The week that was 20191026

PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT 

I am incredibly grateful for all the speaking opportunities that I have been invited to. Next week I am attending the TVET for Impact Roundtable and Expert Forum in Helsinki, Finland. My specific focus will be on building reputations of TVET colleges. Here is a link to the program as well as all the other speakers. 

I am also very grateful for an opportunity to visit the Middle East next year. I have been invited to be a speaker at the Kuwait Reputation Day taking place in Kuwait next year October.

I also look froward to being part of the PR2020 Summit taking place in Cape Town in November 2019. To pre-book email: tickets@get-Published.co.za. 

General ticket are @R180 or/ Book the VIP package @R480, this includes: allocated seating, VIP luncheon, a Reputation Matters book, goodie bag, + more! 

I am very proud of all the media that we have received this week. We received some lovely coverage in the Institute of Director in South Africa (IoDSA)'s Directorship magazine. Our article, CEO's, are you leading by example? is on page 27.

I am very impressed that the IoDSA shared their Repudometer® results on page 28 and 29. in the Directorship Magazine too  I really am so grateful for our wonderful clients and the work that we do in the reputation measurement space. 

Speaking of wonderful clients and being proud of the work we do. We presented the SA Innovation Summit (SAIS) with their Repudometer® score. 

This was the second year we measured SAIS' reputation. Congratulations on achieving 81% for your reputation, an excellent score.

We've received some lovely media coverage on the media release we sent out earlier this week on finding and selecting the right team members. I am very grateful to Lisa Wannell, founder and director of Halogen Search and Selection for providing great insights into the article, here's the link for the full article. 

BIGGEST LESSON THIS WEEK / REMINDER

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading, Public Speaking & Influencing Men in Business by Dale Carnegie. He shared a section on the history of words, truly fascinating. Something I found particularly interesting was July and August, here's an extract from the book:

The seventh month, July, was named after Julius Caesar; so the Emperor Augustus, not to be outdone called the next month August. But, the eighth month had only thirty days at the time and Augustus did not propose to have the month named after him any shorter than a month named after Julius; so he took one day away from February and added it to August, and the marks of this vain-glorious theft are evident on the calendar hanging in your home today.  

It was interesting to learn that Mentholatum has a number of well known brands in it's stable, such as Deep Heat, Softlips and Oxy. I think it's great that Deep Heat is now in a roll on format, definitely a lot more user friendly. 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"You can follow the crowd. Or you an change the world. But you can't do both." 

 -Robin Sharma-

THIS WEEK I FINISHED READING...

I finished reading Public Speaking & Influencing Men in Business by Dale Carnegie. I thoroughly enjoyed it and Dale Carnegie's subtle sense of humour. 

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE

I was reminded that cats love boxes, if it fits, I sits... :D

Media release: Finding the team for a better reputation

Pic via www.faststream.com/shipping-maritime-recruitment

The right team is one of the most important tangible assets that an organisation has. High calibre individuals with a willingness to go the extra mile and help the business achieve its goals are paramount for any business to flourish. In many businesses, employees are the first point of contact for clients and set the scene of how that organisation is perceived and ultimately, what its reputation is. Employees can make or break a company, so how can businesses leverage off their recruitment to rise to the top? 

“It is incredibly important to have the right people in the right position,” says Regine le Roux, managing director at research agency, Reputation Matters. “Through the research that we have done for corporates, it is quite clear that employees play a very important role in how stakeholders perceive organisations. It is, therefore, crucial to know who is responsible for what in the organisation, and recruit staff accordingly. Especially with small organisations and organisations that need specialised staff, it might be best to invest in an expert who knows the industry and has a network of people on hand that can potentially help with the recruitment process.”

Lisa Wannell, founder and director of Halogen Search and Selection, specialises in placing senior-level candidates in the corporate communication and investor relations space. Wannell explains what a search and selection specialist does: “A search and selection specialist will go out into the market to identify people with particular experience, skills or expertise and from that pool of people select the most appropriate candidates for a client brief.” Search consultants usually operate within a specialist field,  giving them in-depth knowledge of a particular industry and an extensive network of professionals within that sector.  

Wannell shares some tips on how to be strategic when it comes to your recruitment.

1.     Why invest in a specialist recruiter? Simply put, it will save a client time and money. “Specialist recruiters have invariably spent years cultivating a network of professionals who are experts in a particular field. This enables them to quickly tap into a network and ask for referrals and recommendations to identify ‘passive’ talent; people who aren’t actively looking for a new position,” says Wannell.

2.     Hiring search specialists should be evidence-based: Before hiring a specialist recruiter, it is important to ask them for evidence that they have successfully filled similar briefs, in the same or a relevant industry, in organisations of a similar size and operating structure. “Equally important is to find out which other firms they have worked for within your sector to avoid any conflicts of interest,” guides Wannell. An experienced search consultant will do their homework and ask the right questions to get a good sense of the job criteria, as well as whether the profile of the person they’re looking to hire is, in fact, the right one. An experienced search consultant would also encourage and challenge the client to re-think the role profile.

3.     Get recruitment specialists on board from the start: Search consultants are sometimes brought in as a ‘last resort’ when internal teams and self-recruiting haven’t yielded results. There is a perception that it is an unnecessary expense. “There is enormous value in calling in specialist recruiters right at the start of a process to advise on all aspects of a role; from key skills to salary benchmarking and market mapping. Interview skills are also of utmost importance. Getting the best out of a candidate in an hour is a skill and not all clients are good at it. I spend a lot of time giving candidates interview prep; sometimes I wish clients would ask for it too,” mentions Wannell. Specialist recruiters should be seen as a business partner who can bring valuable insights into their company from the outside world. A specialist recruiter will save a client both time and money. “The big-name global search firms may trade on their strong, international C-suite network and their specialist sector teams but ask them to find a Corporate Affairs or an Investor Relations Director to help a company with its JSE listing or a major turnaround strategy and they invariably won’t deliver as quickly as a specialist will,” says Wannell. ‘’They don’t always have the candidate network.’’

Having similar values and a shared sense of purpose is one of the most important aspects of how employees can make a lasting impact at organisations. Especially in niche industries, the talent pool might not be as broad as one might think and in order to get the cream of the crop who shares your business vision, you need an in-depth understanding of the type of person needed to fulfil the role. 

“This whole process takes time and although you, as the hiring manager, will have the final say of who to hire, a search consultant helps to find that perfect match who will help boost your reputation. Having the right person on your team who believes in the organisation’s purpose and values, will create a space for the organisation’s reputation to develop in a healthy manner,” says le Roux.

The recruitment industry as a whole urgently needs to reinvent itself and be disrupted. “The competition for top talent is fierce and too often hiring new people is a knee-jerk reaction to a position becoming vacant or a restructuring that is already taking place. Job descriptions should not be too prescriptive. The companies climbing to the top of the list as the ones people want to work for, are those who hire the right people and then empower them to be the best they can be,” concludes Wannell.

For more information about Halogen Search and Selection visit www.halogensearch.co.za.

For more information about Reputation Matters, visit www.reputationmatters.co.za. Follow Reputation Matters on Facebook (@yourreputationmatters) or Twitter (@ReputationIsKey).

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About Reputation Matters

Reputation Matters has been providing customised reputation research and management solutions since its inception in 2005. The company is 100% woman-owned and a Level 4 exempted micro-enterprise BBBEE contributor.

Reputation Matters believes that if you treasure your reputation, you will measure it and are very proud of their proprietary reputation research tool, the Repudometer®. The model scientifically measures and quantifies organisations’ reputations based on an assessment of ten elements. The Repudometer® assists organisations in understanding who their stakeholders are, what perceptions each stakeholder group has of the organisation, and how to implement results-oriented, research-based communication solutions that help take their reputations to the next level.

Reputation Matters’ vision is to be Africa’s go-to reputation research and management partner for sustainable organisational growth. The values that drive this vision are authenticity, growth, and respect.

Reputation Matters have offices in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

For more information about Reputation Matters, visit www.reputationmatters.co.za or call 021 790 0208. Reputation Matters is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/yourreputationmatters) and Twitter (@ReputationIsKey).

The week that was 20191020

PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

In the words of C.Louis Leipoldt:

...'Dit is die maand Oktober, 

die mooiste, mooiste maand! 

This translates to: "It's the month of October, the most beautiful month!  

Pretoria is absolutely glorious in October with her beautiful Jacaranda trees. (Even though it does always remind me of exam time and hoping that one of the flowers fall on your head, a sure sign that you will pass your exams :D !) Pretoria is quite dry at the moment, everyone is waiting in anticipation for the rain to come. I do miss those powerful, beautiful afternoon thunderstorms that breaks the heat of the day, unfortunately no afternoon thunderstorms this time round. 

I am so grateful to have been in Pretoria last weekend. My Mom and I drove through to Cullinan for the morning. I absolutely love spending time with my Mom, we laugh A LOT!

On Friday, my Cape Town team and I went through to be.UP Park in Pinelands. I am so grateful for the time spent with the team. We met up for #CheersforPeers for a morning of wall climbing. Jeepers, my upper body strength is much to be desired. It was a lot of fun! 

I am proud of Nalene de Klerk, stakeholder liaison on our team, for her article that she wrote on the tips to make a virtual office work. We've received some lovely coverage for it. Here's the full article.  

BIGGEST LESSON THIS WEEK / REMINDER

I quite like this table that I found on Pinstagram on alternative phrases to consider for emails. 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt," Abraham Lincoln

THIS WEEK I FINISHED READING...

Last year I started reading the Adrian Mole series. The first two, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Age 13 3/4 and Growing Pains were absolutely brilliant, sadly from book three the series steadily got less and less fun to read. This book, the Prostate Years, is the last book in the series. It is a lot more serious and rather depressing.

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE

Very random!...

Media release: Five tips for running a virtual office

Industry 4.0 is changing the way we do business, particularly the traditional concept of workspace. Reputation Matters, a proudly African research agency, has been successfully working from a virtual office space since 2008 and shares five tips for acing it.

A virtual office is an office that exists almost entirely in cyberspace. Employees are free to work from anywhere that has an internet connection. Working from home or a coffee shop, or even from the side lines of a youngster’s soccer match, is commonplace. “Benefits of the virtual office include cost cutting on items like physical office maintenance, increased employee happiness and productivity as the daily commute is eliminated and they spend more time with family,” says Regine le Roux, managing director at Reputation Matters.

Le Roux explains that a virtual office does require a shift from the traditional office mentality and shares some tips for making it work:

#1: Get the right people on board. It takes discipline and a high level of intrinsic motivation for employees to work from home. Management needs to be able to trust them to deliver quality work within agreed timelines. “We have an extensive recruitment process that gauges potential employees’ ability to work remotely,” says le Roux.

#2: Have the right tools in place. Employees require functional laptops, cell phones, and internet connection to work from anywhere. The virtual office also requires cloud storage and digital systems for scheduling, conferencing, and task management; luckily, there are a host of business applications for every aspect of the business.

#3: Have set team get-togethers. Convenient as the virtual office is, employees may feel increasingly isolated.  “We have weekly Skype meetings and I make a point of it to check in telephonically with each employee for a monthly one-on-one. Monthly we also meet up for ‘Cheers for Peers’ an initiative that celebrates employee achievements with regional teams meeting face-to-face for a fun activity,” suggests le Roux.

#4: Have set office hours. With increased connectivity comes the temptation to simply never switch off. Nowhere is this truer than in a virtual office, where the home environment often doubles as the office. ”I encourage my team to only be online after 07:00 and to switch off by 19:00, a balanced lifestyle is key for productivity,” explains le Roux.

#5: Have a professional office. Consider investing in a shared office space. This will enhance the reputation of your business when you need to host face-to-face client meeting. There are several service providers who give access to such leased office spaces for a fraction of the cost that it would take to buy and maintain a business property.

“We often read that the virtual office and flexible working hours is ‘the way of the future’ and we are proud to have stepped into future long ago,” says le Roux.

For more information about Reputation Matters, visit www.reputationmatters.co.za. Follow Reputation Matters on Facebook (@yourreputationmatters) or Twitter (@ReputationIsKey).

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Released by Reputation Matters

Media contact:

Nalene de Klerk

Mobile Number: 081 409 2453

nalene@reputationmatters.co.za

Another Awesome AfriCAN week 20191017

#kenya

WOw, wow wow! Congratulations! 

Congratulations to Eliud Kipchoge, Kenyan marathon runner who completed his 42.2kms in 01:59:40. A sub two hour marathon is possible! Wow, what an inspiration. What a lesson that anything is possible if you believe you can do it, and never giving up!

Thank you Eliud Kipchoge for inspiring us all. I don't think there was a spectator with a dry eye witnessing this accomplishment.  

 

Another Awesome AfriCAN week 20191010

#HAPPYBIRTHDAY!

This week we celebrated the birthday of one of the most inspirational people on our continent. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our dear Archbishop Desmond Tutu! (Photo via Tutu.org)

#rwanda

These three Rwandan female students developed an anti-corruption App. Well done, Monica Kirabo, Angela Izi Nkusi, and Odile Abimana, this is much needed. (Read more via Tuko) 

Rwanda’s Mara Group launched two smartphones on Monday, describing them as the first “Made in Africa” models and giving a boost to the country’s ambitions to become a regional technology hub. Read more via IOL)

#southafrica

In a first for the African continent, a full knee replacement operation has been carried out using the state-of-the-art Mako robotic arm assisted surgery system. (Read more via IOL)

#UGANDA

This Ugandan lady is the first black woman to visit all countries in the world!  Jessica Nabongo has has visited all 195 countries in the world. Having started travelling at the age of six, Nabongo who is now 34, made history on Sunday when she arrived in the last country on her list, Seychelles.(Read more via AfricaNews)

Learning expands great souls. ~ Namibian proverb

Media release: Three ways sustainability and reputation are closely linked

Here's our latest media release written by Chris Bischoff, our senior stakeholder liaison:

The world has just witnessed one of the biggest global climate strikes that took place in September, and while many tune in to the fierce words of young environmental activist, Greta Thunberg, we are left with the question: “Where does the corporate world stand in the fight against global warming?” 

It’s really not about participating in your local climate strike, or reposting video’s from famous climate speeches, it’s time to take action: it’s about implementing your company’s commitment to reducing their environmental footprint by having a strategic sustainability strategy,” says Chris Bischoff, senior stakeholder liaison at Reputation Matters.

With an increase in consumer awareness around all environmental issues, all companies are under the spotlight at any time. So how can companies step it up and make a sustainable difference whilst staying afloat? Bischoff weighs in on three important issues surrounding corporate sustainability and how having a strategy at the top level will improve your company’s reputation:

1. Looking at your triple bottom line (TBL).

‘Sustainability’ is a broad term, most frequently used in the context of ‘environmental sustainability’ and equally ‘financial sustainability’. TBL connects people, planet and profit; to hold companies accountable across all spheres, not just their bottom line. “A company’s reputation is now directly influenced by its financial performance, commitment to reducing environmental footprint and its investment in society; three business aspects that have become a measure of reputation,” adds Bischoff.  

“In the investment landscape, investors directly look at TBL through a company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors,” says Bischoff. Known as ESG investing, investors are not just concerned about your financial turnover potential, but also your social and environmental sustainability. Therefore, having a good reputation across all three spheres will increase your investment potential.

2. Achieving a sustainable chain supply

It is important to have a look at what your suppliers and business partners are doing to prioritise their sustainability. Your company may have a great plan to reduce their environmental footprint, but your effort can quickly be undone by partners and suppliers who don’t. Consumer are not just looking at you, they are also looking at who you are aligned and doing business with.

3. Becoming a benchmark brand

“If I think of a benchmark brand as the advocate for corporate environmental sustainability, the first company that comes to mind is Patagonia, the outdoor gear and clothing company that is making waves for its activism for environmental conservation,” say Bischoff. Its founder Yvon Chouinard announced the company’s new mission statement last year: “We’re in business to save our home planet.” How’s that for a mission statement of a company that has an annual revenue approaching $1bn? It goes to show that consumers support businesses that support a clean and healthy environment.

Have you ever measured how sustainable your business is perceived to be, and how this influences your reputation? Reputation Matters has developed a research tool, the Sustainability Check to measure the collective perception of how sustainable a business is operating; as this has a big influence on your reputation. “Not only do we measure sustainability, but we also provide recommendations and implementation plans to take your organisation’s sustainability and strategy to the next level,” concludes Bischoff.

Follow the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/yourreputationmatters/ and on Twitter https://twitter.com/reputationiskey.

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Released by Reputation Matters

Media contact:

Chris Bischoff

Mobile Number: 081 435 2917 

chris@reputationmatters.co.za

The week that was 20191005

PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

I am just so grateful and proud of our amazing Repudometer® reputation research offering. Enabling companies to better understand their relationship with their different stakeholders, and being able to quantify their reputations for them. The most recent one that we completed this week was for the Western Cape Blood Services (WCBS), they scored a whopping 86%! Congratulations on an excellent score. So proud and grateful to my amazing team for the processes that have been put in place for seamless projects.

We provided comment on the Thomas Cook collapse last week. I am very grateful for the media coverage that we received for our insights. Read the full article here. 

It does feel that most mornings, evenings and weekends have been consumed by decluttering. The trouble is that I start in one room, take everything out of the cupboards and then systematically work through everything using Marie Kondo's advice on whether items spark joy or not. My own sparkle soon fizzles with the chaos around me. I then tend to move on to the next room, thinking that it will be a 'quick win.' Chaos soon ensues again and I lose all enthusiasm for life itself. All that then tends to calm me is the sanctuary of a second hand book store (usually at DARG, they have the most amazing books, and you know that the funds go to a good cause); but, it doesn't help in the pursuit of my own decluttering by adding to my book collection. Anyway, I am so thrilled and proud of completing my office earlier this week. 

BIGGEST LESSON THIS WEEK / REMINDER

Easier said than done...but...worrying really is pointless.

"Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday," Dale Carnegie.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE

I was trying to log onto Facebook on a new device. "You've entered an old password. Your password was changes almost 8 years ago..." I guffawed. Mind you, I am rather impressed that I remember a password from eight years ago!

Seats Still Available! Reputation Management, 11 October 2019, Johannesburg

I am looking forward to facilitating this session at PRISA next week Friday, 11 October 2019. There are still a few seats available. Please book directly with PRISA, and share the invitation with anyone that might be interested to attend, thank you!

Reputation Management

11 October 2019

Time: 08:30 – 16:00 Registration:  08:00 to start promptly at 08:30 Region: Gauteng Venue: Little Tuscany, 48 Queens Road, Bryanston

Workshop outline: “It takes years to build a reputation and only a few minutes to destroy it,” said Warren Buffett, who is viewed by many as the greatest investor of all time. Daily, companies are faced with the challenge of effectively building, managing and maintaining their corporate reputation. During this interactive one-day workshop, you will get to unpack what areas of the business to consider when building corporate reputation strategies. This one day workshop is designed to encourage interactive participation, and covers: •An introduction to reputation management and definition of the terms. •Some chief executives’ views on reputation management and the role of their communication professionals. •Five dimensions of corporate reputation management. •The reputation management cycle. •The link between performance and reputation. •Identifying areas of risk to the reputation and planning to pro-actively respond to threats, or ‘when research matters’. •The new role of public relations and communication management. •The impact of the web: the nature of the beast. •What information and media to track and how to do it. •Harnessing the social media. •The value of sound internal branding. •Reputation risk assessment and response.

About our facilitator: Regine le Roux Academic Qualifications: M.Com (Communication Management), University of Pretoria 2003. Regine is a corporate reputation specialist. She completed her Communication Management Honours degree Cum Laude at the University of Pretoria in 2001, and completed her MCom within a year. Regine founded Reputation Matters in 2005 and hand picks and manages several teams that implement communication strategies.

She has gained much practical experience through several Communication, Change and Marketing Strategies compiled for clients in both the private and public domains. Regine developed the Repudometer®, which is one of the first tools that has been developed to measure organisational reputation. Regine was the Chairperson of the Western Cape PRISA Committee in 2014/2015, and is also on the Board of the Rotary Club of Newlands, responsible for Public Image. Regine is the author of: Reputation Matters, Building blocks to becoming the business people want to do business with.

CPD Programme Fees 2019   Duration:  1 day CPD point: 7.5 Early bird PRISA member R 2 420.00 Late PRISA member R 2 670.00 Early bird non-member R 2 950.00 Late non-member R 3 210.00 PRISA registered students R 1 400.00 Accommodation NOT included in any of the fees                          Fees subject to change Student and member fee rate/s only applicable if PRISA membership fees are paid in full at time of booking. The PRISA CPD programme adheres to the criteria required by SAQA for a recognised professional body. The programme is put together following the Global Alliance best practice professional development framework. To book contact: Annah at annah@prisa.co.za or 011 326 1262.