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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