Renewed Working Approach

It is increasingly becoming difficult for many organizations to cope with the ongoing labour strikes, rising fuel costs and the depreciating rand. Admittedly things aren't easy for all the stakeholders involved, be it the striking employees, the labour unions or the organizations ; and with emotions high and in some cases violent attacks and service delivery protests on the rise, I cannot help but notice a declining trend in attitudes amongst the various stakeholders.

The purpose of this article is not to debate how unfair the renumeration policy of some companies are or how unrealistic the demands of the striking workforce might seem. The article was inspired by how easily we as employees ,working in different organizations are keen to be repressive in our approach in addressing customer needs.

Strategic Management experts mention that in order for organizations to really survive, they ought to find a market inspired by their product offering. An organization's product offering must be different from the ordinary and must be dynamic enough to attract customers. Further more they mention that an organization must be entrepreneurial and consistently reinvent their products and positioning in the market. However, in order for them to be competitive, an organization needs to move from what is called the repressive context to a renewed context.

Repressive context is defined as a rigid and strict environment where compliance with policies is mandatory and where standards are closely controlled. At first, I thought the repressive context was how business ought to be done until I learned how policies( if not reviewed)can inhibit an organization's growth. The experts suggest we move towards a more renewed approach where employees have the support of their senior management team, where trust -prevails allowing for transparency and where being disciplined is the norm. But how true is this situation in practice? How many of us have the support of our management team? How many organizations actually renew polices that are no longer adequate in the environment where they operate?

The problem I have with employees I've worked with and interacted with from different organizations is that we are always waiting for someone (management or a hero of some sort) to get things done for us; we continue blaming the system for its inadequacies,policies for being old and any other problems. What we fail to do is to initiate change ,even though it seems impossible. We fail to get up and be counted. We fail by not doing anything different, or trying to make the difficult the restrictions work for us. Instead we wait around and loose profits that pay our salaries.

What I've learnt is that the nature of business is rough;and we need to do what is necessary to survive. And in order to survive we need to be innovative in how we service the clients paying our salaries and how to work around the red tape organizations Impose on us. Because the reality is that if the organizations we work for aren't profitable, retrenchment is a reality we live with. I'm done blaming the red tape affecting my productive, instead finding solutions to work within the constraints. The question is what are u doing?

Smile. Laugh. Live

REVIEW YOUR PROGRESS

It is true when they say that time waits for no man and as such 'time is money'. It is 4am and I lie in bed, hoping to fall asleep again. Sadly I tossed and turned until such time that my mind went on a journey. As much as I tried to divert the mind to focusing on getting back my two hours of sleep, it chose to direct me to questions that have bugged me for days.

It is truly amazing how quickly time goes by. It feels like it was just yesterday when we wished each other 'happy new year' and discussed our hopes and dreams for the 2013. It seems like it was just yesterday when we excitedly noted our New Year's resolutions, committing ourselves to achieving them against all odds.  Yes, we were all motivated to pursue our dreams, to improve our attitudes, go to the gym more often, make the climb up the corporate ladder or save that amount of money we were so keen to save. But how many of us are actually doing what we said we would do?

Strategy experts often talk about reviewing progress.  Reviewing progress is about taking a moment to reassess if you are still on the right track.  It is about comparing what you initially set out to achieve against what you are actually achieving and should there be discrepancies, then corrective action should be taken. It against this background that I pose this question again,. How many of us are actually pursuing the resolutions we've set ourselves in January ? And for those who are actively pursuing them, how well are you doing?

Our weakness as human beings is our inability to see things through. We are happy to commit ourselves to doing something. We then start it but along the way we completely abandon it. Why is that? Now it would be unfair of me to challenge you and not be held accountable myself. So yes the question about how well I'm doing in pursuing the goals I've set myself in January is also applicable.

The beginning of 2013 saw me committing myself to 5 goals. And like anyone, I was motivated to achieve all of them. With lots of discipline and commitment I continue to hold myself accountable to achieving them. I review my progress on a monthly basis to ensure that I take one step closer towards my goals and in cases where I need to adjust my goals, I take corrective action , implement and incorporate the changes into my initial goals. However, it is not as easy as I make it seem.

The pursuit of goals requires motivation and dedication . It takes a disciplined person to sustain the drive and commitment  towards achieving their goals. It takes guts and  resilience to believe in your goals when things don't go as you had hoped. Achieving goals is about marching on even when you feel tired and ready to quit.

With 6months of the year gone , it is important that we reassess how well we are doing in terms of achieving our goals.  It is important that ask the hard questions and be brutally honest with ourselves.  Are you living up to the standard you've set yourself?  Are you doing the things you committed yourself to doing in order to move up the corporate ladder? Have you changed your negative attitude like you said you would? Are you saving money like you said you would? Are  you committed to going to gym like you said?

It is easy to fall short of the commitments we set ourselves. It is easy to give up and walk away. However, I urge you to stay strong. I urge you to soldier on and continue pursuing your goals. I encourage you to take it one step at a time and to continually reassess your progress. The pursuit of goals is a tough journey, but it's not impossible.

Take the time to evaluate how far you've come and be proud of your achievements thus far. Waste no time being mediocre but investing in building up momentum towards December;when you can really look back and be proud.

REINVENT YOURSELF

I've often been reminded that when life serves you lemons, then you ought to make lemonade. This has served as a tool of finding the brighter side in what appeared a raw deal, or when life really seemed unfair. More often than not, it seemed easy enough to say it, when in actual fact it was harder to implement; especially when it felt like everything was spiraling out of control.

We often carry with us baggage we collect along the way; baggage from our failed relationships, baggage from our hostile working conditions and some we find ourselves carrying unnecessarily. The burden of the baggage we carry daily presents itself in multiple ways, that in turn manifests in unimaginable ways.

I have carried baggage over the last few months, the kind of baggage that was starting to poison my soul. Baggage that blinded me of opportunities I could pursue. I carried baggage that weighed me down and made me doubt my potential. Not only was my potential undermined, but my worth too. I allowed the baggage I carried to dictate how people treated me. I allowed this baggage to define how I saw myself and value my potential. I allowed myself to be the victim, constantly seeking approval from those I deemed superior.

In moments of doubt, I would look to others for acknowledgement and depend on their interpretations of my situation because I thought they knew best; when in fact they didn't. I tried, many a time to express how I felt in hope that they would understand what I was going through, hoping to also prove to myself that I wasn't insane to feel what I felt. I allowed this baggage to manifest itself in my life for months, to destroy me inside and then allow myself to put on a mask, portraying a picture perfect life.

It was on Friday evening when God sent down my guardian angel to remind me that I was worth more than I imagined, to tell me my feelings were not unjustified. He sent down this angel clothed in normal clothes, with a beautiful smile and an understanding heart. She told me I was not mad to feel the way I did, she held my hand and told me to be the best person God intended  me to be. She smiled and told me   I was perfect in God's eyes.

I listened carefully and took note of the words this angel spoke. She had no wings or a halo like angels, but she carried a message that gave me hope. She delivered a message that allowed me to take another look in the mirror to see and understand my worth. It was at this point that I saw my potential unfold and my worth materialise; not because I'm arrogate, but because I started to believe in myself again.

There are many young people carrying baggage in there lives. We seek approval from our supervisors at work to validate our worth. We allow their perceptions of us dictate how we value ourselves. Some young people allow bitter relationships determine how their lives turn out, we fail to cut ties with people that poison our lives.

I have seen a lot of pain, frustration in the lives of young people and my own life. But I have learnt that God provides us with guardian angels that will remind us of our worth. We are all blessed with the opportunity of meeting someone that will hold our hands and reassure us it be okay. Take note, listen and reinvent yourself.

As a new week starts, I have made a conscious decision. I choose to let go of the baggage that poisoned my life. I choose to have self confidence, to value my worth and to pursue opportunities. Allowing other people's perceptions dictate my career or personal life ends now. I am a brand and I acknowledge myself as one. I encourage you to do the same, because you are worth more than you thought.

Smile this week. Laugh because you can. Live like a valuable brand God made you to be. Go one, reinvent yourself and make lemonade.

Happiness is a choice

The pursuit of happiness is increasingly becoming a challenge many of us struggle with. For some unknown reason, we have gradually shifted the responsibility of finding happiness to third parties, with the hope that they will fill the void that occupies our lives. We have become dependent on other people to make us happy; in some cases, we have gone to extremes in trying to get these people to bring us the happiness we so badly need.  Many of us compromise so much in pursuit of this happiness;a few actually end up unhappier in the process as a direct result of the very people we count on to bring us happiness.

We continue shifting this responsibility to 3rd parties despite the disappointment. We continue to be victims of self pity, wallowing in our self created puddle of depression, hoping that our colleagues at work, our friends or members of the families will step in to help. Why we do this to ourselves is baffling.

I have been a victim of self pity recently. Although I felt my reasons were justified for walking around with my shoulders hanging and chin struggling against the forces of gravity, I knew there was a fundamental lessons I had to learn. Yes, I felt down for various reasons and I felt overwhelmed by the size of the problems presenting themselves in my life. As easy as it was to blame the problems that were bringing me misery on those responsible, it somehow felt unjustifiable to blame them for my unhappiness too.

But, you might argue that if someone is a problem in your life, then that very person is the source of your unhappiness. And while I might find common ground to agree with that, I learnt a different lesson and here it goes.

I encountered a number of problems at work and as much as I wanted to address these problems, I felt like each attempt failed. Worse, the people I knew were responsible for the problems (or the people to blame ) were not aware they were responsible for my unhappiness. Yes I made them aware but to no success. I spent weeks going to work unhappy, spending all day in a mood and eventually going back home unhappy. And the people I blamed for my unhappiness, lived their lives, laughed and went through the day in good spirits. It was at this point that I realized that I had a choice to make. It was either I continued going to work unhappy because I blamed other people for it, or to really reclaim my unhappiness and change that.

For the people I blamed, they felt it was enough to say sorry and move on, and they didn't care if I allowed that to influence my unhappy state too. I was so focused on the problems that I gave away my choice to be happy. I was so focused on blaming other people for what went wrong, I gave them power over my state of happiness (without them being aware).and worse, they couldn't be bothered.

Being happy is a state that we all individually create. We are responsible for our happiness and no one else. We cannot afford third parties the luxury of deciding what will make us happy or allow other people to take away our happiness as a result of foul play and problems they bring into our lives.

Let us do away with wallowing in our self pity and take responsibility. Happiness is yours to create, consume and enjoy. So be happy because you can, not because you depend on anyone to make you happy.

Smile. Laugh. Live

Service delivery... Do we understand it?

I sit in my room, anxiously trying to get through the many chapters I need to cover before my exams next week. As I try crasp the many concepts, models and diagrams, I cannot help but try adopt the concepts to the type of work I do.

I currently work with many clients from different backgrounds and with different expectations. My sole responsibility is to understand their business needs and come up with solutions, be it business financing, account management or processing various transactions that will enable their business to achieve their business goals.

Now, it's clear that this type of job is service intensive, and unless you really understand what being service orientated means, you will have all your existing and potential clients rushing for the exit door. And with the competitive nature of the industry within which we operate, one cannot afford to ignore the importance of service.

Service goes beyond the technical aspect of the job, it also involves the psychological aspects that appeal to customers, that work on their emotions and creates an unforgettable memory. Many service orientated organizations fail to capitalize on the small features that can see their customers being loyal, inviting more clients via word of mouth which ultimately result in increased profitability.

Academics state that service quality has a number of dimensions. Service quality is influenced by the technical delivery of the encounter; how well does your organization provide service when addressing client needs? Do your employees demonstrate competence when helping clients? Do you deliver orders on time? Do you return calls as promised? These may seem minor but are you aware of the impact it has on your bottom line?

Service quality also has what academics refer to as functional aspects of quality. This explains how service is delivered. These aspects create good or bad experiences. Working for a service orientated organization, employees take it for grant how important appearance impacts service. Yes, how you look influences a client's perception of the organisation. We are often told that service with a smile results in a happy client, but many organizations don't do this. Our colleagues and managers come to work grumpy,with no interest in providing quality service. How then are we to be profitable?

Service is about showing interest in customer needs and providing solutions. We can win over clients by showing competence, which gains us customer trust. If a customer is assured you know what you doing, they are more likely to trust you and your organisation. By being friendly and providing service with a smile, customers are more likely to approach you for help. Service is about being helpful, making a client understand and providing alternatives.

 We cannot afford to drop the ball when it comes to service delivery, more so in these tough economic times. And given the competitiveness of the industries within which our organizations operate, it is time to adopt a service orientated approach if we are to stay profitable. Maybe the time to provide service with a smile should start now.

Smile. Live. Love

INSPIRATION: SMILE. LAUGH. LIVE: Last Man Standing...

INSPIRATION: SMILE. LAUGH. LIVE: Last Man Standing...

Last Man Standing...

I've been told many a time to always look for the silver linings amongst the clouds that cover the sky;to make lemonade when served lemons and to see the half full glass rather than half empty. As wonderful and fulfilling as these lessons have been, one cannot help but feel a little sad-negative even when things do not work out as you had hoped...

With  14 months working as a Graduate Trainee at a reputable organization, I had hoped to be appointed two months ago. I had hoped I would have proven myself as both competent and efficient, ready to take on the next step in my career. I had plans, plans I hoped would initiate change;plans that  would inspire people.

To my disappointment, I am still working as a Graduate Trainee. By default I found myself wallowing in self pity and resentment. At times, I was tempted to apply to other organizations hoping I would fill the void I now had. I was so blinded by my disappointment, I started missing the  opportunities I had available working as a Trainee. Now you may ask where the silver lining is in this particular story.

Just this week, I learnt new things from the department I am now based in. Lessons that are currently transforming how I think.  I am learning the art and science of customer service-proper customer service. And as life would have it, I have the privilege of imparting my knowledge to the new interns within our department. This is a journey that is making me a whole new person;the type who inspires and transforms thinking.

 Being the last trainee to be appointed, doesn't necessarily mean that I'm incompetent or efficient. It is an indication of a different role I need to play within the organization. We are often to quick to give up or lose hope because we want to compare our career paths to our colleagues. I have learnt that we have different roles to play and not to compare our success to anyone's success.

You may also find yourself  in a situation of resentment or disappointment, I urge you to broaden your horizon and look beyond the resentment. It is by doing this that you will see the opportunities that life has lined up for you. It is then that you will inspire change and transform lives.

Go on, find the silver lining and be the type of guy that transforms thinking. Be the last man standing within your organization.

Smile... Laugh... Live!

Being Educated...

 It has been a few days since my return from what was a hectic weekend of partying and catching up with good friends. After weeks of mounting excitement, I finally arrived in Pretoria with two objectives in mind. Firstly, to have a hectic weekend of partying and secondly to find inspiring stories from my friends who are working hard to achieve their goals.

Now, if you've spent time in Pretoria, you would understand how vibrant this city is and how alive it becomes just after 5pm. So in terms of a great partying weekend, I was sorted. Next was an outfit fitting for what was to be a great night. However, I do not want to dwell on the details of the social scene.

 I sat down with a group of my good friends and it suddenly hit me-we travelled a tough journey and here we are. I had a flash back of the hard times we endured during our student days. The tests we failed, the dead lines that seemed impossible to meet and the struggle we all faced of staying positive.

Our different goals seemed out of reach- over shadowed by the difficulty of our studies. I remember us marching on, fighting, trying... At times we had no fighting strength left,, but giving up was not an option.

 Years later, we sit in this restaurant laughing and enjoying what is a new chapter of our lives. We sit in a group of professionals- Mining Engineers,Chemical Engineers, Industrial Engineers and Investment Bankers discussing the challenges we face in the corporate sector.

We sit here discussing projects that have the potential to change lives, personal goals, growth prospects and our achievements as we continue on the journey to becoming great,competent and young Africans.

This for me was a reminder that there is a reward that comes from being educated- that the sacrifices we make in pursuit of being educated yield a return. It might seem like its not possible currently, but with patience, hard work and determination.... You will reap the rewards!

Smile, laugh , live

MASTER OF ALL OR NONE..?

Opportunities come in different ways- be it through graduate development programs coordinated by various institutions or by being given a permanent position immediately after completing your studies. For some graduates, it’s the thrill of embarking on entrepreneurial opportunities or being your own bosses that gives you that kick start to leave a legacy, while for others such as ourselves- it’s about climbing the corporate ladder. Unfortunately not all of us are as lucky as to be our own bosses. However, we are all masters of our own destinies and that is a huge task.

I am fortunate enough to be working for an reputable organisation as a Graduate Trainee and while the last few months have been both tough and fun- it is hard to ignore the lessons that came with it. Being a graduate trainee means that your sole purpose within the organisation you work for is to learn, learn some more and to do more learning. But it’s not just about the learning- you soon become part of the culture and also a change agent to making the organisation better. Yes, this means that you need to contribute ideas- innovative ideas that will move the organisation forward.

With just nine (9) months working, I’ve worked in 5 departments –each with about 4 subdivisions. Now for someone who is analytical, it is not hard to miss that a lot of learning and remembering was done in these months. I’ve had to make notes for each department, making sure I do not miss anything.  I’ve also had to separate the different departments’ roles and responsibilities, yet realising their compatibility. Not only has it been fun to work in so many departments, learning new things- but also about meeting new and interesting people.

As fun as this process has been, I cannot but help ask myself if “I am a jack of all trades- but master of none” and the more I hear it around my surroundings- the louder it replays in my mind. While it’s easy to let something so small get me down or allow the purpose of this programme be tainted with negativity, I took a moment to reflect on the what, why, where and when.

Becoming a master of your career is a choice that we all make, and that choice starts with defining WHAT we hope to achieve- and there are a lot of things we all hope to achieve. Clearly setting out what you hope to achieve helps you to set parameters of how you want your life to roll out.  This helps you to set goals that give meaning to your career- “I want to be a manager” for example.  And here is my choice- I choose to become a “Jack of all trades and a master of all”- in business, at home and in society.  I believe it takes a real man to accept the things he cannot change and focus on the things he can.

Once you’ve made a choice as to what you want to achieve- it is important to ask yourself why?  Why do you want to become a Master? Becoming a master of your career requires you to understand the role you play within your organisation. It is about understanding why it is important to deliver great work all the time and on time. Understanding “why” you need to do things, prepares you to take responsibility for your actions, career and your future.

When you understand ‘what’ and ‘why’, it paves the next step in the journey of becoming a master of your career.  It is important to have goals of where you hope to be.  Having a clear picture of where you see yourself drives you to give your best. This is the kind of motivation that gets you out of bed in the morning and gives you the drive to give your best- every day.  Harvey Mackay quotes “a dream is just a dream; a goal is a dream with a plan and deadline”. This quotation leads to the next step in the process- when?

In order for goals to materialise, it is imperative to set time frames detailing what needs to be done when and how. Time frames are complimented by action plans, which stipulate how you plan to get there.

I thought about my question again, “Am I a jack of all trades and master of none- or am I better than this?”, and it was at that point I made a break through. I had a choice- to either place the limitation on myself or to refuse to limit myself. I had a choice to entertain people’s negativity or to see the silver lining this situation had to provide. What I realised was this; the more you learn, the more you know and that makes you a master. Becoming a master is not about knowing everything, but embracing the opportunity to learn something new every day.  The more you see, the more you understand. Becoming a master is not about being the best at everything- but understanding what you can do best.

I have seen how things are done in the different departments and I have learnt a lot. The real question is not whether “I am a master or not” but rather what I do with what I know.  Do I share what I learnt with those who don’t know?  Do I share this knowledge with my colleagues and integrate it to what they already know in an effort to create the bigger picture? There are many questions to be asked, but the point I am trying to make is this. It is not about being a master of all, but instead about becoming that guy that uses this knowledge to create a holistic picture- a picture that connects departments; that creates compatibility between different roles and mostly importantly- about bringing people together who share the same vision.

I believe becoming a master is about embracing the opportunities life has to offer you and using these opportunities to make a meaningful impact in the lives of the people you work with; the people you stay with and the communities you live in. Being a master is not about power nor is it about status- it is about understanding your own potential to initiate positive change.

www.tokiso-inspiration.blogspot.com

NEW YEAR...NEW START

With 14 days into the New Year, I believe it is still relevant to continue the common trend of “niceties” and good wishes for the New Year.   So here goes, “I genuinely hope 2013 will not only be a good year, but a year of positive change.”  For some, 2013 has started on a positive note, while others still struggle to let go of the previous year. Be that as it may, we all have a chance to survive and make something of this year.

 As the trend continues, we are all subjected to a particular question: “what are your New’ Year’s Resolutions?”   “What do you hope to achieve this year? “While many of us simply give a brief response as a means to meet the status quo and give the impression that our lives have direction, I took time to actually think about this question- to really think deeply about it.

We are often told that a new year gives us a chance to start over again. We are led to believe that it’s an easy exercise- where you simply flip the page and rewrite the chapter. But is it really this easy? Is it as simple as the experts make it seem?  I ask these questions because, I believe in the theory of New Year’s resolutions and it continues to work for me.

I believe in setting goals- goals that you hope to achieve by December 2013.  And as it appears, I have written on the importance of setting goals in my previous blog posts and I believe this topic is still as relevant in 2013.  I have spent days thinking about which direction I want my life to take in  2013; I have thought about what I hope to achieve- be it the amount of money I plan to save, the kind of friend I hope to be or even where I hope to see my career go. And the efforts of those days were delicately written down to ensure that the goals were binding.  I took it a step further and decided on action plans to execute my goals and set time frames. And as I continue planning for 2013 and putting plans in action, I cannot ignore the fact that many other people might not be as fortunate.

Many people suffered the tragic events of 2012- strikes, unemployment, below par matric results, failure and many other sad things. Some of our friends lost loved ones, and others suffered accidents.  2012 was honestly a bad year for some people and we cannot ignore the damage it caused. As 2013 picks up momentum, I realise that a lot of my friends still struggle to let go of the mistakes of the previous year and as a result fail to cease the opportunities the New Year has to offer. They torture themselves for their failures made in 2012 and constantly remain prisoners of their thoughts.  They fail to see the opportunity to start afresh, to let go of those goals we thought were important and to set better and bigger goals. They struggle to let go of the pain 2012 brought into their lives and give 2013 a chance to heal their pain.

 Starting afresh is not about forgetting the past, but accepting the things you no longer have control over and embracing those you can change. I believe that setting resolutions is not about looking smart in front of your family and friends or giving people the impression that your life is perfect. New Year resolutions for me are about setting a bench mark for your life-a standard that you can measure how well you are doing or how you can improve. It is about trying new things- doing things that make you a better person.

I believe in setting a theme for the year ahead, a theme that will give your life direction and meaning. My theme for 2013 is to begin my journey from being good to becoming great.  This theme guides and inspires me to give my best in all that I do and I believe setting your own individual theme will do the same for you. This is a chance to rewrite your mistakes of the previous year; a chance to initiate positive change in your personal life.

As 2013 quickly picks up momentum towards December, let us jump on the train and begin our journey to a better life. A resolution is a simple guide that gives you a reason to get up and do something meaningful- whether you hope to save money, change your attitude, touch lives- give it your absolute all because the reward will be worth it.

All the best for 2013 and to making this the best year.