MOTIVATION – The Opportunity To Begin Again
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – May 2010
Henry Ford says “Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.”
What an incredible opportunity to change our mindsets! What an incredible opportunity to look at the world through different eyes. What an incredible opportunity to make a choice, to stop beating ourselves up, to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, learn the lesson and move on with renewed energy, a lot of insight and a smile of optimism on our faces. I surely do like it!
Most of us look at failure in a really negative light. In this country, we are so programmed to be successful that failure of any kind has a really bad stigma attached to it. People look at someone who has failed as though they have some sort of contagious disease and who should be avoided at all costs.
Yet the fact of the matter is that we all fail on a daily basis. The reality is that are not born perfect and that we have to learn. The challenge here though, is that we need to learn from our mistakes and not repeat the same mistake over and over again.
Then of course is the myth that many people have, that ‘opportunities’ never come their way! What a load of hooey! Yes of course opportunities can come your way (or not) but the other reality is that you can make your own opportunity. Our thoughts can become our realities if we put in the right ingredients and that of course is the ‘action’. Even those opportunities that fall out of the sky like manna from heaven, still need to be actioned. Without action they remain . . . well opportunities.
I am often amazed at the reaction of individuals who sit around and bemoan their fate, nothing works for them, everybody hates them, none of their ideas or their schemes take off, Networking doesn’t work for them and they wait for something to happen, something to rescue them and nothing does! Well, quite frankly – what on earth did they expect? The miracle that is, is life (and even that required an action), for everything else we have to get up off our rear ends and do something about it!
Simple, isn’t it? So when you fail and fall down – stop crying and moaning and waiting for an angel to come and rescue you. Think about what you have done that got you there in the first place, make adjustments to what caused the problem, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get going – find the opportunity and then do something (albeit different) about it.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
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Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
HR - Maintain Control of Your Staff - Part 6
ARTICLE 57
Maintain Control of your Staff – Part 6
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC May 2010
One of my ‘pet hates’ is when people miss deadlines. I mean, what’s the point of setting a goal or a deadline, if you don’t mean to meet it? It’s like having a meeting for the sake of having a meeting – a complete waste of time! Having employees who consistently don’t meet deadlines can have an adverse effect on the rest of the team and ultimately on the business, particularly if, by missing their deadlines they impact on what is to follow. Projects don’t flow, time is wasted and wasted time always means wasted money.
Ensuring that your staff meet their deadlines means that they need to be properly managed and that their performance needs to be measured. Staff need to understand that there are consequences if deadlines are missed and employers need to ensure that these consequences are in fact enforced.
Another situation that many employers find themselves in is where money is literally being thrown away is when production materials are wasted or worse, misappropriated for personal use by the staff. Wasting production materials will obviously have an affect on your bottom line, in that it will adversely affect the ‘cost of sale’, which in turn will have an affect on the margin and ultimately decrease the profits.
Finally, another of my pet hates is the employee who is always late, who takes extended tea and/or lunch breaks and then leaves early too. Stealing times from employers is one of the easiest things to do – think about it for a moment – which boss gets all bent out of shape because someone is 5 minutes late? Not many that I know of – but add it up! 5 minutes late for work, plus 5 minutes late from morning tea, then another 5 minutes late from lunch and 5 minutes late from afternoon tea and then they leave 5 minutes early at the end of the day. That’s already 25 minutes per day – almost 2 ½ hours per week or 10 hours per month – now the whole picture changes, doesn’t it?
Employees need to understand that there is a “zero” tolerance to tardiness. Again though, if this is not measured, controlled, monitored and implemented with consequences evidencing that you mean what you say, it is quite meaningless in itself.
Having consequences that are not enforced is the same as having no consequences at all.
Next week we will have a look at some examples of how to effectively control and manage your employees.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Maintain Control of your Staff – Part 6
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC May 2010
One of my ‘pet hates’ is when people miss deadlines. I mean, what’s the point of setting a goal or a deadline, if you don’t mean to meet it? It’s like having a meeting for the sake of having a meeting – a complete waste of time! Having employees who consistently don’t meet deadlines can have an adverse effect on the rest of the team and ultimately on the business, particularly if, by missing their deadlines they impact on what is to follow. Projects don’t flow, time is wasted and wasted time always means wasted money.
Ensuring that your staff meet their deadlines means that they need to be properly managed and that their performance needs to be measured. Staff need to understand that there are consequences if deadlines are missed and employers need to ensure that these consequences are in fact enforced.
Another situation that many employers find themselves in is where money is literally being thrown away is when production materials are wasted or worse, misappropriated for personal use by the staff. Wasting production materials will obviously have an affect on your bottom line, in that it will adversely affect the ‘cost of sale’, which in turn will have an affect on the margin and ultimately decrease the profits.
Finally, another of my pet hates is the employee who is always late, who takes extended tea and/or lunch breaks and then leaves early too. Stealing times from employers is one of the easiest things to do – think about it for a moment – which boss gets all bent out of shape because someone is 5 minutes late? Not many that I know of – but add it up! 5 minutes late for work, plus 5 minutes late from morning tea, then another 5 minutes late from lunch and 5 minutes late from afternoon tea and then they leave 5 minutes early at the end of the day. That’s already 25 minutes per day – almost 2 ½ hours per week or 10 hours per month – now the whole picture changes, doesn’t it?
Employees need to understand that there is a “zero” tolerance to tardiness. Again though, if this is not measured, controlled, monitored and implemented with consequences evidencing that you mean what you say, it is quite meaningless in itself.
Having consequences that are not enforced is the same as having no consequences at all.
Next week we will have a look at some examples of how to effectively control and manage your employees.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Thursday, May 27, 2010
BLOGGING TIPS - The Content - Part 5
BLOGGING TIPS – The Content – Part 5
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC May 2010
One of my greatest complaints about blogs and . . . well any kind of written piece actually, is the language or terminology that is used.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am definitely not talking about foul (bad) language or disparaging remarks of any kind, I am talking about the frustratingly difficult terminology that some folk use to try and impress.
Quite frankly, I am the least impressed and all that they really achieve is bamboozle those that they are actually wanting to reach out to and they seriously confuse the rest of us.
What’s the deal anyway? Why is it necessary to use big words that often don’t even mean what you want to convey, instead of just telling it like it is? It becomes a whole ‘bullshit baffles brains’ (and we all know exactly what that means) kind of article.
What does it mean anyway, if I know big words and use them? What have I proved at the end of the day? Pretty much nothing hey!
Most likely, I have chased a whole lot of potential away. Most probably, they will never return again and it’s very, very likely that they will go elsewhere to feed their information requirements.
Using big words, when a little one explains so much more, just shows in my opinion, that you are perhaps just a little frightened of being . . . well you.
Playing ‘devil’s advocate’ however, means that I get to share some of my favorite words that are no longer used much anymore in today’s terms.
Words like “umbrage” and “pontificate” have a sense of the dramatic and they conjure pictures of long lost days and ‘throwing down the gauntlet’ and honor amongst men (and women too) and . . . see there I go again.
Using simple words that everyone can understand on a topic that you are passionate about in a field that you are the expert in (or that you have hopefully done the research on) is all that you really need to get the reader interested and sure to keep coming back.
So keep it simple!
See you next week, when we will look at some more issues around some of the content that should be on/in your blogs.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC May 2010
One of my greatest complaints about blogs and . . . well any kind of written piece actually, is the language or terminology that is used.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am definitely not talking about foul (bad) language or disparaging remarks of any kind, I am talking about the frustratingly difficult terminology that some folk use to try and impress.
Quite frankly, I am the least impressed and all that they really achieve is bamboozle those that they are actually wanting to reach out to and they seriously confuse the rest of us.
What’s the deal anyway? Why is it necessary to use big words that often don’t even mean what you want to convey, instead of just telling it like it is? It becomes a whole ‘bullshit baffles brains’ (and we all know exactly what that means) kind of article.
What does it mean anyway, if I know big words and use them? What have I proved at the end of the day? Pretty much nothing hey!
Most likely, I have chased a whole lot of potential away. Most probably, they will never return again and it’s very, very likely that they will go elsewhere to feed their information requirements.
Using big words, when a little one explains so much more, just shows in my opinion, that you are perhaps just a little frightened of being . . . well you.
Playing ‘devil’s advocate’ however, means that I get to share some of my favorite words that are no longer used much anymore in today’s terms.
Words like “umbrage” and “pontificate” have a sense of the dramatic and they conjure pictures of long lost days and ‘throwing down the gauntlet’ and honor amongst men (and women too) and . . . see there I go again.
Using simple words that everyone can understand on a topic that you are passionate about in a field that you are the expert in (or that you have hopefully done the research on) is all that you really need to get the reader interested and sure to keep coming back.
So keep it simple!
See you next week, when we will look at some more issues around some of the content that should be on/in your blogs.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Power of Networking - Part 159
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 159
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. May 2010
Whilst I am very passionate about Networking, I am also passionate about reading and what better reading than books about Networking, referral marketing and even sales. Some great books to get stuck into and get you started are (but not limited to):
• You can’t teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar by David Sandler.
• The little red book of selling by Jeffrey Gilomer.
• Masters of Sales by Dr. Ivan Misner and Don Morgan – this particular book has 80 of the most successful sales people in the world sharing their secrets with the reader – how awesome is that?
• The truth of delusion by Dr. Misner, Mike Macedonio and Mike Garrison
• Business by referral by Dr. Misner.
Don’t forget to add books that you have read and found to be inspiring as well as any other reading referrals you get from friends/family/colleagues/clients and ‘who have you’. It’s always a good idea to share stuff and this will save you time and energy. No-one wants to go around trying to read everything that is available on the subject only to find that it does not quite fit or it’s not really suitable or even relevant.
Keep these books close at hand and refresh your memory of their content from time to time.
Remember though that reading all the books in the world and attending all the networking events going will not make any difference if you don’t follow up or if there is no action on your part. You have to see the opportunity and/or synergy and then you have to do something to get it going.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
PART 159
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. May 2010
Whilst I am very passionate about Networking, I am also passionate about reading and what better reading than books about Networking, referral marketing and even sales. Some great books to get stuck into and get you started are (but not limited to):
• You can’t teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar by David Sandler.
• The little red book of selling by Jeffrey Gilomer.
• Masters of Sales by Dr. Ivan Misner and Don Morgan – this particular book has 80 of the most successful sales people in the world sharing their secrets with the reader – how awesome is that?
• The truth of delusion by Dr. Misner, Mike Macedonio and Mike Garrison
• Business by referral by Dr. Misner.
Don’t forget to add books that you have read and found to be inspiring as well as any other reading referrals you get from friends/family/colleagues/clients and ‘who have you’. It’s always a good idea to share stuff and this will save you time and energy. No-one wants to go around trying to read everything that is available on the subject only to find that it does not quite fit or it’s not really suitable or even relevant.
Keep these books close at hand and refresh your memory of their content from time to time.
Remember though that reading all the books in the world and attending all the networking events going will not make any difference if you don’t follow up or if there is no action on your part. You have to see the opportunity and/or synergy and then you have to do something to get it going.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
BUSINESS TIPS - Rising to the Occasion - Part 4
BUSINESS TIPS – Rising to the Occasion – Part 4
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
Following on from last week, this week we will be looking at the last of the solutions that there are to assist us with dealing with some of the challenges that we came across over the last few weeks.
• If there is one thing that I have learnt on this journey of being an SMME (Small, Medium, Micro, Enterprise), it’s that I should never underestimate the value of friendship. Like any other relationship though, it is very necessary to cultivate, grow and nurture friendships. It’s really worth it in the long run though, especially in the workplace when you are faced with challenges – your friends will be there to assist you in finding solutions or assist you with analyzing the situation so that you can make the correct decisions. Remember, none of us are “an island”, we all need help from time to time and friends provide that help ‘on tap’.
• It is also imperative to ensure that you have enough energy to sustain yourself. Always try and keep ‘a little extra’ time, like you would savings in a bank, just in case there is an emergency or a crisis. Remember to take time out now and then to re-charge your own batteries. My friend Vanessa always laughs at me when I do this – I usually declare “a couch day” and then spend the day, horizontal on the couch, watching movies! I never fail to say that “it’s hard work having a rest”, which is what ultimately makes her laugh. That said, I do understand the importance of doing this from time to time, especially when I have pushed myself hard.
• Finally, don’t forget to choose new problems to deal with! I find dealing with the same problem over and over again tedious and boring – so learn from your mistakes, learn from each experience. Take note of the difficulties and learn to anticipate and be proactive instead of chasing your own tail around all the time. Try not to repeat mistakes. Make the changes, implement the policies and procedures and once the situation is under control or the problem has been solved – for goodness sake move on – don’t continue to ‘wallow’ in ‘what was’ – just make sure that you have learnt the lesson and only pay the ‘school fees’ once!
As always, remember why you started your own business in the first place and always have fun!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
Following on from last week, this week we will be looking at the last of the solutions that there are to assist us with dealing with some of the challenges that we came across over the last few weeks.
• If there is one thing that I have learnt on this journey of being an SMME (Small, Medium, Micro, Enterprise), it’s that I should never underestimate the value of friendship. Like any other relationship though, it is very necessary to cultivate, grow and nurture friendships. It’s really worth it in the long run though, especially in the workplace when you are faced with challenges – your friends will be there to assist you in finding solutions or assist you with analyzing the situation so that you can make the correct decisions. Remember, none of us are “an island”, we all need help from time to time and friends provide that help ‘on tap’.
• It is also imperative to ensure that you have enough energy to sustain yourself. Always try and keep ‘a little extra’ time, like you would savings in a bank, just in case there is an emergency or a crisis. Remember to take time out now and then to re-charge your own batteries. My friend Vanessa always laughs at me when I do this – I usually declare “a couch day” and then spend the day, horizontal on the couch, watching movies! I never fail to say that “it’s hard work having a rest”, which is what ultimately makes her laugh. That said, I do understand the importance of doing this from time to time, especially when I have pushed myself hard.
• Finally, don’t forget to choose new problems to deal with! I find dealing with the same problem over and over again tedious and boring – so learn from your mistakes, learn from each experience. Take note of the difficulties and learn to anticipate and be proactive instead of chasing your own tail around all the time. Try not to repeat mistakes. Make the changes, implement the policies and procedures and once the situation is under control or the problem has been solved – for goodness sake move on – don’t continue to ‘wallow’ in ‘what was’ – just make sure that you have learnt the lesson and only pay the ‘school fees’ once!
As always, remember why you started your own business in the first place and always have fun!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Monday, May 24, 2010
Motivation _ Responsive to Change
MOTIVATION – Responsive to Change
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – May 2010
Charles Darwin says “It’s not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one that is responsive to change.”
Ain’t that the truth! Thing is though, that it is not only generally true to life, but very definitely true of business and in particular small businesses.
I know that when I started my business, I had a very clear idea of what was supposed to happen. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do and how it was going to get done and I had a very clear idea about who my clients would be.
Then I hit reality! You see just because I know what a small business needs, doesn’t mean that the guy who owns that small business will agree with me! Doesn’t mean that the guy who owns that small business even understands what the true value of what I do that help his business. Doesn’t mean that the guy who owns that small business, even though he may understand the value of what I do, has the money to put that value to good use.
The first couple of years were hard I must admit. Time and time again, I walked into businesses who were in desperate need of what I do, who could/would not afford me. Time and time again I walked into businesses that were floundering along and the owner was so engrossed in putting one foot in front of the other to keep himself above the water that he could not see, how with each footstep he was walking deeper and deeper into the water. People saw (and in many instances, still do see) what I do as a ‘grudge’ purchase (much as most of us see insurance) and they resented having to buy my wares. Sad that – really sad.
Here’s the thing though, I had to change my mind set and find other ways to bring money in. I had to change my thinking and expand my list of offerings, if I didn’t I would soon have become another statistic. People, especially small business owners, were not ready to see that what I do (no matter what they pay for it now) actually saves them money in the long run and until such time as I could make them see that and understand that, I would have to look in other directions to bring the monthly revenues in.
So I looked in similar but different directions and so my workshop A Basic Practical Guide to Starting a Business was born. From there my vision and dreams have expanded and now I have a whole bunch of facilitators – all small business owners, like myself, teaching small business owners what they need to learn. Each one of the facilitators are people who are passionate about what it is that they do and each one is an expert in their fields. What makes their training unique is the fact that they are entrepreneurs who teach others and share their knowledge. They share the experiences of what they did, how to avoid what they would have liked to avoid and how to ‘rake it in’ where possible. They are not the big corporate giants trying to teach entrepreneurs something that they have no clue how to do – run a small business.
Have I abandoned my dream, the original dream? Of course not, actually I do a great deal of work in that arena and I love it as much as I did when I started – more probably because of what I have had to endure to keep it alive. That said, I am constantly looking for new avenues, new opportunities and new adventures and believe me when I say “I mean to have my cake and eat it!”
In order to survive, to flourish and grow, though – you do have to adapt. Remember to constantly look around you and see the potential – not just see it, but feel it and embrace it and then do something about it.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – May 2010
Charles Darwin says “It’s not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one that is responsive to change.”
Ain’t that the truth! Thing is though, that it is not only generally true to life, but very definitely true of business and in particular small businesses.
I know that when I started my business, I had a very clear idea of what was supposed to happen. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do and how it was going to get done and I had a very clear idea about who my clients would be.
Then I hit reality! You see just because I know what a small business needs, doesn’t mean that the guy who owns that small business will agree with me! Doesn’t mean that the guy who owns that small business even understands what the true value of what I do that help his business. Doesn’t mean that the guy who owns that small business, even though he may understand the value of what I do, has the money to put that value to good use.
The first couple of years were hard I must admit. Time and time again, I walked into businesses who were in desperate need of what I do, who could/would not afford me. Time and time again I walked into businesses that were floundering along and the owner was so engrossed in putting one foot in front of the other to keep himself above the water that he could not see, how with each footstep he was walking deeper and deeper into the water. People saw (and in many instances, still do see) what I do as a ‘grudge’ purchase (much as most of us see insurance) and they resented having to buy my wares. Sad that – really sad.
Here’s the thing though, I had to change my mind set and find other ways to bring money in. I had to change my thinking and expand my list of offerings, if I didn’t I would soon have become another statistic. People, especially small business owners, were not ready to see that what I do (no matter what they pay for it now) actually saves them money in the long run and until such time as I could make them see that and understand that, I would have to look in other directions to bring the monthly revenues in.
So I looked in similar but different directions and so my workshop A Basic Practical Guide to Starting a Business was born. From there my vision and dreams have expanded and now I have a whole bunch of facilitators – all small business owners, like myself, teaching small business owners what they need to learn. Each one of the facilitators are people who are passionate about what it is that they do and each one is an expert in their fields. What makes their training unique is the fact that they are entrepreneurs who teach others and share their knowledge. They share the experiences of what they did, how to avoid what they would have liked to avoid and how to ‘rake it in’ where possible. They are not the big corporate giants trying to teach entrepreneurs something that they have no clue how to do – run a small business.
Have I abandoned my dream, the original dream? Of course not, actually I do a great deal of work in that arena and I love it as much as I did when I started – more probably because of what I have had to endure to keep it alive. That said, I am constantly looking for new avenues, new opportunities and new adventures and believe me when I say “I mean to have my cake and eat it!”
In order to survive, to flourish and grow, though – you do have to adapt. Remember to constantly look around you and see the potential – not just see it, but feel it and embrace it and then do something about it.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Thursday, May 06, 2010
HR - Maintain Control of Your Staff - Part 5
This article should have been posted on 30 April 2010
ARTICLE 57
Maintain Control of your Staff – Part 5
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
So here we are, Friday again and as SMME’s you are battling to keep your heads above water, you are battling to close the deals in order to bring in the funds to pay, not only yourselves and your suppliers, but also your staff.
Yet your staff are more often than not, your biggest adversaries. They steal your time, they steal your infrastructure, and in many instances, here in South Africa, they also steal your stock and even your assets and if that is not enough they will throw the legal book (being the Basic Conditions of Employment Act) at you if you don’t follow the correct procedures when you discipline them.
It is imperative that you have a proper ‘Code of Conduct’ and a comprehensive Disciplinary Policy in place to set the boundaries. As usual though, even if you do the boundaries in place, if they are not enforced or only enforced with some, they are not worth the paper that they are written on.
One of the strangest things that I have seen in the workforce though was a fight between two male employees who were after the same female employee, who ironically was happily married and actually wasn’t even aware of the tension that she had caused. It was like watching a movie as she went about her business totally clueless about the chaos that was going on in her wake. Sadly, both of the guys were badly hurt and even when their physical wounds had healed the friction and tension that the whole fight had caused had quite a ripple effect through the entire company. People were taking sides and giving advice and some enterprising youngsters had even started a betting pool going. The effect though of course was that the whole thing had a huge negative effect on productivity and of course the quality of the work was also affected.
The bottom line of course is that it is not okay for the staff to fight or get into fist fights. It’s not okay and it shouldn’t be allowed. In the above instance, both guys had to attend a disciplinary and because their behaviour was not properly monitored and because the friction carried on (if not escalated), things got out of hand and they were both eventually dismissed. This type of behaviour should never be allowed and again in order to ensure that it doesn’t happen in the first place, strict ground rules should be enforced.
This should be documented in the Code of Conduct as well as the Disciplinary Policy.
Next week we will have a look at some more examples of what employees get up to when they are not effectively managed.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
ARTICLE 57
Maintain Control of your Staff – Part 5
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
So here we are, Friday again and as SMME’s you are battling to keep your heads above water, you are battling to close the deals in order to bring in the funds to pay, not only yourselves and your suppliers, but also your staff.
Yet your staff are more often than not, your biggest adversaries. They steal your time, they steal your infrastructure, and in many instances, here in South Africa, they also steal your stock and even your assets and if that is not enough they will throw the legal book (being the Basic Conditions of Employment Act) at you if you don’t follow the correct procedures when you discipline them.
It is imperative that you have a proper ‘Code of Conduct’ and a comprehensive Disciplinary Policy in place to set the boundaries. As usual though, even if you do the boundaries in place, if they are not enforced or only enforced with some, they are not worth the paper that they are written on.
One of the strangest things that I have seen in the workforce though was a fight between two male employees who were after the same female employee, who ironically was happily married and actually wasn’t even aware of the tension that she had caused. It was like watching a movie as she went about her business totally clueless about the chaos that was going on in her wake. Sadly, both of the guys were badly hurt and even when their physical wounds had healed the friction and tension that the whole fight had caused had quite a ripple effect through the entire company. People were taking sides and giving advice and some enterprising youngsters had even started a betting pool going. The effect though of course was that the whole thing had a huge negative effect on productivity and of course the quality of the work was also affected.
The bottom line of course is that it is not okay for the staff to fight or get into fist fights. It’s not okay and it shouldn’t be allowed. In the above instance, both guys had to attend a disciplinary and because their behaviour was not properly monitored and because the friction carried on (if not escalated), things got out of hand and they were both eventually dismissed. This type of behaviour should never be allowed and again in order to ensure that it doesn’t happen in the first place, strict ground rules should be enforced.
This should be documented in the Code of Conduct as well as the Disciplinary Policy.
Next week we will have a look at some more examples of what employees get up to when they are not effectively managed.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Monday, May 03, 2010
BLOGGING TIPS - The Content - Part 3
Here's the article for Thursday 29th
BLOGGING TIPS – The Content – Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
We all look at newspaper headlines as we whizz all over town on our daily travels. Many of them make us angry, many more make us very curious. Some make us curious enough to even buy the newspaper to see what it’s all about. Sadly though, often the heading is misleading and sometimes the heading doesn’t even have anything to do with the actual story.
Now the bottom line is that I am not a journalist, I have no formal training in terms of writing, but logic tells me that the heading for any story should, not only reflect the gist of what the story is about, but also catch the eye of the person whose attention it is that you want to get. It has to make them stop in their tracks and want to read what you have written. It has to make them want to read more of the story and it has to make them want to join in the conversation and at least have an opinion.
What it also has to do though is uphold the promise of what is to follow. Having an absolutely “Knock Out” heading that is followed by nonsickle ramblings of a boring mind, will not serve your purpose! In fact, more often than not you will lose the reader – they may not come back and they will no longer be enticed by clever headlines and sweet promises of what is to come, that are then followed by stories that have no depth or substance.
Finally, always respond to the comments that others make, even if it is only to acknowledge their comment. Think about how you feel when you write something and no-one makes any kind of comment. They neither agree with you nor do they disagree and I guess in some ways that is not a bad thing. On some level though, it worries me that many people do not have an opinion at all. Sadly that is how many live their lives. So respond, acknowledge, engage with people who have taken the time and trouble to engage with you.
Pick your topics, do the research. Take the information that you have found, have fun with it – turn it into a story and share that story in your blog. Remember though, you have to take the first step!
See you next week, when we will look at some more issues around some of the content that should be on/in your blogs.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
BLOGGING TIPS – The Content – Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
We all look at newspaper headlines as we whizz all over town on our daily travels. Many of them make us angry, many more make us very curious. Some make us curious enough to even buy the newspaper to see what it’s all about. Sadly though, often the heading is misleading and sometimes the heading doesn’t even have anything to do with the actual story.
Now the bottom line is that I am not a journalist, I have no formal training in terms of writing, but logic tells me that the heading for any story should, not only reflect the gist of what the story is about, but also catch the eye of the person whose attention it is that you want to get. It has to make them stop in their tracks and want to read what you have written. It has to make them want to read more of the story and it has to make them want to join in the conversation and at least have an opinion.
What it also has to do though is uphold the promise of what is to follow. Having an absolutely “Knock Out” heading that is followed by nonsickle ramblings of a boring mind, will not serve your purpose! In fact, more often than not you will lose the reader – they may not come back and they will no longer be enticed by clever headlines and sweet promises of what is to come, that are then followed by stories that have no depth or substance.
Finally, always respond to the comments that others make, even if it is only to acknowledge their comment. Think about how you feel when you write something and no-one makes any kind of comment. They neither agree with you nor do they disagree and I guess in some ways that is not a bad thing. On some level though, it worries me that many people do not have an opinion at all. Sadly that is how many live their lives. So respond, acknowledge, engage with people who have taken the time and trouble to engage with you.
Pick your topics, do the research. Take the information that you have found, have fun with it – turn it into a story and share that story in your blog. Remember though, you have to take the first step!
See you next week, when we will look at some more issues around some of the content that should be on/in your blogs.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
The Power of Networking - Part 158
And here's the article for Wednesday 28th April
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 158
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. April 2010
Getting back to the issues around referrals and testimonials from your clients, both current and previous, I would just like to reiterate about the importance of these on your sales.
If someone has been referred to you, the person who has referred them is saying something very loudly and very clearly about you. The story that they are telling is that they trust you, that they are so impressed with what you have done that they are willing to stake their reputation and their credibility in attaching their name to whatever it is that you offer/sell/do.
Think about that for a moment. It is one of the greatest compliments that anyone can give you!
Think about that for another moment. I say again, it is one of the greatest compliments that someone has paid you and yet nine times out of ten, you let them down!
How disrespectful! How thoughtless and incredibly short sighted!
Look at the opportunity that has been thrown away – notice I did not say “missed”, but rather thrown away! How sad! Talk about killing the goose that laid the golden egg.
The better idea of course, would be to honour that person. Honour them by delivering on their promises. Honour them by living up to their expectations, which were based on what and how you conducted your business with them and how you delivered on your promises to them.
Honour them by keeping their reputation intact.
Honour them by being the best that you can be and by honouring your own credibility and your own reputation.
Never, and I repeat never, underestimate the value of a referral!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 158
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. April 2010
Getting back to the issues around referrals and testimonials from your clients, both current and previous, I would just like to reiterate about the importance of these on your sales.
If someone has been referred to you, the person who has referred them is saying something very loudly and very clearly about you. The story that they are telling is that they trust you, that they are so impressed with what you have done that they are willing to stake their reputation and their credibility in attaching their name to whatever it is that you offer/sell/do.
Think about that for a moment. It is one of the greatest compliments that anyone can give you!
Think about that for another moment. I say again, it is one of the greatest compliments that someone has paid you and yet nine times out of ten, you let them down!
How disrespectful! How thoughtless and incredibly short sighted!
Look at the opportunity that has been thrown away – notice I did not say “missed”, but rather thrown away! How sad! Talk about killing the goose that laid the golden egg.
The better idea of course, would be to honour that person. Honour them by delivering on their promises. Honour them by living up to their expectations, which were based on what and how you conducted your business with them and how you delivered on your promises to them.
Honour them by keeping their reputation intact.
Honour them by being the best that you can be and by honouring your own credibility and your own reputation.
Never, and I repeat never, underestimate the value of a referral!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
MOTIVATION - Self Esteem - What is My Reality
Here is the article that should have been posted on Monday 26th April
MOTIVATION – Self Esteem – What is My Reality
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – April 2010
What is self esteem? When in doubt, look it up – so here is what ‘google’ and some of the other search engines say:
Self esteem is : “how much a person likes, accepts and respects themselves overall as a person.”
Or
Self esteem is : “what our unconscious believes to be true about how worthy, lovable, valuable and capable we are.”
Or
Self esteem is : “generally considered the evaluative component of the self concept, a broader representation of the self that includes cognitive and behavioral aspects as well as evaluation or affective ones.”
So what does all of that mean?
Well, in my opinion there are two types of self-esteem. The one type is a widespread, general type of self esteem and there is self esteem that is related to or about a specific situation. Clearly a lack of self esteem is the opposite. So for example, you may be a person who has little or no self esteem in general. These are people who are naturally shy or even introvert, who try and melt into the background. They are people who do not excel in anything – not necessarily because they can’t, but because they don’t believe that they could excel in anything or indeed that they believe that they are not worthy to excel in anything.
On the other hand a person who has self esteem issues that are related to specific situation, may be for example, a person who is bright and energetic and who, generally speaking is successful. That person may, for example have a fear of public speaking. That person would find it excruciatingly difficult to give a speech and their fear of talking in public may be related self esteem issues around how that person thinks that they are being perceived by crowds of people.
There are many myths about how your self esteem is manifested. Some of these are (but not limited to):
• “Your level of self esteem is fixed, it is a given.” This would then mean that you, as an individual, are not able to change your mind set or that you cannot change how you feel about yourself. Quite honestly, this does not work for me at all. I really believe that we are who be are and we can become who we want to become. Yes our mindset would need to change around the issues of our own self esteem, but it is definitely something that we can change.
• Another myth is that is quite common and that is that “only poor and uneducated people suffer from low self-esteem issues.” What a load of absolute poppycock! Bad self esteem is not about money, it’s not about possessions, it’s not about where you were born or when you were born. It’s not about your background, or how your parents thought about you. It’s not about how other people see you.
What it is about, is how you see yourself, it’s about your interaction with yourself. So open your eyes – see you for who you are and not how you think other people see you. In fact, see yourself as others do actually see you?
Be kind to yourself and stop beating yourself up. Change your mindset and rather start praising yourself. Start patting yourself on the back for the things that you are doing right.
Start looking for the rainbow in the storm, rather than the storm clouds
Start looking for the sunrise rather than the darkness.
Start seeing yourself, for who you are – an extraordinary person, living an extraordinary life..
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
MOTIVATION – Self Esteem – What is My Reality
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – April 2010
What is self esteem? When in doubt, look it up – so here is what ‘google’ and some of the other search engines say:
Self esteem is : “how much a person likes, accepts and respects themselves overall as a person.”
Or
Self esteem is : “what our unconscious believes to be true about how worthy, lovable, valuable and capable we are.”
Or
Self esteem is : “generally considered the evaluative component of the self concept, a broader representation of the self that includes cognitive and behavioral aspects as well as evaluation or affective ones.”
So what does all of that mean?
Well, in my opinion there are two types of self-esteem. The one type is a widespread, general type of self esteem and there is self esteem that is related to or about a specific situation. Clearly a lack of self esteem is the opposite. So for example, you may be a person who has little or no self esteem in general. These are people who are naturally shy or even introvert, who try and melt into the background. They are people who do not excel in anything – not necessarily because they can’t, but because they don’t believe that they could excel in anything or indeed that they believe that they are not worthy to excel in anything.
On the other hand a person who has self esteem issues that are related to specific situation, may be for example, a person who is bright and energetic and who, generally speaking is successful. That person may, for example have a fear of public speaking. That person would find it excruciatingly difficult to give a speech and their fear of talking in public may be related self esteem issues around how that person thinks that they are being perceived by crowds of people.
There are many myths about how your self esteem is manifested. Some of these are (but not limited to):
• “Your level of self esteem is fixed, it is a given.” This would then mean that you, as an individual, are not able to change your mind set or that you cannot change how you feel about yourself. Quite honestly, this does not work for me at all. I really believe that we are who be are and we can become who we want to become. Yes our mindset would need to change around the issues of our own self esteem, but it is definitely something that we can change.
• Another myth is that is quite common and that is that “only poor and uneducated people suffer from low self-esteem issues.” What a load of absolute poppycock! Bad self esteem is not about money, it’s not about possessions, it’s not about where you were born or when you were born. It’s not about your background, or how your parents thought about you. It’s not about how other people see you.
What it is about, is how you see yourself, it’s about your interaction with yourself. So open your eyes – see you for who you are and not how you think other people see you. In fact, see yourself as others do actually see you?
Be kind to yourself and stop beating yourself up. Change your mindset and rather start praising yourself. Start patting yourself on the back for the things that you are doing right.
Start looking for the rainbow in the storm, rather than the storm clouds
Start looking for the sunrise rather than the darkness.
Start seeing yourself, for who you are – an extraordinary person, living an extraordinary life..
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Sunday, May 02, 2010
HR - Maintain Control of Your Staff - Part 4
ARTICLE 57
Maintain Control of your Staff – Part 4
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
As we have walked through some pretty hair-raising examples around this issue, I bring you some more.
Here’s a nasty – in terms of the “Communications Act”, the employer is responsible for the content/pictures/jokes/articles etc that the employee writes and sends out. So every time your wannabe office ‘Don Juan’ sends out leery suggestive e-mails to all the female staff in the office, the employer can be held responsible and accountable, should one of those female staff members file charges of ‘sexual harassment’. Yip – that is a fact! The fact of the matter is that it is the employees misuse of the internet and it can cost you, the employer – plenty. Not only in lawsuits but also in the time that they have stolen or the second rate work that they have produced whilst playing on the internet.
Talking about playing on the internet, I have recently discovered “Zoo World” on Facebook and along with my discovery of the game is my discovery that I have an addictive personality. This game has got me by the short and curlies and I find myself playing at every opportunity. Now I am relatively self disciplined and so I find myself getting up earlier or going to bed later, so that I can play – but what of the average employee?
Generally speaking, what employee, addicted to playing computer games, is going to give a damn about the fact that they are stealing time from their employers in order to meet their own needs?
Again proper policies and procedures should be implemented to prevent misuse of both the internet, the company telephones and personal cell phone abuse. Most medium and even some smaller companies now have an effective “Communications Policy” in place. Again there has to be a consequence and again it has to be monitored and managed.
Please remember that this policy should also apply to the number and content of private e-mails that are sent and received through business e-mail addresses, and just because an employee has a ‘yahoo’ or ‘hotmail’ or ‘gmail’ address, that doesn’t mean that is it personal – it just means that the employee is a bit more sneaky about how they use it with your infrastructure.
Next week we will have a look at some more examples of what employees get up to when they are not effectively managed.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Maintain Control of your Staff – Part 4
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
As we have walked through some pretty hair-raising examples around this issue, I bring you some more.
Here’s a nasty – in terms of the “Communications Act”, the employer is responsible for the content/pictures/jokes/articles etc that the employee writes and sends out. So every time your wannabe office ‘Don Juan’ sends out leery suggestive e-mails to all the female staff in the office, the employer can be held responsible and accountable, should one of those female staff members file charges of ‘sexual harassment’. Yip – that is a fact! The fact of the matter is that it is the employees misuse of the internet and it can cost you, the employer – plenty. Not only in lawsuits but also in the time that they have stolen or the second rate work that they have produced whilst playing on the internet.
Talking about playing on the internet, I have recently discovered “Zoo World” on Facebook and along with my discovery of the game is my discovery that I have an addictive personality. This game has got me by the short and curlies and I find myself playing at every opportunity. Now I am relatively self disciplined and so I find myself getting up earlier or going to bed later, so that I can play – but what of the average employee?
Generally speaking, what employee, addicted to playing computer games, is going to give a damn about the fact that they are stealing time from their employers in order to meet their own needs?
Again proper policies and procedures should be implemented to prevent misuse of both the internet, the company telephones and personal cell phone abuse. Most medium and even some smaller companies now have an effective “Communications Policy” in place. Again there has to be a consequence and again it has to be monitored and managed.
Please remember that this policy should also apply to the number and content of private e-mails that are sent and received through business e-mail addresses, and just because an employee has a ‘yahoo’ or ‘hotmail’ or ‘gmail’ address, that doesn’t mean that is it personal – it just means that the employee is a bit more sneaky about how they use it with your infrastructure.
Next week we will have a look at some more examples of what employees get up to when they are not effectively managed.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Friday, April 23, 2010
BLOGGING TIPS - The Content - Part 3
Sorry it's late people!
BLOGGING TIPS – The Content – Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
So by now, I am sure that you have gathered that as passionate as I am about my business, so am I passionate about blogging and when I blog, not only do I learn for myself, but I also share what I have learnt.
Most of us have heard the words that “knowledge is power” – I’d like to say that knowledge is exactly that – plain, unsophisticated, understated . . . well knowledge. The “Power” of the knowledge is in how we use it and what we do with that knowledge and by sharing that knowledge with others who will use it, we enable, not only ourselves but those around us too. How cool is that!
The sharing of knowledge shouldn’t just be a ‘here and now’ experience either – so make sure that you create an ‘archives’ which allow people to go back, time and time again, to refresh their memories about the issues that you have written about or to savor their favorite posts. It will also assist with reading articles (in one sitting), that have perhaps been broken up into parts that are easily readable.
Another idea, in order to assist with your archives is to break the content of the articles into sections, pretty much like I have for the blogs on my website. So each time I introduce a new topic (pretty much like I did when I introduced “blogging” as a topic), I add a new content section to my blog index.
Now, to get people interacting with you, it’s also necessary to tell people ‘about’ yourself. People like to hear stories, especially stories about where you come from and what it is that you have done in order to get to where you are. It makes them relate to you in a completely different way. Put a photo of yourself onto your blog – it gives people a sends of communicating directly with you.
Make sure that you have a section that gives people direct access to you. Have a contacts page with, at the very least, your e-mail address. If you are not comfortable about being contacted at all hours of the day and night by people who live on the other side of the planet, or who are in different time zones, don’t include your telephone number. Many people like to clarify issues or perhaps add to the discussion or even provide alternative information. So allow yourself to be accessible, even if it is only up to a point.
Be willing share, not only your thoughts and your information and knowledge, but also your blog too. Invite guests to ‘blog’ on your site. If your feel like you are giving up control, then choose the topic yourself and reserve the right to edit what they have written.
See you next week, when we will look at some more issues around some of the content that should be on/in your blogs.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
BLOGGING TIPS – The Content – Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
So by now, I am sure that you have gathered that as passionate as I am about my business, so am I passionate about blogging and when I blog, not only do I learn for myself, but I also share what I have learnt.
Most of us have heard the words that “knowledge is power” – I’d like to say that knowledge is exactly that – plain, unsophisticated, understated . . . well knowledge. The “Power” of the knowledge is in how we use it and what we do with that knowledge and by sharing that knowledge with others who will use it, we enable, not only ourselves but those around us too. How cool is that!
The sharing of knowledge shouldn’t just be a ‘here and now’ experience either – so make sure that you create an ‘archives’ which allow people to go back, time and time again, to refresh their memories about the issues that you have written about or to savor their favorite posts. It will also assist with reading articles (in one sitting), that have perhaps been broken up into parts that are easily readable.
Another idea, in order to assist with your archives is to break the content of the articles into sections, pretty much like I have for the blogs on my website. So each time I introduce a new topic (pretty much like I did when I introduced “blogging” as a topic), I add a new content section to my blog index.
Now, to get people interacting with you, it’s also necessary to tell people ‘about’ yourself. People like to hear stories, especially stories about where you come from and what it is that you have done in order to get to where you are. It makes them relate to you in a completely different way. Put a photo of yourself onto your blog – it gives people a sends of communicating directly with you.
Make sure that you have a section that gives people direct access to you. Have a contacts page with, at the very least, your e-mail address. If you are not comfortable about being contacted at all hours of the day and night by people who live on the other side of the planet, or who are in different time zones, don’t include your telephone number. Many people like to clarify issues or perhaps add to the discussion or even provide alternative information. So allow yourself to be accessible, even if it is only up to a point.
Be willing share, not only your thoughts and your information and knowledge, but also your blog too. Invite guests to ‘blog’ on your site. If your feel like you are giving up control, then choose the topic yourself and reserve the right to edit what they have written.
See you next week, when we will look at some more issues around some of the content that should be on/in your blogs.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Power of Networking - Part 157
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 157
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. April 2010
I feel the need to explore the whole ‘selling’ thing a little more – so following on from last week and the idea of ‘selling through networking’ – I honestly understand that networking is not for everyone. I understand that for some it is really difficult and for those, there are obviously other avenues such as (but not limited to) cold calling.
Let’s have a look at the numbers for a minute,
Irrespective of whether you are cold calling and/or networking (or any other form of selling that there is) there is a set of numbers in terms of what you can expect.
Statistics show that around 20% of the people that you approach, will buy from you and 20% of the people you approach won’t, regardless of whether they have the budget or not – it’s just the way things are.
Here’s the thing though – that still leaves 60% of the people that you can really focus on and herein lies the challenge.
With Networking, I will always have the advantage over the person who is cold calling in terms of turning that 60% prospects into sales. Here’s why – the person who is doing the cold calling, still has to develop relationships with those people – because of Networking, either I have already started building those relationships or in terms of referrals, those relationships have already been built and cemented in.
With Networking I will always have an added advantage (or as some say, an unfair advantage). As long as I look after those relationships and I continue to maintain them (long after the first encounter) I will always be able to sell easier and I will always have referrals.
With Networking and the resultant referrals, I will never have the constant negativity that is a given when cold calling as all my calls will be, at the very least warm and generally very hot!
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
PART 157
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. April 2010
I feel the need to explore the whole ‘selling’ thing a little more – so following on from last week and the idea of ‘selling through networking’ – I honestly understand that networking is not for everyone. I understand that for some it is really difficult and for those, there are obviously other avenues such as (but not limited to) cold calling.
Let’s have a look at the numbers for a minute,
Irrespective of whether you are cold calling and/or networking (or any other form of selling that there is) there is a set of numbers in terms of what you can expect.
Statistics show that around 20% of the people that you approach, will buy from you and 20% of the people you approach won’t, regardless of whether they have the budget or not – it’s just the way things are.
Here’s the thing though – that still leaves 60% of the people that you can really focus on and herein lies the challenge.
With Networking, I will always have the advantage over the person who is cold calling in terms of turning that 60% prospects into sales. Here’s why – the person who is doing the cold calling, still has to develop relationships with those people – because of Networking, either I have already started building those relationships or in terms of referrals, those relationships have already been built and cemented in.
With Networking I will always have an added advantage (or as some say, an unfair advantage). As long as I look after those relationships and I continue to maintain them (long after the first encounter) I will always be able to sell easier and I will always have referrals.
With Networking and the resultant referrals, I will never have the constant negativity that is a given when cold calling as all my calls will be, at the very least warm and generally very hot!
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
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
BUSINESS TIPS - Rising to the Occasion - Part 2
BUSINESS TIPS – Rising to the Occasion – Part 2
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
Following on from last week, this week we will be looking as some of the solutions that there are to assist us with dealing with some of the challenges that we came across last week.
These are (but not limited to):
• Expecting difficulty: People who stick their heads in the sand or who look at life through rose tinted glasses are always surprised when things go wrong. Actually some of them look like frightened deer that have been caught in the headlights of an oncoming car! I’m not for one moment suggesting that we should be pessimistic and always looking for things to go wrong and then nodding wisely and saying “You see, I told you it would go belly up”! What I am suggesting though, is that we become optimistic realists. That we understand what can go wrong, that we are prepared for it should it go wrong, but that we always carry on as if nothing could go wrong – that way if it does, there is always a plan “B” and if it doesn’t – well that’s a bonus, don’t you think?
• Be proactive. This for me is an absolute ‘no brainer’! I find it extremely difficult to understand why people don’t get things going correctly (or even going in the right direction) in the first place. This always necessitates them having to go back to correct it. How crazy is that and how time consuming, not to mention absolutely frustrating. It reminds me, many years ago, of the reason that I actually left the bank. I was in the Internal Audit Division and each time there was a problem in a department, I would be sent in to sort it out and get it back to what it was supposed to be. One particular department was notorious for not following procedures. It got to a point where every three months I had to go back into the department to restore order – the straw that broke the camels back came, when that particular department head received a bonus for the manner in which their department was run (when we were audited externally by the International Internal Audit Department) and my efforts were not even acknowledged.
Deal with problems whilst they are still small enough to be handled effectively and with a minimum of fuss and ensure that you maintain your preventative measures. Think about it for a moment – we usually don’t wait until the car falls apart in a heap before we send it in for a service. We usually service regularly to prevent the car from falling apart in a heap!
Next week we will have a look at some more solutions
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
Following on from last week, this week we will be looking as some of the solutions that there are to assist us with dealing with some of the challenges that we came across last week.
These are (but not limited to):
• Expecting difficulty: People who stick their heads in the sand or who look at life through rose tinted glasses are always surprised when things go wrong. Actually some of them look like frightened deer that have been caught in the headlights of an oncoming car! I’m not for one moment suggesting that we should be pessimistic and always looking for things to go wrong and then nodding wisely and saying “You see, I told you it would go belly up”! What I am suggesting though, is that we become optimistic realists. That we understand what can go wrong, that we are prepared for it should it go wrong, but that we always carry on as if nothing could go wrong – that way if it does, there is always a plan “B” and if it doesn’t – well that’s a bonus, don’t you think?
• Be proactive. This for me is an absolute ‘no brainer’! I find it extremely difficult to understand why people don’t get things going correctly (or even going in the right direction) in the first place. This always necessitates them having to go back to correct it. How crazy is that and how time consuming, not to mention absolutely frustrating. It reminds me, many years ago, of the reason that I actually left the bank. I was in the Internal Audit Division and each time there was a problem in a department, I would be sent in to sort it out and get it back to what it was supposed to be. One particular department was notorious for not following procedures. It got to a point where every three months I had to go back into the department to restore order – the straw that broke the camels back came, when that particular department head received a bonus for the manner in which their department was run (when we were audited externally by the International Internal Audit Department) and my efforts were not even acknowledged.
Deal with problems whilst they are still small enough to be handled effectively and with a minimum of fuss and ensure that you maintain your preventative measures. Think about it for a moment – we usually don’t wait until the car falls apart in a heap before we send it in for a service. We usually service regularly to prevent the car from falling apart in a heap!
Next week we will have a look at some more solutions
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Monday, April 19, 2010
MOTIVATION - Getting Ahead
MOTIVATION – Getting Ahead
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 you ‘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 you ‘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
Friday, April 16, 2010
HR - Maintain Control of Your Staff - Part 3
ARTICLE 57
Maintain Control of your Staff – Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
Continuing from last time here are some additional examples of what staff can get up to at their employers expense if they are not properly managed.
I’ve had two separate clients this year who have staff who abuse sick leave. The one client’s employee took a total of 65 days sick leave over a 12 month period – that is more than double her 3 year allocation – and when we put a stop to that and told her that any further sick leave would be taken as unpaid, she promptly asked for her 3 days family responsibility leave as her son was having a medical procedure done. Her son is 25 years old and the medical procedure turned out to be he had a tooth pulled. Needless to say that leave was also taken as unpaid!
Then there was another client who had a husband and wife team working for him (that is also never a good idea). Both went to the clinic once a month – on different days, but when the wife went the husband had to take her (so he couldn’t come to work) and when he went the wife couldn’t get to work (clearly the buses and taxis don’t work) and then they also expected to get their full quota of sick leave on top of that because ‘it wasn’t their fault that they had to go to the clinic every month’! I guess maybe that they thought it was their boss’s fault! Needless to say, they too have discovered the joys of unpaid leave!
Sick leave and especially excessive sick leave that is not monitored and controlled can cost the company hundreds and thousands and indeed can even cripple a company. Having a proper leave policy in place that clearly states and outlines the consequences of excessive sick leave and ensuring that those consequences are upheld, will go a long way to ensuring that this particular problem does not rear it’s ugly head. Having a disciplinary policy that also clearly outlines ‘incapacity’ and that consequences of that, also often ensures that staff get to work on a more regular basis.
My father always used to say that no-matter what your job is, you should always do it with pride and it should always be done to the best of your ability. Sadly this no longer seems to apply to people in general anymore. People no longer seem to feel the need to take any kind of pride in the work that they produce and sadder still is the fact that that not only do they not feel the need to take pride in their work but they also seem to feel that employers should be very happy to accept their second and third rate work, whilst paying wages and salaries for first rate expectations. Crazy idea that! Again checklists laying out exactly what must be done and then ensuring that they are correctly signed off will ensure accountability. Again though, it needs to be properly monitored and consequences must be metered out if the procedures are not complied with.
Next week we will have a look at some more examples of what employees get up to when they are not effectively managed.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Maintain Control of your Staff – Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
Continuing from last time here are some additional examples of what staff can get up to at their employers expense if they are not properly managed.
I’ve had two separate clients this year who have staff who abuse sick leave. The one client’s employee took a total of 65 days sick leave over a 12 month period – that is more than double her 3 year allocation – and when we put a stop to that and told her that any further sick leave would be taken as unpaid, she promptly asked for her 3 days family responsibility leave as her son was having a medical procedure done. Her son is 25 years old and the medical procedure turned out to be he had a tooth pulled. Needless to say that leave was also taken as unpaid!
Then there was another client who had a husband and wife team working for him (that is also never a good idea). Both went to the clinic once a month – on different days, but when the wife went the husband had to take her (so he couldn’t come to work) and when he went the wife couldn’t get to work (clearly the buses and taxis don’t work) and then they also expected to get their full quota of sick leave on top of that because ‘it wasn’t their fault that they had to go to the clinic every month’! I guess maybe that they thought it was their boss’s fault! Needless to say, they too have discovered the joys of unpaid leave!
Sick leave and especially excessive sick leave that is not monitored and controlled can cost the company hundreds and thousands and indeed can even cripple a company. Having a proper leave policy in place that clearly states and outlines the consequences of excessive sick leave and ensuring that those consequences are upheld, will go a long way to ensuring that this particular problem does not rear it’s ugly head. Having a disciplinary policy that also clearly outlines ‘incapacity’ and that consequences of that, also often ensures that staff get to work on a more regular basis.
My father always used to say that no-matter what your job is, you should always do it with pride and it should always be done to the best of your ability. Sadly this no longer seems to apply to people in general anymore. People no longer seem to feel the need to take any kind of pride in the work that they produce and sadder still is the fact that that not only do they not feel the need to take pride in their work but they also seem to feel that employers should be very happy to accept their second and third rate work, whilst paying wages and salaries for first rate expectations. Crazy idea that! Again checklists laying out exactly what must be done and then ensuring that they are correctly signed off will ensure accountability. Again though, it needs to be properly monitored and consequences must be metered out if the procedures are not complied with.
Next week we will have a look at some more examples of what employees get up to when they are not effectively managed.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Thursday, April 15, 2010
BLOGGING TIPS - The Content - Part 2
BLOGGING TIPS – The Content – Part 2
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
Many of us are ‘visual’ beings – I know that I am because of the constant ‘videos’ that play themselves in my brain. Brighten your blogs up with pictures that are relevant to whatever it is that you are writing about. The visuals will add depth to your article and enrich your post.
It’s also a good idea to visit other blog sites. It will give you an opportunity to have a look at different styles of writing and different layouts. You will be able to see what works and what doesn’t and take what works together with your own style and make something uniquely different.
To get readers to ‘follow you’ make sure that it is easy for them to do so, either with an RSS feed application or at the very least set it up so that an automated e-mail is sent to them containing each post. If they don’t have to go and ‘look’ for it all the time, chances are that they will read your blogs more often.
Encourage your readers to leave a comment or engage in a discussion or even a debate. It makes people feel that they are all part of the process and part of a community and if it’s one thing that I have learnt watching the celebrity survivor, its that people need to ‘feel’ that they are a part of something.
Challenge people and get them to challenge themselves. When an article gets people thinking about who they are, what they are doing etc, they will return time and time again to see what there is that may be of interest. Get them thinking and talking.
Don’t forget to give due, where and when it is deserved. If you are quoting someone or using any part of their work, give them the appropriate credits. I know how I feel when I see that someone has used my pontifications and they have not credited me.
Don’t jump on the bandwagon, just to promote your own stuff. One of my personal pet hates is when people respond to one of my articles by plugging their own products. That’s just rude and they should start their own blogs if they feel that strongly about it.
See you next week!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
Many of us are ‘visual’ beings – I know that I am because of the constant ‘videos’ that play themselves in my brain. Brighten your blogs up with pictures that are relevant to whatever it is that you are writing about. The visuals will add depth to your article and enrich your post.
It’s also a good idea to visit other blog sites. It will give you an opportunity to have a look at different styles of writing and different layouts. You will be able to see what works and what doesn’t and take what works together with your own style and make something uniquely different.
To get readers to ‘follow you’ make sure that it is easy for them to do so, either with an RSS feed application or at the very least set it up so that an automated e-mail is sent to them containing each post. If they don’t have to go and ‘look’ for it all the time, chances are that they will read your blogs more often.
Encourage your readers to leave a comment or engage in a discussion or even a debate. It makes people feel that they are all part of the process and part of a community and if it’s one thing that I have learnt watching the celebrity survivor, its that people need to ‘feel’ that they are a part of something.
Challenge people and get them to challenge themselves. When an article gets people thinking about who they are, what they are doing etc, they will return time and time again to see what there is that may be of interest. Get them thinking and talking.
Don’t forget to give due, where and when it is deserved. If you are quoting someone or using any part of their work, give them the appropriate credits. I know how I feel when I see that someone has used my pontifications and they have not credited me.
Don’t jump on the bandwagon, just to promote your own stuff. One of my personal pet hates is when people respond to one of my articles by plugging their own products. That’s just rude and they should start their own blogs if they feel that strongly about it.
See you next week!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Power of Networking - Part 156
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 156
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. April 2010
Following on from last week - so now that we have established that you are indeed a salesperson, what remains to be established is what platform is best suited to your preferred form of selling.
On a personal level, for me it’s always about doing things in the most simplistic manner. The most simplistic manner and easiest way to sell is by Networking and the subsequent referrals that I get.
Early during the course of last year, I met a lady (let’s call her Jane), whose brother (let’s call him John) was a member of a virtual networking group called Business Warriors. While I was a member of Business Warriors, I was pretty prolific on the forum and I shared my knowledge and expertise with everyone who cared to read what I wrote. For reasons not to be discussed here, Business Warriors and I parted ways – but whilst I parted ways with the website, I remained in contact with many of the members, with whom I had built strong (often virtual only) relationships.
To cut a long story short, Jane had a business challenge and her brother John remembered much of my advice and the articles that I had written and he recommended that Jane contact me.
Jane and I had one pretty short meeting and in that same meeting, all of her problems were resolved – another happy customer that I did not have to go out and find!
Within a week, Jane had introduced me to another person (let’s call him Bill). Bill had been offered a very senior position in a company that was started to regulate other businesses in a very specific field and he was not sure if the Letter of Appointment that he had been given was in his best interests. I assisted him with getting the best for him put into his Letter of Appointment – another happy customer that I did not have to go out and find!
Bill accepted the appointment and I was called in at this point to assist him. This particular business was started around the 1950s and believe me, most of the policies and procedures dated back to that time.
Over a period of around 6 or 7 months I supplied them with all the policies, procedures and templates that they didn’t have and updated the ones that they did have and then assisted, in part with the implementation of the new and updated documentation. Another happy customer that I did not have to find!
Last week Bill referred me to one of his clients, (let’s call him Chris). I met with Chris today, there were no questions about “are you able to do this”, it as more of a statement of “these are our problems, when can you start”? Well here’s the thing – I start tomorrow!
I know that I can perform the tasks that they require. I know that I am able to assist them, but I didn’t have to tell Chris any of this – you see Bill did and because Chris trusts Bill, he trusts me too. Bill trusted Jane who told him how happy she was with my deliverables. Jane trusted her brother John – who incidentally I have never met. John had seen my advice in the Business Warrior forum, over a number of years, and because the advice was consistent and because it was evident that I did walk my own talk, John trusted me!
That’s 4 referrals out of one virtual Networking website – 4 customers and 4 sales without me even going to look for them!
Now that’s the Power of networking!
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
PART 156
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. April 2010
Following on from last week - so now that we have established that you are indeed a salesperson, what remains to be established is what platform is best suited to your preferred form of selling.
On a personal level, for me it’s always about doing things in the most simplistic manner. The most simplistic manner and easiest way to sell is by Networking and the subsequent referrals that I get.
Early during the course of last year, I met a lady (let’s call her Jane), whose brother (let’s call him John) was a member of a virtual networking group called Business Warriors. While I was a member of Business Warriors, I was pretty prolific on the forum and I shared my knowledge and expertise with everyone who cared to read what I wrote. For reasons not to be discussed here, Business Warriors and I parted ways – but whilst I parted ways with the website, I remained in contact with many of the members, with whom I had built strong (often virtual only) relationships.
To cut a long story short, Jane had a business challenge and her brother John remembered much of my advice and the articles that I had written and he recommended that Jane contact me.
Jane and I had one pretty short meeting and in that same meeting, all of her problems were resolved – another happy customer that I did not have to go out and find!
Within a week, Jane had introduced me to another person (let’s call him Bill). Bill had been offered a very senior position in a company that was started to regulate other businesses in a very specific field and he was not sure if the Letter of Appointment that he had been given was in his best interests. I assisted him with getting the best for him put into his Letter of Appointment – another happy customer that I did not have to go out and find!
Bill accepted the appointment and I was called in at this point to assist him. This particular business was started around the 1950s and believe me, most of the policies and procedures dated back to that time.
Over a period of around 6 or 7 months I supplied them with all the policies, procedures and templates that they didn’t have and updated the ones that they did have and then assisted, in part with the implementation of the new and updated documentation. Another happy customer that I did not have to find!
Last week Bill referred me to one of his clients, (let’s call him Chris). I met with Chris today, there were no questions about “are you able to do this”, it as more of a statement of “these are our problems, when can you start”? Well here’s the thing – I start tomorrow!
I know that I can perform the tasks that they require. I know that I am able to assist them, but I didn’t have to tell Chris any of this – you see Bill did and because Chris trusts Bill, he trusts me too. Bill trusted Jane who told him how happy she was with my deliverables. Jane trusted her brother John – who incidentally I have never met. John had seen my advice in the Business Warrior forum, over a number of years, and because the advice was consistent and because it was evident that I did walk my own talk, John trusted me!
That’s 4 referrals out of one virtual Networking website – 4 customers and 4 sales without me even going to look for them!
Now that’s the Power of networking!
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
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
BUSINESS TIPS - Rising to the Occasion - Part 1
BUSINESS TIPS – Rising to the Occasion – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
As small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs we all understand and are often touched by the adversity around us. From political unrest and uncertainty to financial and economic recessions and troubles. These are indeed, very trying times but also very exciting times.
Here’s the thing though – at some point in our lives, trouble will visit with us. Even during the best of times, trouble comes to visit. Trouble has many faces and many forms – trouble can visit in the form of an illness, or a fire or business ruin or financial challenges. Whatever form trouble takes, it will visit. The challenge of course is how we deal with trouble.
Many of us not only deal with every day challenges or the small irritations that life throws at us, but also have to do with some of the big things too.
Strangely enough though, it is the way that we deal with the small irritations in life that will usually determine the way that we will deal with the big things in life.
Disasters are big and in their hugeness, it is difficult to ignore them – they aren’t going to go away and you cannot hide them under the carpet or in the cupboard. They are ‘in your face’ and you have to deal with them.
The real test though, for me anyway, is how to deal with the everyday little issues. Those constant daily irritations that buzz around our heads like an army of mosquitoes?
Issues such as (but not limited to) getting enough rest or looking after our health or even spending quality time with our families and loved ones. These issues are not the dramatic disaster kind and they don’t appear to be urgent, yet many of us ignore them hoping that they will go away. For example neglecting your wife/husband and family won’t have any major effect in the short term. The long term effects though could be divorce and/or estrangement. How sad is that? In this particular example, it’s the small , daily, irritating mozzie that has grown into a tsunami that is causing the major problems.
People who are successful or who are high achievers, always expect challenges, in fact many of them welcome challenges because it’s in the dealing with the problem that they get to stretch their minds and their problem solving skills. You will also find that most of these people, whilst they are realists – are also optimistic about life. They believe in themselves and understand their strengths and they are determined to put the changes in place. They are determined to meet head on. They are also aware of the fact that as their success grows, so too will the number and size of their troubles. Most importantly too is that they usually have a great sense of humour and know how to laugh at themselves as well as at life.
Next week we will have a look at some indicators on ‘how to’ solve your troubles before they become disasters.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC April 2010
As small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs we all understand and are often touched by the adversity around us. From political unrest and uncertainty to financial and economic recessions and troubles. These are indeed, very trying times but also very exciting times.
Here’s the thing though – at some point in our lives, trouble will visit with us. Even during the best of times, trouble comes to visit. Trouble has many faces and many forms – trouble can visit in the form of an illness, or a fire or business ruin or financial challenges. Whatever form trouble takes, it will visit. The challenge of course is how we deal with trouble.
Many of us not only deal with every day challenges or the small irritations that life throws at us, but also have to do with some of the big things too.
Strangely enough though, it is the way that we deal with the small irritations in life that will usually determine the way that we will deal with the big things in life.
Disasters are big and in their hugeness, it is difficult to ignore them – they aren’t going to go away and you cannot hide them under the carpet or in the cupboard. They are ‘in your face’ and you have to deal with them.
The real test though, for me anyway, is how to deal with the everyday little issues. Those constant daily irritations that buzz around our heads like an army of mosquitoes?
Issues such as (but not limited to) getting enough rest or looking after our health or even spending quality time with our families and loved ones. These issues are not the dramatic disaster kind and they don’t appear to be urgent, yet many of us ignore them hoping that they will go away. For example neglecting your wife/husband and family won’t have any major effect in the short term. The long term effects though could be divorce and/or estrangement. How sad is that? In this particular example, it’s the small , daily, irritating mozzie that has grown into a tsunami that is causing the major problems.
People who are successful or who are high achievers, always expect challenges, in fact many of them welcome challenges because it’s in the dealing with the problem that they get to stretch their minds and their problem solving skills. You will also find that most of these people, whilst they are realists – are also optimistic about life. They believe in themselves and understand their strengths and they are determined to put the changes in place. They are determined to meet head on. They are also aware of the fact that as their success grows, so too will the number and size of their troubles. Most importantly too is that they usually have a great sense of humour and know how to laugh at themselves as well as at life.
Next week we will have a look at some indicators on ‘how to’ solve your troubles before they become disasters.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Monday, April 12, 2010
MOTIVATION - Failure & the Opportunity
MOTIVATION – Failure & the Opportunity
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – April 2010
Hands up who loves to succeed? I can see everybody’s hand shoot up. Soooo – hands up who loves to fail? Go on, who loves to fail? Nope, not a hand in sight. Yet think about this for a moment – we all know the Oscars are what actresses and actors strive to win for their performances in the movies and yet the other day I saw Sandra Bullock graciously accept a Razzie award (for the worst performance) for her acting in a film (ironically she also got the Oscar for the same role in the same movie – but then the Americans have always confused me anyway).
As far as I know, the movies (and perhaps Idols) are the only place where participants are given the ‘worst’ award. Why is this do you think? Well, I think it is because as children we are taught to succeed and in order to succeed we cannot and must not fail. Well the word ‘fail’ is also a four letter word and in some households, being competitive is a way of life. Sadly many children grow up thinking that if they don’t succeed then they have failed and as I am sure you can imagine, this produces it’s own share of nightmares.
What about if we look at so called ‘failure’ from a different perspective? What about if we look at failure as an opportunity, not only to succeed in the future, but also as a ‘learning curve’?
Look, I’m not talking about looking at all types of failure as a good thing. Let’s be reasonable here – imagine if you will, you lying on the operating table, about to undergo a heart transplant, and the surgeon walks in and says “oh by the way, I am not a qualified surgeon, I failed all of my exams, but I am using this opportunity of cutting into you, as a learning curve and perhaps it will allow me to pick up my grades and qualify!” That’s just not good at all! No I’m talking about the everyday things that we fail at and then beat ourselves up about and yes, I’m even talking about failure of businesses or business ideas. Where those particular failures can be turned around and become huge successes. I’m talking about the way we look at things and how we react to what it is that we have looked at.
For many of us growing up, failure was not a word in our dictionaries, or in our vocabularies and it was certainly not something that we even considered. Yet it happened on a daily basis. I remember being about 8 years old or so, at boarding school and being picked for a team the first time – we were playing rounders during the 10am midmorning break. Now I have a problem judging distances, so trying to hit a tennis ball with a bat no thicker than a cricket stump, was a huge challenge. Needless to say I was never picked, voluntarily, again. This really suited me as it was not a game that I enjoyed and I was much happier sitting high up on a branch of my favorite tree, reading my book. Children, being who they are though, thought that this was absolutely terrible and they teased me relentlessly about the absence of my ‘batting’ skills. Right through junior school I was left out of the line up of any type of game that involved either a ball or a bat and I was repeatedly told how ‘useless’ I was, by kids and teachers alike. How crazy is that and how absolutely damaging it could have been for me. Fortunately, being an introvert and a loner, I was not really too interested in being part of the ‘gang’ and went about my business. Here’s the thing though – I may not have been very good at hitting a ball with a bat, but my senior school days brought out a different side of me and I did well enough on the track in high jump and long jump. I never won anything mind you, but that also never bothered me because for me it was about the enjoyment of the sport not in the winning.
So how about if we looked for the opportunities in the failure? Things like if ‘we did this in a different way’ or even ‘clearly this is not our thing in life – let’s look at what else is available’? What about if we looked at failure as an opportunity to ‘learn’ something new, or learn about ourselves or indeed, learn more about the product and/or service that we offer? What if in that failure and in the ‘learning’ we improved upon what it was that we had failed at? What if in that ‘learning’ we discovered something even better and grander and we became even more successful that we ever could have been with what we failed at – would we then still be considered’ failures’?
I don’t know! What I do know though, is that we are often so hard on ourselves that the damage that we do to ourselves is often irreparable. So instead beating up on ourselves, let’s look at the opportunities that our so called failures have brought and rather get on with the living of life.
Learn the lesson by all means, but then let it go and live!
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
Hands up who loves to succeed? I can see everybody’s hand shoot up. Soooo – hands up who loves to fail? Go on, who loves to fail? Nope, not a hand in sight. Yet think about this for a moment – we all know the Oscars are what actresses and actors strive to win for their performances in the movies and yet the other day I saw Sandra Bullock graciously accept a Razzie award (for the worst performance) for her acting in a film (ironically she also got the Oscar for the same role in the same movie – but then the Americans have always confused me anyway).
As far as I know, the movies (and perhaps Idols) are the only place where participants are given the ‘worst’ award. Why is this do you think? Well, I think it is because as children we are taught to succeed and in order to succeed we cannot and must not fail. Well the word ‘fail’ is also a four letter word and in some households, being competitive is a way of life. Sadly many children grow up thinking that if they don’t succeed then they have failed and as I am sure you can imagine, this produces it’s own share of nightmares.
What about if we look at so called ‘failure’ from a different perspective? What about if we look at failure as an opportunity, not only to succeed in the future, but also as a ‘learning curve’?
Look, I’m not talking about looking at all types of failure as a good thing. Let’s be reasonable here – imagine if you will, you lying on the operating table, about to undergo a heart transplant, and the surgeon walks in and says “oh by the way, I am not a qualified surgeon, I failed all of my exams, but I am using this opportunity of cutting into you, as a learning curve and perhaps it will allow me to pick up my grades and qualify!” That’s just not good at all! No I’m talking about the everyday things that we fail at and then beat ourselves up about and yes, I’m even talking about failure of businesses or business ideas. Where those particular failures can be turned around and become huge successes. I’m talking about the way we look at things and how we react to what it is that we have looked at.
For many of us growing up, failure was not a word in our dictionaries, or in our vocabularies and it was certainly not something that we even considered. Yet it happened on a daily basis. I remember being about 8 years old or so, at boarding school and being picked for a team the first time – we were playing rounders during the 10am midmorning break. Now I have a problem judging distances, so trying to hit a tennis ball with a bat no thicker than a cricket stump, was a huge challenge. Needless to say I was never picked, voluntarily, again. This really suited me as it was not a game that I enjoyed and I was much happier sitting high up on a branch of my favorite tree, reading my book. Children, being who they are though, thought that this was absolutely terrible and they teased me relentlessly about the absence of my ‘batting’ skills. Right through junior school I was left out of the line up of any type of game that involved either a ball or a bat and I was repeatedly told how ‘useless’ I was, by kids and teachers alike. How crazy is that and how absolutely damaging it could have been for me. Fortunately, being an introvert and a loner, I was not really too interested in being part of the ‘gang’ and went about my business. Here’s the thing though – I may not have been very good at hitting a ball with a bat, but my senior school days brought out a different side of me and I did well enough on the track in high jump and long jump. I never won anything mind you, but that also never bothered me because for me it was about the enjoyment of the sport not in the winning.
So how about if we looked for the opportunities in the failure? Things like if ‘we did this in a different way’ or even ‘clearly this is not our thing in life – let’s look at what else is available’? What about if we looked at failure as an opportunity to ‘learn’ something new, or learn about ourselves or indeed, learn more about the product and/or service that we offer? What if in that failure and in the ‘learning’ we improved upon what it was that we had failed at? What if in that ‘learning’ we discovered something even better and grander and we became even more successful that we ever could have been with what we failed at – would we then still be considered’ failures’?
I don’t know! What I do know though, is that we are often so hard on ourselves that the damage that we do to ourselves is often irreparable. So instead beating up on ourselves, let’s look at the opportunities that our so called failures have brought and rather get on with the living of life.
Learn the lesson by all means, but then let it go and live!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
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