Battle of the sexes

I thought we lived in an enlightened era … where men and women exist together in harmony. After reading this article (link below) I’m not so sure?

The article that kick started this raging debate … Why men shouldn’t marry career women.

However it was on glancing through some of the “reader comments” that I got a glimpse of what I can only describe as shocking, childish, petulant and sad. I hope that this reflection of comments is representative of a minority of people. Else we’re in trouble deep!

http://www.forbes.com/home/2006/08/23/Marriage-Careers-Divorce_cx_mn_land.html

‘Climbing on the Mountain’s Schedule, Not Ours

A nice article I thought worth sharing …

LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM SURVIVORS: ‘Climbing on the Mountain’s Schedule, Not Ours’

By Knowledge@Wharton

At Wharton’s 10th annual leadership conference on June 13, the theme of “Leading with Resilience: Coming Back from Challenge and Adversity” brought together speakers who had faced hardships in a number of different areas. Perhaps none of the speakers, however, had experienced as much physical danger as David Breashears, filmmaker and mountaineer, who recounted how he and his team survived one of the deadliest accidents in the history of Mt. Everest.

“So where does a mountaineer and filmmaker fit into this conference?” Breashears asked. “Resilience, excellence, determination, conviction, resolve” — words that are often used to describe a successful team anywhere, whether on Wall Street or on a cliff. “The mountain has been my workplace,” said Breashears, adding that his high-altitude pursuits have taught him a few things about planning and leadership. conference — organized by Wharton’s Center for Human Resources and The Center for Leadership and Change Management

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Building the towers

We’ve just had a new manager join the team at the company I’m working for. To give you a bit of background … I joined this company because it’s small and creative and there were no heirarchies or political games. (Well – ok, there is always some level of politics …)

He’s been here for 2 weeks and 3 days … and already he is planning on adding in a new level of “management”. And so it begins … the heirarchy is coming. (Whether I like it or not.)

But I can’t help thinking … why is this the first exercise new management like to do? (The good old restructure!) Sure, I’m all for change – change can be invigorating and good. But I can’t help wondering if change for the sake of it is just plain old counter productive.

I’m still on the fence as to whether this will be a constructive move (maybe I will be proved wrong about my cynical outlook!) … I guess I’ll just watch from the sidelines and try to embrace the new tower!

The South African Image, the WWW and Google

The other day I was having a conversation with a colleague of mine (he’s from Sweden and is living here in London) – being an open plan office everyone soon joined in. We were having a casual chat about holiday plans for the year … and I was enthusiastically suggesting that he go to South Africa for his next holiday – listing all the amazing and wonderful sights and experiences! His reply: “Well, sure … as long as I can take a gun.”

This sparked a heated and google-fuelled discussion amoungst the office as we looked up crime stats for SA. Sadly, everything they found on the web pointed to South Africa being one of the top 3 “most dangerous countries” in the world. The rape/hijack/murder stats were not encouraging. We were up there with Columbia.

I tried to explain that it’s really not as bad as they think. I was just home in September – and sure, we have crime (let’s not gloss over the facts) – but stats are easy to mis-interpret. I was quick to jump in with the info that Graeme had posted recently … and yet to no avail.

As a South African living abroad I am positive about SA – both present and future. However, it’s very difficult to promote a positive image of my home when there is still such negative information and attitudes floating about.

It makes me wonder about the power of the internet and the WWW – sure there is loads of information available – but how accurate is it? Are we being fooled into believing everything that Google delivers as “truth”?

The stats that everyone was reading re SA were 5 years old – but no one bothered to actually look at the source of the information. They just accepted it at face value. Have we stoped questioning and thinking for ourselves … and are we letting “Google” do it for us?

Family connections

I read a really great column on Fast Company (“Why I wouldn’t want my sister to marry you”) about making time for families. We are always talking about this being “the connection economy” … well, that shouldn’t just be a buzz line that we use in business.

It should apply to all aspects of our lives.

The column may appear a tad “sexist” (the assumption is that the worker is male and the home maker is female) – but I think the sentiments and message apply to anyone.

Read it here at:
http://www.fastcompany.com/resources/leadership/goulston/112105.html

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Speak Up

Lately I’ve been wondering if we are using our “voices” as much as we should be. (Or in the right ways?) There is so much “communication” happening these days (what with blogging, texting, emailing etc) … but how much of it is being heard?

Maybe it’s just my experience over these past few weeks that’s coloured my outlook on this …

I was catching my daily train through to Waterloo a few weeks back and thanks to the ever increasing “signal failures” we were being pushed and shoved onto trains like cattle. (Actually, had we been cattle there probably would have been animal rights groups all over the story!)
Instead everyone just stood there smelling the armpits of the person next to them. (seriously). And I thought to myself “Is no one going to do anything about this?” So I wrote a letter to the editor of one of London’s daily papers …
I know that it’s not going to change things overnight (or even at all) … but I thought that if I don’t speak up on this issue then how will anyone know that there is a problem?
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Designed for life ‌ or Design for LIFE!

It’s pretty obvious that the way we work is changing. Nowadays � the office is that nice comfy chair in Starbucks. With the advent of ‚mobile‛ technologies our office space followed suit and became mobile too. So now you see a ‚wireless hotspot‛ sign on the menu at the local coffee shop ‌ it’s not just the latte and cappuccino they are selling. (But those still remain very tasty indeed.)

I’ve found this very nice little coffee chain in London which makes an excellent coffee and a very nice chocolate croissant! Every morning I pop in for my fix � and the place is crammed ‌ with suits and laptops. There is a group of chaps that huddle round the table every morning and conduct their business meeting. But this is nothing new and while that option still remains increasingly popular, tucked away in the heart of Soho is another growing trend ‌ eOffice.

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FC Customer First Awards

FC have launched their first ever ” Customer First Awards” – celebrating truly customer-focused companies. (Hoorah!)

http://www.fastcompany.com/customer/2005/

Follow this link to read a great article from Fast Company about customer -centric company “Netflix” (this years over all winner) and the other companies that have come up tops!

Are all airline’s full of hot air?

Within the space of 24 hours, my relationship with airlines underwent another rollercoaster ride. Loves to travel, hates to fly … is fast becoming my new mantra.

It all started when we tried to change the dates of my husband’s British Airways ticket from London to SA. We tried everything … from the travel agent, to the airline watchdogs to a friend at Expedia who we thought might “know someone who knows someone” … to no avail. We were down £500 as the ticket was completely non refundable. Our own fault for not reading the fine-print admittedly … but still, the experience did not leave me feeling warm and fuzzy. I was left with the impression that BA was heartless, inflexible and archaic. And just as I was vowing to never fly with them again … they managed to show me the flip side of the coin.

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Daisy Chain

Are you “Linked In”? A friend here in London added me to his list and then another invitation from a friend in SA popped into my email inbox and then I invited an ex-colleague in Germany … and so the network grew! What is www.linkedin.com all about?
In short, it’s a business networking tool which allows you to make the most of your connections.
If you haven’t already checked it out … do so!

Have you found your “Flow”?

I read this interesting article on the Fast Company website (click here to read the article.)

The article talks about “flow” – that state of being when you are completely immersed in doing something you love. And the question: how do we achieve that it business? Hmmm … some interesting ideas here.

Customer service – getting it right!

At last I have a great example of customer service to share! It’s a rare thing – but when a company does get their customer service right it is thing to behold and admire!
I recently went shopping at IKEA … and to cut a long story short they had some stock issues and a rather inflexible delivery policy, which would have meant that I had to fork out the £30 delivery fee twice instead of just the once. Anyway, while waiting in the queue I decided to fill out the “comments” form on the off chance that it might find it’s way to someone who would actually read it & action it. (Of course I was sceptical … aren’t we all?)

A few weeks have passed, when suddenly some registered post arrived at my door. I had long since forgotten this incident … and imagine my surprise when I found that the letter was from IKEA.

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Take me with you

Take me with you – by Brad Newsham. Read it! (Buy it at Amazon.com or Kalahari.net) This book review might seem a bit out of “left field” … because it’s got nothing to do with business, corporate policy or anything remotely related … it’s a travel book.

Ah, but it’s a travel book with a difference. Let me tell you why.
1) Brad is on a 100 day trip … to find a stranger to invite him back to America.
2) He really does take you with him! (This is not just “armchair travel”.)

But what made me realise just how incredibly unique this book is …. I emailed Brad (he has a website: www.bradnewsham.com) … and he emailed me back. And it wasn’t just some standard template email … it was personal. We connected.

To me he is really an author that is fully emersed in the connection economy. That struck as something pretty special!

PS. If you can – find the Random House version of the book – it is the most recently published version and has a few extra’s which are well worth reading.

Yay for Ecommerce!

I got an email from my bank saying “sorry” for any inconveniences caused yesterday as a result of their Internet Banking service being unavailable.

It got me thinking about how much I rely on the internet these days … I hardly ever go into my bank branch anymore. (Thank goodness!) I do quite a bit of online shopping … booking my movie tickets, buying books or CD’s, placing magazine subscriptions online and the odd grocery shop as well. Yay for E-commerce!

As a consumer I’m delighted by this new channel … but what does it mean for your business?

I read a nice article which I thought captures the Ecommerce pitfalls, challenges and rewards rather nicely … Follow this link

Will the real “connection economy” please stand up …

A recent discussion has led me to question … what is the “connection economy”? We all use the phrase and I’m just wondering – are we all on the same page?
I found a article which said the following about the “connection economy” : it also encompasses the increased connectivity being embedded into products, into business and economic relationships between companies, and into the informal and social connections between people. (www.open-mag.com – The Connection Economy by Geoff Cohen.)

When I think of “connection economy” the following springs to mind:

* People
* No geographical boundaries/impediments
* Technology
* Communication
* Networks (as in people networking)
* Business/Financial/Wealth Creation.

The word “economy” doesn’t necessary have to be limited to it’s “financial” sense (see www.dictionary.com for a wide array of definitions) – but if we cast the net wider where do we draw the line? Or is there actually any need for a “line” at all?

So – what does the “connection economy” mean to you?

G8

Ok – I have to blog about this … G8. The UK is practically in a frenzy over this! And I’m just wondering what discussions (if any) are happening in SA (or Africa as a whole)?

The thing is – we talk about the “connection” economy – but I don’t believe that only applies in a business sense. While the “Make Poverty History” campaign does not target Africa alone – it is a primary focus.

So where does that leave South Africa? With some of the worlds poorest countries as our neighbours – what responsibilty do we as South African’s have with regards to this issue? And what role does busines play? And what about the poverty in South Africa? (The maxim “charity begins at home” springs to mind…)
So many questions – not enough answers!

I don’t want to spark any fierce political debate here … but would like to hear anyones thoughts on this?

Game, Set & Match @ Wimbledon.

Wimbledon fever has gripped most of Britian this last week. And never more so than last night … as Greg Rusedski (GBR) battled it out on centre court against the young Swede, Joachim Johansson. It was an epic battle and a nail biting match to watch as these two sportsmen thrashed it out on the court.

There could only be one winner … and it was Johansson. But what really impressed me was the attitude of Rusedski. In a TV interview later that evening he again held his own and showed the same strength of character that was on display earlier.

He was positive and smiling … and he said that tomorrow he starts preparing for Wimbledon 2006. He focused on what he had learnt in the match and what had gone well. In other words – he saw the experiece as positive – even though he didn’t win!

In life and in business we are constantly growing, learning and changing. And failure is apart of growth. Sometimes the best lessons are learnt through adversity or failure – and it’s our attitude to that failure that determines how we growth and our future sucesses. Businesses place so much importance on success – and while that is obviously a key element – there is also something to be said for failure. It should be celebrated – because it means there is still opportunity to learn and improve!

Parkour – new lessons

I was watching this TV programme the other day called “Jump Britain”. It was a documentary on Parkour. I didn’t know what Parkour was – I hadn’t even heard of it to be honest. Since then I’ve googled and found that it began in the 1980’s (in France) and blossomed through out the 90’s but has hit it’s peak in 2004. I’m not sure how to adequately describe Parkour (pronouced par-kor) . It is like a revolutionary version of gymnastics and acrobatics – but taken out of the traditional “gymnasium” and put into the sprawling urban environments. Actually there is a very nice summary on the South African Parkour website that does it more justice than I could. (http://www.highlanders.co.za/parkour/about/).

So what has all this got to do with business? Well, a few things struck me while I watched the program. Today’s youth is taking yesterday’s discplines and creating something new. We see this kind of revolution everyday actually – but what I don’t see is business keeping up. If I think about it – so many businesses are using the same delivery mechanisms and channels that served them well in the past because they satified consumer expectations at that point in time. But if I just look at Parkour as an example of what is energising and captivating todays market … then I see some serious gaps in the way companies are trying to do business.

Another interesting thing about Parkour is that there is a philosophy to it – which says something else to me – it says that this generation are not looking for something shallow … there needs to be something more substantial.

On this doco that I was watching, Sebastien Foucan (one of the initial French founders) said something which I thought was worth noting down at the time. He was discussing doing a jump and he said that doing a jump on your own was very different from doing the same jump with a mate. He said when you do the jump on your own you are just that little bit more afraid. He said that in Parkour you need to stop and look inside yourself and ask what is it that you are afraid of? Only then can you master the jump. Sounds to me like the kind of advice all leaders should heed.

The thing with airlines …

I recently had the misfortune of flying from NZ to the UK. I say misfortune only because it’s something like a 30 hour trip – in Economy class. (enough said)
Sadly things went progressively down hill when Air Malaysia annouced (2 hours past the specified boarding time, and well after everyone had checked in and cleared customs) that a part was missing and therefore the aircraft would not be flying. And no – they didn’t know when the new part would be arriving exactly. (Why they hadn’t spotted that a part was missing earlier is anyones guess.)
As you can imagine – chaos ensued as 300 odd people, all flying via KL with onward connecting flights, approached the customer services desk in some kind of mass stampede. And at this point I must admit I had an enormous amount of sympathy for those poor soles having to bear the brunt of customer outrage!
The thing is – we ALL have some horrible airline story to tell. So this is nothing new. And that’s exactly the point! Why are the airlines not learning these lessons? You would think that by now there would be a well formulated and slick plan that they would naturally fall back on in events like this? But no .. it was just all chaos and confusion.
And the thing that made it worse is that I had to phone them to find out what had happened with my connecting flight. It was as if they didn’t care at all. I wonder if this is how they treat all their customers – or just those in economy class?
It’s not the delays that really bothered me in the end … but how they treated me.

It’s all in the jeans…

The other day an email went round my company saying that “Casual Friday” was now being cancelled and that no one would be allowed to wear jeans anymore.

“Casual Friday” was a privilege (for which employees were asked to donate $1 to charity) and it had been abused. (Apparently. I can only assume that someone at head office had arrived at work looking a little sloppy and had obviously caught the eye of the MD.)

The uproar and debate that this caused! All over jeans. (What would Mr Levi Strauss think of all this??)

The thing is – I totally understand the management team wanting to maintain a certain standard and appearance. What I don’t understand is why not address the sloppy individual? Why is everyone suddenly lumped into the same boat?

Oh – and if anyone does arrive to work in jeans their manager will send them home, they will have to change, and work in the hours they have missed as a result. It really made me laugh – because I thought – well, why not send the sloppy dressers home to change then?? No no … just those crazy folk wearing jeans. (I am thinking that the poor jeans are really the scape goat of this sad little tale.)

I work for a global company – and I have to say, this kind of thinking made me quite relieved that I am in fact moving on. I didn’t ever consider myself poorly groomed … but apparently it’s all in my jeans.

websites – the good, the bad & the ugly.

This last week I have had the misfortune of stumbling across 2 very inaccurate, ineffectual and “ugly” websites.

Firstly, the British High Commision. I’m busy applying for a work visa for my hubby … and being the planner that I am I thoroughly researched all the rules & reg’s that were published under the “visa guidance” section. I sent off the application content in the knowledge that I had followed every instruction to the letter.
Four weeks later and I called to follow up and am politely informed (they are British after all) that they require my original marraige certificate. Apparently it is a legal requirement. I scratch my head … quite certain that I wouldn’t have sent a certified copy if it wasn’t allowed. Low and behold … there in black & white in several places on the official government website … “either originals or certified copies must be sent with your application”. Aha! So I phone the official back – send the website link – and query the need for me to send through the original. Oh no she said – that is a mistake. (??) So why put incorrect information on your website??

Panic ensued as I realised that with less than 2 weeks to go until we were due to leave NZ for the UK … my marriage certificate was in South Africa in the custody of my parents!

And this is where the next useless website comes into play …

My mom sends the document off with a courier on the 18/05. She sends me the website address and tracking number (it’s a track and trace service) so I can keep tabs on it. 3 days delivery time they tell her.
To cut a long story short … the certificate arrived in NZ today (27/05).
The last update on the website is from the 19/05 and says the document was in JHB?

I’m not sure what happened to the “track & trace” functionality … but why put an online service on your website if it doesn’t work properly.

It’s just annoying!!

Your website is a reflection of your business … and if you can’t get the website right … what does they say about the rest of your service?

Rebellious Revolutionary Leadership

Recently in New Zealand “The Rebel Billionaire” – the Richard Branson “Apprentice” style show – has been broadcast. I have been glued to my TV screen each week, anticipating what crazy twist will be revealed. And while I won’t deny that it has all the hallmarks of entertaining reality TV – there were some interesting points that came to my attention. Now I won’t spoil anything for those of you who haven’t yet seen it …but I have to say, it leads nicely into my topic of discussion: Management, leadership and the powers that be!

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Riding on the Information Super Highway

To Google or not to Google

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It’s Not Personal, It’s Business. Or is it?

A few months ago I was working on a particularly complex, frustrating and taxing project and during a conversation with the company CIO he said something that stopped me dead in my tracks and made me re-evaluate a few things. He said : ‚Don’t worry, it’s not personal. It’s business.‛ I have heard that expression used often enough and I must admit I’ve never really warmed to it. This time it actually made me sad. I was asked to step in and manage a project that was based in Wellington ‌ and I live in Auckland. ( That’s about the equivalent of Durban to Jo’burg.) Which meant a very early flight out of Auckland on Monday morning and a very late flight back on Friday afternoon. It meant evenings in a non-descript hotel room sitting with my laptop and eating room service. But mostly it meant being away from my husband. Oh, I know, the tragedy of the situation! Don’t worry, I’m not looking for sympathy here! In fact, I’m sure that many of you have been in similar or worse situations where you have been away from home for lengthy absences. My point is that I was making very PERSONAL sacrifices to do this job, so I really didn’t understand the maxim: ‘It’s not personal, it’s business.’ I don’t know about you, but time away from my family is very personal to me. So when the person I work for doesn’t understand that � I’m very worried.

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Yo-Yo Dieting for Companies

Really, no matter which way you cut it – business is about money. Sure there are lots of other “trimmings”, but at the end of the day a company that isn’t making a profit doesn’t last very long in the corporate jungle. With that being said, I can understand why companies and businesses feel compelled to go to great lengths to ensure that a buck is made. And there are a variety of ways to make said buck. An increasingly popular option for many large corporates is the “restructure”.

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