MOTIVATION – LIFE
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
Today’s quote comes from Oprah Winfrey who says “If you look at what you have in life – you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life – you’ll never have enough!”
Ain’t that the truth! Think about it for the moment – all the people (and I am pretty sure that you have them in your life too) that continuously moan and groan, all day long and day in and day out because they ‘don’t’ or they ‘can’t’! Not only in their personal lives, but also in their business lives.
They are forever crying about “I can’t make a living because of the Government, taxes, the VAT man, the red tape, the competition, the interest rates, the recession, the crime” man oh man, I could go on and on – pretty much like they do! I’d like to bet that even if the Government gave them everything that they needed, if they had preferential tax breaks, or the VAT man actually paid them to be VAT vendors (which he does just by the way), if there was no red tape, or if the competition went out of business, the interest rates came down, the economy was booming and there was no crime – they would still be finding sometime to moan about because they still would not be making a living!
It’s their attitudes that stink! If they changed their attitudes they would be changing their mindsets too and they would see all the opportunities that abound everywhere.
The problem with people like this is that they expect everything to just happen to them, instead of making things happen for themselves.
Opportunities, like most things in life, need some sort of action. It’s no good just seeing the opportunity – it’s not going to fall like manna from heaven, into our laps and the miraculously morph itself into something else, just for our benefit – we have to play our part and do something about it! We have to not only recognize the opportunity, we have to grab it and do something with it.
So the next time you hear someone moaning and groaning about all the things that they don’t have, get up off your rear ends and go and make something happen in your life so that you don’t become complacent and become just like them. Celebrate what you have and turn the dreams that you have of what you want into reality.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
Custom Search
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Friday, October 10, 2014
HR 101 - Preparing for Disputes - Part 1
ARTICLE 47
Preparing for Disputes – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Over the last few months, I have been inundated with clients who have had the need to discipline staff. In every single instance, although I have previously taken them through the “how to” and the “what to” with their staffing challenges, they have chosen not to listen to or take my advice. The result now is that they are deep in the smelly brown stuff and getting them out of it is going to be expensive. Had they but listened in the first place, none of this would have happened and they certainly would not have been in the space that they have now found themselves in.
In all of the instances, a huge amount of time and resources, not to mention cost has been spent to ensure that the damage is now contained and that it does not spiral out of control.
Preparation of documents and a comprehensive documented statement of account is vital, so ensuring that the telling of the story and how it unfolded is critical and whilst it is always a good idea to leave ‘emotions’ at the door, explaining how you felt, your perceptions and expectations is always a good thing.
Having your story backed up with documentation is extremely useful, but having witnesses who can corroborate your story and the documents is even better and in all probability the most powerful thing of all.
Remember however, that a disciplinary hearing is still a process and it doesn’t matter how powerful your case is, you still have to follow the process, especially the most basic of all of the processes and they have to be followed completely and to the letter of the law. Not doing so will actually make things a whole lot worse instead of better. So please take notice of this.
From there, depending on the outcome of the findings, the dispute may be referred to the CCMA for conciliation, con-arb or arbitration.
Please be aware of the fact that should the dispute go to con-arb or arbitration, the responsibility of preparing the case properly will be yours. So if you are not sure of what to do make sure that you get someone who knows what they are doing to help you and guide you through the process.
The reason that you need to prepare yourself properly is because you can expect to go through a court type hearing with all the relevant proceedings and processes. You see you will not only have to present your evidence in a manner that is professional, but yet concise and easy to understand – you will also have to respond to and try and counteract the evidence of your opponent, also in a profession manner. You have to come across as believable and ensure that what you have to say bears merit rather than malice.
There may be a need for a “pre-arbitration” meeting with your adversary. In many instances this type of meeting could in fact resolve the matter, thereby removing the need for an arbitration meeting altogether. At worst the pre-arbitration meeting will assist in the reducing of time that it will take to complete the hearing and/or assist you in the preparation of the meeting. For the record though, although the CCMA would like the parties to have a ‘pre-meeting’ and that it could be to your own advantage to do so, the fact of the matter is that it is not compulsory.
Next week we will look at some of the most typical and also most important issues that can be discussed at the ‘pre-meeting’.
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
Preparing for Disputes – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Over the last few months, I have been inundated with clients who have had the need to discipline staff. In every single instance, although I have previously taken them through the “how to” and the “what to” with their staffing challenges, they have chosen not to listen to or take my advice. The result now is that they are deep in the smelly brown stuff and getting them out of it is going to be expensive. Had they but listened in the first place, none of this would have happened and they certainly would not have been in the space that they have now found themselves in.
In all of the instances, a huge amount of time and resources, not to mention cost has been spent to ensure that the damage is now contained and that it does not spiral out of control.
Preparation of documents and a comprehensive documented statement of account is vital, so ensuring that the telling of the story and how it unfolded is critical and whilst it is always a good idea to leave ‘emotions’ at the door, explaining how you felt, your perceptions and expectations is always a good thing.
Having your story backed up with documentation is extremely useful, but having witnesses who can corroborate your story and the documents is even better and in all probability the most powerful thing of all.
Remember however, that a disciplinary hearing is still a process and it doesn’t matter how powerful your case is, you still have to follow the process, especially the most basic of all of the processes and they have to be followed completely and to the letter of the law. Not doing so will actually make things a whole lot worse instead of better. So please take notice of this.
From there, depending on the outcome of the findings, the dispute may be referred to the CCMA for conciliation, con-arb or arbitration.
Please be aware of the fact that should the dispute go to con-arb or arbitration, the responsibility of preparing the case properly will be yours. So if you are not sure of what to do make sure that you get someone who knows what they are doing to help you and guide you through the process.
The reason that you need to prepare yourself properly is because you can expect to go through a court type hearing with all the relevant proceedings and processes. You see you will not only have to present your evidence in a manner that is professional, but yet concise and easy to understand – you will also have to respond to and try and counteract the evidence of your opponent, also in a profession manner. You have to come across as believable and ensure that what you have to say bears merit rather than malice.
There may be a need for a “pre-arbitration” meeting with your adversary. In many instances this type of meeting could in fact resolve the matter, thereby removing the need for an arbitration meeting altogether. At worst the pre-arbitration meeting will assist in the reducing of time that it will take to complete the hearing and/or assist you in the preparation of the meeting. For the record though, although the CCMA would like the parties to have a ‘pre-meeting’ and that it could be to your own advantage to do so, the fact of the matter is that it is not compulsory.
Next week we will look at some of the most typical and also most important issues that can be discussed at the ‘pre-meeting’.
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, October 09, 2014
HR 101 - WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Staff Take Time Off
ARTICLE 45
WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Staff Take Time Off
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Once again the issue of what and how much time can be taken by employees has come up. There always seems to be so much confusion around this issue – here are the facts.
Annual Leave – This is a legal requirement
In terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCOA), employees are entitled to a minimum of 15 working days per annum. This is essentially the very minimum for employees that work an eight hour, five day week. Obviously the longer their day or week the more leave that they are entitled to.
When leave can be taken and the procedures for completing leave forms and authorization therefore needs to be documented into a “Leave Policy”.
Sick Leave – This is a legal requirement
Again the BCOA is quite specific. Rule of thumb is as follows: If you take the number of days that your employees generally work over a six week period, that is the number of days that they are entitled to take over a three year period.
So for example, if your employee works a five day week for six weeks, this culminates to thirty days. Therefore your employee is entitled to take thirty days sick leave over a three year period.
Obviously issues like doctor’s certificates and leave forms should also be taken into account and these requirements should be documented when you are putting your leave policy together.
Please remember that employees need to be reminded that “Sick Leave” cannot be accumulated. If it is not taken it is lost.
Maternity Leave – This is a legal requirement.
In terms of the NCOA, female employees are entitled to four months maternity leave. At this particular point in time, this is unpaid, however should the Company elect to put the employee on some sort of remuneration or even fully paid maternity leave, they are entitled to do so. Remember though that once the precedent is set, it needs to be consistently maintained.
As usual the Company’s requirements as well as the rules pertaining to ‘what to do’ when applying for maternity leave should be included in your leave policy.
Family Responsibility Leave – This is a legal requirement.
The BCOA allows for three days in any given year. There are several requirements as to when and under which conditions this leave can be taken. The BCOA have the basic requirements, however that said, as long as the basics are me and complied with the number of days as well as the requirements can be extended by the employer.
The BCOA stipulates that Family Responsibility leave can be taken by employees, in relation to the immediate family as defined by the law. The exact requirements together with the relevant documentary evidence should be included in the Company’s Leave Policy.
Please remember that employees need to be reminded that “Family Responsibility Leave” cannot be accumulated. If it is not taken it is lost.
These are all of the leave applications that are required by law. Other leave requirements such as (but not limited to):
Paternity Leave
Study Leave
Unpaid Leave
May very well be included in the Company policy, however this is not a legal requirement and is at the discretion of the employer.
Remember though, if you are not sure about what the requirements are, contact a Labour specialist – don’t just guess. Guessing will usually end up costing you in the long run.
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
WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Staff Take Time Off
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Once again the issue of what and how much time can be taken by employees has come up. There always seems to be so much confusion around this issue – here are the facts.
Annual Leave – This is a legal requirement
In terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCOA), employees are entitled to a minimum of 15 working days per annum. This is essentially the very minimum for employees that work an eight hour, five day week. Obviously the longer their day or week the more leave that they are entitled to.
When leave can be taken and the procedures for completing leave forms and authorization therefore needs to be documented into a “Leave Policy”.
Sick Leave – This is a legal requirement
Again the BCOA is quite specific. Rule of thumb is as follows: If you take the number of days that your employees generally work over a six week period, that is the number of days that they are entitled to take over a three year period.
So for example, if your employee works a five day week for six weeks, this culminates to thirty days. Therefore your employee is entitled to take thirty days sick leave over a three year period.
Obviously issues like doctor’s certificates and leave forms should also be taken into account and these requirements should be documented when you are putting your leave policy together.
Please remember that employees need to be reminded that “Sick Leave” cannot be accumulated. If it is not taken it is lost.
Maternity Leave – This is a legal requirement.
In terms of the NCOA, female employees are entitled to four months maternity leave. At this particular point in time, this is unpaid, however should the Company elect to put the employee on some sort of remuneration or even fully paid maternity leave, they are entitled to do so. Remember though that once the precedent is set, it needs to be consistently maintained.
As usual the Company’s requirements as well as the rules pertaining to ‘what to do’ when applying for maternity leave should be included in your leave policy.
Family Responsibility Leave – This is a legal requirement.
The BCOA allows for three days in any given year. There are several requirements as to when and under which conditions this leave can be taken. The BCOA have the basic requirements, however that said, as long as the basics are me and complied with the number of days as well as the requirements can be extended by the employer.
The BCOA stipulates that Family Responsibility leave can be taken by employees, in relation to the immediate family as defined by the law. The exact requirements together with the relevant documentary evidence should be included in the Company’s Leave Policy.
Please remember that employees need to be reminded that “Family Responsibility Leave” cannot be accumulated. If it is not taken it is lost.
These are all of the leave applications that are required by law. Other leave requirements such as (but not limited to):
Paternity Leave
Study Leave
Unpaid Leave
May very well be included in the Company policy, however this is not a legal requirement and is at the discretion of the employer.
Remember though, if you are not sure about what the requirements are, contact a Labour specialist – don’t just guess. Guessing will usually end up costing you in the long run.
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, October 08, 2014
Networking 101 - The Basic Rules of Networking
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 64
The Basic Rules of Networking
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
Now I am sure that you all know that you need to network. It is vital to ourselves as individuals and it is vital to our businesses to network. So why is it that so few of us network successfully?
One of the biggest challenges in my opinion, is that not everybody understands the most basic but vital rules about networking. Knowing these could help you to unlock a huge amount of opportunities, give you new ideas and help you to nurture new business friendships and relationships.
Many people feel that they invest a great deal of time, effort and even money to network. That said they don’t see any results and are left frustrated and annoyed at what their perception of no “end results”. To them I say, you are not networking correctly! Change your tactics, change your mindset and you will see a huge improvement in your leads and your business will grow.
Networking is not about giving out your business cards to all and sundry. What does that mean? Look at what you do with business cards – chances are that if you have gone to a meeting or even out for an evening with a whole bunch of people and several have just given you their cards (often without you even asking for one), you will turf that card as soon as you get home. Well they are probably doing the same thing!
Networking is about building relationships. Relationships that are mutually beneficial, that are sustained and worked at. Relationships that will, over time will give you returns on your investment (which is the time that you have spent working on those relationships).
Attending a few networking meetings and handing your card out to a few dozen people is not going to do it. You have to meet up with those people, have a discussion, get to know them and what it is that they do – start a business relationship and then work at maintaining that relationship.
Networking for me is a foot in the door – it’s a fast way to meet people, especially like minded people who are as passionate about their business as I am about mine.
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
PART 64
The Basic Rules of Networking
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
Now I am sure that you all know that you need to network. It is vital to ourselves as individuals and it is vital to our businesses to network. So why is it that so few of us network successfully?
One of the biggest challenges in my opinion, is that not everybody understands the most basic but vital rules about networking. Knowing these could help you to unlock a huge amount of opportunities, give you new ideas and help you to nurture new business friendships and relationships.
Many people feel that they invest a great deal of time, effort and even money to network. That said they don’t see any results and are left frustrated and annoyed at what their perception of no “end results”. To them I say, you are not networking correctly! Change your tactics, change your mindset and you will see a huge improvement in your leads and your business will grow.
Networking is not about giving out your business cards to all and sundry. What does that mean? Look at what you do with business cards – chances are that if you have gone to a meeting or even out for an evening with a whole bunch of people and several have just given you their cards (often without you even asking for one), you will turf that card as soon as you get home. Well they are probably doing the same thing!
Networking is about building relationships. Relationships that are mutually beneficial, that are sustained and worked at. Relationships that will, over time will give you returns on your investment (which is the time that you have spent working on those relationships).
Attending a few networking meetings and handing your card out to a few dozen people is not going to do it. You have to meet up with those people, have a discussion, get to know them and what it is that they do – start a business relationship and then work at maintaining that relationship.
Networking for me is a foot in the door – it’s a fast way to meet people, especially like minded people who are as passionate about their business as I am about mine.
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, October 07, 2014
BUSINESS TIPS – Creating a Successful Team – Part 3
BUSINESS TIPS – Creating a Successful Team – Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC March 2010
Following on from last week, here are the last few tips on how to get the best out of your team.
I know that as children we are taught to ‘share and share alike’. Be it food, or clothing, or toys – whatever, we are taught to share. Sadly, many of us lose this quality as we grow older. We become fearful that if we share we will lose it all. We become fearful that someone will ‘steal’ it from us so we hide it from view. We tell no one, we share it with no-one or we play the cards ‘close to our chests’ so that no-one can have a ‘look see’ for fear that it will be gone. No-where is this truer than in the work place and no-where is it more important for us to share, especially information, than in the work place. No matter what the information is, or whether we think it is important or not, it should be shared, it may very well be important to the work that someone else in the team is doing. Not only will knowing the information that you have, be valuable to them, but it may also add intrinsic value to their task and therefore make them more effective in terms of their performance. Sharing the information will also show them that you trust them and again, this creates an environment that is motivated and strong.
Having regular meetings to ‘brainstorm’ is also of vital importance. These meetings should be positive and staff should be able to feel that they can raise issues such as problems that may arise from time to time, without them being attacked for doing the wrong thing. There should be no ‘recrimination’ at this type of meeting, as it should be seen as an opportunity for everybody in the team to look for a solution to the problem. Often we are ‘too close to the wood to see the trees’ and having an outside point of view may be all that is required to find a solution to the table. Creating a ‘safe’ environment for people to share, not only their accomplishments but also to seek assistance for their challenges will go a long way to creating a strong and efficient team who will always be successful in any project.
It’s about creating and providing your team with the right conditions for them to work in. It’s about giving them the correct tools with which to perform their tasks. It’s about trusting them and guiding them and working with them.
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, October 06, 2014
Motivation - Believe Your Dreams
MOTIVATION – Believe Your Dream
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – 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 CC – 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
Saturday, October 04, 2014
Motivation - It's not the what, it's the Who
MOTIVATION – IT’S NOT THE WHAT, IT’S THE WHO
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
It is said that “It’s not what you have, but WHO you have in your life that counts the most.”
Whilst on some level I agree whole heartedly with that statement, I would like to take it one step further and say that ‘It’s not only WHO you have in your life, but also who they have in their lives, that will count the most in yours’.
I have watched this in play over and over and over again – people sitting around a table chatting about this and that and suddenly a single comment is made and everybody interacts with everybody else in terms of somebody who knows somebody who can assist. It’s wonderful to watch this when it happens.
You see most people instinctively want to help others and sometimes this is the only way that they know how.
So I consider myself truly blessed, because I know a great many people, who know a great many people, and when I need help and assistance all I have to do is ask!
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 CC
It is said that “It’s not what you have, but WHO you have in your life that counts the most.”
Whilst on some level I agree whole heartedly with that statement, I would like to take it one step further and say that ‘It’s not only WHO you have in your life, but also who they have in their lives, that will count the most in yours’.
I have watched this in play over and over and over again – people sitting around a table chatting about this and that and suddenly a single comment is made and everybody interacts with everybody else in terms of somebody who knows somebody who can assist. It’s wonderful to watch this when it happens.
You see most people instinctively want to help others and sometimes this is the only way that they know how.
So I consider myself truly blessed, because I know a great many people, who know a great many people, and when I need help and assistance all I have to do is ask!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
Friday, October 03, 2014
HR 101 - Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 4
ARTICLE 44
WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 4
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC October 2009
So following on from last week – let’s have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the Act that received a typical ‘knee jerk’ reaction. They are (but not limited to).
“Where an employee accuses an employer in court or at the CCMA of having dismissed him unfairly and the existence of the dismissal is established, the employer is assumed guilty of unfair dismissal until it proves itself innocent.”
So what exactly does this mean? Here’s the story
Sally owns a pre-school, nursery school type establishment and George works there as the gardener/handyman. Sally has a very strict “Code of Conduct” in terms of what the staff can or can’t do and one of the issues is that staff may not drink any alcohol or partake of any illegal substances whilst on duty or come to work still under the influence of either alcohol or drugs of any sort.
One morning George came to work and it was evident that he was still inebriated from the previous evening. Clearly it is not a good idea for an adult to be drunk around small children and Sally was obviously not impressed. Sally followed all the procedures correctly. With his written permission, Sally did a sobriety test and George was found to be well over the legal limit. Sally sent George home to ‘sleep it off’ and when he returned the following day he was given notice to attend a disciplinary hearing.
George was found guilty and dismissed and the next thing that happened was Sally was presented with the paperwork as George had gone off to the CCMA.
On the day the CCMA agreed that George was in fact guilty of being intoxicated and that George’s dismissal was the correct thing to do, however (and here is where it gets ugly) the arbitrator still decided that the dismissal had been unfair because George had not been given the change to cross-examine those who had raised the complaint.
You see, Sally, in her fury had neglected to bring every single person who has seen the state that George was in and who had actually reported his behaviour to her. Sally had taken it upon herself to just report what she had seen.
Herein lies much of the problem when it comes to disciplinary hearings – the more witnesses you have the better your case becomes. It doesn’t really make any difference whether they all say the same thing, what matters is that there is a ‘visual and physical’ component to the charges that have been made. Documentary evidence is good, but having witnesses corroborate the evidence that is set out in the documents is even better.
Knowing what the procedures are and following them is good, but understanding the law and applying it to those policies and procedures is even better.
It is also necessary for everyone to understand how important it is to get professional help when you are having HR issues, clearly trying to deal with this stuff by yourself becomes part of the problem.
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
WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 4
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC October 2009
So following on from last week – let’s have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the Act that received a typical ‘knee jerk’ reaction. They are (but not limited to).
“Where an employee accuses an employer in court or at the CCMA of having dismissed him unfairly and the existence of the dismissal is established, the employer is assumed guilty of unfair dismissal until it proves itself innocent.”
So what exactly does this mean? Here’s the story
Sally owns a pre-school, nursery school type establishment and George works there as the gardener/handyman. Sally has a very strict “Code of Conduct” in terms of what the staff can or can’t do and one of the issues is that staff may not drink any alcohol or partake of any illegal substances whilst on duty or come to work still under the influence of either alcohol or drugs of any sort.
One morning George came to work and it was evident that he was still inebriated from the previous evening. Clearly it is not a good idea for an adult to be drunk around small children and Sally was obviously not impressed. Sally followed all the procedures correctly. With his written permission, Sally did a sobriety test and George was found to be well over the legal limit. Sally sent George home to ‘sleep it off’ and when he returned the following day he was given notice to attend a disciplinary hearing.
George was found guilty and dismissed and the next thing that happened was Sally was presented with the paperwork as George had gone off to the CCMA.
On the day the CCMA agreed that George was in fact guilty of being intoxicated and that George’s dismissal was the correct thing to do, however (and here is where it gets ugly) the arbitrator still decided that the dismissal had been unfair because George had not been given the change to cross-examine those who had raised the complaint.
You see, Sally, in her fury had neglected to bring every single person who has seen the state that George was in and who had actually reported his behaviour to her. Sally had taken it upon herself to just report what she had seen.
Herein lies much of the problem when it comes to disciplinary hearings – the more witnesses you have the better your case becomes. It doesn’t really make any difference whether they all say the same thing, what matters is that there is a ‘visual and physical’ component to the charges that have been made. Documentary evidence is good, but having witnesses corroborate the evidence that is set out in the documents is even better.
Knowing what the procedures are and following them is good, but understanding the law and applying it to those policies and procedures is even better.
It is also necessary for everyone to understand how important it is to get professional help when you are having HR issues, clearly trying to deal with this stuff by yourself becomes part of the problem.
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, October 02, 2014
HR 101 - Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 3
ARTICLE 44
WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC October 2009
So following on from last week – let’s have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the Act that received a typical ‘knee jerk’ reaction. They are (but not limited to).
“Employees are entitled to a disciplinary hearing even where they are accused of being on an unprotected (illegal) strike.”
For me this is just logical – I mean how can you discipline anyone for anything without a proper disciplinary hearing. The whole deal about this however is that as the employer, you have to prove that the strike was unprotected (which usually is not very difficult at all) and then you have to ensure that the staff member was actually on strike and not on ‘sick’ leave or even ‘annual’ leave.
In the apartheid era, this was often used as an excuse to ‘get rid’ of staff that you no longer wanted around. Nowadays the rule of “innocent until proven guilty” applies.
In fact whilst I am on the subject of disciplinary hearings – remember this. If your employee is caught say, stealing and you have them arrested, or they are arrested and end up going to jail. That’s not the end of the story – you still have to go through the motions of having a disciplinary (in abstentia), where they need to be found ‘guilty’ and then dismissed. This would also apply to someone who has gone AWOL (absent without leave) and who never ever comes back to work.
The reason for this is, if you don’t hold a disciplinary, find them guilty, and summarily dismiss them, the reality of the situation is that you could be forced to re-employ (and pay all the back pay) when they are released from jail and want to come back to work or they suddenly remember that they have to come back to work after being AWOL.
So, go through the motions, I know it is a pain in the rear end, but it certainly is less than the pain that you will feel if you don’t follow the correct procedures and then they come back and demand their jobs back.
Next week we will have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the law.
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
WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC October 2009
So following on from last week – let’s have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the Act that received a typical ‘knee jerk’ reaction. They are (but not limited to).
“Employees are entitled to a disciplinary hearing even where they are accused of being on an unprotected (illegal) strike.”
For me this is just logical – I mean how can you discipline anyone for anything without a proper disciplinary hearing. The whole deal about this however is that as the employer, you have to prove that the strike was unprotected (which usually is not very difficult at all) and then you have to ensure that the staff member was actually on strike and not on ‘sick’ leave or even ‘annual’ leave.
In the apartheid era, this was often used as an excuse to ‘get rid’ of staff that you no longer wanted around. Nowadays the rule of “innocent until proven guilty” applies.
In fact whilst I am on the subject of disciplinary hearings – remember this. If your employee is caught say, stealing and you have them arrested, or they are arrested and end up going to jail. That’s not the end of the story – you still have to go through the motions of having a disciplinary (in abstentia), where they need to be found ‘guilty’ and then dismissed. This would also apply to someone who has gone AWOL (absent without leave) and who never ever comes back to work.
The reason for this is, if you don’t hold a disciplinary, find them guilty, and summarily dismiss them, the reality of the situation is that you could be forced to re-employ (and pay all the back pay) when they are released from jail and want to come back to work or they suddenly remember that they have to come back to work after being AWOL.
So, go through the motions, I know it is a pain in the rear end, but it certainly is less than the pain that you will feel if you don’t follow the correct procedures and then they come back and demand their jobs back.
Next week we will have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the law.
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, October 01, 2014
Networking 101 - Working at Networking
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 63
Working at Networking
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
I am often asked, why is it that I am such a good networker. What is it that makes me a ‘natural networker’. Well quite honestly, there is only one response to both of those and that is – I work at it every single day of my life.
For me, it is like any other relationship in life – it has to be worked at or it will never be productive and it will never go the distance. That is why the divorce rate is so high – once married, people don’t continue to invest time and effort and respect into it. That is also why partnerships fail and businesses fall over.
We’ve all heard the words “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” Hell, if the truth be told we have all uttered them at one point or another. I’d like to take that one step further and say – “It’s not what you know, it’s not even who you know, it’s who you know, who knows who you don’t know!”
For me, it’s getting to know all the ‘who I don’t knows” and that I can only do by getting to know all the “who I knows”, building a relationship with them, interacting with them, sharing all the ‘who I knows but they don’t knows” with them, so that they will share all the “who they knows, but I don’t knows” with me. Wow, that was a bit of a tongue twister, but I am sure you get my meaning!
For me Networking is one of the most powerful tools at my disposal. It is what I use on a daily basis, both consciously and subconsciously to build my business, to land that special deal, to broaden my ‘virtual’ company, which adds value to me as and individual and to my business, so it is extremely difficult for me to understand why so many people find their attempts at networking so frustrating, futile and unrewarding. They have got to be doing something wrong or they don’t understand the ‘how to’ or they don’t work at it.
Do you understand the Power of Networking? Do you have any idea what doors it can unlock and the number of opportunities that will come falling out of it – like a closet that has been filled to capacity and the door is suddenly opened, spewing its contents all over the floor.
If you don’t and you want to understand more about networking as a tool – stick around and I’ll share some more of the simple secrets about how to network next week.
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
PART 63
Working at Networking
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
I am often asked, why is it that I am such a good networker. What is it that makes me a ‘natural networker’. Well quite honestly, there is only one response to both of those and that is – I work at it every single day of my life.
For me, it is like any other relationship in life – it has to be worked at or it will never be productive and it will never go the distance. That is why the divorce rate is so high – once married, people don’t continue to invest time and effort and respect into it. That is also why partnerships fail and businesses fall over.
We’ve all heard the words “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” Hell, if the truth be told we have all uttered them at one point or another. I’d like to take that one step further and say – “It’s not what you know, it’s not even who you know, it’s who you know, who knows who you don’t know!”
For me, it’s getting to know all the ‘who I don’t knows” and that I can only do by getting to know all the “who I knows”, building a relationship with them, interacting with them, sharing all the ‘who I knows but they don’t knows” with them, so that they will share all the “who they knows, but I don’t knows” with me. Wow, that was a bit of a tongue twister, but I am sure you get my meaning!
For me Networking is one of the most powerful tools at my disposal. It is what I use on a daily basis, both consciously and subconsciously to build my business, to land that special deal, to broaden my ‘virtual’ company, which adds value to me as and individual and to my business, so it is extremely difficult for me to understand why so many people find their attempts at networking so frustrating, futile and unrewarding. They have got to be doing something wrong or they don’t understand the ‘how to’ or they don’t work at it.
Do you understand the Power of Networking? Do you have any idea what doors it can unlock and the number of opportunities that will come falling out of it – like a closet that has been filled to capacity and the door is suddenly opened, spewing its contents all over the floor.
If you don’t and you want to understand more about networking as a tool – stick around and I’ll share some more of the simple secrets about how to network next week.
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, September 30, 2014
BUSINESS TIPS – Creating a Successful Team – Part 2
BUSINESS TIPS – Creating a Successful Team – Part 2
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC March 2010
Following on from last week, here are some more tips on how to get the best out of your team.
My ‘baby’ brother is a Senior International Partner at Deloittes in Australia and I am immensely proud of him. We chat often and as I tell him of what is happening in my life and what I am achieving and he always says “Well done Nikki!” The first time he said it I was amused – I mean, here I am – his ‘big’ sister and he is the one that is praising me (not that I never praised him or congratulated him, you understand). It did make me feel good though (and it still does). I guess that we, as the human beings, still always need to be acknowledged in some way or another. Even though your staff are members of a team, remember that they still remain individuals and as individuals they still need to be encouraged.
When a member of your team does something correctly or their job performance is good, give them recognition. This tells them (and all their colleagues) that you are aware of what is going on and that you have noticed that they are doing well. Congratulations and praise should be given as soon as possible and if you have motivated them with promises of a reward, be sure to give that reward as soon as they have achieved the objective. Holding onto a reward that should have been given in the hopes that it will spur them onto achieving more objectives will not work and in all probability will have a negative effect. So don’t do it.
As someone who prefers to work alone, one of my biggest challenges is to delegate. Think about it for a moment though – you have a team, more importantly, you are part of a team. Each member of the team (including you) has specific tasks that they need to perform. If you were able to complete the project all by yourself, you would not need the team – therefore you have to ‘give up’ a lot of the tasks that you would normally perform to the various team members that those tasks fall under. They are no longer your tasks. Giving up those tasks will also free up time for you to do the important tasks that fall under your particular portfolio – so if it’s not on your portfolio, then it’s not your task – give it to someone else or hand it over to the person that it belongs to. Delegating things successfully will show your staff that you trust them to do their work (and any other tasks that you give them) properly. It will give them confidence in their abilities and will generally assist with motivating them as well.
Just like any successful democracy, the whole team should be involved in the decision making. Yes you are ultimately responsible for the outcomes and the deliverables and everything else that goes with that, but you need the ‘buy in’ of the team and that will never happen if they are not part of the decision making. Remember they are the ones that have to do the physical work and if they are just ‘told’ what to do, without understanding the ‘why’ and the consequences they will become disgruntled.
Next week we will look at the final few tips on Creating a Successful team.
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, September 29, 2014
Motivation - The Doer
MOTIVATION – The Doer
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
Vince Lombardi says “It is time for us to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever and the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.”
I don’t know how you guys feel, but quite frankly I am sick to death of the whole debate (or even non-debate) around the state of the economy right now. I was at a client last week and his phone rang. Before he even asked the caller “how are you” he answered a question with “ja I know, this economy and the credit crunch is getting to all of us.”
I was gobsmacked! We are getting like the Capetonians and their weather! You cannot have a conversation without it coming up. Yet look around you, every single road you turn down is having some sort of construction being done to it or a building going up in it. Now what does that tell you? Well it tells me that the economy here in South Africa is not as bad as it might be else where. Every time you look at a newspaper there is another story of someone having stolen millions – now if there are ‘millions’ to steal, then there must be money somewhere.
Then of course there are the conspiracy theories, and I must admit I do enjoy these a whole lot more than the usual moaners and groaners. At least these have a story that you can relate to or even find so far fetched as to render them completely funny!
Personally I am of the opinion that if we spent as much time getting things done as we spend moaning and groaning about whatever it is that we can find to moan and groan about – we would be gazillionaires! All that hot air and energy that goes to waste all the time could be utilized for a far better purpose I am sure.
Then, not only do we moan and groan about the economy/weather/government/taxes (insert whatever else you would like to here), when we see someone else doing well, we moan about that too!
Instead of finding out why it is that they are being successful and trying to emulate their particular formula, we sit down and moan about how lucky they are and how unlucky we are and . . . . there we go again.
Let’s change our mindsets shall we, let’s find at least one person everyday that we can say “Well done! You’ve done a great job!” to. Let’s find one person a day – I mean how difficult can that be – to congratulate on achieving something and really be pleased for them. Let’s find one person who has had a thought about doing something differently and pat them on the back and give them encouragement to go forward.
And then, whilst we doing that – how about we give ourselves encouragement and congratulations and even a pat on the back for finding something right with our day and not always focusing on the bad.
Just one thing, one person, one day! We can do it!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
Vince Lombardi says “It is time for us to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever and the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.”
I don’t know how you guys feel, but quite frankly I am sick to death of the whole debate (or even non-debate) around the state of the economy right now. I was at a client last week and his phone rang. Before he even asked the caller “how are you” he answered a question with “ja I know, this economy and the credit crunch is getting to all of us.”
I was gobsmacked! We are getting like the Capetonians and their weather! You cannot have a conversation without it coming up. Yet look around you, every single road you turn down is having some sort of construction being done to it or a building going up in it. Now what does that tell you? Well it tells me that the economy here in South Africa is not as bad as it might be else where. Every time you look at a newspaper there is another story of someone having stolen millions – now if there are ‘millions’ to steal, then there must be money somewhere.
Then of course there are the conspiracy theories, and I must admit I do enjoy these a whole lot more than the usual moaners and groaners. At least these have a story that you can relate to or even find so far fetched as to render them completely funny!
Personally I am of the opinion that if we spent as much time getting things done as we spend moaning and groaning about whatever it is that we can find to moan and groan about – we would be gazillionaires! All that hot air and energy that goes to waste all the time could be utilized for a far better purpose I am sure.
Then, not only do we moan and groan about the economy/weather/government/taxes (insert whatever else you would like to here), when we see someone else doing well, we moan about that too!
Instead of finding out why it is that they are being successful and trying to emulate their particular formula, we sit down and moan about how lucky they are and how unlucky we are and . . . . there we go again.
Let’s change our mindsets shall we, let’s find at least one person everyday that we can say “Well done! You’ve done a great job!” to. Let’s find one person a day – I mean how difficult can that be – to congratulate on achieving something and really be pleased for them. Let’s find one person who has had a thought about doing something differently and pat them on the back and give them encouragement to go forward.
And then, whilst we doing that – how about we give ourselves encouragement and congratulations and even a pat on the back for finding something right with our day and not always focusing on the bad.
Just one thing, one person, one day! We can do it!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Motivation - If you can dream it
MOTIVATION – If You Can Dream It
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
One of the most profound sayings that I know of is Walt Disney’s “If you can DREAM it, you can DO it.”
This certainly is one of the motivational tips that resonates the most with me – and boy do I love to dream. It is my most favorite part of the day. When I am lying in my bed at night, just before I slip into ‘lala land’ (if I am extremely lucky you understand), in that place between being awake and being asleep that I love to call ‘the twilight zone’, where I allow my mind to wonder to all the delicious possibilities that are available, and believe me when I tell you there are millions! I doubt very much that there is a single night that I don’t go to sleep with a huge big grin on my face and that I think, is very good for the soul!
Sadly, even in this day and age, there are still millions of people out there, who never mind don’t have even a single dream, but worse still, they have no idea how to dream. People who are caught up in their mundane lives, who are so busy putting ‘one foot in front of the other’ in order to stay alive, so focused and intent on just existing that there is no room for anything else. Or, what about those folk who have been so damaged by life that they do not think that they deserve anything good in their lives, much less even the notion that they too can dream? Then of course you have the people who do not even believe in dreams, people who are so cynical about the magical aspects of life that they cannot even begin to understand how important it is to dream. My heart really does go out to all of these – I could not even being to imagine my life without my dreams.
Here’s the thing though – it’s no good just dreaming! Sure it’s a lot of fun and sure it feeds the mystical, magical, fantasy side of our lives, but in order to have those dreams become a reality (the ones that you do want to be part of your reality that is, not the ones about the flying red dragons), then you have to do something with them, about them and to them, in order for them to become the reality. There has to be some sort of action on your part. You have to become (if you’re not one already) a ‘doer’! You have to create the ‘space’ for the dream to become a reality and I think for most, therein lies the challenge.
Think about it for a moment – how would you feel about reading a book that has no ending! You get all caught up in the twists and turns, the plots and the pleasures, the drama and seductions and as you get to the most critical stage, you turn the page and . . . . nothing. You hastily turn the page back, believing that you have missed something, that you have done something wrong and no, there it is the twists and turns, the plot and the pleasures and you turn the page again, hoping that the tale continues and there, as plain as day, staring right back at you, a blank page!
That for me is what happens when a dream is not turned into reality. Irritation at having been brought this far down the road and then left dangling, the plot not realized, the twists and turns only half completed and the story that started off rich and vibrant and full of life brought to an abrupt end.
So remember that the dream that you want to turn into reality, must be brought to fruition, the tale needs to unfold and the story needs to have an ending and quite honestly, whichever ending that you need to write will be the right one for you – it’s all about the choices that you make and how you want the dream to end. So put in the effort, make it happen. Dream the dream but don’t forget to turn the dream into your reality.
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 CC November 2009
One of the most profound sayings that I know of is Walt Disney’s “If you can DREAM it, you can DO it.”
This certainly is one of the motivational tips that resonates the most with me – and boy do I love to dream. It is my most favorite part of the day. When I am lying in my bed at night, just before I slip into ‘lala land’ (if I am extremely lucky you understand), in that place between being awake and being asleep that I love to call ‘the twilight zone’, where I allow my mind to wonder to all the delicious possibilities that are available, and believe me when I tell you there are millions! I doubt very much that there is a single night that I don’t go to sleep with a huge big grin on my face and that I think, is very good for the soul!
Sadly, even in this day and age, there are still millions of people out there, who never mind don’t have even a single dream, but worse still, they have no idea how to dream. People who are caught up in their mundane lives, who are so busy putting ‘one foot in front of the other’ in order to stay alive, so focused and intent on just existing that there is no room for anything else. Or, what about those folk who have been so damaged by life that they do not think that they deserve anything good in their lives, much less even the notion that they too can dream? Then of course you have the people who do not even believe in dreams, people who are so cynical about the magical aspects of life that they cannot even begin to understand how important it is to dream. My heart really does go out to all of these – I could not even being to imagine my life without my dreams.
Here’s the thing though – it’s no good just dreaming! Sure it’s a lot of fun and sure it feeds the mystical, magical, fantasy side of our lives, but in order to have those dreams become a reality (the ones that you do want to be part of your reality that is, not the ones about the flying red dragons), then you have to do something with them, about them and to them, in order for them to become the reality. There has to be some sort of action on your part. You have to become (if you’re not one already) a ‘doer’! You have to create the ‘space’ for the dream to become a reality and I think for most, therein lies the challenge.
Think about it for a moment – how would you feel about reading a book that has no ending! You get all caught up in the twists and turns, the plots and the pleasures, the drama and seductions and as you get to the most critical stage, you turn the page and . . . . nothing. You hastily turn the page back, believing that you have missed something, that you have done something wrong and no, there it is the twists and turns, the plot and the pleasures and you turn the page again, hoping that the tale continues and there, as plain as day, staring right back at you, a blank page!
That for me is what happens when a dream is not turned into reality. Irritation at having been brought this far down the road and then left dangling, the plot not realized, the twists and turns only half completed and the story that started off rich and vibrant and full of life brought to an abrupt end.
So remember that the dream that you want to turn into reality, must be brought to fruition, the tale needs to unfold and the story needs to have an ending and quite honestly, whichever ending that you need to write will be the right one for you – it’s all about the choices that you make and how you want the dream to end. So put in the effort, make it happen. Dream the dream but don’t forget to turn the dream into your reality.
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
Saturday, September 27, 2014
MOTIVATION – I believe we change
MOTIVATION – I BELIEVE WE CHANGE
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
It is said that “we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.”
Well in my book, so do we. We change! We grow and move forward. Sometimes we stop dead in our tracks and need to be kick-started to get going again and sometimes something happens and we even go back wards.
Think about it for a moment. As children we learn and as we learn we grow – both physically and emotionally. What was really important to us as children growing up is usually nothing that we get up tight about as teenagers. Our understanding of our immediate environment and the people in it change as we grow.
Then as teenagers, the hormones kick in and we swing like a great big pendulum, going from ecstatic highs to dangerous lows, very seldom spending any length of time, balanced, somewhere in the middle.
Once the hormones settle down and we become more emotionally stable and enter young adulthood, what seemed like a ‘life and death’ situation as a teenager usually becomes nothing more than a slight embarrassment as we think back to what we were so ready to give our very lives for – presuming of course that we can actually remember the incident at all!
Then as adults we grow as we experience day to day life and the trials and tribulations that we set up for ourselves. From each experience we learn (hopefully) and we grow.
As we grow we change, hopefully for the better, and we morph into who and what it is that we want to become.
Friendships that were forged in our youth often do not survive to adulthood and this is because as individuals, we grow at different speeds, and often in different directions.
We expect others around us, our family, our friends and colleagues to accept us for what and whom we are, at any given moment in our lives and yet there appears to be this problem that we have in seeing and accepting the changes that our friends, family and colleagues have also gone through to become what they are.
We all change, whether it is for the better or for the worse – it is entirely up to us. Let us embrace that change both in ourselves and in our friends. Let us accept the changes in both ourselves and in our friends. Let us be all that we can be and accept our friends just as they are.
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 CC
It is said that “we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.”
Well in my book, so do we. We change! We grow and move forward. Sometimes we stop dead in our tracks and need to be kick-started to get going again and sometimes something happens and we even go back wards.
Think about it for a moment. As children we learn and as we learn we grow – both physically and emotionally. What was really important to us as children growing up is usually nothing that we get up tight about as teenagers. Our understanding of our immediate environment and the people in it change as we grow.
Then as teenagers, the hormones kick in and we swing like a great big pendulum, going from ecstatic highs to dangerous lows, very seldom spending any length of time, balanced, somewhere in the middle.
Once the hormones settle down and we become more emotionally stable and enter young adulthood, what seemed like a ‘life and death’ situation as a teenager usually becomes nothing more than a slight embarrassment as we think back to what we were so ready to give our very lives for – presuming of course that we can actually remember the incident at all!
Then as adults we grow as we experience day to day life and the trials and tribulations that we set up for ourselves. From each experience we learn (hopefully) and we grow.
As we grow we change, hopefully for the better, and we morph into who and what it is that we want to become.
Friendships that were forged in our youth often do not survive to adulthood and this is because as individuals, we grow at different speeds, and often in different directions.
We expect others around us, our family, our friends and colleagues to accept us for what and whom we are, at any given moment in our lives and yet there appears to be this problem that we have in seeing and accepting the changes that our friends, family and colleagues have also gone through to become what they are.
We all change, whether it is for the better or for the worse – it is entirely up to us. Let us embrace that change both in ourselves and in our friends. Let us accept the changes in both ourselves and in our friends. Let us be all that we can be and accept our friends just as they are.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.
Friday, September 26, 2014
HR 101 - Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 2
ARTICLE 44
WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 2
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC October 2009
So following on from last week – let’s have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the Act that received a typical ‘knee jerk’ reaction. They are (but not limited to).
Employees are entitled to refuse to do the work of colleagues who are on strike.
This, quite frankly is another favourite of mine and it honestly takes me back a few decades to my Corporate life, in the bank and the again in the retail sector.
Here are the stories:
During the late 70’s and early 80’s, I worked in one of the ‘lesser’ known banks in Cape Town. Those of you who were around at the time, will remember that here in South Africa we were in the middle of the apartheid era and life certainly was very different to what it is now.
Strikes and protests, although not quite the order of the day yet, were still fairly frequent and of course very disruptive. Imagine working in a job that is quite pressurized (I was a clerk in the foreign exchange department at the time and the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station was in the throes of being built) and then having to take on a share of the work of the 5 or 6 employees who went on strike at every opportunity.
Working even longer than usual on a indefinite basis (who knew when the strike would end) doing work that was not mine and that I often did not even fully understand, often brought out huge resentment which would then be directed both at management, for putting me under this added pressure and for making me do work that was not mine and that I did not enjoy and my agitation was also directed at my striking colleagues, who by their striking actions, had put me in this position.
As you can imagine, inter office relationships deteriorated, both between colleagues and then also between management and employees and it actually resulted in many of the staff resigning (ironically, never the striking ones) and they were replaced by more staff who would also go on strike. It was an absolute relief when I was offered another position in another ‘lesser’ known bank in Johannesburg.
The second story is about when I was in the wholesale retail sector in the early 90’s. The apartheid era was coming to a close, but it was during the time when strikes and protests were the order of the day. I was, at the time a Senior Manager with around 50 employees working for me and more than half of these belonged to the unions and went on strike on a regular basis.
We were instructed to ‘share’ the work amongst the remaining staff and it pretty much also cause the same sort of problems that were caused in the previous story, but it gets worse.
You see, I still take pride in the work that I produce, irrespective of whether it is my work to produce or not, in the first place. Unfortunately, that cannot be said about the rest of the general workforce out there and the result of that was that most of the work had to be re-done, which caused even more delays and producing even more hostility.
Clearly forcing employees to do the work of striking colleagues is not good for morale and it is not good for the business.
So how do we turn this around and make it work for us. Well here’s the thing – when employees strike it’s a ‘no work, no pay’ kind of situation. Doesn’t it then make sense to hire a bunch of temps and/or casuals to do the absolute necessary of what needs to be done.
Here’s the deal then – getting other people in also provides the employer with a unique opportunity to observe prospective future employees at work and also in unusual circumstances. How cool is that?
Next week we will have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the law.
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
WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 2
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC October 2009
So following on from last week – let’s have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the Act that received a typical ‘knee jerk’ reaction. They are (but not limited to).
Employees are entitled to refuse to do the work of colleagues who are on strike.
This, quite frankly is another favourite of mine and it honestly takes me back a few decades to my Corporate life, in the bank and the again in the retail sector.
Here are the stories:
During the late 70’s and early 80’s, I worked in one of the ‘lesser’ known banks in Cape Town. Those of you who were around at the time, will remember that here in South Africa we were in the middle of the apartheid era and life certainly was very different to what it is now.
Strikes and protests, although not quite the order of the day yet, were still fairly frequent and of course very disruptive. Imagine working in a job that is quite pressurized (I was a clerk in the foreign exchange department at the time and the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station was in the throes of being built) and then having to take on a share of the work of the 5 or 6 employees who went on strike at every opportunity.
Working even longer than usual on a indefinite basis (who knew when the strike would end) doing work that was not mine and that I often did not even fully understand, often brought out huge resentment which would then be directed both at management, for putting me under this added pressure and for making me do work that was not mine and that I did not enjoy and my agitation was also directed at my striking colleagues, who by their striking actions, had put me in this position.
As you can imagine, inter office relationships deteriorated, both between colleagues and then also between management and employees and it actually resulted in many of the staff resigning (ironically, never the striking ones) and they were replaced by more staff who would also go on strike. It was an absolute relief when I was offered another position in another ‘lesser’ known bank in Johannesburg.
The second story is about when I was in the wholesale retail sector in the early 90’s. The apartheid era was coming to a close, but it was during the time when strikes and protests were the order of the day. I was, at the time a Senior Manager with around 50 employees working for me and more than half of these belonged to the unions and went on strike on a regular basis.
We were instructed to ‘share’ the work amongst the remaining staff and it pretty much also cause the same sort of problems that were caused in the previous story, but it gets worse.
You see, I still take pride in the work that I produce, irrespective of whether it is my work to produce or not, in the first place. Unfortunately, that cannot be said about the rest of the general workforce out there and the result of that was that most of the work had to be re-done, which caused even more delays and producing even more hostility.
Clearly forcing employees to do the work of striking colleagues is not good for morale and it is not good for the business.
So how do we turn this around and make it work for us. Well here’s the thing – when employees strike it’s a ‘no work, no pay’ kind of situation. Doesn’t it then make sense to hire a bunch of temps and/or casuals to do the absolute necessary of what needs to be done.
Here’s the deal then – getting other people in also provides the employer with a unique opportunity to observe prospective future employees at work and also in unusual circumstances. How cool is that?
Next week we will have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the law.
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, September 25, 2014
HR 101 - Out with the Old, In with the New
ARTICLE 44
WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC October 2009
One of the most incorrect perceptions and the one that is most often uttered is that the Labour Relations Act (LRA) favours the employee.
In 1995, the old Labour Relations Act that was created in 1956 was scrapped by the new ANC government and a new act was put into place. The new act is the Labour Relations Act of 1995. Yes the act does more to protect the employee from unscrupulous employers, but the new LRA also protects the employer – now how is that for a mind shift?
Granted the new law also meets the Labour Movements Agenda, but that said, if the employer follows the basic rules, the employer is also protected from the employee.
Here’s the way that I see it: -
The law, the way it was, was fundamentally flawed and very lopsided and very much in favour of the employer. The law today is a lot fairer to both the employer and the employee.
Yes it is different! The biggest difference is the fact that employers now have to know the law and they have to follow the procedures. Here’s a thought – if people spent as much time learning the basics of the law and implementing policies and procedures in order to implement that law, as they do moaning about the fact that the law has changed, they would find themselves in an incredibly strong and empowered position.
Some of the protection for employees is (but not limited to):
“Employees are entitled to join and participate in legitimate trade union activity without fear of being fired for this.”
Now most of us look at the unions as a bad thing. Me, I think that they are fabulous! I can just see everybody looking at me as though I have lost the plot! The truth is though, that as much as the unions can cause a lot of perhaps uncomfortable moments for the employer and that they are most definitely on the side of the employee, they also have a responsibility to the employer. Employers can hold the trade union responsible for the behaviour of the employees. How’s that for a thought?
If you as an employer have staff, who are members of a trade union – use the trade unions to get your message across to your staff. Staff, who are not performing put themselves at risk in terms of their employment contracts. Employers have the right to have employees that perform in terms of the requirements of the job and it is incumbent upon the trade unions to ensure that their members meet these requirements.
So once again, instead of moaning and griping about how bad the trade unions are, turn it around, use the trade unions to make your staff aware of your requirements and also, that these requirements if not met, have serious consequences.
Next week we will have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the law.
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
WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Out with the Old, In with the New – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC October 2009
One of the most incorrect perceptions and the one that is most often uttered is that the Labour Relations Act (LRA) favours the employee.
In 1995, the old Labour Relations Act that was created in 1956 was scrapped by the new ANC government and a new act was put into place. The new act is the Labour Relations Act of 1995. Yes the act does more to protect the employee from unscrupulous employers, but the new LRA also protects the employer – now how is that for a mind shift?
Granted the new law also meets the Labour Movements Agenda, but that said, if the employer follows the basic rules, the employer is also protected from the employee.
Here’s the way that I see it: -
The law, the way it was, was fundamentally flawed and very lopsided and very much in favour of the employer. The law today is a lot fairer to both the employer and the employee.
Yes it is different! The biggest difference is the fact that employers now have to know the law and they have to follow the procedures. Here’s a thought – if people spent as much time learning the basics of the law and implementing policies and procedures in order to implement that law, as they do moaning about the fact that the law has changed, they would find themselves in an incredibly strong and empowered position.
Some of the protection for employees is (but not limited to):
“Employees are entitled to join and participate in legitimate trade union activity without fear of being fired for this.”
Now most of us look at the unions as a bad thing. Me, I think that they are fabulous! I can just see everybody looking at me as though I have lost the plot! The truth is though, that as much as the unions can cause a lot of perhaps uncomfortable moments for the employer and that they are most definitely on the side of the employee, they also have a responsibility to the employer. Employers can hold the trade union responsible for the behaviour of the employees. How’s that for a thought?
If you as an employer have staff, who are members of a trade union – use the trade unions to get your message across to your staff. Staff, who are not performing put themselves at risk in terms of their employment contracts. Employers have the right to have employees that perform in terms of the requirements of the job and it is incumbent upon the trade unions to ensure that their members meet these requirements.
So once again, instead of moaning and griping about how bad the trade unions are, turn it around, use the trade unions to make your staff aware of your requirements and also, that these requirements if not met, have serious consequences.
Next week we will have a look at some of the other changes that were made to the law.
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, September 24, 2014
Networking 101 - Respect your Competition
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 62
Respect your Competition
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:
“Be respectful of the competition. Give credit, where it is due.”
Apart from anything else, this is just good manners! That said, let’s examine why Renate says this.
So, here I am – an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist, working in the SMME arena. Since I am the only one that I know of in this field, doing this particular work – life is a bowel of cherries – I don’t have any competition, my diary is pretty full and life is great.
Then one day as I am going along on my merry way, I meet Jane Doe, who does (yes you’ve guessed it) Internal Auditing and Business Administration! So now I find myself a little corner that I hurriedly rush into to hide from my mortal enemy, who is going to steal all of my business from right under my nose, or I go out on a hell bent type mission to discredit her, trash her name, doing any and all that may be necessary to get her out of business!
Well I guess that there are some folk out there that would do exactly that, but that just seems like too much hard work to me – besides which, whilst I was busy doing all of that, Jane Doe would be working her butt off and getting business and doing really well – so what would I have achieved at the end of the day?
Knowing me, I would probably give her a call and set up a ‘one on one’ meeting. Find out where her strengths and weaknesses are and set about exchanging ideas, material and even clients.
You see, chances are that my weaknesses are her strengths and visa versa, and she has material (like policies, procedures and templates) that I don’t have and visa versa. I may have clients that want a ‘quick’ turnaround and I am strapped for time which means that instead of working through the night every second night, like I did in December, I can actually share the load. Then of course when I want to go on holiday, instead of everything coming to a grinding halt – she could actually keep everything running and I could do the same when she wanted a break!
For me this is a win, win situation and instead of getting myself into a real tizz about nothing, I could turn the whole thing around and work it to my advantage – a far better outcome don’t you think?
Think about it for a moment, exactly where would I have been if I had been disrespectful or bad mouthed her – pretty much in a really horrible place. Competition doesn’t have to be a nasty experience – it can be a real keeper!
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.
PART 62
Respect your Competition
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:
“Be respectful of the competition. Give credit, where it is due.”
Apart from anything else, this is just good manners! That said, let’s examine why Renate says this.
So, here I am – an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist, working in the SMME arena. Since I am the only one that I know of in this field, doing this particular work – life is a bowel of cherries – I don’t have any competition, my diary is pretty full and life is great.
Then one day as I am going along on my merry way, I meet Jane Doe, who does (yes you’ve guessed it) Internal Auditing and Business Administration! So now I find myself a little corner that I hurriedly rush into to hide from my mortal enemy, who is going to steal all of my business from right under my nose, or I go out on a hell bent type mission to discredit her, trash her name, doing any and all that may be necessary to get her out of business!
Well I guess that there are some folk out there that would do exactly that, but that just seems like too much hard work to me – besides which, whilst I was busy doing all of that, Jane Doe would be working her butt off and getting business and doing really well – so what would I have achieved at the end of the day?
Knowing me, I would probably give her a call and set up a ‘one on one’ meeting. Find out where her strengths and weaknesses are and set about exchanging ideas, material and even clients.
You see, chances are that my weaknesses are her strengths and visa versa, and she has material (like policies, procedures and templates) that I don’t have and visa versa. I may have clients that want a ‘quick’ turnaround and I am strapped for time which means that instead of working through the night every second night, like I did in December, I can actually share the load. Then of course when I want to go on holiday, instead of everything coming to a grinding halt – she could actually keep everything running and I could do the same when she wanted a break!
For me this is a win, win situation and instead of getting myself into a real tizz about nothing, I could turn the whole thing around and work it to my advantage – a far better outcome don’t you think?
Think about it for a moment, exactly where would I have been if I had been disrespectful or bad mouthed her – pretty much in a really horrible place. Competition doesn’t have to be a nasty experience – it can be a real keeper!
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, September 23, 2014
BUSINESS TIPS – Creating a Successful Team – Part 1
BUSINESS TIPS – Creating a Successful Team – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC February 2010
Some of us are better team players than others – I know because I have worked in a team and I have worked on my own, and quite frankly, working on my own, works for me.
That said, there are people out there who cannot work on their own and in order to function properly they need to work as part of a team. Working in a team, or being part of a team does not necessarily mean that you are not a leader, or that you are not a self starter – in some cases it merely means that you need the camaraderie that is part of being in ‘a team’.
For me it takes a ‘special’ kind of leader to lead a successful team, and it takes a ‘special’ kind of person to be a member of a successful team. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses and it is obviously really important to have people with the right ‘mix’ of personalities to ensure the success of the team. So how do you go about getting that winning formula?
Here are some of (but not limited to) the issues that need to be covered:
- Clearly you need to ascertain what skills are required for the particular task at hand. Once those are clearly defined, you will need to source the individuals who have those skills and the only way to do that is to interact with the team. Get to know them, understand how they think. Learn about what their strengths and weaknesses are so that when you do partner them up together that they compliment one another and not clash with each other. Not only will this put you in a great position in terms of ‘who is who’ but it will evidence that you are taking a personal interest in them and the perception is then that you ‘care and have their best interests’ at heart. This is a really positive position to be in.
- In order to get the very best out of your team, it is imperative that you not only know what motivates them, but you also need to know what their individual goals are. Understanding what drives someone and then being in a position to assist them in achieving their goals, will ensure that everyone in the team pulls in the same direction.
- Whatever you do, don’t be taking anyone and/or anything for granted. As in life, people need to be challenged, constantly challenged. So if it looks like your team is functioning like a dream – don’t leave well enough alone, it will in all probability go southwards – find ways in which to challenge them. Make sure that each challenge is well within the capabilities or potential of each individual and remember that it doesn’t have to be the same challenge for each person – different things challenge different people, so make sure that each person is challenged in their own particular way. The trick is to keep everyone interested and motivated and there is nothing like a challenge to do this.
- Be sure that you have analyzed their strengths and weaknesses as once you know what it is that you are dealing with, you are then in a position to strategize and ensure that you make the most of everyone’s strengths and implement measures to ensure that the weaknesses are compensated for.
- Be a mentor. Coach your team. Guide your team – know exactly what they are doing to ensure that they are always moving towards the common goal. Capitalize on the individual strengths and ensure that as a group these strengths are utilized correctly. In the areas of weaknesses, if there are no members that are able to compensate for these, then you will have to assist the ‘team’ to overcome the weaknesses. Understand the difficulty here and motivate them to ‘do better’ or challenge them to work on their weaknesses in order to overcome this problem. Getting the best out of your team means that you have to put the best of you, into them.
Next week we will continue with some more pointers on how to get the best out of your team.
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, September 22, 2014
Motivation - Making the Decision
MOTIVATION – Making the Decision
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – September 2011
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 CC – September 2011
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
Sunday, September 21, 2014
MOTIVATION – Getting Started
MOTIVATION – Getting Started
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – April 2010
Mark Twain says “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, then starting on the first one.”
The story of “How to eat an elephant” and its subsequent answer of “one bite at a time” springs to mind and it is exactly how you get ahead.
No matter how big the dream, you have to break it down into small ‘bite sized’ chunks. Same with any problems and/or challenges that you have, no matter how big or unmanageable, break it down, once it’s broken down, choose a ‘bite sized’ chunk and deal with it. Make it your goal, to not even look at the other pieces until you have dealt with and resolved that particular one. Write all your ‘bite sized’ pieces down and as you deal with each one, mark it off – that way you will be able to see and even measure your progress and as each one is marked off, you will find yourself feeling lighter and more optimistic and less stressed about what it is that you still have to achieve.
I know that we often get caught up in the emotion or the drama of the situation or the issue at hand. Often the problem or the dream appears to be so large that it becomes overwhelming and often what happens then is that we become afraid of our own success.
Okay – that’s a biggie! Let me say that again – we become afraid of our own success!
Crazy as that may sound or even as it may be on the surface, the reality for many of us is that as soon as we realize the magnitude of the dream and/or the potential, we back off in fear of success. Statements like ‘this is too big for me’ or ‘It can’t be this easy or someone else would have done/thought of it before’ rattle around in our heads and the magnificent size and breath taking magnitude of the dream or opportunity, literally knocks the wind out of our sails.
Step away from the dream, take a big breath, break it down and systematically work with and deal with each piece, one at a time. Yes, look up from time to time to keep your eye on the ultimate prize, don’t be scared to look at it, but deal with it, slowly and surely and just ‘one bite at a 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 of N Viljoen Consulting CC – April 2010
Mark Twain says “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, then starting on the first one.”
The story of “How to eat an elephant” and its subsequent answer of “one bite at a time” springs to mind and it is exactly how you get ahead.
No matter how big the dream, you have to break it down into small ‘bite sized’ chunks. Same with any problems and/or challenges that you have, no matter how big or unmanageable, break it down, once it’s broken down, choose a ‘bite sized’ chunk and deal with it. Make it your goal, to not even look at the other pieces until you have dealt with and resolved that particular one. Write all your ‘bite sized’ pieces down and as you deal with each one, mark it off – that way you will be able to see and even measure your progress and as each one is marked off, you will find yourself feeling lighter and more optimistic and less stressed about what it is that you still have to achieve.
I know that we often get caught up in the emotion or the drama of the situation or the issue at hand. Often the problem or the dream appears to be so large that it becomes overwhelming and often what happens then is that we become afraid of our own success.
Okay – that’s a biggie! Let me say that again – we become afraid of our own success!
Crazy as that may sound or even as it may be on the surface, the reality for many of us is that as soon as we realize the magnitude of the dream and/or the potential, we back off in fear of success. Statements like ‘this is too big for me’ or ‘It can’t be this easy or someone else would have done/thought of it before’ rattle around in our heads and the magnificent size and breath taking magnitude of the dream or opportunity, literally knocks the wind out of our sails.
Step away from the dream, take a big breath, break it down and systematically work with and deal with each piece, one at a time. Yes, look up from time to time to keep your eye on the ultimate prize, don’t be scared to look at it, but deal with it, slowly and surely and just ‘one bite at a 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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
