The week that was 20190907

PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

Sometimes as business owners we take things for granted, like the importance of being up to date with SARS. Love or hate them, tax needs to be paid. I am incredibly grateful and proud to be tax compliant.

Left: Chanell Kemp, reputation specialist at Reputation Matters Right: Parmi Natesan, CEO at the IoDSA 

For the fifth consecutive year, we measured the Institute of Directors of South Africa (IoDSA)'s reputation. I am so proud and grateful for the association with them. They are the custodians of the King IV report and are working hard to build better directors and businesses. They scored an excellent 82%!

I am  so proud of the reputation research tool that we have developed to quantify an organisation's reputation and grateful for my awesome team.  

BIGGEST LESSON THIS WEEK / REMINDER

The importance of giving credit where credit is due and saying thank you.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

I'm currently reading "Stoked!"by Chris Bertish, I really liked this: 

"What you believe, you achieve, and what you don't you won't."

THIS WEEK I FINISHED READING...

Still reading...and working towards reaching my three book per month goal.

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE

Earlier this week Jacob Rees-Mogg, Leader of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, was seen reclining on his seat. Social media were ruthless and the memes hilarious, this one particularly made me giggle: 

Another (relatively) Awesome AfriCAN week 20190905

It's been a tough week for our beautiful continent. When one country hurts, we all hurt. 

In all of this craziness we sometimes need to be reminded that there is still a lot of good people out there and incredibly inspiring things are happening on the continent. Here are some of the awesome things that happened this week:

#Rwanda

Picture via Business Daily 

At this year's Mombasa Tea Auction, two Rwandan tea companies fetched first and second highest premium prices thanks to the quality and grade that was presented. (story via CNBC Africa).

#Senegal

Senegal is planting millions of mangrove trees to fight deforestation. It has planted 79 million mangrove trees, which will help protect vital arable land, preserve aquatic habitats and absorb around 500,000 tonnes of carbon over 20 years. [via World Economic Forum]

#SouthAfrica

Picture via Food Business Africa

Congratulations to Spier for being the first winery in the world to receive Control Union Vegan Standard certification by the accredited certifying body Control Union. Spier Seaward, Creative Block, 21 Gables and Frans K Smit ranges will all bear this vegan-friendly seal from 2019 vintage onwards for white wines and the 2018 vintage onwards for reds.

#SouthAfrica

Creating Safe Spaces for South African Men to Talk ~ Kabelo Chabalala launched the Young Men Movement, a nonprofit support group creating safe spaces for men to talk about their feelings. Members participate in open discussions designed to restore "a safe environment for women," he says. This involves having open debates around self-awareness, exploring how the men behave and how they carry themselves. They learn that "you are not less of a man if you say 'I am sorry,'" said Chabalala. "We play board games, Scrabble, chess. We also try to make it fun." These safe spaces have now been rolled out in schools and other community venues such as local churches and gardens in the town. According to Chabalala, the Young Men Movement is a direct response to the crisis of masculinity today as societal norms, such as those around sexuality, demand conflicting behaviors from men. 

#Zambia

Zambian Cassava farmers in the AB InBev value chain are able to keep a record of their produce sales and receive cash through the Blockchain mobile money solution. Another benefit to AB InBev’s smallholder farmers, which has recently been made available by BanQu, is the integration of mobile money, which means that farmers do not have to walk around with cash that could be stolen, and can, instead, store money, pay bills or send remittances online directly through the free, secure platform. 

Photo via African Celebs

The week that was 20190831

Isn't it absolutely crazy that today is the last day of August! It's been another amazing wonderful week filled with many proud and grateful moments, lessons learnt and giggles along the way. 

PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

As part of my morning regime, I aim to take Bella for a run as often as possible. The best lit area at this time of the morning is Suikerbossie. I was absolutely thrilled and so grateful to start seeing the mountain silhouettes peaking through; a clear indication that we are heading to longer, warmer days and that Spring is in the air (unlike the rest of the country, Cape Town has barely had a sniff of warmer weather). My preference is definitely warmer weather; in the same breath, I am grateful for all the rain we've had recently. 

Another sign of the changing season was earlier this week when one of our succulents greeted us with this amazing flower. Mark definitely has the green thumb gift between the two of us; he's been nurturing this little one since it was only about the size of a 20 cent piece. It's magical to see the beauty of nature and to watch all the plants grow and flourish under his watchful caring eye.  

Earlier this week I attended a Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) Cape Town function hosted at the Cape of Good Hope Castle in Town. It was such a beautiful evening, just making me again...still... so grateful for living in Cape Town. It was a good evening of conversations and sharing of ideas. The Castle is filled with so much history. I did have a giggle, in the room that we were hosted in, someone commented that it was quite cold, someone else then said that it was cold because of all the unsettled souls from the past around us there. Personally I thought that it was just the open window they were standing close to [I may or may not have made sure that I walk in a group back to my car :)]   

Biggest lesson this week / REMinder
Mark and I quite enjoy watching the television program, Race Across the World, where four teams race from the United Kingdom (UK) to Singapore using any means of transport except airplanes. [Flying to Singapore from the UK takes 12 hours; using the same budget as for the flight they are making their way using different modes of transport, they are now on day 40!]. The one lady said,

"Focus on your own game," and that is so true on so many levels.

The above are definitely #GrowthGoals! 

We [I], often forget to trust in our [my] own abilities, so this was quite apt that came up in my social media timeline this week:

Quote of the week

 Forward is forward...

This week i finished reading...

Years ago I read Konsalik's LSD, which I did not enjoy at all. My Mom recently encouraged me to rather read "Die Snydokter van Stalingrad," which was his first book. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I love a good Afrikaans read. I found it fascinating to also learn more about the German prison camps in Russia. I recently finished a Deon Meyer book, both are great Afrikaans books, it is so interesting to see how Afrikaans writing and the language has evolved.

what made me giggle

This clip that I saw via @humorandanimals on Twitter absolutely made my week!

:)

One last one...

Chinese takeaway – R75. Petrol to get there – R12. Getting home and then realising they didn’t give you one of the containers – riceless.

Another Awesome AfriCAN week 20190829

#CapeVerde

Did you spot the Google Doodle this week of Cape Verdean Singer, Cesária Évora? 

This “Barefoot diva”,  who had the most amazing voice, was being remembered in a special Google Doodle on what would have been her 78th birthday (27 August, 1941).  Évora took up singing as a girl, and as an adult began her career by performing at bars in her hometown of Mindelo. After several years of singing without financial success, she was eventually spotted by former musician and record producer José da Silva, who urged her to record her music in France.Genre-wise, Évora specialised in morna, the traditional music style of Cape Verde. Her songs typically had melancholic, poetic undertones. One of her most famous songs is a recording of the coladeira song “Sodade”, which encapsulates the nostalgia of emigrants from Cape Verde. Évora was an ambassador for the United Nations’ World Food Programme, a humanitarian food-assistance initiative that delivers food in emergency situations and works to improve nutrition in communities around the world. [SOURCE: THE INDEPENDENT]

#DemocraticRepublicofCongo

Sierra Leone: Health workers prepare to enter an area where Ebola patients get treatment. Flickr image by EC/ECHO/Cyprien Fabre, August 2, 2014. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

This is fantastic news: ‘We will no longer say that Ebola is not curable’. On August 12 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a positive development in the clinical trials of drugs being tested for the treatment of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR of Congo).[Source]

#Nigeria

Apple buys a Nigerian-owned ICT firm for $1 billion. United States of America’s most celebrated brand, Apple, has bought Nigeria’s Chinedu Echeruo’s HopStop.com. According to The Wall Street Journal’s publication, AllThingsDigital, it informed that though the term of the deal has not been disclosed officially, but HopStop has been compared to Israel’s Waze, which was recently acquired by Google for $1 billion.

Founded in 2005, HopStop.com makes mobile applications for both iOS and Android that covers over 300 cities and that helps people get directions or find nearby subway stations and bus stops.

[Source: The Guardian]

#Rwanda

Image via: eturbonews

Elisabeth Nyirakaragire is not just the first female vet treating the precious mountain gorillas in Rwanda but she is the first vet to work with the mammals. For 32 years, Elisabeth has transversed Volcanoes National Park to keep in check the health of the endangered gorillas. [Source AfricanNews] 

#Rwanda

This Intervention will Change how Rwandans do Business. Rwanda has introduced the use of electric motorcycles as part of its efforts to protect the environment and cut fuel costs. One electric bike costs $1,300 ~ less expensive than the $1,600 price for fuel motorcycles. Two charging stations exist in Kigali. A moto-taxi driver has to bring an exhausted battery to take a charged one, which runs for 70 kilometers . The price for recharging an electric vehicle is equal to the cost of the fuel for traditional cycles. In 2016, four entrepreneurs from different countries formed a start-up called Ampersand with a mission to transform Rwanda into a mass market for commercial electric motorcycles. Josh Whale, the company's chief executive officer, said electric motorcycles, also known as e-Motos, have great potential in Rwanda, a country known for its environmental initiatives.  [SOURCE: VOA]

#SouthAfrica 

Robben Island Museum (RIM) Council Chairperson, Ms Bernedette Muthien welcomed guests at the annual Imbokodo Lecture, a prestigious event that honours and celebrates the Women who shaped South Africa on Thursday, 21 August 2019.

RIM celebrated the Women who overcame adversity and helped build our nation and society. RIM’s annual Imbokodo lecture honoured the Women who stood against the apartheid regime.  The event also celebrated those Women who are making waves in South Africa in various male dominated industries.

#SouthAfrica

Photo via www.cbn.co.za

Congratulations to the University of Stellenbosch Business School (UBS) for being ranked Number 1 in Africa for their full-time MBA programme. The annual ranking is done by  Eduniversal, an international education rating agency with its head office in Paris, France.

USB was also ranked the Best Universal business school with strong global influence. This follows on last year’s position as top excellent business school in South Africa. The rankings are the result of voting by deans of business schools around the world, based on a list of criteria.

Have an awesome week everyone!

If you would like to contribute to the Awesome AfriCAN segment of my blog, please send me a photo and caption by close of business on a Wednesday, you can mail it through to: africa@repuationmatters.co.za

The week that was 20190824

PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

There were so many things to be grateful for this week.

The first was an absolutely beautiful cycle along Chapman's Peak last week Sunday. I am so grateful that this magnificent piece of the world is our backyard to play in.

Yesterday I caught up with Chris Moerdyk. I so enjoy, and always look forward to, our catch ups and conversations around marketing, research and reputations . I am always so grateful for his insights and our chats. 

I have a couple of speaking opportunities coming up that I am very grateful for, and am proud of these associations:

The first one is at the South African Innovation Summit (SAIS)  taking place in Cape Town from 11 to 13 September 2019. My session will be on reputation management, how to build and protect your reputation the moment you decide to start your own business...and, it will actually help you to increase your revenue. 

I am also grateful and very excited about the strategic alliance with the University of Pretoria. On Thursday, 07 November 2019 I will be presenting a full day reputation management session. Delegates will work on SMART goals that they will be able to implement as soon as they are back in the office to take their organisation's reputation to the next level. They will also receive a copy of my Book, Reputation Matters. To book, please liaise directly with: Gertrude Hlungwani, getrude.hlungwani@enterprises.up.ac.za.

The other partnership in my life that I am particularly grateful for this week, is Mark. He always has my back and best interest at heart. 

BIGGEST LESSON THIS WEEK

It's been an interesting week relating to personal relationships with "friends" and "family." A keyword that came to mind when I (over) analysed the week, was commitment. When you commitment to something see it through from the beginning to end, don't be a flake. This is a blog that I wrote in 2015 also on commitment.

A random lesson: this week I learnt that the speed limit on Chappies alternates between 20kms/hour and 40kms/hour. If you are a Discovery Insure member, and snails pace is not for you, consider the alternative route to Hout Bay otherwise you will lose all your built up points and patience.  

quote of of the week

THIS WEEK I FINISHED READING...

Hoping to finish, Snydoktor van Stalingrad by Konsalik, this weekend.

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE

Another Awesome AfriCAN week 20190822

Proud to be African
I know that this is quite an old video (2009) but... watch it and be reminded that we have an amazing country and continent.

I've been a bit slack with keeping the Awesome AfriCAN segment of my blog up to date. The purpose of this section is to celebrate successes and focus on the positive stories from across the continent. There is a lot of work needed to get the continent's reputation back on track, but, it is up to each one of us to play a positive role. I hope to make a slight difference in the narrative of our continent by doing what I can to help rebuild the reputation and changing the stories that get shared. I am proudly African.

If you have any stories that you would like to share celebrating Africa's successes, please share it with me. Please share a photo with a paragraph. Each week I'll share five stories. Please send it to me by close of business on a Wednesday. You can mail it: africa@reputationmatters.co.za Thank you!

The week that was 20190817

PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

I absolutely love and am so grateful for living in Hout Bay, Cape Town. I've not been on my bicycle for a while, so on Tuesday morning I dusted it off and rode up Suikerbossie to the Llandudno traffic lights.  This greeted me on my way heading back home. What an incredible way to start the week!

I had a meeting with LRMG in Observatory, wow, what a welcome I received! A welcome when you step out of the elevator, a personalised note, rose and chocolate in the meeting room. It made quite an impression. It reminded me of Maya Angelou's quote “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Unfortunately the Vineyard Hotel in Newlands where my next meeting was, was pretty much exactly the opposite experience. I have reached out to the Hotel to discuss the situation. To be fair, I will give them time to respond before I share the experience here; will give an update next week. 

BIGGEST LESSON THIS WEEK

The lesson was learning more about myself. 

If there is one thing that irks the living daylights out of me, it's not receiving a response to an email, even if it's just a 'thank you, received your mail,' or even a 'go away' would be better than just hearing crickets.  

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Interestingly most of the quotes that I saw this week was about decluttering. I really like this quote from Margaret Hirsch:

Not sure who wrote the one below but it also resonated:

Clearly getting rid of clutter is something that I need to spend some time on this weekend. 

Not related to clutter but I quite liked this one too:

THIS WEEK I FINISHED READING...

Mark has often spoken of Barry Sheene, so when I saw this abridged version at the library book sale I got it. I actually quite enjoyed reading more about him and what he had done and contributed to motorcycle racing. It's amazing that he survived the massive accidents he was involved in. I was quite sad and even pecked a tear reading about him losing his battle against cancer. 

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE

Definitely my computer!

Saw this driving in Cape Town CBD the other day, rather random but fun...

Does anyone know why there is a Spiderman between the buildings?

One last thing

Love the creativity of street art, spotted this one in Cape Town CBD (interesting the things you spot when you are stuck in gridlock traffic; this artwork was almost opposite the Spiderman above).

Have an awesome week everyone!