Informal learning helps mould new leaders. With Youth Day having been celebrated this week, at a time when the economy is in the state it is, I cannot help but be reminded of the increasing role that today’s young people will play in driving economic growth. They are the leaders…
Passion gives ideas a life of their own
On Sunday last week, I found myself on a panel adjudicating business pitches presented by entrepreneurs from around South Africa. They entered the Legends in the Making Competition and won the opportunity to attend a weekend entrepreneurship boot camp in Pretoria organised by Somafco Trust, a social enterprise focused on…
Angel investors must let start-ups learn from mistakes
The smallest cash infusion can make a big difference It is puzzling that early-stage investing in new businesses in South Africa is not growing as fast as it should, irrespective of economic factors. It stays low year on year even with initiatives to foster an uptick, from the section…
Advancing women into senior leadership positions is everyone’s responsibility
The burden of increasing female representation in senior positions needs to stop being a women-only agenda – in the same manner that topics affecting minority groups are erroneously assigned to individuals from those groups instead of the majority groups that are in a position of influence. In business, the main…
The power of servant leadership
I was driving through one of the low-income neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Durban recently. There had been heavy rains that had led to significant flooding. When approaching an area of the road that was completely flooded, I noticed a group of boys and young men busy filling it with…
Pause has power to keep you sane
Tensions are running high as the various parties resume negotiations on which coalitions will be in effect and for which municipality. One would hope that tensions would run high only in times of high pressure and then quickly subside. Unfortunately, this is not the case. We have all become accustomed…
Out of Africa, always lessons for SA
The many challenges and opportunities that come from doing business in Africa have been studied and documented by international and local stakeholders interested in benefiting from the region’s significant growth opportunities. I am often puzzled by how some South Africans react when this topic of doing business in Africa comes…
Behind every successful man, is …
A joke doing the rounds on the internet is that while Michelle and Barack Obama were at a simple restaurant, the owner requested a private conversation with the first lady. On her return to the table, Michelle told her husband that she and the restaurant owner had been in a…
Try giving, not taking, when you do networking
Networking events have become an everyday custom in business. It is a no-brainer that who you know is more important than what you know. As a result, most people aspire to become good at networking because it has become an enabler for success in the world of business. It can…
Work not just to earn, but to learn widely
I recently revisited a set of childhood parables on financial independence written by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter in the bestselling book Rich Dad Poor Dad. I remain intrigued that, almost 20 years after its initial publication and worldwide success, the majority of the book’s simple and relevant insights remain…