Adieu AVE, we have moved on

Has your media outputs been as impactful as you had hoped it would be this year? How are you keeping track of your media coverage? As you strategise and plan for 2016, why not use this time to invest in understanding this year’s media outputs and see what can be changed to take it to the next level next year.

One of the many challenges faced by the public relations (PR) and communication industry is showing the value of all the communication efforts to the powers that be. It can be quite tricky to illustrate the return on investment because it is very seldom possible to say that a specific article or radio interview generated a certain number of sales. The overall media exposure works towards building a solid reputation, which takes time. Assuming you are strategic, with a carefully sculpted message sent through to key media, which you know will speak directly to your target audience, how do you measure the value of that article?

For years communication professionals have used what is known in the industry as the Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE). What this means is that the size or length of the article or interview is measured and the equivalent advertising value is calculated. For example, your company is mentioned in a newspaper article, the AVE is the amount you would have had to pay to advertise in that space. Many PR professionals show this AVE as the value they have generated in their monthly client reports.

Unfortunately this is not a very reliable way to communicate media outputs. It is purely a quantitative metric. It provides no insight into the quality of content and whether an organisation’s key messages were communicated. As part of the ECCO International Communication network, we are seeing more and more of our international colleagues totally doing away with AVE measurements because it is not a credible way to illustrate media value created.

Understanding the quality of media coverage, be it online, print or broadcast portrays a very different picture than the mere AVE value. It gives an organisation insight into what messages the target audiences receive and enables communication teams to adjust and improve their business’ communication strategies.

Our core focus at Reputation Matters is to provide reputation research support for the PR and communication industry, and we have developed a media analysis support service using the Barcelona Principles* as a base. These principles are a set of seven guidelines for measuring and evaluating communication; established and supported by the PR industry. The principles were agreed upon in 2010 and were updated this year to the Barcelona Principles 2.0 in Stockholm at a conference arranged by the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC) and its partners.

The updated principles state that the measurement of media resulting from PR initiatives, overall clip counts and general impressions are generally meaningless.  The principles underline that AVEs do not measure the value of PR and do not inform future activity; they measure the cost of media space or time and are rejected as a concept to value communication, media content, earned media and PR.

Instead, media measurement, whether in traditional or online channels, should account for impressions among the stakeholder or target audience; quality of the media coverage, including tone, credibility and relevance of the medium to the stakeholders; message delivery; inclusion of a third party or company spokesperson; importance as relevant to the medium; and sentiment, be it negative, positive or neutral.

The new guidelines afford the industry and profession the opportunity to be more comparable than ever before. It allows us to use the same units of measurement across media types including basic qualitative measurement units and ultimately shift thinking from perception to reputation. This evolution brings about new rules of engagement by providing an innovative framework to the measurement landscape.

For more information on Reputation Matters and our in-depth media quality analysis, please visit www.reputationmatters.co.za or call 021 790 0208. Reputation Matters is also on Facebookwww.facebook.com/yourreputationmatters and Twitter @ReputationIsKey.

* http://amecorg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Barcelona-Principles-2.pdf

Book: The Business Tango - Embracing Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship, Anna Shilina

 

Anna is a lovely dynamic young lady. I think her idea of approaching key successful business owners in South Africa to get their insights into intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship is brilliant. Getting insights from people such as Margaret Hirsch, DJ Fresh and Michael Jordaan’s take on success and failure and learning from fellow business owners what has worked for them and learning from their lessons is really great. There are pearls of wisdom throughout the book as you are learning from the best. This book relates to business owners as well as to employees. I must admit that I was thrilled to contribute to the book from a communication management point of view.

I was really quite impressed that Blair Singer did the foreword for her. Something that Anna mentions early on in the book is to make notes in a book so that you can refer back to key areas that you found pertinent. I too have always been quite reluctant to do this and have pretty much resorted to Post-It notes (probably because our team has a shared library). However,  Anna shares that if you were given a choice between a book with no notes in it and a book that Albert Einstein read and made notes in, which one would you be most likely to read?

 

This book looks at different business challenges, with solutions and advice from different business experts. I quick, easy and enjoyable read.

Reputation experts to convene in Cape Town

I am hugely excited about the upcoming reputation management conference that we are hosting in Cape Town on Friday, 06 November 2015. It's definitely not going to be your average conference!

Below is a media release that we sent out earlier this week:

Caption (Images from left): Huma Gruaz from Alpaytac – USA, Mzilikazi Wa Afrika from the Sunday Times, and Norbert Ofmański from Onboard – Poland are some of the stellar reputation experts to participate at the Reputation Conference 2015 taking place on 06 November in Cape Town.

Business owners are in for a treat as distinguished local and international reputation experts will head to Cape Town for reputation management company, Reputation Matters’ 2015 Reputation Conference. The one-day exclusive seminar taking place on Friday, 06 November 2015 at the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice Cape Town will be a melting pot of thoughts, ideas and best practices relating to building solid business reputations.

Business executives are urged to attend the conference which will highlight the fundamentals when it comes to an organisation’s reputation. The stellar line-up of fascinating speakers will take delegates through their paces on what to look out for and what the future holds for reputation management.

Managing Director of Reputation Matters, Regine le Roux, says, “How an organisation operates at all levels and in all business functions ultimately contributes or breaks down its reputation. Local experts as well as guest speakers from the United States of America (USA), Poland, Germany and Australia will provide insight on numerous aspects of reputation management.”

Multiple award-winning public relations and marketing executive, Huma Gruaz, founder of Alpaytac communication agency in the USA, is one speaker not to miss. With 20 years of experience under her belt, Gruaz has turned Alpaytac into one of the most cutting edge integrated communication agencies in the USA. Using an integrated traditional/social media approach to PR, Gruaz is helping leading companies in the U.S. and across the globe build their brands and manage their reputations with success. In 2010, she was selected as Brand Marketer of the Year by PRNews and in 2014 she was recognised as one of PR News’ top women in the U.S. Most recently, Alpaytac has been named a finalist for the PRNews 2015 Small Agency of the Year award.

Also speaking in the external communication realm is celebrated South African journalist, Mzilikazi Wa Afrika. The award winning investigative reporter at the Sunday Times and will take attendees through ethical journalism and the media in general. In 2014 he published his memoir, Nothing Left to Steal, after he was arrested in 2010 when an article he co-wrote exposed the national police commissioner.

Social media is another aspect that influences an organisation’s reputation. All the way from Poland, Norbert Ofmański will discuss this platform and how to manage its processes when it comes to reputation management. Ofmański is the Managing Director of one of the largest public relations firms in Poland, Onboard. With over 20 years’ experience in the field, he is also an author of many public relations publications.

“We encourage all businesses who value their reputation or want to build on it, to attend the 2015 Reputation Conference – a platform where ideas will be put into context and become reality,” concludes le Roux.

The event is endorsed by the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA), and members will receive CPD points for attending.

Other speakers for the day include: Andrew Boraine, CEO of the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP); Mothobi Seseli, CEO of Argon Asset Management; Prof Ronel Rensburg, Head of the Communication Division at the University of Pretoria; Nicole Webb, Founder and Director of Impact Communications in Australia and Lutz Cleffmann from ECCO International Communication Network in Düsseldorf, Germany.

To register, please click here.

For more information on the conference, please email conference@reputationmatters.co.za. Alternatively visit www.reputationmatters.co.za or call 021 790 0208. Reputation Matters is also on Facebook www.facebook.com/yourreputationmatters and Twitter @ReputationIsKey.

World-class reputation conference to be held in Cape Town

We are very excited about the reputation management conference that we are hosting in Cape Town on Friday, 06 November 2015.  Have you booked your seat yet?

Here's a media release with more information:

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren Buffett.

Reputation management company, Reputation Matters will host a riveting one-day conference on the nuts and bolts of building a positive reputation on Friday, 06 November 2015 at the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice in Cape Town. Local and international speakers including Andrew Boraine, CEO of the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP) will grapple with the key building blocks associated with reputable organisations.

Just as you are inseparable from your shadow, so an organisation cannot be severed from its reputation.  An organisation’s reputation precedes success or failure.

Why is reputation such a powerful force? Regine le Roux, Managing Director at Reputation Matters says, “Understanding reputation is a strategic imperative; it is something which is influenced by every dimension and activity of an organisation. It's a virtuous circle: A positive, strong reputation attracts and keeps top employees. Having the right team on board helps you to improve your service or product offering, which helps you to attract the right kind of attention. As a result, people will invest in your offering and ultimately you will be able to see how a good reputation positively impacts your bottom line.”

So how does one build and maintain a solid reputation? “It helps to get advice from the experts,” smiles le Roux, which is why we're hosting our inaugural reputation management conference on 06 November 2015 in Cape Town.”

Featuring influential speakers from South Africa and around the globe, the conference will walk attendees through the key elements of building and fostering a reputation. Best practices and case studies shared will equip attendees with a basic understanding and exciting ideas that they can customise for their particular business case. As le Roux puts it, “With our tools, team and track record, we can help companies to take their reputations to the next level.”

World-renowned motivational speaker Braam Malherbe will be the master of ceremonies for the day and promises to inspire attendees with his infectious energy and passion.

“A company’s reputation can be tarnished in seconds, and we invite all businesses to come and share in the wealth of knowledge speakers have to offer,” concludes le Roux.

The fantastic speaker line-up includes: Andrew Boraine, CEO of the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP); Mothobi Seseli, CEO of Argon Asset Management; Mzilikazi Wa Afrika, journalist at the Sunday Times; Prof Ronel Rensburg, Head of the Communication Division at the University of Pretoria; Huma Gruaz, Founder and CEO of Alpaytac Communication in the USA; Nicole Webb, Founder and Director of Impact Communications in Australia; Lutz Cleffmann from ECCO International Communication Network in Düsseldorf, Germany and; Norbert Ofmanski, Managing Director at Onboard Communication Agency in Poland.

For more information on the conference, please email: conference@reputationmatters.co.za.

Early bird bookings close at the end of September.

For more info on managing and investing in your reputation, visit www.reputationmatters.co.za or call 021 790 0208. Reputation Matters is also on Facebook www.facebook.com/yourreputationmatters and Twitter @ReputationIsKey.

###

Issued by Reputation Matters

Media contact:

(Jhb) 011 317 3861 | (Cpt) 021 790 0208 | (Mobile) 083 302 1528

conference@reputationmatters.co.za

Book: Your Face Puzzle - Physiognomy simplified, Martie Maré

This is a fascinating book! I happened to hear an interview on the radio with the author, Martie Maré, one evening while I was driving home. The subject matter intrigued me; I had never heard about Physiognomy before. What it means is the relationship between facial features and your personality. F A S C I N A T I  N G! 

The book describes this relationship and what the personality traits are that are associated with different facial features. It's not a science, and I am aware that there are a lot of opinions out there about the subject. It is nonetheless very interesting and has made me a lot more aware of potential personality types when meeting people. It is important not to generalise, and it is important that the context of the whole face and its features are looked at as a whole when analysing it and the personality. 

What I also found to be very interesting is that plastic surgery can impact and change a person's personality; not that I have any intention of getting tucked and snipped, it was interesting to read that something which one thinks is a small facial change could have a dramatic impact on one's personality. Some companies use Physiognomy as part of their recruitment process, this is an interesting take and possibly something to consider.

Have you saved the date for the reputation conference in November?

Be sure not to miss out on the reputation conference of the year.
Local and international reputation experts who will be sharing their knowledge include:

• Andrew Borraine | Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP)
• Mothobi Seseli | Argon Asset Management
• Mzilikazi Wa Afrika | Sunday Times
• Prof Ronel Rensburg | University of Pretoria
• Huma Gruaz | Alpaytac - USA
• Nicole Webb | Impact Communication - Australia
• Lutz Cleffmann | ECCO-Düsseldorf - Germany
• Norbert Ofmanski | Onboard - Poland

The MC for the day will be renowned motivational speaker Braam Malherbe.

Click here to reserve your seat. 

For any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on: conference@reputationmatters.co.za | 021 790 0208 

Book: Leadership and Self-Deception, The Arbinger Institute

This is a book that needs to be on everybody’s reading list, regardless of your position in a company. If anything it actually helped me a lot on a personal level. Instead of blaming and finding fault with others, it helps you to see things from a different perspective and to look for solutions. It’s written as a story, so not a typical business book. I read it fairly quickly. 

On Friday I attended a Women in Leadership seminar presented by Symphonia Leadership Development. One of the speakers, Dr Martie recalled a conversation with one of her professors, who had said to her that one should select the five books that have made a profound impact on your life and read them until they read you. This book, Leadership and Self-Deception, is one of those five books that I would put on that list, and re-read again and again. It is a book that I am encouraging my team to read.

Highly recommendable: 10/10

Book: Blue Ocean Strategy, W. Chan Kim | Renée Mauborgne

In Blue Ocean Strategy very interesting examples and suggestions are given of companies that have moved from the highly competitive ‘red oceans’, where there is a lot of competition and battles taking place to win market share, [hence it being red] to ‘blue oceans’, where companies have created their own markets and uniquely found alternative solutions for their customers to invest in. These are untapped markets that are not in competition with anyone else [yet]. Examples shared, includes Cirque du Soleil (top-end circus performances), Curves (women’s only gyms), [yellow tail] wine (cheap Australian wine) and also what New York did to address crime.

What I found especially interesting from a change management point of view was the turnaround of the New York Police Department that is shared in the book. One of the strategies that they implemented was fishbowl management. They describe it as follows:

“For strategic change to have real impact, employees at every level must move en masse. To trigger an epidemic movement of positive energy, however you should not spread your efforts thin. Rather you should concentrate your efforts on kingpins, the key influencer in the organisation.

At the heart of motivating the kingpins in a sustained and meaningful way, is to shine a spotlight on their actions in a repeated and highly visible way. This is what we refer to as fishbowl management, where kingpins’ actions and inaction are made as transparent to others as are fish in a bowl of water. By placing kingpins in a fish bowl in this way you greatly raise the stakes of inaction. Light is shined on who is lagging behind, and a fair stage is set for rapid change agents to shine. For fishbowl management to work it must be based on transparency, inclusion and fair process.

Transparency, inclusion and fair processes are things which are important to me on all levels of the business and something which gets included in all facets of our work space.  I believe in playing open cards with the team and encouraging dialogue on all levels. I go through a fish bowl management exercise with the team regularly regarding sales as well as books that they read; actually started doing it before reading this specific section in the book, so was fascinated to read more about it, and putting  a name to it. The results are incredibly interesting and enlightening as to who and what comes out of the process, and what the team learns and shares. Just to add, I also participate and account for sales and books that I read. It’s a highly recommendable process and book.

Not my zoo, not my monkeys

A while back I heard the wonderful expression, “not my zoo, not my monkeys” for the first time. Isn’t it interesting what phrases or experiences it takes to get the penny to drop and for lessons to be learnt? Realising that I need to manage my own ‘zoo’ first before worrying about other people’s, was a big liberating moment.

So, now if a challenge or problem that I am asked to solve or be a part of does not have a direct bearing on the smooth operation of my own ‘zoo’ then it is OK to say no, or see how best to delegate it. Taking on too much and being overstretched is not beneficial to anyone.

What made me think about this phrase again this week, was a conversation I recently had with someone I had not heard from in years.

It’s the “friends” [air quotes intended] who could not be bothered to keep you in the loop with things (usually big things that you get to know about via Facebook) happening in their lives and who  generally don't return your calls or correspondence. They are the ones who then phone you up and after the pleasantries of how you are, what you’ve been up to it comes down to the crux of the call, they want something from you. You are only important enough for them to contact you when they need a favour. It irks me into another realm of irritation, when someone phones out of the blue purely for a favour. In the past, I would drop everything and focus all my energy to try and solve their problem and bend over backwards to make sure that they are accommodated; in the interim, losing focus on my own priorities, and ‘zoo’.

Staying in contact is a two way street. A high school friend had a wonderful way of describing things; she’d say that her phone actually also has the ability to receive calls. Keeping contact does not mean hours on the phone, or elaborate long folios of weekly emails detailing every part of your life, nor is sharing information on Facebook. A quick phone call, or even a personalised text message to say “hi” means a lot.

I am still guilty of saying “yes” too quickly and committing myself to things too easily, I am however focussing more on my own turf first by reminding myself ever so often, “not my zoo, not my monkeys.”

Book: Motivating People, Sue Stockdale and Clive Steeper

 

This book focuses on a different area of motivation, each day of the week is a different chapter. If you start the book on a Sunday, you will finish it by the following Saturday.

 

The first and foremost lesson is than you need to motivate yourself before you can motivate anyone else. I like Eisenhower's definition of motivation:

For the first time ever, companies need to learn how to deal with four generations in one organisation.

This is something which is important to keep in mind when it comes to motivation as each has different drivers that are important to them. There is a very useful table on page 22 illustrating the characteristics of each generation.

 

The book explains the difference between appreciation and recognition (page 29) and motivation versus inspiration - The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary that they quote (page 33) explains it quite well.

There is also a day that focuses on 'How to deal with difficult people', Rewards & Recognition' and

Action Centred Leadership (page 46), which is illustrated as:

 

Book:The Fine Art of Small Talk, Debra Fine

Networking has never really been high on my enjoyment list; necessary and essential to building contacts in the business world, but something that I have always avoided as far as possible. That was until I decided to face my fears head on and got some pointers from those that make it look effortless.  One of my points of reference was Debra Fine's 'The Art of Small Talk'. Networking and small talk is not rocket science, pretty much common sense, but it does help to have a couple of tricks to make the process a lot less daunting. This is an easy read, and can be downloaded from the Internet. One of the first things the book does is focus on how to start a conversation and remembering and using someone's name. I think we've all been in a situation where you can't remember someone's name. Debra advises that instead of an embarrassing situation, or waiting for divine inspiration to try and remember the person's name, it is OK, to be proactive and admit to the person that you've forgotten their name. What I like about the book is that it gives tips and suggestions of talking points and how to jump start conversations, keeping the conversation going and even how to make graceful exits. 

As Debra says, "The cardinal rule of the exit is that you when you depart, you do what you said you were going to do. If you said good-bye to Joanne by telling her that you were going to see the exhibitions, go do it. If you allow yourself to get sidetracked en route to your new destination, you run the risk of insulting your former partner." This happened to me once before, and I felt incredibly guilty; we had said our good byes and were ready to leave (as we had indicated), but then got side tracked by an amazing dessert buffet. Needless to say lesson learnt.

Something else that Debra suggests is to use small talk as a picture frame around business conversations. Begin and end with small talk when making a presentation to a client, negotiating, providing a service etc. Some other tips is to greet people warmly, make eye contact; use the person's name in conversation, show an interest in others, dig deeper, be a good listener and stop being an adviser. 

Some of the other tips that I have picked up from attending sessions about networking and how to maximise them:

1. Have a goal in mind of what you want to achieve before the time, i.e. what do you want to achieve from the networking session e.g. make two solid connections.

2. It's obviously good to have business cards on hand, but learn to become a business card collector, in that way you have control over making sure that future interactions happen. If you just give your card away, then you have no way of following up with that person.

3. When it comes to business cards, look at the person's business card, don't just take it and stick it into a pocket. Actually look at the card and comment on the person's name / location or something about the card.

4. Make a note on the business card of where you met  the person and some interesting facts about the person; I have a ton of business cards, and it definitely helps to keep track of who I met where.

5. The point of networking is to build relationships, so send a short email after the networking session to the connections that you made.

Click here for a copy of the book

Book: Business in Africa. Corporate Insights, Dianna Games

"Africa is not really 'poor' as many portray it: it is poorly managed, and yet-to-be developed."

A good friend of mine who knows about my vision of wanting to expand to Africa, and who herself is incredibly passionate about Africa, recommended that I read this book. 

During the first couple of chapters I did wonder what I got myself into because it was very economics focused. But it was very interesting as it highlighted the history of Africa's economic development and the huge potential that exists. 

Each chapter focuses on a different sector and the opportunities and challenges that exist in different countries. 

With each chapter, I gained better insight into developments within Africa; for example, I did not know that the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the largest bank in the world had acquired 20% of Standard Bank in 2007 for $5.5 billion.

There is also a chapter on the making of the African Brand by Doug de Villiers, who is one of Africa's leading brand and reputational experts. I really liked what he said ~ "A government's primary responsibility is to enable citizens and the private sector (through the provision of applicable systems, resources and skills) to perform optimally; and from optimal performance comes a positive reputation. In the BE>DO>SAY formula is the BE. It is a fact that reputation is built on what is done (BE) not what is said (SAY). In talking about African brand issues, we need to look at how to change the reputation building approach from SAY>DO>BE to BE>DO>SAY. 

One of the key lessons which confirmed the route I would consider when the time is right to expand to Africa, is not to try and start something from scratch but to strategically align with local companies. 

There is also a chapter on Making a Noise: Africa's women in business. The chapter ends off with:

"Finding a place in the sun begins with finding the confidence to believe in it, the courage to insist on it and, crucially, the voice to claim it. It is time for the women of Africa to make a noise."

I am ready and looking forward to making a noise!

Give yourself some credit

Sometimes there is a need for our expertise on an ad hoc basis, when your individual needs do not necessitate a monthly retainer. In response to this, we have recently piloted and tested a credit system for our business communication services; the feedback has been tremendously positive.

Our new Business Communication Credit System works like this: you invest in a set number of credits that you can use at any time during the course of a year. The communication credit can be used for any business communication service, e.g. media liaison, profile writing, case study development or stakeholder engagement, to mention a few. Credits need to be paid for upfront in full and redeemed within a 12 month period.

As part of the package and a value-add to your investment, you will receive one free business communiqué for eight credits; two free communiqués for 12 and three for 24 credits.

Book: lessons in radical innovation, Wolfgang Grulke with Gus Silber

This book was OK. Perhaps I expected a bit more from a ‘radical innovation’ book.

It is a very easy reading book, and reads fairly quickly as the author only used the right hand pages, leaving most of the left hand pages blank in case you want to make notes.

With that said, there were elements in the book that I did like and found interesting –

I liked that there were South African examples used; it is always great to hear and learn about  South African successes, e.g. Chef Works and Mark Shuttleworth.

What was also interesting was: (page XIII) In the 1960’s, South Africa represented 6% of the world GDP. Today that figure is less than 0.5%, but year-on-year the South African economy has never shrunk. South Africa has simply been out-innovated by other nations who saw the signs and acted fast.  

This I see as a great opportunity for businesses in South Africa to up their innovation game.

This leads to the next section I found interesting (page 266):

There is clearly not enough time being spent by management on strategic thinking and creating the future, everyone is too involved with operations. This relates to one of my six business rules of working on the business instead of in the business. As a leader, you need to know where you are heading, you are at the helm of the ship and need to steer that way. You can’t do that if you are too busy with day to day activities of the business. There is a huge opportunity for innovation in South Africa and beyond for innovative thinking.

So, as much as this was just an ‘OK’ book, it did get me to remember about working on the business, be innovative and realising that there are many innovative opportunities to be tapped into to take businesses to the next level. 

Preparation prevents poor performance, especially when it comes to media interviews

When it comes to the media, we know how to maximise our clients’ awareness using traditional media channels  (print, broadcast and online), and are proud of our three-fold return on our clients’ media investment.

Over the years we have refined, tweaked and perfected our media training offering, providing our clients with the tools and know-how to make the most of any media situation.

In this one day practical media training session, we put the delegates through their paces, so that they know what to expect when it comes to being interviewed by different journalists, be it print, radio or television.

We have a strategic partnership with the dynamic Talia Sanhewe from Talia Productions that we work very closely with. With her global experience ranging from BBC, CNN and CNBC Africa, Talia knows what makes or breaks an interview situation and shares tips and tricks to make a lasting impression for the right reasons!

Why not invest in a media training session for you and your team?

info@reputationmatters.co.za | 011 317 3861 (Jhb) | 021 790 0208 (Cpt)

Book: The Icarus Deception, Seth Godin

Initially I battled to get 'into' the book. In my mission to read two books a month, I think that I had been spoilt with the more easy reading business books that didn't really challenge me; I pretty much agreed with the content of those books and took some learnings from them. This book was a lot more challenging; not that I didn't understand it, more in terms of me not really resonating with Seth Godin's writing style. This is the first book of his that I read, so I had to get used to his style. To be honest, it felt a bit preachy at the beginning and it felt very much like he was talking (shouting) down from a very high horse. My colleague really enjoyed the book, so I did decide to read it to the end.  

I don't necessarily agree with the author's thinking, e.g. he did not have anything particularly good to say about industrialism at the beginning of the book (although much later in the book he is less against it. i.e. "The industrial economy won't disappear, but the agenda will increasingly be set by those who make connection not widgets.")

In my opinion, I have no problem with industrialism, without it we would not be where we are today in terms of progress. Systems and processes are very necessary and important when it comes running a business, especially to ensure consistency and productivity. Take me on a trip to a manufacturing plant any day of the week, I absolutely love to see factories! It creates jobs, builds economies and the things it produces makes life a lot more convenient. 

I do agree with what Seth Godin says about needing to stand out from the rest and do things differently; we all need to be artists. I do like the idea that we all do need to be creative, think outside the box and be artists. We live and work in a connected economy, so we need to make a difference with all our interactions. He writes, "In the connection economy, the true measure of your work is whether you touched someone." 

He also writes, "It is not art if the world (or at least a tiny portion of it) isn't transformed in some way. And it's not art if it's not generous.

To be honest, I am not too sure whether I will be reading any of his books any time soon, but I will so that I can compare the two.

Do I recommend it? It's not my favourite book this year, but it gets more interesting towards the end. I'll give it a 6/10.

Cash Glow™

Lately when I've been speaking to fellow business owners, at some point or other during the conversation, the topic invariably veers towards cash flow and business finances. To clarify, they generally raise the topic from their side, it's not a subject that I would willingly chat about from my side. Finances are a deeply personal matter and accounting was not my strong suit at university, so I avoid any talk about finance related things as far as possible (look out for the July issue of Leadership Magazine, I included a whole section on my accounting woes in there.)

When it comes to finances, it is such an important building block for any business. It is one of the core building blocks of an organisation's reputation, be it a large organisation that needs to declare dividends, or a one-man-show that needs cash in the bank to pay suppliers. A lack of transparency of funds or cash will impact how you are perceived and ultimately your reputation. It does not matter how many investments you have, if you don't have cash in the bank it equates to a lot of stress.

Interestingly, with all of these conversations I have also picked up a number of interesting finance-related articles one of which is on invoicing. This is an article that you may like as well: 3 Tips for Designing an Invoice That Gets You Paid Promptly.

I hate having to follow-up on payments due, so I've had to find ways to avoid that awkward conversation to get our invoices paid on time. Here are my ten tips:

1. Invest in a really good accountant. Accounting is not creative. Ever. (Refer to my first business lesson: Account for the Taxman);
2. Ideally get payment before doing the work. An incredibly dynamic business owner that I have a high regard for, explained it really well: you need to pay for your groceries before you leave the store, you don't pay for the food only once you've eaten it. Why bill for your products / services any differently?  
3. Invest in a proper accounting package, be it Pastel or Quickbooks.  Excel is OK for a start, but a proper system makes a world of difference;
4. For invoices that go out on a regular basis, or that don't get paid upfront; send them out early in the month. We want payment by the 25th of the month, so we send out invoices by the 16th. I have heard that some businesses send theirs out even earlier in the month. My experience has been that a week in advance is sufficient for most customers;
5. In the past we only sent the first reminder out the day before payment was due. In the Entrepreneurship article (above), they recommend that you send the first reminder three days before payment is due. What I also like is that they say that you need to remind the customer of what was delivered and the agreed upon terms;
6. If we don't receive payment on the date agreed upon, the person working on the account then follows up with the customer. Fortunately, this happens very rarely;
7. If payment is not received by the last day of the month, I get involved by making a phone call. Again, fortunately this is rarely necessary.
8. With that said, late payments do get an interest fee added the next time the invoice goes out; it is communicated and agreed with customers on commencement of projects.  The bank does not think twice about charging a percentage on an over draft account, so why should we carry that cost?
9. Sticking to the process is important so that everyone on our side and the clients' side knows what to expect and what to do;
10. Something that is also important, is to acknowledge the payment and to thank the customer for the payment; 

What tips do you have when it comes to invoicing and getting paid on time?

Book: The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. It was recommended in one of the other books that I had read, so was very pleased to stumble upon it at the Princess Christian bookshop in Pretoria.

It is all about Gretchen Rubin's experiment of doing things a bit differently, making small changes to be happier. As she says, it is not that she was unhappy or depressed, but wanted to explore whether she would be happier by making small changes. Each chapter is a month of the year where she implemented changes.

I like her conversational writing style. The book really resonated with me, ultimately everyone is on a path in search of happiness. Gretchen did not want to go on a sabbatical or go to India to try and find herself, but did get a lot more joy out of things that she did on a daily basis. As she says, everyone's happiness project will be different, however there definitely are a couple of things that she did that I am trying and keen to explore further. For example, she really likes children's literature and started a children's lit book club with her friends with a similar interest. I have no intention or desire to start such a book club, but it did get me thinking about the books that I grew up with. So, the last time I visited my Mom I brought "Brolloks & Bittergal" by CJ Langenhoven back home. I must admit that I am looking forward to re-explore the book. Although with that said, I am quite shocked at how macabre the book is after just reading the first page but more on that another time.

The other daily small change that Gretchen did was to get eight hours sleep. I am trying this, but have not been all that successful. The other thing that she reminds herself to do is to "be Gretchen", I am also using this as a guide to "be Regine", and to focus on what I truly want to do and what I really like, not what I think I should like or should be doing.

Over the last couple of years my life has become a lot more goal orientated, which I really enjoy - isn't it terrific to tick things off the to do list? Someone had told me that you should not have resolutions, because it is not something you stick to. However Gretchen explains it quite nicely by saying that you "hit a goal and keep a resolution". One of the things that I want to do a lot more of this year is to laugh, be spontaneous and to have fun. You can't really have these as a goal, it's not something you can tick off, so I like the idea of having it as a resolution, something which is ongoing.

Some of the things I am already doing that she writes about (*air punch*), e.g. tackling a nagging task. Ever since reading Tim Ferriss' The 4-hour Work Week, I have been scheduling my diary differently to focus on one task that has been on the 'to do' list for way too long before going through daily e-mails. I feel a lot more productive, and I can attest to the fact that ticking off that nagging task definitely contributes to one's overall happiness. The other thing is to enjoy the moment and to be more mindful of the present moment. Another thing is to stimulate your mind in different new ways. At the beginning of the year (again after The 4-hour work week) - I set myself a goal to learn Xhosa and have a five minute conversation at the end of the year. (So far, this is going very slowly, I have however invested in an audio book and am enjoying the challenge of getting my tongue around all the different clicks.

The days are long but the years are short - why would / could / should we not all strive to be happier every day?

This is a highly recommendable read. 10/10

___

This is an interesting article that was published in 'The Times' newspaper on Monday, 25 May 2015 on the difference that eight hours of sleep has one people. The photo below shows Jodie Kidd with only six hours of sleep on the left and eight hours on the right.



The full article is below:

Be for spontaneity

Isn’t it interesting how quickly we get into comfort zones? I will be the first to admit that I don’t like change. This I know, and am aware of, is very much in contradiction to everything business owner-related, where we live, work and breath in a constantly changing environment.

I like structure, planning and having a routine; this does admittedly sound incredibly boring, but there is something comforting in the predictability of it all. Although…with that said, one of my goals this year is to consciously be more spontaneous, truth be told I am actively planning to be more spontaneous! (…and to laugh more, we have all become way too serious; there is something incredibly liberating and therapeutic about a good belly laugh).

Through spontaneous activities you open yourself up to treasures the world has to offer, and amazing experiences you would have missed out on if you had not forced yourself out of that comfort zone. I am definitely trying to be more spontaneous and mindful of enjoying the moment more.

Take the other day as an example, Freedom Day. The Better Half and I have quite a set routine on our days off,  if surfing is not on the cards for the day, we do tend to slob around the house and catch up on PVR’d programs, treat ourselves to takeaways, and inevitably I end up falling asleep on the coach. But Freedom Day was different. It was one of those glorious autumn days in Cape Town, a chill in the air, with the sun out; it would have been a disgrace to spend the day inside on the coach. Surfing was not great, so after some negotiation and no set plan, we headed to the Company Gardens and ended up at the Cape Town Art Gallery. Here we spent the afternoon analysing, discussing and interpreting different artworks, and an array of black and white photos.

I think to some degree being spontaneous prepares you to take changes that take place, especially in a business context, more in your stride; change then becomes less daunting.  

One of our team members was recently head hunted, a proud moment for me for sourcing the talent, but an incredibly sad one as I was reminded that things do change and new chapters need to be written.

I would be surprised if anyone really loves and embraces change, although with that said, one of my friends an incredibly dynamic HR Director did say the other day over lunch that if she is given the choice between routine and constant change, she would definitely opt for change, that is the only way to grow, develop and to stay ahead of the trend. As much as I find change daunting,  I must agree. Without the pain, discomfort and uncertainty that change brings with it, life would be way too boring if we remained stagnant in our roles.  

What is the most spontaneous thing that you’ve done this year?

Book: The Great Run, Braam Malherbe

While I was growing up, I spent many hours at my grandparents' farm in Northem (Limpopo, a stones throw away from Oppikoppi).  It was a magical place, where many glorious childhood memories were made.  There was no electricity, only an old Arga stove in the kitchen, a 'donkey'  (an outside geyser heated by fire), paraffin lamps and candles and falling asleep at night was to the sound of jackals in the distance. I recall the long walks at dusk with my Mom and Dad and on more than one occasion thinking to myself just how much I loved being there and that I wanted to become a game ranger. These were distant memories that were triggered for some or other reason while reading Braam’s book.  

Braam and my paths recently crossed. Conservation lies at the core of his being, but besides that he has an impressive CV as long as my arm in a number of different areas (extreme adventurer, motivational speaker, business man, writer, to name just a few); I was therefore keen to find out more about his incredible journey along the Great Wall of China, to learn more about what motivates him.  

The book takes you on his and David Grier’s journey of  covering a marathon (42km) if not more-a day for six days a week over a period of 17 weeks. They were told that it was physically impossible. Goes to show, anything is possible if you put your mind to it!

What resonated with me is Braam's passion for nature and what struck me was his description of the desolation of the Gobi desert that there is absolutely no sign of life due to the years of overuse of the land and erosion; the prognosis for rehabilitation ever is non-existent. This made me realise that we are all on our way to a 'Gobi' desert if we don't start doing something. It's not someone else's problem, it is ours. There is not enough natural resources to sustain us all, yet we are all wanting the latest and biggest and newest material things.

Braam writes, "Challenging nature in a positive way, such as climbing Everest or crossing a stormy ocean, surfing a giant wave or riding a thermal column of air with a paraglider, feeds a hungry search soul. Challenging her in a negative way, overexploiting her resources by destroying forests or polluting the air causes her to hit back hard at us....

...I also believe that when we challenge ourselves in the embrace of nature, we show the Earth respect. It brings us closer to her in ways that enhance us beyond words. I believe nature shows us our potential and gives us humility beyond the ego we build based on our material trappings."

Recommendable: Definitely 9/10

Book: Crazy is a Compliment. The Power of Zigging when everyone else Zags, Linda Rottenberg

This was a wonderful birthday gift from my team. What a fabulous read! I battled to put it down once I started. The author, Linda Rottenberg, co-founder and CEO of Endeavor shares amazing entrepreneurial stories from across the globe. She says that she did not want to write another business / entrepreneurial book - there are already so many out there, but wanted to write something different, which I think she succeeded in doing very well.

I liked her description of different types of entrepreneurs (Gazelles, Skunks, Dolphins and Butterflies), as well as the different types of personalities (Diamond, Star, Transformer, Rocketship). There is a wealth of information and examples that are shared. It's not just about starting your own business, but also about employees being innovative and entrepreneurial within a business.

There is also a section on mentors, and how you should not just have one, but have a whole array. 

Besides being a special gift, it is definitely a book I will re-read again. 

Recommendable: Yes, 10/10

Book: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni

                                          

This was a different type of business book. Instead of a lot of business gumpf, it is written as a fable. 

I read this book for a number of reasons, one is that I am exploring different types of writing styles and this one came highly recommended and secondly one of our ten building blocks to building a reputation is the importance of Human Capital and the role that employees play when it comes to building a reputation.  If you don't have a solid team in place and on your side, one which is built on trust, not afraid of conflict, committed, accountable and results-orientated for the whole team, you'll have a problem on your hands.

This is a very quick read. I downloaded it on Friday and completed it by Sunday afternoon. You should finish it in a couple of hours if you read it in one go. 

Recommendable: 7/10

Book: Dealing with Difficult People Secrets, David Brown

This is a really quick and easy read, focusing specifically on how to deal with difficult people in the work environment. There are two specific things I really liked about this book: 

Firstly, it confirmed a number of things that we are already doing. It is good to know that we are on track with the way that we do things at Reputation Matters. We have a very thorough recruitment process in place, which is pretty much the first step to getting the right people on board, and avoiding difficult people. We also have internal structures in place to make sure that everyone is on the same page to know what is required from everyone. We also have a number channels in place to make sure that we give and get feedback for continuous improvement. 

Secondly, I liked the layout of the book. Each 'secret' was presented on a separate page with core information, a quote and a short case study.  

As mentioned above we encourage feedback, what I liked was the EEC framework mentioned, which is another way to consider giving feedback:

E = Example. Tell the person exactly what they did. This should be as specific as possible about what they did. It should be relevant, supportive, helpful and clear. 

E = Effect. Tell them the effect of their actions on you. This will relate to how it made you feel. It is difficult for someone to take offence at how you feel, because it's not an attack on them! Your feelings can be either negative or positive. Again be as specific as possible. 

C = Continue or Change. For your feedback to be taken seriously, plenty of it needs to be positive! If your feedback is positive and the individual is not required to do anything different in future, your feedback sounds like "thanks" or "please keep this up". If the feedback is to change, agree with them how to make a change.  

Recommendable: 7/10

Book: The Snowball - Warren Buffet and the business of life, Alice Schroeder

When I decided to start reading this book in February, I was honestly quite daunted by it, and for a moment considered reading something else as I did not want to mess up my 'two-books-a-month' average. What a ridiculous reason not to read a book!

It's quite a read; a highly recommendable read. I particularly resonated with how highly Warren Buffet regards and protects his reputation. I had always been aware of, and heard his name as one of the richest men in the world, but never really knew that much about him and his business dealings. Although my knowledge and understanding of how investments and the stock market work is very limited, it was fascinating to get greater insight into this world.

What I found really interesting, was when I read Donald Trump's book, the emphasis was very much on thinking big, and buying the biggest and best. Whereas in this book, it is clear the Warren Buffet had a very different view, and considered very carefully how and where to spend every dollar.  Both practices clearly worked for these two successful businessmen; I recon it is about knowing exactly what it is that you want to achieve and having a very clear uncompromising vision of how you are going to get there.

As much as Warren Buffet enjoyed making money, he also enjoyed teaching. These are the lessons I take from the book:

1. Reputations matter - one of my favourite quotes from the book: "Lose money for the firm, and I will be understanding. Lose a shred of reputation for the firm, and I will be ruthless."
2. Be uncompromising when it comes to your values;
3. Read biographies and learn lessons from people that most inspire you;
4. Have passion for what you do;
5. Give away your money to good causes. Initially Warren did not like the thought of parting with his money at all, but later in life he implemented incredible strategies to invest in philanthropic initiatives.  There is a great quote from Andrew Carnegie in the book that gets referred to, "He who dies rich, dies disgraced." and lastly,
6. Live within your means, don't get into debt. 

Recommendable: 9/10

Getting to know Gidoeon Galloway

When I first heard about “King Price,” I will be honest that my first reaction was, “ho hum – another short term insurer”. Then over the December break last year I read  “How To Build a Happy Sandpit” (by Colin Browne) about the insights of South African business leaders on how to create and maintain a brilliant organisational culture – a really fascinating read; especially as he focusses on local companies. 

In the book reference is made to Gideon Galloway, CEO of King Price and my interest was tweaked as I read: “At King Price a challenging new insurance company, things are not what they appear…while the company is an insurer and the office space is for the most part a call centre, you’d be easily led to believe it’s a creative agency of some sort. There’s a reason for that: Galloway owns one of those too. But the bigger reason is because that’s the space in which Galloway wants to work. Pop art bedecks the walls, the sales leader board is like a board game with bobble heads representing each salesperson, there are Slush Puppy machines, free popcorn and on the day I arrived to interview Galloway, he approached me across the office space on a mountain bike. Galloway’s office is full of toys because that’s what he predominantly thinks about and yet the purpose of the business remains in basic terms no different to that of any other insurer. Ask Galloway what the point is and he’s clear about it: work is hard. That is how it should be. But there’s no point in making work spaces that don’t aim for the maximum enjoyment within that context.” What a fascinating, fun and quirky take on insurance company environments.

I sent through a couple of my own questions to Gideon, and am thrilled to share his insights on being a dynamic businessman:

What has been one of the most important business lessons that you have learnt since starting your own company? It will always costs twice as much as what you originally envisage it will.  

What do you do to keep yourself motivated? I’m generally always motivated. I think your outlook on life in general has big impact on the way you view the world. Changing people's lives, however, that really motivates me.

  

Why do you wake up in the morning?  I would like to think I make a difference. Leave everything a little better than how I found it.

How do you use strategic partnerships to your advantage? Partnerships are extremely important, advantageous and must form the basis of a win-win relationship. This can then be further extended to friendships.

What are the marketing lessons that you have learnt over the years? You are your worst enemy. Get input from your team, customers and an advertising agency. Don't view your business with your own tunnel vision approach. Stay ahead with technology and how consumers change their needs, preferences and behaviour and don't be prudish regarding marketing/advertising spend. It takes money to make money!

What does integrity in the workplace mean to you? Everything. One of King Price's core values is: Be Real.

What frustrates you most about communication internally and externally within the workplace? Too many meetings and too many e-mails. The essence of real human interaction in communication is getting lost.

What do you love most about running a business? The people and the culture. I also love to buy office toys! (clearly as per the excerpt from the book and the photo above!)

What frustrates you most about running a business? Red tape - bureaucracy. Tax. Labour law. Formalities…

What does it mean to you to run your own business? Freedom. I have ADD so it's a privilege for me to be able to wake up and do what I love every day and get paid to accumulate office toys.

Gideon Galloway is the founder and CEO of King Price Insurance, a new player in the South African short term insurance industry. An avid entrepreneur, Gideon has founded several successful companies and sat on the board of directors for various other insurance brands before founding King Price Insurance. Gideon has profound knowledge and passion for the insurance industry, and his twelve years of short term insurance experience, insight and adventurous spirit has resulted in King Price’s revolutionary, world first pricing strategy. Through accurate risk rating, customers receive the same insurance cover but at the best possible price. The pricing model is the first of its kind, as customer can enjoy decreased premiums on a monthly basis. A keen adventurer, Gideon has summited Kilimanjaro, enjoys paragliding and kite surfing and is currently training for the Lesotho Highland Marathon. 

For more infor on King Price, visit: www.kingprice.co.za