TAX AMNESTY APPLICATIONS GROW

Back on Track - Yay!


Don't forget to register people - this is a wonderful opportunity, don't miss it!

Tax amnesty applications grow

April 26, 2007

Johannesburg - The South African Revenue Service has added more than 1 000 new applications to the small business tax amnesty process through an extensive registration campaign across the country, the body said on Thursday. Several thousand Sars officials were joined by members of the South African Police Service and officials from the Department of Home Affairs in 30 towns and cities where 4 160 small businesses were visited during the most recent outreach programme. By late afternoon on Thursday, 1 106 new applications for amnesty were received while 2 218 application forms were handed out to businesses, said Sars.

The registration programme will continue until 31 May 2007 - the deadline for the small business tax amnesty period. Sars said in its statement that while the amnesty programme had the primary focus of broadening the tax base, it would continue its enforcement activities in instances of non-compliance with the law.

"Arising from work already done on the amnesty, 39 small business owners appeared in the Durban magistrate's court for failing to submit tax returns. “Three properties of businesses were also attached while 56 summonses were issued for outstanding returns due to Sars. At the same time customs officials confiscated 950 master cases of illicit cigarettes en route to Johannesburg."

In Gauteng, the Western Cape, Free State and Mpumalanga a number of illegal immigrants were detained by Home Affairs officials while counterfeit cigarettes and other illicit products were confiscated. "These efforts - registration and enforcement - must complement the policy and legislative interventions Sars has already put in place to broaden the scope of the amnesty," the revenue service said. - I-Net Bridge

EQUIPMENT SHORTAGE HAS GROWTH OVER A BIG BARREL

Nearly there!

Trevor Nel always says - there are no such things as 'problems' only opportunities and my goodness, does this not just scream of opportunities. Let's see who does what with those opportunities!

Equipment shortage has growth over a big barrel

March 30, 2007

By Samantha Enslin

Durban - South Africa's R420 billion infrastructure plans are severely challenged by difficulties sourcing port, rail and electricity generating equipment. Alec Erwin, the public enterprises minister, said yesterday at the Intermodal Africa conference: "The challenge is our ability to negotiate in a very tight supply market. If it comes to supplying China or South Africa, let's face it, China will win." The R420 billion boost to infrastructure is the biggest the country has ever seen, but South Africa is not the only country that is expanding infrastructure. "How do we secure supply of capital equipment? How do we ensure South Africa is not forgotten in the race to service China? It is very difficult to find locomotives, gantry cranes, turbines and nuclear reactors," Erwin said. The tight supply situation would not affect the pricing of infrastructure upgrades, as this had been factored into the costs. "We put tenders out and construction companies say they do not have the capacity," Erwin said.

Bloomberg reported that the tender for the R6.5 billion expansion of the Cape Town container terminal was extended after only one bid was received. Erwin said the public enterprises department had embarked on a competitive local supplier development programme to ensure that Africa was supplied with capital equipment from South African suppliers.

But Erwin said this programme was in the early phases and would be rolled out only over the next 10 to 20 years. On how parastatals were addressing the supply problems, Erwin said South Africa was still able to attract international suppliers for its capital expenditure programme. Components for equipment could be manufactured cost effectively and locally, the minister said. Investment in infrastructure over the next five years includes R150 billion in power generation, transmission and distribution; R64.5 billion in ports, rail and pipelines; as well as investment in passenger transport and bulk infrastructure. Investment in ports includes the R2 billion Pier One container handling facility at the Durban port, which is scheduled to be operating in May. The port of Ngqura in the Eastern Cape is also progressing, although at a slower pace. Khomotso Phihlela, chief executive of the National Ports Authority, said: "The Ngqura container terminal will be operating by the end of 2008. The equipment is already in place."The operator of the terminal was still to be decided, Phihlela said. "At this stage it will be SA Port Operations but it may be a joint venture."

BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT IN AFRICAN BANKING

Hey there bloggers - this is the post for 4th May


Can you imagine how much easier life would be if we could actually speak to our bankers and they would actually understand our needs! Life would be an absolute breeze! Now let's see if they could take this one step further and actually train their staff on how to deal with clients. Instead of being seen as an irritation that needs to be dealt with, we could actually be seen as the people who pay their salaries.

Sigh! Well I can dream can't I?


Business process management in African banking

By: Jean Moncrieff

Wouldn’t it be great if banking were really as friendly, fast and simple as marketing campaigns make it look? Sadly, in the real world, most of us find interactions with our banks extremely frustrating. Are banks really in touch with our requirements, or are their processes focused on their own agendas and what they think we ought to want? For anybody with some knowledge of the revolution in business process thinking over the past decade or so, it’s clear that the financial services industry is still very functionally oriented. Have you tried applying for a new product recently? I tried to open a new account with a bank last year but gave up after more than a month had gone by with no result. The consultant responsible for dealing with my application fell ill, and although the bank had a team responsible for handling new business, my application and supporting documentation could not be found.

Quicker, more efficient

If this bank had an effective case management solution in place they would have been able to provide a quicker, more efficient service – and been able to optimise their own underlying process for opening a new account. In a Business Process Management Congress held in South Africa last year, industry expert Dr Michael Hammer proposed a formula for measuring a company’s value add to a customer. The two crucial variables are the value time (VT) within which customers expect to get what they want, and the elapsed time (ET) it actually takes.The smaller the gap between VT and ET – ideally it should be zero or even less than zero – the better you are doing. To achieve that, businesses need to focus on the customer’s end goal rather than their own processes. For example, you will probably have noticed that you are asked to supply your ID and proof of address for FICA purposes every single time you apply for a new product at your bank. This shouldn’t be necessary – and it wouldn’t be, if banks linked FICA documentation to a central customer record or case folder. By taking this more customer-centric approach, banks would dramatically improve the customer experience and avoid frustration – for their employees as well as their clients.

Planning stages only

According to Gartner, many banks in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region are in the process of renewing their core banking systems. So far this process is only in the planning stage for most African banks, but these are embracing emerging technologies.This opens doors for banks across Africa to dramatically improve customer service levels and become more compliant. They will need to put in place systems that streamline processes and deal with customers as individuals – in actions, not just in marketing promises. From the moment it receives a new account application, a bank should create a case history for each customer. This may include receiving and processing an application, verification, requesting more information, assessment, making a decision and then closing the application -- a wide range of information to help it know its customer. Normally several different bank employees will work on different aspects of the application process – a dynamic case management solution can alert each employee to complete a task and access only the parts of a case they are working on.

Make jobs easier

This will not only result in a better experience for customers, it will also make the bank employees’ jobs easier. A solution such as Global 360’s Case Manager gives each user a comprehensive, clear view of every case, sets alerts and deadlines for tasks, offers real-time web access to an entire case history and makes information exchange between departments better and faster.All too often in banks across Africa, one sees customers standing outside the banking hall in what seems like a mile-long queue. Banks that are considering upgrading their systems now have a unique opportunity to transform the banking experience for their customers, while at the same time improving their own efficiency.

DOMESTIC UIF DEALINES

Good morning bloggers - and this should have been posted on 3rd May.

Ok people, so I'm a little late for the UIF deadlines - however having said that, the Tax Amnesty ends on 31st May, if you did not do your domestic UIF on time, you still have a reprieve until 31 May to declare your mess in terms of the Amnesty. UIF does fall under this, so get it done. I really don't think that there are going to be any additional chances to do this and believe me when I tell you, if you don't register for Amnesty and you get caught - you will face charges!

Domestic's UIF deadline looms January 4, 2007

Employers have until the end of this week to update details of their domestic workers with the unemployment insurance fund (UIF), UIF spokesman Kgomotso Sebetso says. This is in line with wage increases set out by the Department of Labour in December 2006. "The Department of Labour announced the new adjustments in terms of the sectoral determination for domestic workers, which sets out the minimum wages and employment conditions for the workers in this most vulnerable sector," he said.

The new wage table stipulates that domestic workers wages would go up to R1066,90 per month for employees working more than 27 hours in a week. "But this applies in area A or the higher paid areas which are mostly metropolitan areas." Sebetso said those working for more than 27 hours per week in the lower paid areas "mostly rural" will have their wages go up to R865,54 per month. Last year the minimum salaries were R997,04 and R808,92 respectively. As a result of the changes, close to 530 000 employers are required by law to inform the UIF commissioner. "Such information regarding changes in remuneration should be forwarded within seven days after the end of each month. In this case, information should be supplied to the fund before January 7 this year," Sebetso said.

"All those domestic employers who pay their UIF contributions annually were expected to submit their declarations once a year, but this must also be in line with the new wage increases. "Failure to comply with the law can result in employers being fined or imprisoned. Close to 628 000 domestic employees were registered with the UIF since 2003. "Since the first registration in 2003, UIF has made more than R65 million payments to about 74,000 beneficiaries as temporary relief during their time of unemployment," he said. "Although most of the claims were largely in the unemployment benefits, the Fund received the applications on other benefits such as the maternity, adoption and death benefits." Sebetso said the UIF "prides itself of the exceptional contributions it made in alleviating poverty in this sector".

For easy filing and registrations, employees can go to http://www.busrep.co.za/www.ufiling.gov.za. - Sapa

BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT IN AFRICAN BANKING

Hey there bloggers, and this is the post for the 4th May

Wow, can you imagine the difference this would make to the average Joe's time - not having to stand in a queue, not having to argue endlessly with Bank personnel because documents have gone missing and not having to deal with incompetent individuals who have no business working in a Business environment.

Perhaps, if we are really very lucky, they (the banks that is) will also train their staff on how to talk to customers - we are the idiots that pay their salaries at the end of the day, not some irritation that needs to be dealt with one way or another.

Well, I can dream can't I?

Business process management in African banking

By: Jean Moncrieff

Wouldn’t it be great if banking were really as friendly, fast and simple as marketing campaigns make it look? Sadly, in the real world, most of us find interactions with our banks extremely frustrating. Are banks really in touch with our requirements, or are their processes focused on their own agendas and what they think we ought to want? For anybody with some knowledge of the revolution in business process thinking over the past decade or so, it’s clear that the financial services industry is still very functionally oriented. Have you tried applying for a new product recently? I tried to open a new account with a bank last year but gave up after more than a month had gone by with no result.

The consultant responsible for dealing with my application fell ill, and although the bank had a team responsible for handling new business, my application and supporting documentation could not be found. If this bank had an effective case management solution in place they would have been able to provide a quicker, more efficient service – and been able to optimise their own underlying process for opening a new account. In a Business Process Management Congress held in South Africa last year, industry expert Dr Michael Hammer proposed a formula for measuring a company’s value add to a customer. The two crucial variables are the value time (VT) within which customers expect to get what they want, and the elapsed time (ET) it actually takes. The smaller the gap between VT and ET – ideally it should be zero or even less than zero – the better you are doing. To achieve that, businesses need to focus on the customer’s end goal rather than their own processes. For example, you will probably have noticed that you are asked to supply your ID and proof of address for FICA purposes every single time you apply for a new product at your bank. This shouldn’t be necessary – and it wouldn’t be, if banks linked FICA documentation to a central customer record or case folder. By taking this more customer-centric approach, banks would dramatically improve the customer experience and avoid frustration – for their employees as well as their clients.

Planning stages only

According to Gartner, many banks in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region are in the process of renewing their core banking systems. So far this process is only in the planning stage for most African banks, but these are embracing emerging technologies. This opens doors for banks across Africa to dramatically improve customer service levels and become more compliant. They will need to put in place systems that streamline processes and deal with customers as individuals – in actions, not just in marketing promises. From the moment it receives a new account application, a bank should create a case history for each customer. This may include receiving and processing an application, verification, requesting more information, assessment, making a decision and then closing the application -- a wide range of information to help it know its customer. Normally several different bank employees will work on different aspects of the application process – a dynamic case management solution can alert each employee to complete a task and access only the parts of a case they are working on.

Make jobs easier

This will not only result in a better experience for customers, it will also make the bank employees’ jobs easier. A solution such as Global 360’s Case Manager gives each user a comprehensive, clear view of every case, sets alerts and deadlines for tasks, offers real-time web access to an entire case history and makes information exchange between departments better and faster. All too often in banks across Africa, one sees customers standing outside the banking hall in what seems like a mile-long queue. Banks that are considering upgrading their systems now have a unique opportunity to transform the banking experience for their customers, while at the same time improving their own efficiency.

BRIBERY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Good morning bloggers - still catching up - this is what should have been posted on the 2nd May.

Well it may be that according to this article, Bribery is in the eye of the beholder, but in my life bribery is an act, not anything else and it is wrong! This means that if you get caught speeding, you are responsible for your actions and need to take your punishment in that spirit.

If you commit a crime of any sort - you are accountable. If you want something, you need to earn it - not just be able to buy it.

In my opinion, bribery has become a way of life here in South Africa and quite frankly, we will never be able to deal with crime effectively if we view bribery "in the eye of the beholder".

Bribery is in the eye of the beholder

Tumi Makgetla

27 March 2007 11:59

Most people believe that corruption occurs to speed up approvals to which people are legally entitled, a survey has found. The number of people who believe this roughly equals the number of people who think that corruption is a means to ill-gotten gains. Business Against Crime and the German Technical Cooperation Agency commissioned the survey as part of business’s contribution to the South African National Anti-Corruption Forum. The recently published survey measures perceptions of corruption in the private sector. Although the study looks primarily at bribery as an indicator of corrupt behaviour, it also considers perceptions of unethical behaviour, such as nepotism. It concludes that, while South Africa does not have high levels of corruption, perceptions are important because a country that is perceived as corrupt may attract corrupt investors.“Changing the perceptions of the unethical culture in the South Africa business environment is essential for maintaining faith in the continued growth of the South African economy,” it states.

Some of the measures that respondents agree on to combat corruption include the public disclosure of names of convicted white-collar criminals, sharing information on corruption within industries and more vigilant investigative journalism. More active cooperation between business and the state and standards for sound financial reporting are also highlighted as potential deterrents. The Centre for Business and Professional Ethics at the University of Pretoria conducted the survey last year. It received responses from 760 businesses from across a wide spectrum of industries. The vast majority of these were domestically owned or controlled. Only a fifth of the respondents were listed on the stock exchange and a third were considered to be large enterprises. The general findings confirm a view that South Africa has relatively low levels of corruption. About 7% of the surveyed companies had individuals who had accepted bribes, with 11,5% of companies saying that they had been offered bribes but had not accepted. Sixteen percent of companies had received demands for bribes that they had not paid and 5,5% of companies met demands to pay a bribe. Respondents reported that bribes were demanded from other companies (26,3%), intermediaries (22,5%), local government (19,6%) and provincial or national government (10%).

The Pretoria University study cites an international comparison conducted by Transparency International, which ranks countries according to the frequency that ordinary citizens pay bribes. Five percent of South Africans responded that they had paid bribes to institutions like the police and education system. This put the country in the company of countries like the United States, Sweden and Turkey. The next band up, where 6% to 15% of citizens paid bribes include countries like Luxembourg, Russia and Colombia. The worst ranking countries included Albania and Cameroon, where over 40% of citizens reported paying bribes. In the Pretoria University study, most respondents said that bribes were under R10000 but nearly one-fifth said that the bribes were between R10000 and R50000.

The study found that middle management was most likely to be involved in corruption, followed by skilled and semi-skilled staff and then top management. It comments that the involvement of management is a concern because they should be responsible for ethical leadership. The survey also probed what forms of “gratification” were used in corrupt transactions. About 16% understood gratification to mean monetary bribes and kickbacks, followed by 13% who saw it as gifts, 11% who saw it as favours and 8% who saw it as excessive entertainment. Very few respondents, about 4%, knew of extortion or blackmail being used to get people involved in corrupt activities.

Gauteng is perceived to have the largest corruption problem, followed by Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 11

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

Part 11


In her “Networking Tips”, Dr Renate Volpe states “Successful leaders spend up to 48% of their time networking. How much of your time are you spending building your business network?”

Last year at one of the Inner Circle meetings that I host in Cresta, there was this chap that sat quietly listening to what was being said. When it was his turn to stand up and tell the audience who he was and what he did, he said something along the lines of “Only unsuccessful people network”.

Needless to say I was gob-smacked! Why then would they have all of these “old boy clubs” that we so often hear about in the movies and that we know, from personal experience to be alive and well. Why would children in Private School make the kind of contacts that they are urged to make, from junior school?

I have watched my Godson Bruce, grow up from being a little titch in Junior school at the Ridge, where he made friends with all manner and means of children, whose parents were well connected both politically and in the business field. I watched him go off to Michael House, in the midlands and heard the tales he told of which children he had befriended and who their parents were. Now as he has won for himself a scholarship in one of the most prestigious schools in the world, Wharton’s Business School in the University of Pennsylvania (which incidentally was founded by Benjamin Franklin), I again hear who he is now connected with and which professors he works with for his pocket money and/or allowance – and what I hear most of all is why he chose to work for them.

Don’t get me wrong, Bruce is not a snob, he never has been, but he understands how important it is to make the right connections now, at the beginning of his working life.

I wonder why he does that, if only ‘unsuccessful’ people need to network!

Could it be that the chap who came to my meeting has it all wrong? Perhaps what he meant to say was that “Successful people network”!

Do you network enough?

If you would like to know more about Dr Renate Volpe, please feel free to visit her on www.HIRS.co.za

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 11

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

Part 11


In her “Networking Tips”, Dr Renate Volpe states “Successful leaders spend up to 48% of their time networking. How much of your time are you spending building your business network?”

Last year at one of the Inner Circle meetings that I host in Cresta, there was this chap that sat quietly listening to what was being said. When it was his turn to stand up and tell the audience who he was and what he did, he said something along the lines of “Only unsuccessful people network”.

Needless to say I was gob-smacked! Why then would they have all of these “old boy clubs” that we so often hear about in the movies and that we know, from personal experience to be alive and well. Why would children in Private School make the kind of contacts that they are urged to make, from junior school?

I have watched my Godson Bruce, grow up from being a little titch in Junior school at the Ridge, where he made friends with all manner and means of children, whose parents were well connected both politically and in the business field. I watched him go off to Michael House, in the midlands and heard the tales he told of which children he had befriended and who their parents were. Now as he has won for himself a scholarship in one of the most prestigious schools in the world, Wharton’s Business School in the University of Pennsylvania (which incidentally was founded by Benjamin Franklin), I again hear who he is now connected with and which professors he works with for his pocket money and/or allowance – and what I hear most of all is why he chose to work for them.

Don’t get me wrong, Bruce is not a snob, he never has been, but he understands how important it is to make the right connections now, at the beginning of his working life.

I wonder why he does that, if only ‘unsuccessful’ people need to network!

Could it be that the chap who came to my meeting has it all wrong? Perhaps what he meant to say was that “Successful people network”!

Do you network enough?

If you would like to know more about Dr Renate Volpe, please feel free to visit her on www.HIRS.co.za

YOU CAN FIND BALANCE IN ALL OF LIFE'S PARADOXES

Good morning bloggers - just a bit of a catch up here - this is the article that should have been posted on 30th April.

Wow! How succinctly this has been put. It certainly has made me stop and think on some of the issues raised. I certainly recommend that once you have read this, do the recommened excercise and see where that takes you.

Time to tweak the mindsets, me thinks!

You can find balance in all of life's paradoxes Success only becomes meaningful if we share it with others

Tessa Silberbauer

19 March 2007 at 06h00

There are a number of special occasions this week. The solar eclipse (two weeks after that beautiful lunar eclipse) happens today; Wednesday is both the Autumnal Equinox and Human Rights' Day; and we have World Water Day and World Meteorological Day on Thursday and Friday, respectively.That's rather a lot of days to take note of in one week. I couldn't resist the temptation of the coincidental merging of Human Rights' Day and the equinox. In a very real sense, the fundamental issues we face today are the apparent paradox of rights and responsibility, and the need to find a balance between these "conflicting" concepts. Each one of us declares something along the lines of: "It is my right to be prosperous and successful" - yes, it is every person's right to be successful. But success on its own does not imply meaning, or indicate purpose. Because if that ("pure" success) is the only purpose we recognise, two things happen:

Our definition of success narrows to exclude all the other factors that make up human life and the human psyche. None of us is really that shallow and, in fact, this attitude is almost guaranteed to ensure ill health. Our subconscious knows that if our only purpose is success, then when success is achieved, we have no purpose left. And I believe that we have a deep-seated need for meaning of some kind in our lives. In this case, therefore, we would subconsciously avoid success to avoid the resulting perceived lack of meaning. The key here is balance, as the equinox reminds me so wonderfully. It is vital for human health and well-being to find a balance between the different needs for our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. I truly believe that our success becomes meaningful only when we can share it with others, either by sharing the fruits of our success with others less fortunate or by sharing the lessons learned in achieving that success.

A life devoted only to spiritual growth or to physical security loses potency and health in very short order. When our lives are devoted solely to our responsibilities, they quickly feel like soulless, joyless existences. But when we devote all our attention to ensuring that no one ever imposes on our rights, we quickly lose authentic power, pride or both. The following questions don't immediately need answers, nor do they demand instant solutions. But asking them nonetheless opens our subconscious intelligence to start looking for creative answers and innovative, appropriate solutions.

Spend a few moments each day this week, considering the following points. Jot down your answers (longhand or on your computer) and leave them to "simmer." You may well be pleasantly surprised by what presents itself.

Do I spend all my time lamenting my woes and ignoring any good that happens? Or do I spend all my energy denying that any trouble exists at all? In what ways can I be grateful for the good, while still acknowledging that some issues need attention?

Is the carrying out of my responsibilities, or the insistence of my rights, my only source of pride? How can I expand this attitude?

In what ways can I resist what is unethical to me, while still honouring the worth of a person who does these things? Where do I draw my ethical line? No matter how uncomfortable it gets sometimes, our rights can never be claimed at the cost of someone else's essential rights. But rights without responsibilityare as empty - and as unfulfilling - as success without community spirit. And I firmly believe that somewhere in these paradoxes, a balance can be found.

Tessa Silberbauer is a Joburg-based life management trainer. For information, corporate training or private consulting, contact her at 083-310-0955 or livingskills@webmail.co.za

YOUNG, BLACK AND UNHAPPY

My apologies all, I got a bit behind again - this should have been posted on saturday 28th April.

Oh dear and here we go again! Whilst on some level, my heart goes out to these individuals who perceive that their hardships are due to the fact that they are black. Well that may be true or it may not - the point that I am trying to make here, is stop whining about it and do something!

Most women in this country (and I am sure that this is also true for the rest of the world) had to endure exactly the same if not worse. Yes some of us whined, and some of us dug our heels in and got on with what we needed to get on with.

I remember feeling like I wasn't taken seriously until I was in my thirties. Strange how if they needed the work to get done, I was always chosen to do it, but when it was time for recognition and/or increase - these always went to the bosses. Yes, I left (the bank that I was working for at the time, after almost 10 years of service) and just weeks after I left they experianced a theft of "foreign cheques". Needless to say, money went missing and they came running back to me to ask me to return. Shame hey, it could have been so different.

My life in the retail corporate world was very different to that of the banking corporate world. Here at least I was paid a better salary, but it wasn't long before I realised, that although I was taken alot more seriously, I was not given the authority that went with the responsibility. That's a tough nut to crack! In my 40's, I was retrenched for about 30 seconds and it was the best thing that could of happened - suddenly I was not only needed, but also appreciated. Suddenly, what I said carried weight and I was a force to be reconed with. Suddenly I commanded a great deal of respect. Was that because I was in a different Company? I don't think so - I think that my self worth had changed. What I thought of myself had changed and the way that I thought had changed.

You see, I no longer allowed people to treat me with disrespect. I no longer allowed people to mis-use me or abuse me. I no longer allowed people to talk down to me. If I had the responsibility, I also now had the authority and I realised that it was because I had taken that authority.

People will always treat you the way that you allow them to and the moment that I had changed my mindset, the way that they treated me also changed.

So I say to all of you out there - for me it is not about colour (or lack thereof), it's not about gender and it's not about about how old you are or how much experiance you have - it's about who you are to yourself.

Stop whining about your colour, your age, your experiance, your gender and start taking charge of your own life. Things will never happen by themselves - you have to make them happen.

Young, black and unhappy

Haydée Bangerezako and Vuyo Sokupa

26 March 2007 11:59

One young black professional’s resignation letter has opened up the floodgates for others to express their feelings about the unfair treatment they receive from their employers. These young professionals are willing to share their experiences, but have chosen to keep their identities unknown for fear of jeopardising their current and future career prospects.

Thandi (25) BCom economics and finance (honours) A University of Cape Town graduate, Thandi joined the graduate programme at a top asset management company in Cape Town. She was placed in the back office where “you would expect to find people with a matric or technikon diploma. Your boss would have even less qualifications, but with years of experience. “Back office is mostly administration and support and, as a graduate, you want to be in the front office where you are more of an investment professional. That is what you studied for.” White graduates with similar qualifications and no work experience were placed in the front office. “The front office is what we described as ‘lily white’,” says Thandi. “Only a handful of black employees with more experience worked in the front.” She has since left the company.

Thabo (27) BCom Thabo was headhunted for an executive position at an IT services company, but “there was no proper transfer of knowledge done for me and I could not ask questions; it was deemed stupid.” White junior staff members below him were given information and support, and it gave him the impression that he was incompetent and could not deliver. Mistakes were not tolerated from black staff and emails and phone calls were monitored constantly. “There was no trust and you could suddenly be searched for ‘stolen things’ with no apology being given if they found nothing on you. This only happened to black staff members,” says Thabo. When Thabo questioned his boss, he said the business was successful because of the way he runs it. “Sadly, with so much value to add, we are seen as wanting to take over the business, as being a threat, when all we see is our future and our need is to be part of success,” says Thabo. He quit his job.

Nomsa (26)Bcom accounting (honours) Nomsa recalls her experiences during her graduate programme at a prestigious investment banking firm a few years ago: “When you start there, they make you write a test,” she says, which she admits she failed. A white girl in her group who also failed was not expected to rewrite, while Nomsa was. “She admitted that she did not pass the test,” says Nomsa. While waiting to rewrite, Nomsa started working, calling clients as per her job description -- until she was told she could not call clients. “It was differential treatment. The white girl could work without rewriting,” says Nomsa. She resigned immediately.

Thembi (28) LLBWith an LLB in hand, Thembi joined a law firm in Johannesburg last year where she hoped to start serving her articles. The firm initially told her that it did not have space for her as there was a person serving articles already. “I was seen as a normal clerk, I had to wait till there was space for me,” she says. While waiting to serve articles, a “white boy” joined the firm to serve articles. So she started sending out her CV. Then “they went through my email and asked why I was looking for another job after all they had done for me.” Ready to resign, she was told to leave the company.

Lerato (25) BCom “It is a situation that everybody goes through, especially if you are young, black and female in a male-dominated industry,” says Lerato. “I have been undermined consistently with ‘plastic’ smiles.” Lerato admits that it is a battle getting recognition or to get a ‘job well done’ from her bosses. “I recently asked my company for financial assistance to further my studies and my application was denied. This would not have infuriated me if I did not know that a few months prior they had financed a group of young white guys’ applications,” says Lerato. “The impression is pretty clear: if we train you, you will leave us for a better position,” says Lerato, who works in the automotive industry.

Busi (24) LLB Busi, a candidate attorney in Cape Town, says: “The current South African workplace treats young black professionals in one of two ways: either with contempt or the insinuation that we should be grateful and not ask for more [in salary scale or benefits]. You don’t feel valued and end up feeling that you are simply filling the quota. “I was in a law firm that was only too pleased to have my name furnish the letterhead, but my boss had no inclination to improve my skills,” says Busi. “So one knows from day one that becoming a partner will be a battle. I quit my job in the middle of my articles without securing anything else. [When I] started doubting my ability, I knew I had to quit.”

Sihle (23)BCom accounting (honours) Sihle is a trainee accountant at a prominent auditing firm. When he was handed his portfolio, it did not include investment banking clients, where one gets the most experience. White employees with similar educations were automatically allocated these clients. “I was young. I was too scared at first to go and ask why this was happening,” says Sihle. “When I eventually did, they couldn’t give me a reason. Granted, after three of these meetings, my portfolio improved. In the fourth month my clients started to change, I started to get the experience that I wanted. What makes me angry is that I had to speak up for this to happen.” As a trainee, Sihle received coaching. “The white coaches spend the minimum time required on me, whether I understand or not. But they spend more time with my white counterparts and share their knowledge with them,” says Sihle.

Nikki's Business Day Interview

Says Nikki - to paraphrase: 'Doing your own books is like a non-mechanical person trying to service their own car'.

'If you don't have a hands on control of your income, you might as well close your doors now'.

Nice interview - natural and honest - well done, Nikki.

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - www.innercircleforum.com
trevor@innercircleforum.com

MANAGEMENT TALENT NEEDED TO GET BUSINESS RIGHT

Good morning bloggers - apologies for no blog yesterday - thanks to City Power, we had no electricity for over 12 hours!

So people, do you have your "talent" pool right and are you setting the right example for your staff? How about you, the individual SMME, working your butt off on a daily basis to keep the wolf from the door - are you putting in a 70 and/or 80 hour week and if so, how long do you think that you are going to last?

Looking at the clock that reads 03.29am as I write this, I am wondering the same thing for myself, which then of course begs the question - do we manage our time effectively - clearly for me, at this point the answer is no! Perhaps it is a question that we all need to ask of ourselves from time to time.

To All South Africans, hope you have a wonderful "freedom day" - I am off to read my book and hopefully nod off into 'lala' land!

Management talent needed to get business right

By Susan Fenton


30 March 2007 at 06h01

Hong Kong - Chi-Won Yoon likes to leave his office by 6pm - 7pm at the latest. A banker with Swiss investment bank UBS, his day is far from over, what with conference calls with London and New York that will keep him busy until midnight. But he wants to send a message to his staff that it's okay to go home. For many managers at global companies, 70-hour weeks are becoming the norm. Yet their firms would rather they took Yoon's approach.

A global study in the Harvard Business Review showed more than 50 percent of male executives and more than 80 percent of women executives working 60 hours a week or more said they would not be able to keep it up for more than a year. Women tend to quit such jobs after a few years, the study shows. Men often stay but more than 40 percent who worked those hours experienced "brown-out" within five years and had lost their creative zeal.

Globalisation, instant communication and the huge financial rewards on offer in many top jobs are leading to "extreme" working hours, says Sylvia Ann Hewlett of the New York-based Centre for Work-Life Policy and a co-author of the study. "These factors are not going to change so companies will have to create alternative work models," Hewlett said. "But for nimble companies at the cutting edge there's an opportunity to hang on to talent if they allow breathers and restorative time."

Hewlett said several companies are trying new things:

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

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

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

Wal-Mart Stores Inc has introduced standing-only meetings where BlackBerries are left at the door.

"The point is to cut to the chase," said Hewlett. Back at UBS, Yoon underlines his point by arriving in the office at around 9.30 am - two hours after many staff. Emphasising sane work hours is all part of talent management for Yoon, the head of Asian equities for the Swiss firm. "If you have the talent management right you can get the business right," he told a human resources conference hosted by his company. It's no easy matter, though. Executives say that as their businesses expand globally, unpredictable work demands and tight deadlines are adding pressure, while endless meetings give them little time to focus. Weekly travel and back-to-back meetings also are making senior managerial positions less attractive."Not everyone wants to travel every week and wake up in a different hotel room. Management has got to ask: is this person going to be happy in this job?" said Ronnie Tan, Asia managing director of Development Dimensions International, a human resources development firm.

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

Nikki's Interview

HOW TO CONTROL YOUR ACCOUNTS

Good morning bloggers - due to my incredible understanding of technology, I have posted on my Summit TV interview on my personal blog: http://whenrealitybites.blogspot.com.

So please go and have a look there at what was meant to be posted here.

Regards
Nikki

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 10

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

Part 10

Self Esteem

Grace Hansen once said “Don’t be afraid that your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin”.

Helen Nicolson says – “You have to believe in yourself enough to believe that you have something of value to offer in any networking relationship.”

If you really think that you are worthless and have nothing that anyone else will want, then that is exactly how other people will see you. If you do not believe in yourself, you cannot expect anyone else to believe in you.

The way that you introduce yourself and your product to people is of the utmost importance. You have to be proud of who you are and what you do – this will show in the manner in which you present yourself. If you are confident in yourself, your abilities and/or your product this will be evident to the person who you are talking to, conversely, if you are not confident in yourself, your abilities and/or your product, this will also be evident.

You have to sell yourself, before you can sell your product. People will have to ‘buy in’ to who you are in order for you to make the sale. Even if you are nervous, act in a confident manner and have something of value to offer. As time goes by, your confidence will improve and pretty soon you will find that you are not so nervous and that it becomes easier each time.

Be friendly, make eye contact and show interest in the other person too.

Be TRUE To Yourself

Trevor writes:

In similar vein to Nikki's post below, I wrote:

MAD 5. BE TRUE To Yourself... Then Treat Others With The Same Respect..!

Extract:

All to often, we forget just who we really are... and how UNIQUE we are as individuals... and we subordinate ourselves to the whims and desires of others. Be TRUE to yourself... then treat others with the same respect.

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - http://www.innercircleforum.com/
trevor@innercircleforum.com

SELF ESTEEM NUGGETS - WHO ARE YOU?

SELF ESTEEM NUGGETS – WHO ARE YOU?

In her “Self Esteem Nuggets” cards, Dr Renate Volpe says that “You need to have a clear sense of who you are, and not follow blindly, in the footsteps of significant others who have gone before you.”

This for me is especially important, because – well quite frankly, I have no idea where those ‘significant others’ were going.

I know that put like this, it seems pretty obvious, but having attended so many different types of networking sessions and seeing how people fixate on their “hero’s” and then watching them trying to emulate that person, for me is really sad.

Sad! Why you may wonder? Well, let’s see . . . Firstly the person that you are following so blindly may not be in the same industry as what you are – you need to make allowances for that. Secondly, the person you are so blindly following may not have the same goals as you do (assuming of course that you have goals to follow) and thirdly, you are not the same person as the one that you are following so blindly.

You have to know who you are and where you want to go before you can set the groundwork for your goals.

I’m not saying don’t get as much information that will assist you in what you want to achieve, from someone that you admire, but you need to be selective about what you take from them. Learn from them, make use of their knowledge and their experience, but live your own life. Walk on your own path. Be your own person and be all that you can be.

If you would like additional details on the following sets of cards, please contact Dr Renate Volpe on www.HIRS.co.za.
Assertive Living
Negotiation Intelligence
Personal Mastery
Networking Tips
Leadership Insights
Self Esteem Nuggets

WHAT MAKES A GREAT LEADER

You see, a great leader can be made! We can all be great leaders as long as we know what needs to be done. This article from Adriaan Groenewald shows us the way and highlights some of our greatest strengths and weaknesses.

What makes a great leader?

Adriaan Groenewald

17 March 2007 at 06h00

For the last couple of years I have been involved in the development of leaders and have interviewed many top leaders on the topic of leadership. So, what have I learned about leadership? What qualities do the great leaders in South Africa possess? What qualities should you therefore work towards if you want to become one of the greats? Here are some tips - if you want to be a great leader in South Africa you should learn to:

1. Define situations factually. When a situation confronts you, don't allow emotions to "hijack" your thinking. This takes incredible maturity. When an emotionally-ridden situation or an individual that is in an emotional state approaches you it is very difficult not to get carried away and react emotionally. How did cricketer Herschelle Gibbs react when a section of the crowd behaved emotionally? We know the answer to that one, and he paid a price for it. Why didn't Graham Smith act like Gibbs? Can you see why Gibbs is not the SA cricket team's captain? One of my earlier mentors, Tom Creamer, used to encourage me as a young manager to not get so emotionally charged when debating issues in management meetings. I thought he was wasting his breath, but I have come to understand that he was absolutely correct.

2. Confront. There are far too many leaders in top positions that fear confrontation and as a result postpone or ignore the inevitable. You have to confront any obstacle or constraint to successful movement forward. In an interview with Adrian Gore, the founder and CEO of Discovery, he said the following about confronting so called problems: "I have found that when you have problems there is a moment in time when you turn and face it, and you sort of accept it emotionally and intellectually, and you take a run at it; that's when you are at your best. When you are running from the problem, not only does it catch you and eat you up but it is also very demotivational. How you motivate yourself is to attack the problems."

3. See possibilities. Don't only see the obstacles ahead but also see the possibilities. When you are bombarded by perceived negatives, take note of them, and even put contingencies in place, but don't fixate on them, start seeing the possible positives about the situation as well as the possible opportunities. Don't accept negative input only about any situation or person; insist on exploring the other side of the coin. This is especially important when someone shares "one-sided" negatives with you about another person. A great leader will never accept one person's input only, especially if it has a negative tone and can affect an the person's reputation or future. Tom Creamer decided to hear my side of a situation that potentially could have had devastating affects on my future. Because of great leadership, he positively affected the course of my career. In the context of this leadership quality it is therefore not wrong for President Thabo Mbeki to try to express a positive statement of crime not being out of control. But such statements are only valid and uplifting when the leaders have managed to clearly acknowledge and show that they are confronting the obstacle of crime in SA effectively.

4. Create movement. I asked my mentor why he was successful? His answer was short: "I get things to move." For any movement to occur there must be motivation (mutually agreed upon aspirations); direction (plans/ strategies on how to accomplish aspirations); and structure (resources, systems, etc). Without a buy-in to aspirations there will be no sustainable motivation and passion or committed hearts; without realistic directions, a logical belief that the goal can be achieved will be absent - buy-in from the logical left brain; and without relevant structures, such as money, physical movement will not be substantial or even possible. Very few leaders can effectively ensure the presence of all three these principles, and among those that can draw together all three, few can balance them effectively. For example, Mbeki in my opinion is very strong directionally, but he is weaker motivationally - the ability to integrate aspirations of all stakeholders. Perhaps this is why there is so much disunity in the alliance, although I wouldn't want to try and integrate such diverse aspirations myself. If he understands that he is more directionally gifted and accepts it, he can compensate by surrounding himself with leaders that are stronger on the motivational front.

5. Do the tough things. When I interview top leaders like Sean Summers, Adrian Gore, Matthews Phosa, and others I quickly sense two things about them: I feel comfortable and know that they want to, can and will integrate with my aspirations if at all possible; and I sense that if I don't play ball they can and will act tough. However, many leaders in very senior positions often battle to act tough and confront obstacles to movement, especially when the obstacle ends up being a person. I recently facilitated a Q&A evening between Ingrid Kast, CEO of DAV Professional Placement Services (top company to work for in 2006 survey) and a small audience of about 25 people. Someone asked her what was the toughest thing she ever had to do as a leader. Her answer was when she had to let her first employee go. Having to act tough or having to make tough decisions is part and parcel of being a great leader.

6. Evaluate and re-evaluate fanatically. Assess or measure the desired movement towards agreed upon aspirations, directions and structures, and then follow-up with and hold accountable the relevant individuals. A wise man once said: "When performance is measured performance improves, but when performance is measured and reported the rate of improvement accelerates."

7. Surround yourself with the best. Some leaders have the knack to surround themselves with the right individuals. Others just get it wrong. What is right for one leader is of course not right for another. I just find that the better you know yourself the more likely it is that you will get this one right. Consciously or subconsciously you will surround yourself with other leaders who complement your possible weaknesses, shortcomings or those areas that simply don't interest you. To become a great leader in SA is more challenging than in most other countries. South Africa is a microcosm of the rest of the world. The world is watching, or should be watching, our leaders closely as they turn and face our challenges and take a run at them. Adriaan Groenewald presents the Leadership Platform show on Classic FM 102.7 and on Summit TV. For more information on becoming a confident leader in South Africa call 011-463-7470.

WORKING HARD FOR YOUR MONEY

Good Morning Bloggers.

I think for me, the most important thing is that a) You have to be prepared to work. Don’t expect a handout! No-body got anything meaningful in life by sitting on their butts waiting for work to fall like manna from the sky. Life does not work like that. Then comes b), which is to find your passion and if you ca,n the first prize of course is to work at something that you really enjoy. By doing this you will find purpose and meaning to your life and finally c), no matter what you do in life, whether you are a street sweeper or a doctor, a domestic worker or the President of a Company, whether you are working at a job that is your life’s passion or just to put food on the table – do your very best. Take pride in the quality of the work that you do and do it to the very best of your ability. You may not be able to control the type of job that you do, but you are incomplete control of the quality of the work that you do. Be proud of that and you can hold your head up high and be proud of yourself.



Working hard for your money

John Mullins

22 February 2007 at 11h00

Every now and then I stop and think about the really tough jobs people do. Often it is the toughest jobs that are least rewarded. Have you ever thought of how hard it must be to work as a firefighter or, even worse, a police officer in South Africa? These guys are constantly in the news and on talk shows explaining how they face the most extreme of physical and psychological conditions, and yet they receive some of the most pitiful of salaries out there.

Tough physical work is not, however, a guaranteed formula for poor pay. On the opposite side of the scale, you find people earning great salaries and also working in tough conditions.For example, there are some engineering jobs where money is lavishly dished out, and where conditions are extreme, such as on oil rigs in the North Sea, or construction projects in war-torn Middle Eastern countries.

There are thousands of examples where performance and reward is often skewed one way or the other. Some have it easy and some have it tough. And then there are also people who are not even sure if they are going to get paid at all. Just stop and think about the poor folks who are working for companies that have been placed under curatorship, or who face liquidation.

They come into work each day wondering if they'll receive a salary when payday comes around. But why would they even contemplate coming to work if there was any doubt over their salary? That's a fair question and, as far as I can gather, it's mostly because people become quite attached to the work they do. There's a kind of emotional bond built up between the work they do and themselves. It feeds their egos and personality and it's not easy to let go of. Okay, so you do get those that simply see work as a means to an end. They are the ones who are the first to leave when things go a little pear shaped.

True, no one should expect to work for nothing, and yet some do. There's either something incredibly heroic about these people, or something completely stupid. The ones I want to focus on are the heroes - although I'm bound to mention the stupid ones too, just for laughs. In the past week I have encountered some of them. In the midst of a very messy business closure, where money was clearly unavailable for salaries, there were some folks who spent hours every day counselling others in a formal, well-organised programme, knowing that they themselves were unlikely to be paid.



Did it detract from their professionalism? No way. Did they make a massive difference to the lives of others? Absolutely. Should they have been rewarded? Without doubt. But they themselves were dismissed a few days later without payment. There is something deep down in these people that allows them to see past the money. It draws them closer to the really important stuff in their jobs. They are truly in touch with the more meaningful aspects of their work and I can only hope that one day, soon, they find well-paid work because they deserve it.

What I wanted to get across is that there is something in all of us that can connect deeply with the work we do. The only way to find it is to explore both your job and yourself. The stupid ones don't exactly see past the money. They hang on, desperately hoping to be paid, because that is their only goal. Work for them is meaningless and, without pay, they are lost. This is the last thing you'd want to experience in work.

If this is your reality, all I can say is take a long look at your job and wake up. There is a better world out there for you.This week I heard, in the midst of all the trauma, a very appropriate saying - "plan, or be planned for". I know you all work hard for your money, but for goodness sake, let it be meaningful work.

· John Mullins can be reached on john@dnalearning.net

IMPROVING ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SA

Whilst I agree that the opportunities are vast and exciting, I strongly disagree regarding that capital is freely available. Nothing in life is free and certainly not the capital for starting a venture. Banks require enough paperwork from a single individual to strip a forest of every tree that it possessed, to say nothing of the complexity of the information that is required to complete said documentation. Months of running around trying to put everything together only to be told that your application cannot be processed because they are missing your grandmother's sister's cousin's daughter-in-law's birth certificate that is required to prove that you are indeed South African and not an illegal alien, also adds to the absolute frustration.

Then of course there is the little problem of interpretation and power. It seems that everyone and his dog have their own intrepretation of the FICA and FAIS Act and of course if you don't satisfy their hunger for yet another copy of your ID, they will halt the prossessing of your application! To make matters even worse, the people who are intrepteting these laws are usually semi literate (and we all know how dangerours a little bit of education is) and now suddenly they are experts in matters of the law.

Don't forget the Department of Labour in this equation and the numerous laws that have been passed to protect the Employee! For heaven's sake, don't get started on that that quagmire! This particular avenue encourages people who have somebody who once worked in an HR department somewhere, who is now an absolute specialist on the subject and causes unmentionable irritation and aggrevation to the small business owner, whose only mistake in all of this was to try and grow the economy and actually went out there and hired someone to do a job, only to discover that the"someone" they hired is not who they made themselves out to be, but now cannot get rid of said useless person because of threats of going to the CCMA, the time that it takes to get rid of absolutely useless people and the costs involved in hiring a Labour Attorney (who actually understands the law) to sort out the whole mess that the Labour Consultant (who is not a lawyer, but once worked in the HR department and is therefore an expert by default) made in the first place.

And they want to know why businesses do not get off the ground and/or who have to close down due to the red tape and the expense red tape requires!

On the one hand it is almost impossible to get financial assistance and on the other hand we are controlled and regulated into the ground!

Improving entrepreneurship in SA

With the 2007 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Report again indicating that South Africa performs poorly in comparison to other emerging economies in terms of entrepreneurial activity and development, attention is being focused on interventions which support and encourage business initiatives and development.

“The environment in this country bodes well for entrepreneurs, offering considerable opportunity, availability of finance and indications of both political and business will to encourage development,” says Melt van der Spuy, director, Business Support, Business and Private Banking at Standard Bank. Sponsored by Standard Bank, Liberty Life, South African Breweries Limited and the National Research Foundation, the GEM Report provides empirical data on the level of entrepreneurship which is intended to stimulate debate and inform policy in 40 developing nations.

In the six years in which South Africa has participated in this research initiative, it has consistently emerged that it has a low level of early stage entrepreneurial activity, nearly half that of the average of the 34 emerging economy countries which participate. While van der Spuy states that the low level of early stage entrepreneurial activity is cause for concern, he believes the stage is set for development and advancement. “Ireland serves as a remarkable example of what can be achieved with a holistic, coordinated and concerted effort at development. It was one of the poorest in the European Union some years ago, but today is one of the richest. This was achieved by taking note of the problems it faced, marshalling support from big business, guided by government and focusing strongly on education and skills development.

There is no question that this is an enormous task, but the Irish have shown that it can be done,” he says. It is his assertion that South Africa is similarly positioned. “Legislation is driving increased participation in the economy of emerging businesses, while many big companies, Standard Bank included, have the will and desire to share procurement with emerging businesses,” he says. Specifying that education and skills development is of critical importance, van der Spuy says individuals are only able to see potential when they have a skill which they can apply to their benefit. Van der Spuy states that with an effective revenue authority, continued tax relief and the extension of amnesties for emerging businesses is also having a positive, stimulatory effect on entrepreneurship. There is also no shortage of initiatives from government and big business to stimulate growth, he says.

Capital is quite freely available, through government-driven initiatives such as the Industrial Development Corporation, from financial institutions and also private investors. However, respondents to the Report indicated that although there seems to be sufficient funds available it remains difficult to access these funds, especially for start-ups. Van der Spuy believes this is the result of entrepreneurs not fully understanding the expectations and requirements of financial institutions when applications for finance are made.

“There is no shortage of capital however, what has emerged in applications for finance is a poor grasp of essentials that are necessary for a financier to extend a loan. This is where education can play a key role; aspirant entrepreneurs need to know certain essentials, such as how to write a business plan and how to present a budget before they succeed in obtaining backing.” He points to initiatives which Standard Bank operates on an ongoing basis as an example of how involved South African big business is in economic development. “Like many other institutions, we are working to provide not just products and services, but also information and opportunities for learning.

This is manifest in our participation in research initiatives, hosting of seminars and workshops for emerging business owners, participation in government initiatives such as the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, in partnership with French development agency AFD, Khula and many more. The notion of holistic and coordinated effort, I believe, remains a critical factor to continue stimulation of the South African economy.”