Some mid-week wisdom

Leadership Magazine: Car industry case study in customer service gone wrong

Unfortunately, (although I suppose understandably for editorial and advertising purposes), I was not allowed to mention the manufacturer. Click here for the full detailed saga.

The Leadership article is on page 90 and 91.

Why is it that some industries just don’t get the importance of customer service? Over the years I have invested in a number of cars and with a few exceptions, it has been pretty horrendous. My most recent experience has provided me with the near perfect proof that our reputation model, the Repudometer^®, isn’t just theoretical or academic, I now have a wealth of practical, applicable examples.

I absolutely love my current car, but now that I’ve taken up cycling and am training for the Cape Town Cycle Tour I have found that transporting a bicycle in a cabriolet isn’t all that elegant or user-friendly. I started to look for a car that suits my needs and went to a dealership which sells the brand of vehicle I currently drive.

When test driving a new vehicle, my current car was inspected, and then broken by someone who was meant to assess it to confirm the trade in value. Instead of receiving a heartfelt apology, blame was shifted from one to another and I was offered a dirty staff vehicle to drive until they fixed my car. Common sense dictates: Here is a potential customer, she has test driven a specific vehicle, she needs a temporary vehicle, let’s give her the demo vehicle to drive around with in the interim. Eventually I left driving the demo car, but when I went to fetch my own car later that week once the roof and boot were fixed I found that there was a loud “clank” every time I drove over the slightest bump and it sounded like all the panels of my car were about to fall off. The service manager confirmed the “clank” but couldn’t fix it as the service station was closed. He told me my car was still safe to drive but I refused to accept that and again they offered me a very unimpressive staff vehicle in the interim. After a heated discussion I was again sent off in the demo vehicle I had test driven.

After all my interest in buying a new car and receiving a trade-in quote, there was absolutely no follow up communication from the dealership. After sending an email to the company’s Corporate Affairs Manager to warn him that the dealership is on a slippery slope to ruin the reputation of the company, suddenly everyone jumped into action. I had two meetings set up, one with the Corporate Affairs Manager and with the general manager of the area to discuss my trade-in options.

Unfortunately, the general area manager did not really listen to my concerns or what I said I wanted and ended up supplying a second trade in quote R100K more than the original quote I had received from the dealership! He tried to confuse me, talked down to me in a patronising manner and gave a speech on how he has over 20 years of experience in the car industry, that I have no clue and I should leave the details of the car industry with the experts. I left feeling deflated, angry and with no trust in their brand. My meeting with the corporate affairs manager was no better, in fact it was cancelled by his PA at the last minute and never rescheduled.

Taking our ten reputation elements into consideration, this is where the car company is going wrong, and my advice:

Strategic Intent is the golden thread that needs to be communicated on all levels of the organisation to all the stakeholders. This entails the vision, mission and values; if the vision, in their case, is to “enrich people’s lives” then why was this one of the most un-enriching experiences of my life? From the low staff morale that I witnessed, clearly this vision is not shared by employees and they are most certainly not ‘enriched.’

Corporate governance looks at the leadership element of an organisation. When the corporate affairs manager cancelled our meeting at the last moment, it showed his disinterest in people who have a genuine interest in the business. Here is an executive who is meant to set the example and lead the bigger team. His behaviour explains why the general area manager avoided taking responsibility for different quotes and blamed others. He set a poor example of not listening to a customer so I really can’t blame the dealer principal for his lack of leadership and the poor example he set for his team.

Corporate Capital entails the employees. Are the right people appointed to do the right work in the right way? It’s all good and well to have a great staff complement, but it is just as important to invest in the Operational Capital of the organisation. Investing in training, mentorship and coaching is very important, it doesn’t help having top talent but not investing in them as individuals. At the dealership I went to, low staff morale is palpable. If the team felt nurtured, invested in and heard, this would make a profound positive difference to how they felt and how they worked. Employees are brand ambassadors, they represent the brand, if they have lost faith in the organisation they work for then their friends and family will be the first to hear about it.

Value offering relates to why someone will be willing to buy your product or service instead of the competition. Of course, most car brands have competitive value offerings, however the question is how do potential customers feel about this offering? I was made to feel inferior, as though I couldn’t afford to buy the vehicle that I wanted which did nothing to build my confidence in the brand.

Business results focusses on the transparency of financial dealings. With the number of different trade-in offers I received from different representatives of one company, their transparency level is clearly in need of some Windowlene.

Strategic Alliance relates to who the organisation associates with. My current car is part of a luxury brand sold by the dealership I visited. After my awful experience at the dealership, purely by association, the reputation of the luxury brand now suffers too.

Corporate Social Investment is something that we assess as it impacts on a company reputation. Here I have no idea what the brand is doing to invest in uplifting people and communities.

Communication is the glue that ties all of these elements together. Here we look at internal dialogue, and from my experience, it is clearly very poor. I witnessed massive staff fights at the dealership I went to. With no clear leadership, and unclear values, it is not surprising that employees are in a difficult position and regard work just as a ‘job’ which they can’t wait to leave at 16:55 every afternoon.

External dialogue concerns public relations, website, social media, all the ‘fun’ and exciting elements of external communication. You can spend millions on a funky ad campaign or glossy brochures (there were a lot of these piled in their waiting room) but if you don’t have the basic reputation building blocks in place you’ll be wasting your money and actually cause more damage to yourself.

Why am I so upset about this situation? Mainly because I bought a luxury car and invested in a brand promise associated with it, the expectation of being treasured. My recent experience and the appalling customer service I have received at a dealership run by their strategic partner has jeopardised the way I feel about both brands. If the reputation building blocks were in place, this would never have happened at all.

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Book: The President's Keepers, Jacques Pauw

The minute I heard that they wanted to ban the book from being sold, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. It is incredibly sad, however incredibly good, that the public are finding out exactly what is happening. The web of corruption, fraud, lawlessness is absolutely mindblowing.  One of my (many) gripes, is the fact that we have to slog and save to diligently pay SARS to avoid penalties and interest; the people who are meant to set the example owes amounts with so many zeros, it sounds like a made up number.  It is the law-abiding citizens who get punished and the criminals rewarded and looked after. 

Personally, it wasn't as easy a read for me as The Republic of Guptas that was published earlier this year. There are a lot of names in the book, which does at times got a bit tricky to remember where they all fit into and whether or not they are the good guys. 

What was incredibly interesting was a name that cropped up that was the same name as an ex-boyfriend's dad. A quick Google search and low and behold it was! Neither were keepers. 

Leadership Magazine: Success is not enough

Read the article on page 86 and 87 in the November 2017 edition of Leadership Magazine.

There are a magnitude of seminars, conferences, workshops and information sessions that take place almost daily focussing on a plethora of different management issues. I do sometimes wonder when you would have time to implement all the lessons learnt if you were to attend them all.

Lord Alan Sugar, British business magnate has a pretty dim view when it comes to these types of engagements claiming that the only people really benefitting from these sessions are the organisers. I agree with him to some extent. Although, I must admit if you are selective about which conferences you do want to attend and you know what you want to get out of them, attending can be to your advantage.

What struck me, on reflection of the most recent conferences that I decided to attend, was the delegates’ hunger for knowledge and an eagerness to learn. What is important is the ‘so what’ afterwards, once the conference has ended. It’s about taking the lessons learnt and actually doing something with it, otherwise there is a lot of talking with very little to show for it in the long run.

Gina Din-Kariuki, Executive Chair and Founder of The Gina Din Group based in Kenya, is the most awarded management consultancy in Africa focussing specifically on communication. She said very poignantly, during a recent conference, “It’s not about being successful; success is temporary, it’s about being significant, this can’t be taken away from you.”

Two very diverse local business people, often found on the speakers line-up at conferences, who demonstrate significance in their own unique way, with incredible stories to share are Margaret Hirsch and Sihle Tshabalala.

South African business leader, Margaret Hirsch is the Chief Operating Executive of Hirsch’s Homestore. Not only has Margaret and her husband Allan, built one of the most successful and innovative home appliance stores nationally, they also make a significant impact in the communities in which they operate. One of Margaret’s favourite quotes is that of Pablo Picasso, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” She shares her knowledge in abundance, helping fledging entrepreneurs (and established ones!) to recognise the value in themselves. As Margaret says, “As your self-esteem improves, so your bank balance improves.”

Margaret is also very passionate and involved in the “Girls with Dignity” project that provides reusable sanitary towels for girls from impoverished communities, with the hopes that they need not miss school days while menstruating. She has even taken time to give cooking lessons! There is a magnificent story that Margaret shares of teaching unemployed mothers in KwaZulu Natal how to make ‘vetkoek.’ This is then sold to commuters on their way to work. Once the early morning sales are done, they return home to get their own children dressed and fed and make sure that they arrive at school safely. After that a trip to the grocery store, with the day’s profits, ensures they have sufficient supplies for the next day’s sales. In the afternoon young children are collected from school and the mothers are at home to help them with homework. This simple business model which Margaret taught means there is no more worrying about getting food on the table or if their children are safe. Margaret is truly living her purpose, and in a truly significant way!  

The other business person who is significant in his own right, is Sihle Tshabalala, Co-Founder and CEO of Quircky 30 NPC and Quircky Innovations (Pty) Ltd. I got to hear him speak at the most recent SMME Road Show in Cape Town. He absolutely enthralled the delegates who were hanging on his lips with his quick wit as he shared his incredible entrepreneurship story.

Sihle is a convicted felon who served eleven years in prison for business robberies and heists.  As an incredibly intelligent youngster, having started school at four and matriculated at the age of 16, he had no ambition to further his studies. He got involved in the wrong crowd and so was drawn into the life of crime. His entrepreneurial journey started when he was in prison, where he sold marijuana! He had quite a sophisticated supply chain. He explained with tongue in cheek, that our prisons are full of entrepreneurs: “Criminals have a natural talent for hustling, courage to take risks and they know how to network. They have just chosen crime, which is the wrong product!” When he was released he needed to pursue a different course in life, so he taught himself three different computer languages in six weeks. Today Sihle trains school dropouts, single moms and others who have no means to further their education how to code. He is now a thriving businessman on the right side of the law.

There are two key lessons from these significant business owners. One is having a purpose or vision, and the other is investing in those around you. Don’t be shy with sharing your knowledge so that others can learn from you, then they may learn how to grow and become significant people too.

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Book: Howard Hughes, The Untold Story, Peter Harry Brown and Pat H. Broeske

I vaguely remember watching 'The Aviator' at the movies many years ago, I don't really remember too much of it except that it was very dark. I mainly recall a very moody and emotional Leonardo Dicaprio locked up in a darkened room. 

There are many traits of Howard Huges that does not impress or inspire me. However what does fascinate me about him is that he thinks big, totally believes he can do the impossible and then does it. Not only in one industry but across many. It is quite interesting, actually a bit sad, that for someone who was so obsessed with his privacy and becoming a recluse (hence moody / emotional Dicaprio), everyone knows his business. 

Leadership Magazine: When the death Bell tolls

I'm a bit late with sharing this article, see it on page 82 and 83 in the September 2017 Leadership Magazine

Will they be paying back the money? They, being Bell Pottinger, who unashamedly charged a ₤100 000.00 monthly retainer to cause havoc in South Africa with a white monopoly capital smear campaign bankrolled by Gupta millions. The irony, of a non-South African family investing in a lily-whiteinternational reputation management firm to campaign against white businesses in the country, is almost too much to fathom. Public Relations professionals across the globe have always had to slog away to show their worth, now in one fell swoop, the world has been shown exactly how PR should not be done.

How do you as a “reputable” global leader in the communication field allow things to get so out of hand? As Lord Bell said in one of his many (cringe-worthy) interviews, it took him 30 years to build up the business and a year for it to be destroyed. Sir, as the leader of a reputation management firm you should have known better.

One must wonder if they’ve done this in any other countries where questionable leaders needed to run smear campaigns. How would such an agency ‘win’ a contract with the Guptas without first “demonstrating” how excellent their dirty PR tactics were? How many other countries have bled under a Bell Pottinger smear campaign?

What now? In crisis communication 101, the focus is always on the leadership of the organisation. First Bell Pottinger, senior employee Victoria Geogehan was fired, then Chief Executive Officer James Henderson resigned after a meek apology to South Africa. Kudos to the Public Relations and Communication Association (PRCA) in the United Kingdom, which expelled the organisation for five years. The business is now up for sale, one which I cannot imagine anyone touching with a barge pole. The real question is whether these apologies and resignations are enough? To put it simply, it most certainly is not.

With their communication campaign of driving a divide between South Africans, their target audience are people who have been drawn in by fake news and who are now so enraged by ‘white monopoly capital’ and blaming their dire situation on ‘white businesses’. I’m not denying that there is an imbalance thanks to our chequered past and there is still a lot that needs to be done to get everyone onto an even footing. The focus has however, been neatly steered away from some of the core issues at hand such as state capture and corruption. For this audience, there is no ‘Bell Pottinger’ so whether or not a guy by the name of ‘James Henderson’ resigned or if the company has been expelled by their professional body makes absolutely no difference to them. A resignation, apology and an expulsion does not remove the fact that fake news was created as part of a sinister smear campaign.

Bell Pottinger needs to pay back the money with interest. Isn’t that what most companies do when there is a crisis? They throw money at a corporate social investment project to show their good side, hoping to be loved again and rebuild their reputation. Although with Bell Pottinger, there is no love lost, nor do I believe there is any turnaround strategy that could save them. They should however, before that final death knell tolls, be held accountable for their actions, and pay back the money, not to the Guptas, but into a fund (and there are many to choose from that do incredibly good work), where impoverished communities within South Africa will positively benefit.

When we measure reputations at Reputation Matters, one of the first places we start with is to understand the business’ values. For example, authenticity and respect are two of our core values. If Bell Pottinger had any scruples they would have had values in place that would drive their business decisions. Without values to steer the ship, they were tempted by a large retainer from a client requesting a questionable scope of work. What perplexes me is how any firm can willingly take on a new client, like the Guptas, knowing the work they are required to do will result in a conflict of interest with current clients, like Johann Rupert’s Richemont. There is absolutely no respect or authenticity in such behaviour.

Lord Bell has said that he had no idea about what was happening on the account, but I battle to believe this. I understand that as the founder of the business, you don’t have a hands-on approach with each account, however when you’ve signed up such a large client, and you’ve admitted to it being one of the largest ones you have, you make it your business to know what they are about as your company is being associated with the work they do. As the leader of Bell Pottinger, Lord Bell knew what was happening, and now that the firm has been caught out, he is shifting the blame on to everyone else.

What should their turnaround strategy be? Is there one? I don’t believe that there is, they waited too long.

  

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Book: Smartwoman, Sylvia Walker

A very comprehensive book about where to start when it comes to managing your money and investments. Live within your means and invest the rest, but where to start? This book gives a great outline of all the different choices available to you. 

Reputation clearly does not matter for Nissan

This week, in fact for the past couple of weeks, my dealings with Nissan South Africa and by association Infiniti, have provided me with the near perfect proof that our reputation model that we’ve developed, our Repudometer^®, isn’t just theoretical or academic. They have armed me with a wealth of practical examples that I will be incorporating as ‘how not to do things’ when it comes to treasuring your reputation at any and every opportunity I get.

The basic outline of the story: I absolutely love my Infiniti Q60 Cabriolet [here’s my rave about them when I first got my car]; the problem with my car is that it’s not very conducive to my current lifestyle. I bought a bicycle at the end of last year, as the Cape Town Cycle Tour was one of the things I wanted to tick off my list of things to do this year. Little did I know just how I would really enjoy getting onto the saddle and exploring our wonderful province on two wheels. Needless to say, transporting a bicycle in a cabriolet isn’t all that elegant or user-friendly, so I have been starting to look at what other options are available. Unfortunately, Infiniti hasn't brought any new models to South Africa for a while, so Nissan was the next logical choice. As the service I’d received in the past was so amazing, it made sense to me to look and stay within the same car manufacturing stable.

Apart from a massive fight I had with the dealership after my most recent service, I still went along to Nissan Milnerton to test drive the Qashqai. They had shared a quote and trade in value on my current car; it baffled me a bit that they were offering me their Qashqai for R100 000 more than the advertised value. They indicated that it was to make up for the amount still outstanding on my car. I really don’t want to or need to sell my car; if the numbers work and it’s a good deal, I will most certainly consider it.

When I arrived at Nissan Milnerton, I was asked whether they could have a look at my vehicle in the meantime while I went out with the Nissan Qashqai 1.2 CVT. The gentleman that took me for the test drive was terrific, I specifically asked to test drive hills if possible, as that is all we have to get into and out of Hout Bay; he suggested a route and also took me through the pros and cons of the vehicle; great guy. As I sat down to discuss the details after the test drive, the new car sales manager, came along to find out whether the roof of my car works. I confirmed that it most certainly does. They had opened my boot (removed my handbag without my permission), then tried to open the roof, not knowing how to. They managed to break the roof and boot. My blood pressure revved into overdrive; how does the dealership not know how their cars work? The blame was passed from one person to the next. I was told that if I have a problem I could go upstairs to speak to the dealer principal (DP). As an owner of one of their premium brands, I expect the DP to show some interest in the client and take responsibility. Reluctantly he came downstairs gave a lackluster apology and said that I could get one of the staff member’s Nissan Almera to drive in the interim, then disappeared as quickly as he could. This did not help to calm my mood; my work jacket was in my boot, and with it now broken I couldn’t get it. This meant going to my next business meeting without a jacket and in a dirty Almera. Common sense dictates” ‘here is a potential customer, she has shown an interest in the Qashqai, let’s give her the demo vehicle to drive around with in the interim’. There were many words to and fro, with a promise of massaging the deal they had already sent through to me. Long story short, I left in the demo Qashqai; they did themselves a favour by letting me drive around in it for the day, as I really enjoyed it. I know the CVT gearbox has been criticised in the media; I enjoyed driving it, it was quite peppy and didn’t show signs of strain into Hout Bay. The next day they came to fetch it, and brought me an X Trail rental; I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the Qashqai, it was too sluggish. Fortunately, my car is still under warranty so they tapped into it to fix the roof. The car was returned to me later in the week (I went to fetch it; from past experience, when they deliver the car to me, they see how fast they can drive it to me and leave me with filthy wheels covered with brake dust, engine fan blowing at full tilt, which it has never done in the three years I’ve owned it and an insanely high fuel consumption of 22l/100ks, whereas I normally use 10l/100ks). As I was driving around with my car, there was the loudest “clank” every time I drove over the slightest bump, it sounded like all the panels of my car was about to fall off like a circus car. I texted the sales manager on the Friday (yes, we were now on a texting basis as there were so many issues) after getting the car back on Thursday. He said that I could bring it in on Saturday morning.

Saturday morning, when I arrived, the service manager and I took a drive; we hadn’t even made it around the block when the “clank” was confirmed. I was then told that the service side was closed. A massive internal fight pursued. I was assured that my car was safe to drive; I refused, so an Almera was again allocated to me. More words exchanged; I got a Qashqai to drive for the weekend.

Happily, I got my car back later in the week with no further incidents.

Silence ensued.

No feedback or follow up about the quote for a new Qashqai.

Not one for sitting back I mailed the Corporate Affairs Manager to alert him of the situation that this dealership is on a slippery slope to ruin the reputation of Nissan. Customer service jumped into action and the general manager of the area Tommie Hamman said that he would follow up the situation personally and a meeting was set up with the corporate affairs manager during my next visit in Pretoria. This was more the response that I was wanting to see.

After a long telephonic conversation with Tommie of chatting about the situation and my needs, what I don’t want (really don’t want a Sedan, I’m after an SUV), I felt confident that I was, at last, being heard. He then shared an updated quote, this was R100K more than the original quote I received, which was already R100K more than the original selling value… after being queried about this and sharing the original quote with him, he asked for a bit of time to work on a deal.

In Pretoria, en route to my meeting with corporate affairs manager, ten minutes before we were meant to meet, I received a phone call from his PA indicating the meeting wouldn’t go ahead as, there was a family matter, ‘these things happen’ and we could set up a quick telephonic meeting later in the day. If it was a massive family crisis, the rest of the day would have been a right off too. All my correspondence has my mobile number in it, so no reason why the person couldn’t phone me directly. Sadly this is all going back to the service I’ve come to expect over the past couple of weeks from Nissan [update: I did receive a call from the corporate affairs manager earlier today after sharing this blog entry with him; he did apologise for the shoddy way this specific meeting has been managed].

The general manager asked me to meet with him at Harley Davidson in Greenpoint to discuss different options available to me. Harley Davidson is one of the brands under his portfolio. His first question to me, after calling me Mrs le Roux for the umpteenth time (and I had corrected him umpteen + one times), was what I thought about the Harley dealership. I really couldn’t care less about Harley or the dealership. Anyway, once the ‘chit chat’ was over he said that the quote he sent through couldn’t be changed as the outstanding amount on my car is still too high; I did query how Nissan Milnerton was able to provide one quote and he another; he then tried to confuse me by drawing numbers and graphs on a piece of paper and pretty much talking down to me as if I was some type of idiot. He then showed me another option of a Mercedez-Benz C-Class, keeping in mind that I had shared with him previously what my disdain towards Merc AND that I have no interest in a sedan type car. When we did have our earlier conversation I did indicate that I would prefer not to have to pay a deposit but didn’t say I can’t. He basically then made the assumption that I can’t pay a deposit or afford any vehicle. As a client it was incredibly frustrating not to be heard and I mentioned it and said that the lack of showing any leadership or alignment of values is ruining their reputation; I could see that this was like water off a duck’s back and he then went into a long soliloquy of my focus being reputation, his focus is the car industry, which he has over 20 years of experience in and again talked down to me explaining the industry. Basically, I have no clue and I should leave the car industry stuff to them. Clearly, he does not regard reputation management part of his responsibility.  I wonder if his manner would have been the same had Mark joined me for the meeting?  I left deflated, angry and no trust in the brand.

Taking our ten reputation elements into consideration this is where Nissan is going wrong, and my advice to them:

Strategic Intent is the golden thread that needs to be communicated on all levels of the organisation to all the stakeholders. This entails the vision, mission, and values; Nissan’s vision is “Enriching people’s lives” I can most certainly attest to this whole experience as one of the most un-enriching experiences that I had to deal with. From the low staff morale that I experienced, it is clear that this vision is not shared by employees and that they are most certainly not ‘enriched’.

Corporate governance looks at the leadership element of an organisation; when the corporate affairs manager cancelled the meeting ten minutes before the time, puzzle pieces started falling in to place for me; here is an executive who is meant to set the example and lead the bigger team; his nonchalant cancellation shows the disinterest and lack of follow up in people who have a genuine interest in the business. Take accountability for your actions, admit if you forgot about the meeting say so, I would respect that a lot more than some or other meek excuse passing the blame to something else. This action does then explain why the general manager also doesn’t take accountability and blames others for incorrect pricing and information shared with me. The GM also sets the example of not listening, so I really can’t blame the DP for his lack of leadership and the poor example he is setting for his team. Part of governance is policies and procedures; there is a clear lack of procedural documents, what is needed is a step by step manual of ‘how we do things around here’ taking someone’s handbag out of the car without their permission is an issue; not following the steps as to how to open a cabriolet roof is problematic; sending through a questionable quote is massively concerning. If there were proper policies and procedures in place, then the first time I indicated an interest in a car and they felt that I still had too much owing on my current car, they should have indicated that they don’t have an offer for me, I should wait a few months when they would be able to offer me something better; I would have had a much greater respect for them if they had given me sincere honest advice to start off with.

It’s the employees who need to deal with the brunt of the customers when the pawpaw hits the fan because management really couldn’t care less and can’t palm the person off quickly enough to someone else to have to deal with. Is that perhaps why there are hints of corruption, possible fraud with dodgy dealings taking place internally?

This leads me to the next reputation element:

Corporate Capital entails the employees, are the right people appointed to do the right work in the right way? Majority of the employees I dealt with reporting to the DP are really fantastic individuals. A number of them when they heard what my profession is, actually whispered in my ear to find out if I couldn’t please help Nissan. It’s all good and well to have a great staff compliment, but it is just as important to invest in the team.

Operational  Capital of the organisation, investing in training, mentorship and coaching are very important. It doesn’t help having top talent but you are not investing in them as individuals; this does not link to the ‘vision’ of Nissan of enriching people’s lives. The low morale is palpable. If the team felt nurtured, invested in and heard; this would make a profound positive difference to the morale of the team. Employees are your brand ambassadors, they represent the brand; if they have lost faith in the organisation their friends and family will be the first to hear about it; these friends and family are more likely to listen to someone associated to the organisation, than some or other clever advert. If management is not listening to the customer, the chances of them listening to their employees are very doubtful.

Value offering this relates to why someone will be willing to buy your product or services opposed to the competition; Nissan’s value offering is competitive; however letting the client feel inferior about not being able to afford a vehicle does nothing to build confidence or get the client on your side when they do decide to change their vehicle.

Business results this focusses on the transparency of financial dealings; with the number of different offers made to me, the transparency level is clearly in need of some Windowlene.

Strategic Alliance relates to who the organisation associates itself. Infiniti is the luxury brand of Nissan; with the poor interaction with Nissan, purely by association Infiniti now suffers from it too. Why would the General Manager meet with me at a Harley Davidson outlet and not the Infiniti branch? Clearly, he is much more concerned and proud about Harley Davidson than the Infiniti brand. Interestingly, not all the staff drive Nissan vehicles as their personal vehicles, this is something I really found quite surprising as they are your billboards for an organisation, and this seems like a no-brainer to get your staff to drive the cars that they represent. I had a great conversation with one of the employees about his own personal non-Nissan vehicle and how highly he regarded that vehicle and the great fuel consumption he got in it; imagine him being empowered with a Nissan vehicle to have a similar conversation representing your brand instead.

Corporate Social Investment is something that we also look at when it comes to a reputation; I have no clue whether they do have community upliftment projects; hopefully, they invest in the community better than they invest in their people. This is doubtful.

The glue that ties all of these elements together is communication. Here we look at the internal dialogue, which is very poor if I look at the massive fights I’ve witnessed at the dealership. With no clear leadership, unclear values it is not surprising that employees are in a difficult position and I wouldn’t be surprised if they regard this just as a ‘job’ and can’t wait to get home at 16:55 each afternoon.

External dialogue takes all the external communication channels into consideration, public relations, website, social media, all the ‘fun’ and exciting elements of communication; however you can spend millions on a funky ad campaign or brochures (which they have A LOT of just plonked down in their waiting room); if you don’t have the basic building in place you’ll be wasting your money and actually cause more damage to your reputation. There is much to be desired with their external communication; they didn’t even bother to let clients know that their Infiniti premises were moving location; this would have been an ideal opportunity to invite current customers to showcase the new venue and offers.

So why am I so upset about this situation, I think the main thing is the strategic alliance part; having invested in an Infiniti I was signed up for the ‘brand promise’ and expectation of being treasured. With this appalling treatment, my values are put into jeopardy.

Book: Own Your Space, The Toolkit for the Working Woman, Nadia Bilchick & Lori Milner

The book is described as, “the toolkit for the working woman”, and it is indeed a wonderful guide of tips and tricks from taking control of your headspace, physical space, people skills and virtual space. It also includes clever tips on networking, finances, managing your time and presentation skills. There are magnificent examples and proposed videos to watch throughout the book. I also thoroughly enjoyed reading the chapter on, “Words From Women Who Own it”, all very inspiring. All in all, a very useful and great read. 

Training your brain

This was a post via Classic fm's Facebook page:

It links quite well to this video too:

"Just as you build a muscular structure, working at it a little bit each day, so too you need to build a neural structure, doing a little bit of work every day," is what Barbara Oakley says in this video and also shares two interesting examples employed by Salvador Dali and Thomas Edison.

Book: Everest Untold, Diaries from the first South African Everest Expedition, Patrick Conroy

It's fantastic to read a book that grips you from page 1. I managed to finish the book in less than a week. The key message for me from this book is stick to the plan.

As I read the book, I was wondering why I had not heard about this expedition previously, it really was quite something;, the first South African team to summit Mount Everest and it being one of the most tragic expeditions to date. Then I realised that it took place in 1996; that was the year my cousin and I took our gap year in London, so I was not too focussed on South African news. 

It's beautifully written; that is what I love about journalists writing books, they truly have quite a gift of telling a story. Thank you Patrick for sharing your story. 

When I met Patrick a couple of months back he mentioned that he does a talk linking his experience to reputation management, I am very keen to hear it. 

Leadership Magazine: Valuing Internal Dialogue

The September 2017 Leadership Magazine is out, my latest article is on page 100 and 101

Valuing Internal Dialogue

One of my favourite quotes regarding employees is still that of an American oil-well fire fighter, Red Adair who hit the nail on the head when he said, “If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.” How do you turn your business into a professional company that clients invest in, instead of hiring family or friends fresh out of varsity?

When speaking at a conference recently, about the importance of having a social media policy, I bumped into Guy Parton. He is the Founder and Director of Hippocampus, the “Design-Gineers” who solve problems using the science of creativity. We chatted about the topic and he put it very succinctly, you wouldn’t have a family member represent your company in front of a jam-packed auditorium, so why get them to represent you on social media where the audience is even bigger?

Don’t get me wrong, I love working with young people and giving them an opportunity to gain experience and cut their teeth in the research and reputation industry. It’s an absolute thrill to challenge them to do something new and to see how they tackle it and grow from the experience. What is important is getting the right fit, having a rigorous interview process as well as encouraging a culture of learning and continuous growth. We are always looking for ways to improve and for talented individuals to join our team. Robin Sharma, author and leadership speaker, says that you can’t have an A-level company with C-level performers. Everyone on our team is driven and ambitious with a track record of being an A-player. To add someone to the mix that is lacklustre just does not work. Finding these A-players is quite a process, however really worth the journey.

Apart from cementing down your key values and encouraging continuous training and learning, the third key element that is vital to building your company’s culture is communication. Engaging with employees may be more challenging than ever before. For the first time in the history of the business world we have at least three generations that are all working together, the Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y (also known as Millennials). All these groups require different ways in which to be engaged with. Navigating through these different characteristics, values, and attitudes toward work, based on each generation’s life experiences can become a bit like walking through a mine field. Getting it right and aligning your key messages internally is intrinsic to building a solid reputation.

Different communication strategies are vital to successfully integrate the multigenerational work force. Why is this important for your reputation?

Employees play a vital role in the reputation of an organisation. Very often this is where the reputation of an organisation starts, as their daily perceptions and interactions become the reality for external stakeholders.

In addition to taking an inside-out approach to aligning internal beliefs and behaviours to external perceptions, organisations need to understand that the way in which they communicate with a Baby Boomer, is quite different to that of a Millennial. It is important to note that there is no right or wrong way of communicating, it’s about being able to adapt to what is most effective.

The key is to take advantage of the differences in values and expectations of each generation. While it is important not to follow blanket stereotypes, it does, however, help to have a broad overview of each generation. This will help with understanding and tolerating each other.

Baby Boomers, born between 1943 and 1960 prefer direct interaction be it in a meeting, strategy session or phone call as means of communicating.

Generation X, born between 1965 and 1977 really don’t enjoy networking. They are generally the first people to take out their laptops at a meeting, using it as a shield between them and other people. This generation naturally questions authority figures and are responsible for creating the work/life balance concept. Send them a text or email so that they can respond when it fits into their timetable, this speaks to their quest and need for work/life balance.

Generation Y or Millennials, born between 1980 and 2000, are the technology whiz kids who always ask ‘why?’ They are a lot more socially conscious and generally don’t mind engaging and doing things if the ‘why’ is explained to them. They are among the most resilient in navigating change while deepening their appreciation for diversity and inclusion. They prefer to communicate through platforms such as email, Instant Messaging (IM), blogs and text messages, rather than over the phone or face to face.

Did you know that there is a new definition to the above list? "Boomerangs" lend influence. This is the label for baby boomers who retire and then go back to work for their same firm part-time, maybe just a day a week. In this way, they impart their knowledge and mentor the new generations coming through the doors by sharing from their wealth of experience.

When it comes to improving your internal communication, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, what is needed is flexibility and an understanding of how best to get your message across. It’s also about tolerance for each other and upskilling the team in new ways of communicating, helping them to understand each other. That’s why I always return to the importance of research; you may think that your team prefers to communicate in one way, but if you don’t ask you won’t know. It might really be worth doing a quick poll to find out what employees’ communication preferences are and how often you should communicate, it’s all about finding that happy median.

To wrap up, keep in mind that the workforce currently consists of different generations with whom you need to communicate. Align your communication to the overall business values and objectives using the most appropriate channels of communication per generation. Facilitate mentoring between employees of different ages to encourage more understanding and multigenerational engagement. Employees like to have a voice and to be heard; so facilitate opportunities for feedback through different forums.

Now that you’ve figured out what communication style and frequency your employees prefer, it’s also important to get to understand your other stakeholders’ preferences too. 

Book: Between the Devil and the Deep, A memoir of Acting and Reacting, Pieter-Dirk Uys

After the rather emotional book of Winnie Mandela’s life story, I opted for Pieter-Dirk Uys’ “Between the Devil and the Deep,” what I thought would a lighter read. To be honest, I only really know him as Evita Bezuidenhoudt. I had bought the book earlier this year when a group of us visited Darling to enjoy one of her shows at The Perron.  Compared to Winnie’s book, definitely not as heavy; however, not a light hearted or frivolous read either. It gave a poignant view from the ‘other side’, the white side, during the apartheid time and the pressures he was faced with being an activist and strongly speaking out, and acting against the government. He has a magical way of writing and describing things.  It’s a mixture of a biography and his different plays and personas. A very enjoyable read, I am keen to read his other books too.

Small business set up for success at the SMME Opportunity Roadshow 2017 in Cape Town

Earlier this week I attended the SMME Opportunity Roadshow that took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). A plethora of different speakers shared their knowledge and experiences.

I particularly enjoyed Sihle Tshabalala, Co-Founder and CEO of Quircky 30 NPC and Quircky Innovations (Pty) Ltd's keynote address.  Here's why:

Tshabalala enthralled the delegates and had them hanging on his lips with his quick wit as he shared his incredible entrepreneurship story. Tshabalala, a convicted felon served eleven years in prison for business robberies and heists.  As an incredibly intelligent youngster, having started school at four and matriculated at the age of 16, he had no ambition to further his studies. He got involved in the wrong crowd and so was drawn into the life of crime. His entrepreneurial journey started when he was in prison, where he sold marijuana! He had quite a sophisticated supply chain he explains and said that he never ate any prison food, he lived off a diet of Nandos and KFC. He says, tongue in cheek, that our prisons are full of entrepreneurs. Criminals have a natural talent for hustling, courage to take risks and they know how to network. They have just chosen the wrong product...crime. When he was released from prison he taught himself three different computer languages in six weeks! Today he trains youngsters who have dropped out of schools, single moms and others who have no means to further their education how to code.  Tshabalala is now a thriving businessman on the right side of the law.

My week, Monday, 28 August 2017 to Friday, 01 September 2017

What an incredible week. Usually the last week of the month is riddled with admin and reporting, somehow I managed to dodge it this week. [I know it's waiting for me in the wings, and will sneak up on me soon!]

This blog might explain why I've been a bit slower (more than normal) with replying to all my emails...

It's been quite a MAD week to be honest. This morning I learnt that MAD stands for: Make A Difference.  I think we all often go through periods that you wonder to yourself 'what is the purpose of it all?' I do admit that I do still need to figure it out. 

This week however, I had amazing interactions with incredible people and I am in awe of what they do, what they have achieved and how they are making a difference in people's lives. 

Monday: I gently eased into the week after having spent the first weekend away in ages with my better half, Mark, and Bella our Weimaraner in the beautiful Wellington area; a much needed break for us all. 

Tuesday: As August is Women's month, Robben Island Museum (RIM) hosted "Celebrating Women in Heritage". The purpose of the day was to provide an opportunity for women to share their personal reflections of their time during the liberation struggle. I had recently finished reading Winnie Mandela's biography, so was keen hear and learn more. It was an incredible experience to then, after the formalities and reflections were shared, to visit the prison with these ladies who had visited their brothers / fathers / husbands on this very island during that time. What the women had to endure is just unimaginable. While their husbands were in jail, they still had to juggle raising families and working; some had to endure house arrest (which meant that you couldn't be in the same room with more than one person at a time). Inhumane. 

Sisters / daughters / wives, were only allowed to visit the inmate for 30 minutes every six months after putting in a comprehensive application. If you missed the ferry, you would have to wait another six months. The ferry left the main land at 08:00, the visit took place at about 11:00, then they had to wait around on the island until 16:00. 

We were listening to a tour guide, an ex-political prisoner, give the prison guide. I'm sitting on the bottom of one of the bunk beds that they slept on in this room. I sat next to a fascinating lady who shared her own prison story; she was incarcerated in the Durban prison during that time for a number of months for no real reason.

One particular conversation of the day stayed with me. The topic was also something that came up in Winnie's book. Many of these prisoners and activists gave their lives to the freedom of our country, they were tortured, physically and mentally, not for a day, not for a week or a month, but for years. Many of the prisoners, especially those confined to solitary confinement suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and have never received any type of counselling afterwards on how to deal with what they had gone through.  

I am in awe of the strength of these women, their strength now continues as they support their husbands through quite tough times of coming to grips with it all.  Yes, we have been in a democracy, thankfully, for 23 years; unfortunately there isn't a magic wand that will just fix it all overnight. There was a television crew that joined, they were asking what heritage means to the different people that attended the day. I battled to answer the question to myself; our heritage is pretty messed up. 

I think that one of the things that have kept these women going is their incredible sense of humour and wit. My friend the Laughing Coach, Bronwyn Kilroe, will attest to the power and benefits of laughing. I am incredibly grateful to have been apart of such a poignant day.

Wednesday woke up to our client Zip Zap Circus being on the front page of The Times! My team absolutely rocks!  

Zip Zap Circus celebrating 25 years in collaboration with
The Parlotones. Front page, The Times, 30 August 2017

My agenda for the the day was attending the 2017 Global Women's LiNC Leadership Conference. This was the first time it was hosted in South Africa. Initially I had planned to be in Gauteng for the session, I think it would have been an amazing networking opportunity. With the week's schedule as choc-a-block as it was, it would not have been practical. Fortunately and impressively, they had virtual attendance link ups including Atlanta, USA and Cape Town. I was super happy to attend the conference via Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages in Parow, so that was where I was based for the day. 

The speakers were incredibly inspirational. Very interesting stats on gender was shared (#BainOnGender); we have so many highly educated women in South Africa, yet less than 3% of the CEOs of listed companies are women. Why is that? One of the main differences is that men just go for things and wing it and learn as they go along, whereas woman almost always, over analyses and checks everything that she does and makes sure that she has the qualifications and experience before going for something. One of the key learnings from this speaker was the importance of proactive learning, composing a thriving plan and having an incredible crew. 

 A fabulous video was shared on women and confidence, is the importance of empowering our girls from a young age: #LikeAGirl:

In the afternoon there was a panel discussion with female leaders from Coca-Cola, Woolworths and McDonalds. They had incredible advise, there were four things I resonated particularly with what Zyda Rylands CEO of Woolworths said: 

1. Don't try and be someone else, which was incidentally a conversation Mark and I had had earlier in the week;

2. Don't ask your boss where they see you in a few years time, you need to figure that our for yourself and go for it; 

3. Suffer the pain of sacrifice or suffer the pain of regret; sacrifice is short term with many long term benefits;

4. Put in the time, what you put in is what you get out; if your outputs are greater for not doing much, it's probably illegal.

What struck me again was the amazing sense of humour shared by everyone during the day. 

In the evening I attended the magical evening of Zip Zap Circus celebrating their 25 years with The Parlotones. Two incredibly good friends joined me; they are going through a rough time at the moment and I am just in awe of the support and love they are showing each other and the importance of just taking one day at a time. 

The show was absolutely spectacular. From the opening song, "Life Design," I just new we were in for something special. What an apt song to open up with, "...this is our story, this is our life design," I always feel rather emotional watching the Zip Zap team, it is just so inspiring to watch them and to be reminded that these youngsters have really had quite a tough start to their lives. Founders Laurence and Brent are amazing. They teach the youngsters to 'dare to dream' and to make those dreams reality! Was super excited to see my favourite juggler Jason. Attending a Zip Zap Circus production must be on everyone body's bucket list.

Jason the amazing juggler showing off his incredible skills! He was our opening act at our Reputation Management Conference in 2015 

Thursday I managed to catch my breath a bit, I did start reading 'Everest Untold' by Patrick Conroy, it's not often that a book captivates me from the first page and I really battled to put it down. [I read for 30 minutes each morning, this forms part of the normal daily routine]. Later in the morning I had an Institute of Directors in Southern Africa (IoDSA) Western Cape advisory meeting. Am incredibly grateful for being invited to join. We've have recently completed the third reputation measurement study for them. They are just doing things right, it is so encouraging when leaders see the value of research and embrace the feedback to see how they can continually improve an organisation and take it to the next level. Very exciting initiatives are planned for the rest of the year. 

Friday The week was ended off at Steenberg High School in Retreat. Headed out to the school super early; I wanted to take a few photos of the learners in their new music and art centre for the media. When we share photos with the media we need to be so mindful of the pics that get shared especially of children. Again, I was so touched to see these youngsters master their instruments, I was listening to them warm up and so impressed how they took control of their respective musical instruments. 

I then headed to the sports field. The Rotary Club of Newlands in conjunction with Greenpop, planted 30 trees along the perimeter of the field. Greenpop's approach is great, they prepared and dug the initial 30 holes, they then to taught everyone how to go about planting a tree. I will admit that I did not plant a tree, I was the dedicated photographer for the morning. There are more photos on www.facebook.com/newlandsrotary. 

At 11:00 we all headed to the new Music and Art Centre. Was wonderful to see the rest of the Reputation Matters team, because we all work from a virtual office we don't see each other all that often. Even though I don't get to see them that often, they inspire me daily!

The Music and Art Centre was sponsored by Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Newlands. Talk about synchronicity, the school is on the corner of Symphonia Avenue and Orchestra Street! One of the stories that was relayed, was of a one of the girls in the group who was the girlfriend of a gang leader; her school marks dropped and she was close to dropping out of school. When she joined the music group something lighted up in her. She started dedicating her time to the music and no longer had time for the gang. Her academic performance also improved so much so that she later became a prefect. 

As mentioned, there was a television crew that joined the Robben Island visit earlier this week, asking about heritage and I battled to answer the question. I do feel rather despondent about the past; our heritage is pretty messed up and dismal. However...after this week, I have been reminded by the amazing people that make up this beautiful country, there is so much potential and hope. At a recent workshop I facilitated (two weeks ago), the Vice Chancellor said, "let's make today better than yesterday, and tomorrow better than today."We can't forget or ignore where we came from, what we can and must do is learn from the past and look forward and improve each day and make a difference going forward.