoices on time and pay 60 or 90 or 120 days and even worse in some situations, which means in reality that the small business owner is ‘carrying’ the cash flow of the large corporate, on their shoulders.
What about the various banks who want to be ‘seen’ as doing everything for the SMME in terms of loans and guidance and whatever other words that they can sugar coat to get us to believe what they are saying, only to make it so difficult to qualify for anything that it’s easier to just, ‘go for it’ on your own because it’s a lot less hard on the nerves (not to mention the wallet) in the long run – oh yes, I’m sure they forgot to mention just how much you are going to pay for that ‘help’ that they so lovingly gave.
Often we are so bullied by our colleagues, our so called friends and family, who are just ‘looking out for’ us, that we begin to believe all the BS that get sprouted out of their ‘well intentioned’ mouths that we forget that we actually ‘can’ do it!
Yes of course we can – actually we have been doing it from the moment we were born. We have survived, we have grown (usually in length as well as in width *Sigh* as we have grown older). We have learnt to crawl and learnt to walk and then to run, we have passed exams and played sport and learnt how to read and write and ride bicycles and ridden horses and learnt to drive a motor car, found ourselves a job and met and married the person of our dreams (or not) and had children of our own (or not) and gotten divorced (or not) and started our own businesses, which have succeeded or not and yet we have survived – often against all odds.
Let’s put it into a bit of perspective shall we. There is this child, let’s call her Suzie – she is almost a year old and she is starting to walk. Her family and their friends all clap when she takes a step or two, they all reach out to steady her if she looks like she is going to wobble or fall over. They cheer and encourage her when looks like she is hesitating and they even praise her and tell her what a good job she is doing, even when she is actually falling flat on her face. Here’s the important part – when she does fall flat on her face, they all encourage her to get back up and try again.
You don’t hear anyone saying things like ‘hey Suzie, this walking thing is overrated, most people never learn how to do it, why don’t you just give it a miss and let someone else carry you around for the rest of your life” or “hey Suzie, I don’t think this walking thing is for you, perhaps you should stick to crawling,” or “don’t you think you’re a bit young/inexperienced/wet behind the ears (insert your own issue here) to be doing this – perhaps you should wait a bit and learn from your peers or mentors” or my personal favorite “haven’t you learnt yet that you are going to get hurt – why do you continue to try?”
The worst of it is that by choice, we as SMME’s seem to take pleasure in surrounding ourselves with the very people who, in the name of ‘looking out for us’ are constantly putting us down. We socialize with those, who have never owned their own businesses themselves and are therefore in no position to give any advice, and yet who constantly tell us how stupid, naïve, idiotic we are for trying to do this thing. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why, Why, Why?
The reality is that “YES WE CAN” do it. We can be successful, we have more often than not been successful in the past, and you know what, even if we do fall over, make a silly decision, trust someone that we perhaps shouldn’t, we are survivors. We can overcome any obstacle, we can get up again and go forward and the best of all, we can surround ourselves with positive people. People who will encourage us, who will reach out and steady us when we wobble. People who will praise us, even when we fall flat on our faces and who will reach out to help us up again. People who will be telling us why we can succeed not people telling us why we cannot.
More importantly, people who genuinely care, instead of corporates and governments and people, with hidden agendas, who care only about how they are ‘seen’ and what they are ‘seen to be doing’.
I, for one am going to be making a whole bunch of changes in my life this year. I will be getting rid of whomever and whatever causes chaos in my life. I am going to surround myself with people who are trying to make positive changes in their own lives and in the lives of others. I am going to be walking away from friends, relatives and colleagues who don’t add any value to my life and concentrate on those who do and who I can add value to.
I am going to hang about with those who encourage me and who I can encourage. Who will you be hanging out with?
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
Friday, April 13, 2018
HR 101 – What To Do When . . . You Need to Compile a Job Description - Part 3
HR 101 – What To Do When . . . You Need to Compile a Job Description - Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd.
Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice.
The one tip that we discussed last week was that the description of what the staff member needs to do has to be accurate and realistic.
The next tip is that the Job Description has to outline the job’s location, job purpose and content. It also has to document the relationships involved, the authority involved and the controls and checks.
Let’s examine what this means. Let’s take an Operations Manager’s position in a retail chain. Now clearly in this type of scenario, there are many different types of Managers. There would be store managers, Area or Regional Managers, Procurement Managers, Administration Managers, (and that’s just for the stores, never mind what happens at Head Office.) and so on. So if you were looking for an Operations Manager for the ‘stores’ as opposed to an Operations Manager for Head Office or the Warehouse or Factory, this would need to be specified and the fact that it is a Manager that is required and not an operations assistant or an operation’s clerk is of vital importance. This would highlight that the “job’s location in the organization” is one of Operations Manager of the stores. It stands to reason then that all the Operations Managers in the company would have similar, but not necessarily the same tasks to fulfill, so these need to be itemized carefully.
The job purpose and content would of course be to ‘Manage the Operational’ requirements of all the stores country wide and take responsibility for how well the stores run. This would include, but not be limited to, the responsibility of the staff, the sales of the stores and the reaching of targets. The projection of the company image to the public is also something that should be taken into account. It would include things like staff training on product and sales training, setting of budgets and targets, the responsibility of ensuring that Government legislation is complied with and that the HR and Labour issues are met and controlled. Issues of safety and health would also need to be controlled, not only for the staff, but also for clients. Merchandising of stock and procurement of supplies would also fall under the responsibility of the Operations Manager. So be sure to list everything that needs to be done.
The relationships involved would include the staff who would report into the Operations Manager, who the Operations Manager would report into as well as what controls and checks would be in place to measure the Operations Manager performance. This would include, but not be limited to, targets and budgets being met and so on. It would also be necessary to include things like the minimum requirements of the job, you would not employ someone straight out of school to perform this task, now would you? – what are the minimum educational requirements (for example, a minimum of matric and a Management diploma or degree or a minimum of x number of years working experience in an Operational Environment or Managerial position) and so on.
Clearly the expectation of both the holder of the job (in this case the Operations Manager) and their supervisor must be the same or similar. They must equally understand exactly what is required, when it is required and how the job must be done. Often issues of ‘expectation’ and ‘perception,’ not meeting in the middle is what causes the most headaches and conflict within an organization.
Next week we will continue with some more tips on how to write a Job Description.
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 or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd.
Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice.
The one tip that we discussed last week was that the description of what the staff member needs to do has to be accurate and realistic.
The next tip is that the Job Description has to outline the job’s location, job purpose and content. It also has to document the relationships involved, the authority involved and the controls and checks.
Let’s examine what this means. Let’s take an Operations Manager’s position in a retail chain. Now clearly in this type of scenario, there are many different types of Managers. There would be store managers, Area or Regional Managers, Procurement Managers, Administration Managers, (and that’s just for the stores, never mind what happens at Head Office.) and so on. So if you were looking for an Operations Manager for the ‘stores’ as opposed to an Operations Manager for Head Office or the Warehouse or Factory, this would need to be specified and the fact that it is a Manager that is required and not an operations assistant or an operation’s clerk is of vital importance. This would highlight that the “job’s location in the organization” is one of Operations Manager of the stores. It stands to reason then that all the Operations Managers in the company would have similar, but not necessarily the same tasks to fulfill, so these need to be itemized carefully.
The job purpose and content would of course be to ‘Manage the Operational’ requirements of all the stores country wide and take responsibility for how well the stores run. This would include, but not be limited to, the responsibility of the staff, the sales of the stores and the reaching of targets. The projection of the company image to the public is also something that should be taken into account. It would include things like staff training on product and sales training, setting of budgets and targets, the responsibility of ensuring that Government legislation is complied with and that the HR and Labour issues are met and controlled. Issues of safety and health would also need to be controlled, not only for the staff, but also for clients. Merchandising of stock and procurement of supplies would also fall under the responsibility of the Operations Manager. So be sure to list everything that needs to be done.
The relationships involved would include the staff who would report into the Operations Manager, who the Operations Manager would report into as well as what controls and checks would be in place to measure the Operations Manager performance. This would include, but not be limited to, targets and budgets being met and so on. It would also be necessary to include things like the minimum requirements of the job, you would not employ someone straight out of school to perform this task, now would you? – what are the minimum educational requirements (for example, a minimum of matric and a Management diploma or degree or a minimum of x number of years working experience in an Operational Environment or Managerial position) and so on.
Clearly the expectation of both the holder of the job (in this case the Operations Manager) and their supervisor must be the same or similar. They must equally understand exactly what is required, when it is required and how the job must be done. Often issues of ‘expectation’ and ‘perception,’ not meeting in the middle is what causes the most headaches and conflict within an organization.
Next week we will continue with some more tips on how to write a Job Description.
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 or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Blogging 101 - Why Blog?
BLOGGING 101 – Why Blog?
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
It was a request from a friend who lives far away – the ‘how to’ of blogging that is!
I must say, both the question and the request took me somewhat by surprise.
You see, although I am a technophobe who literally has no clue on how to actually set up a blog (mine was set up by a friend – a mentee actually), the value and content of a blog was not in question from the day that I heard about blogging. It is an extremely simple concept and quite honestly I am confused by how complicated some people have made it out to be.
Simply put, it is an electronic journal that you can share with the world or not. It can be locked up and accessible to specific groups of people (like a family who has been scattered to the four corners of the world) or even used as a means to share information with say senior managers in an international company, or you can leave it as an open forum and share the information with anyone.
Quite honestly, it is, in my opinion, one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to not only market yourself, but also provide “Joe Public” with information that they may need but not know where to go in order to obtain it or avail themselves of it.
In my opinion there is no a single solitary business on the face of the planet that would not benefit from having a blog and those that use the opportunity (note to self – get the ads up and running) properly and effectively, would also actually have an opportunity to make a lot of money whilst also actually making a profound difference in the lives of others
Each one of us, who run a Business, has something to ‘give’. The more we tell people about what we do, the more they understand and the more they understand the more they become interested, the quicker we will ‘pop into’ their minds when they need our particular product or service.
Think about it for a moment – you may know of say 5 different bookkeepers. They are all equally as good as each other, they all have excellent references. One of the bookkeepers starts writing a blog that actually explains the different terms that bookkeepers and accountants use in a way that you understand and suddenly you start understanding the terminology. Your bookkeeper decides to immigrate and suddenly you need to engage the services of a ‘new’ bookkeeper. Which one would you choose? I know that for me, it would be the one who has been blogging because, even though I haven’t physically engaged with them I have on some level engaged when I read the blogs. There is now a connection with one bookkeeper that I do not have with the others.
We are all experts in what we do or sell and sharing some of our knowledge and expertise as ‘tips’ will do more for our business than any expensive marketing campaign. I actually find that doing the research for some of the articles that I write means that my knowledge is expanded too and that is always a bonus.
So – sharpen your pencils and start jotting down ideas on some of the things that you may want to write about or have an opinion on or even if you just want to write for fun – let’s explore the opportunity and see what we can come up with.
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
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
It was a request from a friend who lives far away – the ‘how to’ of blogging that is!
I must say, both the question and the request took me somewhat by surprise.
You see, although I am a technophobe who literally has no clue on how to actually set up a blog (mine was set up by a friend – a mentee actually), the value and content of a blog was not in question from the day that I heard about blogging. It is an extremely simple concept and quite honestly I am confused by how complicated some people have made it out to be.
Simply put, it is an electronic journal that you can share with the world or not. It can be locked up and accessible to specific groups of people (like a family who has been scattered to the four corners of the world) or even used as a means to share information with say senior managers in an international company, or you can leave it as an open forum and share the information with anyone.
Quite honestly, it is, in my opinion, one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to not only market yourself, but also provide “Joe Public” with information that they may need but not know where to go in order to obtain it or avail themselves of it.
In my opinion there is no a single solitary business on the face of the planet that would not benefit from having a blog and those that use the opportunity (note to self – get the ads up and running) properly and effectively, would also actually have an opportunity to make a lot of money whilst also actually making a profound difference in the lives of others
Each one of us, who run a Business, has something to ‘give’. The more we tell people about what we do, the more they understand and the more they understand the more they become interested, the quicker we will ‘pop into’ their minds when they need our particular product or service.
Think about it for a moment – you may know of say 5 different bookkeepers. They are all equally as good as each other, they all have excellent references. One of the bookkeepers starts writing a blog that actually explains the different terms that bookkeepers and accountants use in a way that you understand and suddenly you start understanding the terminology. Your bookkeeper decides to immigrate and suddenly you need to engage the services of a ‘new’ bookkeeper. Which one would you choose? I know that for me, it would be the one who has been blogging because, even though I haven’t physically engaged with them I have on some level engaged when I read the blogs. There is now a connection with one bookkeeper that I do not have with the others.
We are all experts in what we do or sell and sharing some of our knowledge and expertise as ‘tips’ will do more for our business than any expensive marketing campaign. I actually find that doing the research for some of the articles that I write means that my knowledge is expanded too and that is always a bonus.
So – sharpen your pencils and start jotting down ideas on some of the things that you may want to write about or have an opinion on or even if you just want to write for fun – let’s explore the opportunity and see what we can come up with.
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
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Networking 101 - Building a Reputation
Networking 101 – Building a Reputation
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
One of the greatest rewards for me, from networking is that I get to build a reputation.
My reputation (and yours should be exactly the same) is of the utmost importance, not only on a personal level, but also from a Business perspective. You see my reputation is an integral part of my Branding. Word of mouth or referral is the quickest way in which to Brand myself and believe it or not, perception is the quickest way to destroy it!
Some people say that your face is one of the biggest ways to build your reputation – by your face you are instantly recognizable. I am constantly amazed by the number of people who come up to me and greet me by name and I have no idea who they are. You see my face (and therefore my brand) is up on every profile that I am on, all over the web!
That in itself however, is not enough. Everything you say or do is part of your branding too, whether you like it or not. In short, YOU, the individual are your own brand both from a personal perspective and so too from a Business one.
During the course of this week I was paid a huge compliment by a very new client, who has just outsourced their payroll and Accounting. They mentioned to the Accountant, that they had just undergone a compliance and administration audit and that there was a great deal to be done. The individual who will be doing their books and payroll asked if by any chance the audit was done by “Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting” and when they confirmed that it was, this person apparently answered “ok that’s fine then, everything will be sorted out and resolved!”
Fabulous - don’t you agree? Now here comes the clanger! I have never, ever even heard of this individual or the Company!
That’s my reputation!
A lesson I learnt as a very young child, under the age of 8 years old actually, was from my father who said “You cannot be held responsible for the name that you bring into this world, because it is the name that I gave you – but the name that you take out of this world is the one that you make for yourself!”
These words have stood me in good stead all of my life, and clearly they have made a difference to me and the manner in which I have built my reputation. This is evident in the way that people view me – my reputation appears to precede me.
What about yours? Ask yourself – what is your reputation? What is your Brand and if you don’t like what you see or what you have answered, how are you going to change it and turn it around?
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
One of the greatest rewards for me, from networking is that I get to build a reputation.
My reputation (and yours should be exactly the same) is of the utmost importance, not only on a personal level, but also from a Business perspective. You see my reputation is an integral part of my Branding. Word of mouth or referral is the quickest way in which to Brand myself and believe it or not, perception is the quickest way to destroy it!
Some people say that your face is one of the biggest ways to build your reputation – by your face you are instantly recognizable. I am constantly amazed by the number of people who come up to me and greet me by name and I have no idea who they are. You see my face (and therefore my brand) is up on every profile that I am on, all over the web!
That in itself however, is not enough. Everything you say or do is part of your branding too, whether you like it or not. In short, YOU, the individual are your own brand both from a personal perspective and so too from a Business one.
During the course of this week I was paid a huge compliment by a very new client, who has just outsourced their payroll and Accounting. They mentioned to the Accountant, that they had just undergone a compliance and administration audit and that there was a great deal to be done. The individual who will be doing their books and payroll asked if by any chance the audit was done by “Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting” and when they confirmed that it was, this person apparently answered “ok that’s fine then, everything will be sorted out and resolved!”
Fabulous - don’t you agree? Now here comes the clanger! I have never, ever even heard of this individual or the Company!
That’s my reputation!
A lesson I learnt as a very young child, under the age of 8 years old actually, was from my father who said “You cannot be held responsible for the name that you bring into this world, because it is the name that I gave you – but the name that you take out of this world is the one that you make for yourself!”
These words have stood me in good stead all of my life, and clearly they have made a difference to me and the manner in which I have built my reputation. This is evident in the way that people view me – my reputation appears to precede me.
What about yours? Ask yourself – what is your reputation? What is your Brand and if you don’t like what you see or what you have answered, how are you going to change it and turn it around?
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Business Tips- Raising to the Occasion - Part 1
BUSINESS TIPS – Rising to the Occasion – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
As small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs we all understand and are often touched by the adversity around us. From political unrest and uncertainty to financial and economic recessions and troubles. These are indeed, very trying times but also very exciting times.
Here’s the thing though – at some point in our lives, trouble will visit with us. Even during the best of times, trouble comes to visit. Trouble has many faces and many forms – trouble can visit in the form of an illness, or a fire or business ruin or financial challenges. Whatever form trouble takes, it will visit. The challenge of course is how we deal with trouble.
Many of us not only deal with every day challenges or the small irritations that life throws at us, but also have to do with some of the big things too.
Strangely enough though, it is the way that we deal with the small irritations in life that will usually determine the way that we will deal with the big things in life.
Disasters are big and in their hugeness, it is difficult to ignore them – they aren’t going to go away and you cannot hide them under the carpet or in the cupboard. They are ‘in your face’ and you have to deal with them.
The real test though, for me anyway, is how to deal with the everyday little issues. Those constant daily irritations that buzz around our heads like an army of mosquitoes?
Issues such as (but not limited to) getting enough rest or looking after our health or even spending quality time with our families and loved ones. These issues are not the dramatic disaster kind and they don’t appear to be urgent, yet many of us ignore them hoping that they will go away. For example neglecting your wife/husband and family won’t have any major effect in the short term. The long term effects though could be divorce or estrangement. How sad is that? In this particular example, it’s the small, daily, irritating mozzie that has grown into a tsunami that is causing the major problems.
People who are successful or who are high achievers, always expect challenges, in fact many of them welcome challenges because it’s in the dealing with the problem that they get to stretch their minds and their problem solving skills. You will also find that most of these people, whilst they are realists – are also optimistic about life. They believe in themselves and understand their strengths and they are determined to put the changes in place. They are determined to meet life head on. They are also aware of the fact that as their success grows, so too will the number and size of their troubles. Most importantly too, is that they usually have a great sense of humour and know how to laugh at themselves as well as at life.
Next time we will have a look at some indicators on ‘how to’ solve your troubles before they become disasters.
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
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
As small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs we all understand and are often touched by the adversity around us. From political unrest and uncertainty to financial and economic recessions and troubles. These are indeed, very trying times but also very exciting times.
Here’s the thing though – at some point in our lives, trouble will visit with us. Even during the best of times, trouble comes to visit. Trouble has many faces and many forms – trouble can visit in the form of an illness, or a fire or business ruin or financial challenges. Whatever form trouble takes, it will visit. The challenge of course is how we deal with trouble.
Many of us not only deal with every day challenges or the small irritations that life throws at us, but also have to do with some of the big things too.
Strangely enough though, it is the way that we deal with the small irritations in life that will usually determine the way that we will deal with the big things in life.
Disasters are big and in their hugeness, it is difficult to ignore them – they aren’t going to go away and you cannot hide them under the carpet or in the cupboard. They are ‘in your face’ and you have to deal with them.
The real test though, for me anyway, is how to deal with the everyday little issues. Those constant daily irritations that buzz around our heads like an army of mosquitoes?
Issues such as (but not limited to) getting enough rest or looking after our health or even spending quality time with our families and loved ones. These issues are not the dramatic disaster kind and they don’t appear to be urgent, yet many of us ignore them hoping that they will go away. For example neglecting your wife/husband and family won’t have any major effect in the short term. The long term effects though could be divorce or estrangement. How sad is that? In this particular example, it’s the small, daily, irritating mozzie that has grown into a tsunami that is causing the major problems.
People who are successful or who are high achievers, always expect challenges, in fact many of them welcome challenges because it’s in the dealing with the problem that they get to stretch their minds and their problem solving skills. You will also find that most of these people, whilst they are realists – are also optimistic about life. They believe in themselves and understand their strengths and they are determined to put the changes in place. They are determined to meet life head on. They are also aware of the fact that as their success grows, so too will the number and size of their troubles. Most importantly too, is that they usually have a great sense of humour and know how to laugh at themselves as well as at life.
Next time we will have a look at some indicators on ‘how to’ solve your troubles before they become disasters.
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
Monday, April 09, 2018
Motivation - Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
MOTIVATION – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
I’m not sure who penned this, but it says “Today is the tomorrow we were worried about yesterday.”
I have a friend (let’s call her Susan) who has a 7 year old daughter (let’s call her Jane) who has a slight problem. She worries about everything! Susan often has to go out of town on business and then Jane is left with her 28 year old brother – so it’s not like she is neglected in any way, but Jane worries all the time. Susan now only tells Jane that she is leaving the day before she goes, to minimize Jane’s worrying. Had Susan told Jane that she was leaving when the decision was made or when the travel booking was made, Jane would start worrying from that time.
The problem here of course is, that Jane would be so busy worrying about the fact that her mother was going away (not that anything has gone wrong for her to worry about this), that she hasn’t enjoyed any of the ‘now’. All the fun things that they have done together, since the time that Jane got to know that her mother was leaving, have been negated because Jane was worried.
What a way to go through life – not enjoying things as they happen, because she is worried about what might happen in the future. Yet, most of us are guilty of this very same thing. Worrying about the future before the present even happens.
I know I do it! I often stress about things, like if I am called into a meeting by one of the clients and in my mind there is no need for that meeting to take place – I stress about it, dream about it agonize over it and then when it happens, it is usually something totally without any kind of merit and I could kick my own rear end for being such a baby – yet the next time it happens, there I push the panic button all over again. In retrospect – what a waste of time!
Retrospect is a wonderful thing, don’t you think? Looking back on what you did and how to change it – it’s in the ‘changing’, that we all need to do the most work – me included, actually it should be ‘me especially’ if the truth must be told. I am a lot better though I must admit, but still not quite where I know I should be, because the panic button is still the first thing that gets pressed.
Logic tells me though, that worrying about something will not change the outcome. What is to happen, will happen irrespective of whether we worry about it or not – so what’s the point of worrying?
Looks like I need to work on this a bit more – what about you? Are you also a worry wart?
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
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
I’m not sure who penned this, but it says “Today is the tomorrow we were worried about yesterday.”
I have a friend (let’s call her Susan) who has a 7 year old daughter (let’s call her Jane) who has a slight problem. She worries about everything! Susan often has to go out of town on business and then Jane is left with her 28 year old brother – so it’s not like she is neglected in any way, but Jane worries all the time. Susan now only tells Jane that she is leaving the day before she goes, to minimize Jane’s worrying. Had Susan told Jane that she was leaving when the decision was made or when the travel booking was made, Jane would start worrying from that time.
The problem here of course is, that Jane would be so busy worrying about the fact that her mother was going away (not that anything has gone wrong for her to worry about this), that she hasn’t enjoyed any of the ‘now’. All the fun things that they have done together, since the time that Jane got to know that her mother was leaving, have been negated because Jane was worried.
What a way to go through life – not enjoying things as they happen, because she is worried about what might happen in the future. Yet, most of us are guilty of this very same thing. Worrying about the future before the present even happens.
I know I do it! I often stress about things, like if I am called into a meeting by one of the clients and in my mind there is no need for that meeting to take place – I stress about it, dream about it agonize over it and then when it happens, it is usually something totally without any kind of merit and I could kick my own rear end for being such a baby – yet the next time it happens, there I push the panic button all over again. In retrospect – what a waste of time!
Retrospect is a wonderful thing, don’t you think? Looking back on what you did and how to change it – it’s in the ‘changing’, that we all need to do the most work – me included, actually it should be ‘me especially’ if the truth must be told. I am a lot better though I must admit, but still not quite where I know I should be, because the panic button is still the first thing that gets pressed.
Logic tells me though, that worrying about something will not change the outcome. What is to happen, will happen irrespective of whether we worry about it or not – so what’s the point of worrying?
Looks like I need to work on this a bit more – what about you? Are you also a worry wart?
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
Friday, April 06, 2018
HR 101 – What to do When . . . You Need to Compile a Job Description - Part 2
HR 101 – What to do When . . . You Need to Compile a Job Description - Part 2
By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
Last time we had a look at the difference between an employee’s duties and the job description.
Here are some of (but not limited to) the things that you need to look at and take into account when you want to write a job description.
First of all you need to be accurate and realistic about the requirements of the job.
Let me tell you a story. Many years ago I was employed by an insurance company, to capture all their hand written client data onto their computer system and in so doing, drag them kicking and screaming into the 20th Century. They needed to get all of their client information into an electronic format, if they were to remain in business and have any sort of competitive edge. At the same time, their own business Administration was in a state of total chaos, and they needed proper procedures and controls put into place to bring some sort of order into their lives.
A few days after I started, I was asked to perform bookkeeping tasks. Now although I am a qualified bookkeeper, I have never done a full set of books for a client (other than my own, when I was young and stupid) and certainly never done a set of books in an accounting package. You see they had seen that I was a qualified bookkeeper (as this information was on my CV) and they thought that they could get two jobs done for the price of one.
Don’t do that – the one job has nothing to do with the other and in this instance actually required two different people.
Make sure that what you require is realistic.
Then there is the case of the domestic worker – here is another story of how things go pear shaped.
You cannot believe the number of small businesses who have hired their domestic worker as the cleaner/housekeeper/tea lady. This in itself is not a problem at all, in fact I have done this myself. What is the problem is that all of a sudden the domestic worker becomes the filing clerk and then the office administration clerk.
Now, giving someone the opportunity, if they are capable is absolutely fantastic. Promoting someone to a position that is outside of their capabilities and then holding them accountable when they cannot cope or mess something up, is just plain irresponsible. You cannot fit the Job Description to the person – the person must fit the Job Description. So be honest about what the job entails and what your requirements are for that particular job and then find the person that fits those requirements.
Next time we will continue with some more tips on how to write a Job Description.
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
By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
Last time we had a look at the difference between an employee’s duties and the job description.
Here are some of (but not limited to) the things that you need to look at and take into account when you want to write a job description.
First of all you need to be accurate and realistic about the requirements of the job.
Let me tell you a story. Many years ago I was employed by an insurance company, to capture all their hand written client data onto their computer system and in so doing, drag them kicking and screaming into the 20th Century. They needed to get all of their client information into an electronic format, if they were to remain in business and have any sort of competitive edge. At the same time, their own business Administration was in a state of total chaos, and they needed proper procedures and controls put into place to bring some sort of order into their lives.
A few days after I started, I was asked to perform bookkeeping tasks. Now although I am a qualified bookkeeper, I have never done a full set of books for a client (other than my own, when I was young and stupid) and certainly never done a set of books in an accounting package. You see they had seen that I was a qualified bookkeeper (as this information was on my CV) and they thought that they could get two jobs done for the price of one.
Don’t do that – the one job has nothing to do with the other and in this instance actually required two different people.
Make sure that what you require is realistic.
Then there is the case of the domestic worker – here is another story of how things go pear shaped.
You cannot believe the number of small businesses who have hired their domestic worker as the cleaner/housekeeper/tea lady. This in itself is not a problem at all, in fact I have done this myself. What is the problem is that all of a sudden the domestic worker becomes the filing clerk and then the office administration clerk.
Now, giving someone the opportunity, if they are capable is absolutely fantastic. Promoting someone to a position that is outside of their capabilities and then holding them accountable when they cannot cope or mess something up, is just plain irresponsible. You cannot fit the Job Description to the person – the person must fit the Job Description. So be honest about what the job entails and what your requirements are for that particular job and then find the person that fits those requirements.
Next time we will continue with some more tips on how to write a Job Description.
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
Thursday, April 05, 2018
Blogging 101 - Always be Yourself
BLOGGING 101 – Always be Yourself
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd June 2011
I must admit, I really did have quite a chuckle when I read the article “Be Yourself” by Oleg Mokhov the other day. You see I am a very literal person and the first thought that jumped up into my mind was ‘well how else could I be anyone other than myself?” The thought of being or even trying to be someone else is absolutely repugnant to me!
After some thought (and of course reading the whole article through also helped), I got the point.
Mokhov’s point is that that he writes the way that he talks, which is in a ‘very relaxed and informal’ manner and very much like myself, he keeps it simple and easy to understand.
It appears that some people’s perception is that their own type of personality is not particularly successful and the result is that they then try and force themselves to become someone else and quite frankly unless you are an accomplished actor or actress, this just in not going to happen – remember also, even accomplished actors and actresses say the words and become the persona of someone else’s imagination. So just don’t do it!
In the words of Mokhov “Are you funny, be funny. Serious, be serious. Angry, be angry.”
For my part, above all enjoy yourself and have fun – without that, there’s no real point anyway.
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
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd June 2011
I must admit, I really did have quite a chuckle when I read the article “Be Yourself” by Oleg Mokhov the other day. You see I am a very literal person and the first thought that jumped up into my mind was ‘well how else could I be anyone other than myself?” The thought of being or even trying to be someone else is absolutely repugnant to me!
After some thought (and of course reading the whole article through also helped), I got the point.
Mokhov’s point is that that he writes the way that he talks, which is in a ‘very relaxed and informal’ manner and very much like myself, he keeps it simple and easy to understand.
It appears that some people’s perception is that their own type of personality is not particularly successful and the result is that they then try and force themselves to become someone else and quite frankly unless you are an accomplished actor or actress, this just in not going to happen – remember also, even accomplished actors and actresses say the words and become the persona of someone else’s imagination. So just don’t do it!
In the words of Mokhov “Are you funny, be funny. Serious, be serious. Angry, be angry.”
For my part, above all enjoy yourself and have fun – without that, there’s no real point anyway.
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
Wednesday, April 04, 2018
Networking 101 - The Benefits of Networking
Networking 101 - The Benefits of Networking
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:
“Benefits of networking include:
• An enhanced power base
• Broader access to resources
• Expanding your sphere of influence
• Supportive mentorship of peers
• Successful new business transactions and relationships.”
Let’s have a look at these individually.
An enhanced power base.
Every time you get a referral from someone, or someone new comes to a networking meeting, your own database increases. As you increase your data base, so your power base increases and your own personal ‘value add’ increases exponentially.
Broader access to resources.
Now this is a really important one – with the broader access to resources, comes a much bigger value add. One of my jokes that I tell at some of the networking events is that I pretty much have a contact for most requirements – that includes a brain surgeon! That has always brought out the chuckles and often nervous giggles. Last week I actually had to use that contact for a friend who has been in considerable pain for a very long time and who needed a reputable neuro-surgeon. Imagine for a moment, how she must feel right now?
Expanding your sphere of influence.
Man oh man! This is such a fabulous concept and so simplistic as well. Let me give you some more detail – I have a friend and colleague by the name of Mirriam “Nuska” Zwane. For those of you who don’t know her or of her, she is a multiple winner of the “Woman of the Year” award as well as numerous other accolades that she has picked up along the way. Mirriam often sends me a mail, or someone will call me and say ‘Mirriam has asked me to contact you”. I don’t question it, I don’t ask for motives or try and analyse why – I just set up a meeting at the soonest possible opportunity. You see every time Mirriam sends someone to me, its guaranteed work for me and the other individual irrespective of whether it comes from each other or from our databases. Mirriam for me, is a wonderful sphere of influence. Go on – google her and see what comes out – she is a woman amongst women!
The powerful thing here is that Mirriam is known for her integrity and her credibility and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that when she asks me to interact with someone, something very exciting is going to come out of that meeting. So I often sit in the first meeting and say “I have no idea why I am here – Mirriam sent me, so tell me how can I be of help?”
Wouldn’t you like a ‘sphere of influence like mine’ – I am pretty sure that you would!
Supportive mentorship of peers
I often hear people (especially in the SMME environment) say how lonely it is in business. This is often because they work on their own, and often the only source of interaction is with their clients. Having a network of people and attending networking sessions allows for interaction with those people. It is good for the soul – you will find that the problems that you encounter are usually the same problems that they too encounter. The result of this of course is that you get to ‘brainstorm’ with like minded people and find practical solutions to the issues at hand.
Suddenly you are not so ‘lonely’ in business, you have a sounding board (well several really) and you have a multitude of expertise and experience available on tap.
Successful new business transactions and relationships
Don’t you just love meeting people? Don’t you just love talking to people? Oh about all sorts of things – and as the conversation meanders through business expectations and then through personal transactions and as you get to know that individual more and more, you get to learn more about their dreams, their hopes and their wishes and so in return to share your dreams and hopes and aspirations and they learn more about you as an individual and so a relationship is born. As that relationship grows, so too does your trust and commitment to that individual and as that grows, so too will the business referrals. You don’t have to become personally involved with the individual – you can just maintain a professional relationship and just as a good friendship is grown and maintained on solid honest foundations so too is a good business relationship. They both feed and nourish the soul.
So when are you off to your next networking event? Don’t you think you should start going, for your own sake and for the sake of your business?
For more information on Renate, please visit her website at http://www.drrenatevolpe.co.za
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:
“Benefits of networking include:
• An enhanced power base
• Broader access to resources
• Expanding your sphere of influence
• Supportive mentorship of peers
• Successful new business transactions and relationships.”
Let’s have a look at these individually.
An enhanced power base.
Every time you get a referral from someone, or someone new comes to a networking meeting, your own database increases. As you increase your data base, so your power base increases and your own personal ‘value add’ increases exponentially.
Broader access to resources.
Now this is a really important one – with the broader access to resources, comes a much bigger value add. One of my jokes that I tell at some of the networking events is that I pretty much have a contact for most requirements – that includes a brain surgeon! That has always brought out the chuckles and often nervous giggles. Last week I actually had to use that contact for a friend who has been in considerable pain for a very long time and who needed a reputable neuro-surgeon. Imagine for a moment, how she must feel right now?
Expanding your sphere of influence.
Man oh man! This is such a fabulous concept and so simplistic as well. Let me give you some more detail – I have a friend and colleague by the name of Mirriam “Nuska” Zwane. For those of you who don’t know her or of her, she is a multiple winner of the “Woman of the Year” award as well as numerous other accolades that she has picked up along the way. Mirriam often sends me a mail, or someone will call me and say ‘Mirriam has asked me to contact you”. I don’t question it, I don’t ask for motives or try and analyse why – I just set up a meeting at the soonest possible opportunity. You see every time Mirriam sends someone to me, its guaranteed work for me and the other individual irrespective of whether it comes from each other or from our databases. Mirriam for me, is a wonderful sphere of influence. Go on – google her and see what comes out – she is a woman amongst women!
The powerful thing here is that Mirriam is known for her integrity and her credibility and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that when she asks me to interact with someone, something very exciting is going to come out of that meeting. So I often sit in the first meeting and say “I have no idea why I am here – Mirriam sent me, so tell me how can I be of help?”
Wouldn’t you like a ‘sphere of influence like mine’ – I am pretty sure that you would!
Supportive mentorship of peers
I often hear people (especially in the SMME environment) say how lonely it is in business. This is often because they work on their own, and often the only source of interaction is with their clients. Having a network of people and attending networking sessions allows for interaction with those people. It is good for the soul – you will find that the problems that you encounter are usually the same problems that they too encounter. The result of this of course is that you get to ‘brainstorm’ with like minded people and find practical solutions to the issues at hand.
Suddenly you are not so ‘lonely’ in business, you have a sounding board (well several really) and you have a multitude of expertise and experience available on tap.
Successful new business transactions and relationships
Don’t you just love meeting people? Don’t you just love talking to people? Oh about all sorts of things – and as the conversation meanders through business expectations and then through personal transactions and as you get to know that individual more and more, you get to learn more about their dreams, their hopes and their wishes and so in return to share your dreams and hopes and aspirations and they learn more about you as an individual and so a relationship is born. As that relationship grows, so too does your trust and commitment to that individual and as that grows, so too will the business referrals. You don’t have to become personally involved with the individual – you can just maintain a professional relationship and just as a good friendship is grown and maintained on solid honest foundations so too is a good business relationship. They both feed and nourish the soul.
So when are you off to your next networking event? Don’t you think you should start going, for your own sake and for the sake of your business?
For more information on Renate, please visit her website at http://www.drrenatevolpe.co.za
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
Tuesday, April 03, 2018
Business Tips - Some More Common Mistakes - Part 2
BUSINESS TIPS – Some More Common Mistakes – Part 2
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Let’s be honest here, we all have good days and bad – we’re human after all and sometimes that’s just the way things are. Of course that does not mean that we just sit back and do nothing! What it does mean though is that we have to work extra hard at getting ourselves re-motivated. Our lives and our businesses depend on it!
Instead of beating yourself up when you are feeling low though, try doing something different. Do something that you absolutely love, or at the very least, do something that will take you out of the normal routine – go and watch a movie or take yourself ‘out for tea’ or ‘out for a meal’, or go for a massage, but take yourself away from your day to day drudge and troubles – chances are that when you come back you will be in an altogether different frame of mind and you can then get back onto the treadmill – ready to face whatever may come your way.
You need to understand that you will have to exercise great patience and tenacity when you have your own business. It is more than likely that you will need to speak with someone whom you can brainstorm with or bounce ideas off or who can (and will) challenge you and keep you motivated and going in the right direction. We all need a little help every now and then and having a mentor is usually a good thing – remember to ‘pay it forward’ though and help or mentor someone else too.
Keeping your emotions in check is also something that you will need to do, especially when you are making decisions that will have a huge impact on your business.
Decisions, of course, need to be made only after careful consideration, after a good deal of research and even more clear headed soul searching, in order for them it have the greatest beneficial impact. Decisions made ‘on the fly’ or without any kind of deliberation could have serious negative financial implications, which could bring about the demise of your business. So always think things through first.
A business needs to grow and that is a good thing – it’s a natural thing and it evidences that the product or service that you are offering is of value and that there is a demand for it.
Here’s the thing though that you need to be aware of and plan for. When you grow, your will need more money to facilitate the expansion. Ensure that your growth is measured and gradual and that you don’t grow too quickly as that will take more finance away from the day to day running and working capital of the business, which in turn would impact hugely on the cash flow and therefore the well-being of the company.
Whatever you decide to do and however you decide to do it, remember why you started the business in the first place and remember to 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
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Let’s be honest here, we all have good days and bad – we’re human after all and sometimes that’s just the way things are. Of course that does not mean that we just sit back and do nothing! What it does mean though is that we have to work extra hard at getting ourselves re-motivated. Our lives and our businesses depend on it!
Instead of beating yourself up when you are feeling low though, try doing something different. Do something that you absolutely love, or at the very least, do something that will take you out of the normal routine – go and watch a movie or take yourself ‘out for tea’ or ‘out for a meal’, or go for a massage, but take yourself away from your day to day drudge and troubles – chances are that when you come back you will be in an altogether different frame of mind and you can then get back onto the treadmill – ready to face whatever may come your way.
You need to understand that you will have to exercise great patience and tenacity when you have your own business. It is more than likely that you will need to speak with someone whom you can brainstorm with or bounce ideas off or who can (and will) challenge you and keep you motivated and going in the right direction. We all need a little help every now and then and having a mentor is usually a good thing – remember to ‘pay it forward’ though and help or mentor someone else too.
Keeping your emotions in check is also something that you will need to do, especially when you are making decisions that will have a huge impact on your business.
Decisions, of course, need to be made only after careful consideration, after a good deal of research and even more clear headed soul searching, in order for them it have the greatest beneficial impact. Decisions made ‘on the fly’ or without any kind of deliberation could have serious negative financial implications, which could bring about the demise of your business. So always think things through first.
A business needs to grow and that is a good thing – it’s a natural thing and it evidences that the product or service that you are offering is of value and that there is a demand for it.
Here’s the thing though that you need to be aware of and plan for. When you grow, your will need more money to facilitate the expansion. Ensure that your growth is measured and gradual and that you don’t grow too quickly as that will take more finance away from the day to day running and working capital of the business, which in turn would impact hugely on the cash flow and therefore the well-being of the company.
Whatever you decide to do and however you decide to do it, remember why you started the business in the first place and remember to 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
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