Just because they are black does not mean they are right

Jim Collins, in “Good to Great” suggests that it is imperative for one to select the right people or “get the right people on the bus” as a means of developing a great company. In a South African economy where legislation like BEE is enforced, it is important to understand this process and be rigorous about selection. Is then the new black talent is a highly sought after commodity in the workplace today?

As a black South African there are often numerous offers to form part of Business boards all in the name of BEE. Skin colour, it seems, is now at times a greater competency than skill. I wonder what the price of all this is going to be?

In the new economy, relationship building with staff will be critical. There is a new black kid on the block who does not want to be insulted by all these extravagant offers in the business world. The deal and warning to companies is that it is still essential that the right people come on board than just on the merit of skin colour. It is still about skill and deliverables. Younger X’er South Africans still want to be valued for their deliverables. It is an educated group of individuals who model boomer values in their drive and need for achievement in the highest level. In some ways this group of South Africans is now entering the market and revolutionising the way business is done in the quest to remain African yet competent and competing with the best in the world. The come armed with credentials and connection with senior members in established companies and government.

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The Soul of Your African: Celebration

Aloysias Maimane asks what makes someone an African. Part of the answer relates to African celebrations. In this article, Aloysias explains what celebrations mean to Africans, and what implications this has for companies and leaders. Anyone who needs to attract, retain and inspire African staff members, whatever their cultural background, would do well to consider the importance of celebrations.

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Buppies – coming to terms with young black staff

Buppies – Black yuppies. Black young upwardly mobile professionals. Research shows that this is one of the fastest growing demographic groups in South Africa, but many companies and leaders have no idea how to manage them. Aloysias Maimane, a new member of the TomorrowToday team and a top South African presenter and facilitator, provides some insights into this important group.

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Sawubona (Zulu greeting: “I see you are not my enemy”)

I have been black for as long as I can remember, yet it would seem of late with the introduction of technology, education and westernised worldview, that reality is consistently being challenged. I grew up in Soweto with the values of the struggle being continually reinforced along with those of simply living in community with others. I guess you can call that Ubuntu but that term is undergoing huge fatigue and is progressively losing currency.

One of the key values that drove my upbringing was a message that everyone who is older than you is your father and mother. I guess by in large this spoke to the value of respect and pure manners. It was that if an older person was in the room you’d stand to greet them; if you were in a bus they came through, you’d offer up your seat; it was that you address them by their title or at the very least add a prefix to their name – Bra so and so, or Mr Sibanibani, Ubaba ka Sibanibani (Mr or the father of so and so).
We enter into a new corporate era where it is fast becoming company policy that we should address each other by first names. It is quickly breeding a culture where as young as we are, we are finding ourselves in positions of leadership that by default sometimes mean we have older people below us. How then should we address them?

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Is Talent Holding the Workforce Hostage?

Aloysias Maimane, TomorrowToday’s resident expert on young talent, especially young black South African talent, questions whether companies truly understand what these young people see as perks and what they just expect to receive by default. Knowing the difference is a key component to talent retention.
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The War for Black Talent

One of TomorrowToday’s bright young stars, Aloysias Maimane helps us to understand some of the unique drivers and motivators of young, black talent. His insights will assist those who are battling to attract and retain these “black diamonds”.

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From Marathons to Short Sprints

Aloysias Maimane wonders how we can shift today’s talented young employees from a Sprint mentality to a Marathon mentality. How can we get them to stay for the long haul, and stick it out? He suggest three simple solutions that provide some of the pieces of the puzzle.

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Proteas Return home

I read an article on the Proteas (South African Cricket Team) return home from Colombo in Sri Lanka due to a bomb blast in a nearby shopping centre. There have been mixed reports as to the validity of their return home. In an interview with Tony Greig (legendary commentator and player for England) he felt that the players were dictating to the government, the international cricket council and the fans all around the world. The question he raised was if a security report came and assured the players of their safety why did they still want to come home? Even more so, why were the players suddenly becoming loyal to themselves and not to the sport?

If you speak to a boomer or someone from the silent generation, which Tony Greig is from this generation, he or she would ague that the sport comes first and that today’s players are becoming soft. They are getting was whole lot of new incentives, they are being paid more, playing less days, and allowed to travel with wives, girlfriends, stay home with pregnant wives and not even return to honour their badge or the team. He relayed a story of how they received direct threats from rebel groups and got told by the British council that they should keep the matter under wraps and should continue to play. It was maybe then more appropriate to respect and show commitment to the higher authority yet we clearly see a differing value system come thru in the newer generation of players.

Today’s talented cricketers ague that, they should be allowed to travel when it suits them. That they compete well on the field and that their loyalty is firstly to themselves and to no badge or any council for that matter.

The bomb blast incident has just become the typical age-old debate, who are today’s players loyal to? I’m certainly convinced that it was the right decision to come home and that players today will remain loyal to one person and that is to them.

Just because they are black does not mean they are right

Jim Collins – Good to great suggests that it is imperative for one to select the right people or get the right people on the bus as means of a developing a great company. In a South African economy where legislation like BEE is rife, it is important to understand this process and be rigorous about selection. Is then the new black talent is a highly sought after commodity in the workplace today?

As a black South African there are often numerous offers to form part of Business boards all in the name of BEE. Skin colour, it seems, is now at times a greater competency that skill. I wonder what the price of all this is going to be?

In the new economy, relationship building with staff will be critical, There is a new black kid on the block who does not want to be insulted by all these extravagant offers in the business world? The deal and warning to companies is that it is still essential that the right people come on board than just on the merit of skin colour. It is becoming still more about skill and deliverables. Younger X’er South Africans still want to be valued on their deliverables. It is an educated group of individuals who model boomer values in their drive and need for achievement in the highest level. In some ways this group of South Africans is now entering the market and revolutionising the way business is done in the quest to remain African yet competent and competing with the best in the world. The come armed with credentials and connection with senior members in established companies and government.

The abuse of the system will still continue here companies still get a few black faces on their board. This is dangerous as the nature of the relationship has a lot of exploitation companies should also expect to be exploited by the same black faces on the board. The fancy BMW’s and other unwarranted incentive come in to play and these are maybe in some way exploitation on the part of companies.

Companies who will become great on the economy will need to embrace the authentically the idea of development and empowerment. Skills shortage is a greater issue, as was the admission of the president in the State of the nation address. Empowerment that is sustainable has everything to do with imparting valuable to skills to the Previously Disadvantages. We need to engage the new emerging black graduate. If we are not just going to window dress we need to ensure that skills imparted and that there are still competency requirements that are met.

The economy has no time for short term fixes of window dresses for us to have a broad based economic empowerment we need to transfer skills. Not in a token way but in real genuine way to see the

Significance in the Connection Economy

When we speak about a sense of significance, this could be an implied point anyway, that significance needs not be found in the workplace only. Reading an article this morning on companies that promote and belief in social awareness, I realized that today’s talent will also be find significance in projects outside work.

It is very difficult to be passionate and fulfilled whilst doing an audit, yet if you were making enough money to support a project and something that spoke to one’s purpose, today’s talent may give loyalty in exchange for that. Kind of work-purpose integration.

Co-incidentally I’m meeting more people who are starting companies in order to fuel or support something they feel passionate about. My question really after all this is,” is Today’s talent use their work as something that funds their economic engine, in order that they may do something more purposefull with their lives in other forums?”

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