Media release: CEO’s, are you leading by example?

“The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers,” ~ Ralph Nadar

Without proper leadership, it would be impossible for an organisation to build and nurture its reputation. When measuring organisations’ reputations, leadership and corporate governance play a fundamental part in how the organisation is being perceived. Strong leadership with a powerhouse team by their side, are two of the most important contributors impacting an organisation’s reputation.

Reputation Matters, a proudly African research company specialising in reputation measurement, has a unique tool, the Repudometer®. This unique research tool not only quantifies companies’ stakeholder health but also provide an overall reputation score for organisations. Managing Director, Regine le Roux mentions that leaders could increase their own reputation score by implementing the following five tips:

1. Values matter: Values refer to a set of non-negotiable standards that everyone in the organisation needs to abide by. It needs to form part of the organisation’s strategic intent. It is particularly important that the leader sets the example. “The values that you share in the business world need to resonate with the values in your private capacity. It is important that everyone within the organisation shares the same set of values. Values help to attract like-minded people to work for the organisation as well as companies you want to do business with. For example, when our company has a difficult situation to deal with, we use our values to guide us. The outcomes from these discussions may often lead us to walk away from a certain project or business lead; however, we prioritise our values above profit to make sure that we lead by example and choose organisations that resonate with us,” shares le Roux.
2. Listening matters: There is a lot of literature on the topic of listening. It is true that instead of really listening, people are often thinking about how to respond to what the other person is saying. “We’ve picked up during focus group sessions that many employees yearn for a listening ear. We get a wealth of information from the focus group sessions that we host because we listen attentively. Our clients who do take their reputations seriously and want to take it to the next level are not scared to share their Repudometer® results with all their stakeholders. Sharing these results illustrate the fact that the organisation not only heard its stakeholders, but they are truly listening. By doing so they take accountability to act on recommendations and also show that they really value the inputs received by all the participants,” says le Roux.
3. Recognition matters: Leadership is a team sport. To build respect as a leader, you need to appreciate and respect your team. It is important to give credit where credit is due. When the team does well, everyone does well.  
4. Fun matters: It’s important not to lose your sense of humour; having fun as a team is vital.  “Try and connect with your team by doing something outside of work every month or so. It does wonders for team morale and productivity,” mentions le Roux.
5. Creating more leaders matter: “Leaders need to cultivate more leaders and at the same time continuously improve and develop themselves,” says le Roux. Leaders should provide teams with opportunities to grow and develop while also stretching them to their full potential.

“By growing your team and cultivating the necessary skills that you as a leader need, will have a direct impact on your organisation’s reputation. Leaders need to take a stand and be the voice of not only their workforce but also their community by addressing pressing social issues,” concludes le Roux.

Continue the reputation conversation by connecting with Reputation Matters on Twitter @ReputationIsKey or Facebook www.facebook.com/yourreputationmatters. Visit www.reputationmatters.co.za for more information.

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The week that was 03082019

PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

I am so grateful for the coverage that we received on the Entrepreneur and Bizcommunity sites this week. Winet Fourie, reputation specialist on our team wrote a great article on the important role that CEOs play when it comes to building a reputation as well as a few tips for them on taking reputations to the next level. 

Heading back to Pretoria after a long day of meetings in Johannesburg yesterday, I was reminded how incredibly grateful I am that our virtual office set up works.

BIGGEST LESSON THIS WEEK

Picture from: Citrus Valley Collection 

On Tuesday evening we had a combined Rotary Club of Newlands and Rotary Club of Claremont meeting in the format of a quizz night. I learnt what an Orantique is, a combination of an orange and tangerine.

Picture from BizPort

This week in two totally different discussions, I was reminded: you can have the most brilliant product but it doesn't help if no one knows about it. 

I always thought that a lanai was an old Afrikaans word for a porch, turns out to  be a Hawaiian word.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

THIS WEEK I FINISHED READING...

This  was my first Deon Meyer book. I really enjoy good Afrikaans reads. Thoroughly enjoyed this one and look forward  to reading his other books too.

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE
(I keep forgetting to add this one, this was from a conversation with someone about Trump a few weeks back):

Me: Why is there still support for Trump?
Answer: There are many supporters whose family tree is a straight line.

===

 ...and one last one:

The week that was 20190727

And so another amazing week to reflect on, comes to an end. Here's an overview of things that I am proud and grateful for, main things I learnt, cool quotes I saw, an overview of books finished and something that has made me giggle. How has your week been? 

PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

I am grateful for new connections and friendships. The week started with a great conversation with Carolynn Chalmers, Corporate and IT Governance specialist. The red wine and fireplace was an added bonus! 

Monday evening I attended our Rotary Club of Newlands weekly meeting. I am so grateful and proud to be a Rotarian. The Club is involved with such inspiring projects. I am especially proud of the most recent project that was launched on Friday. Our Club (specifically Graham Finlayson and John Winship who invested many many hours) was integrally involved with the building of the Eyethu Skate Park in Hout Bay. Well done to all the Rotary Clubs, Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages and the City of Cape Town!

Three of the Cape Town team members live in Hout Bay, so I was thrilled and grateful to attend the  Eyethu Skate Park launch. It is always so wonderful to catch up with the team, I am so grateful and proud of them! 

I am rather chuffed and proud that I have made it to Gold on Discovery Vitality in less than a year of joining. [So thankful for Ashleigh's tip of going to Clicks to do a health check, that got me the necessary points to go up the level] 

So grateful for this morning's parkrun with Lauren! What a fun morning! Am in fact also rather proud becuase we ran slightly further after the parkrun.

Had a fabulous lunch with Mark and Bella. The weather has cleared up and it was absolutely delightful to have lunch at the local pub. So grateful to spend time with these two.

BIGGEST LESSON THIS WEEK 

Miserable people are unlikely to change, best is to spend time with people that inspire and uplift you.

Picture source: Cape Town etc.

The second thing that I learnt, was "The Secret Love Project" I have always wondered what the heart signs around the City was all about. Here's a bit more info:

"The Secret Love Project is a registered charity (PBO# 930063541) and non-profit company that offers the homeless a lifeline out of poverty and a fresh path to re-integration into society. Every month we give out 10,000 FREE heart sticker packs to over 100 registered sellers, who sell them to motorists at R20 each and keep 100% of the sale. This puts R200,000 a month (R2,4million/year) into the hands of the most needy in our community."

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

I actually saw quite a few that resonated with me this week.
Saw this one at the SARS offices:

Spotted at the False Bay College in Tokai:

Can't remember where I saw this one, just really like it:

THIS WEEK I FINISHED READING...

Two things, how on earth was this allowed to happen? Why is nothing being done to take action?

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE

This one cropped up on my Facebook timeline:

...and one last one :)

Leadership Magazine: Changing reputations one person at a time, what difference are you making?

Leadership Magazine July 2019 pg 62 & 63

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching,” ~ C.S Lewis

We all know it, we’ve all read about it and you’ll be hard pressed to find a conference or seminar that doesn’t bang on about the important role that leaders play in the reputation of companies, countries and even the continent. But have we all become so blasé by the concept that we just tune it out, believing that it’s a lost cause, especially if we see the misconduct of company after company, country after country and ultimately impacting the reputation of the continent?

As you would have seen from my column last month, the importance of leadership is exactly what the results from the African Public Relations Association (ARPA) research on ethics and reputation that we conducted showed us. Leadership plays a fundamental role in a company, country and continent’s reputation. A brilliant example on the African continent is Rwanda. I had waxed lyrically about my recent trip to Rwanda and how they managed to get it right, to create an environment in Africa that is clean and safe.  Until you experience it, it does sound like an elaborate public relations ploy.  Believe it or not, this mythical place does exist. I felt completely safe walking from the market at 22:00 on a Friday evening in downtown Kigali; I did not even need to hide my phone. This is as a result of an active drive by the president and country’s leadership team to be accountable to the people.

Last week I attended and participated the second Brand Summit South Africa convened by Solly Moeng. As passionate as I am about Africa and finding ways to change the narrative about the continent, it is just as important to start with improving the image back home.  I realised that we are not a united, proud nation, and that we’ve lost that magic. This became very evident to me during my Kigali trip. When I went sightseeing with my friends from Ghana and they saw fellow Ghanaian countrymen, it was as if they had met up with long lost friends. Seeing fellow South Africans had us all ignore each other like stop signs: you know they are there, but you have no desire to stop and engage in any type of conversation. Why is that?

We need to fall back in love with our beautiful South Africa and be proud of who we are. Embrace and be excited when we see fellow South Africans on our travels. 

Yes, a lot can be said about how our leadership  led us down the rabbit hole of misery, mistrust and mediocrity to where our pride levels lie today. The research that we conducted for APRA showed that the country level didn’t fare particularly well at all, with leaders playing the key role in damaging a countries reputation. But we need to stop blaming and threatening to leave the continent; what it that going to help? Every single person is responsible for their own behaviour, which impacts how those around them perceive them and act towards them. The things that we say and do on an individual level can have a massive impact on how a company, country and the continent is seen.

What I found particularly interesting from our APRA research was that individuals scored 89% for reputation and ethics. Which, taken at face value, looks great! It’s a distinction. It is, however, rather disturbing: it means that 11% of the people that answered the survey do not regard themselves as having a good reputation or being particularly ethical. It’s these 11% of individuals’ behaviour that is playing a key role in damaging reputations. You might think that what you are saying or doing will not make a difference, but isn’t that exactly what integrity is? What you do when no one is looking? And that impacts your behaviour and ultimately your reputation. Take one of the sessions at last week’s Brand Summit: the panel consisted of international guests sharing their lessons on changing the perceptions of a country. One of the ladies from Russia mentioned that when her family and friends heard that she was coming to South Africa, they were very worried for her safety, and someone even mentioned that she needs to be careful of the cannibals! It is these misconceptions that have a major impact on tourism, not just locally, but across the continent as well. Fortunately, she is keen to visit our beautiful country again soon. However, when asked whether she would eagerly visit any other African country, you could see the panic set in of venturing into the unknown. I don’t think it’s just a Russian thing. We have our own misconceptions as South Africans about the rest of Africa. Let’s be honest: we really don’t know our own continent.  We can all rattle off at last five European countries and name their capital cities and know what their flags look like. How fluently would you be able to do the same with African countries?

Leadership and governance are non-negotiable, and we need to continue keeping our leaders accountable.  They need to actively be seen doing the right thing. Take Dr Zamani Saul, premier of the Northern Cape, as an example. Instead of buying himself and all the MECs new vehicles, he used the money for much needed ambulances. But it is just as important that we become conscious about our own actions and what we say.

We have a magnificent country and continent! If we can all start by celebrating the positive aspects of our countries and the continent and sharing at least one positive story each day, we’ll start seeing a massive positive shift in the narrative of our beautiful continent.

It’s time that we stop selling ourselves short and start celebrating everything that we have to offer. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to change mindsets and the narrative, but it starts with each one of us to make the difference.

The hope is that our leaders are held accountable for their actions and that they will adopt a non-negotiable ethical value system, setting the example on a daily basis. That we will respect every individual so much that our actions are driven by an ethical value system that becomes a reality in everything that we say and do, and not just something that sounds good in theory.   That we become so proud of our countries, our countrymen and continent that we can’t ever imagine leaving for other countries, and that we attract those who did leave, back.  

There is a wonderful African proverb: “until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” Isn’t it time that we start telling the story of the lion?

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The week that was 20190720

PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

It was another awesome week, so many things to be grateful for.

Happy happy birthday to our beautiful Bella! Eight years old today. So grateful that this Sweetheart has crawled into our hearts. 

I am so grateful for this fabulous massive blanket my Mom crocheted Bella, can you spot Belly's nose?

I had an absolutely fabulous time in Gauteng and spending time with my Mom last weekend. She has the sweetest 'puppies' from the SPCA [Frankie top left, and Lexi, bottom left]. Whenever I am in Pretoria over a weekend, I visit the "Ooskerk" ~ Dutch Reform Church (centre photo). It's where I was baptized and confirmed. There is a serenity that I experience after each service. I absolutely love the view from the airplane as you fly into Cape Town, grateful to be home safely in Cape Town.

I am so grateful to have been invited by Solly Moeng to attend the launch of Nadia Read Thaele's art exhibition with him. The exhibition was also in collaboration with Legacy Collection's, Charmaine Taylor, who makes jewelry from the fence that was around Robben Island. Themba Mkhangeli also profiled his work, wow his pen work (top right hand corner in the collage above) is spectacular. Massively fun evening. 

BIGGEST LESSON THIS WEEK

Looking at this week's photos, the lesson: I need to spend a bit more time on my bicycle and get running :D

Saw this on the Fairlady Facebook page, and thought it is a good reminder:

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Seeing that it was Mandela Day this week (18 July), I thought a Madiba quote would be apt:

"It always seems impossible until it's done."

THIS WEEK I FINISHED READING...

Mister God, this is Anna was such a sweet read.

Really enjoyed it, had many, 'oh wow, ok, didn't see that coming,' moments.

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE

Belly really didn't love her Birthday hat...

...and one more :)

The week that was 20190713

It's been a wonderful week! There are so many things that happened that made me so proud and grateful.

PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

The week started off with attending the Robben Island Muesum (RIM) memorial lecture on Govan Mbeki. It was very special to meet Denis Goldberg, who also shared a few memories during the evening. Former Deputy Chief Justice, Dikgang Moseneke was the guest speaker; it was incredible to hear, learn and be reminded of our history and getting closer insight into "Oom Gov". I am very grateful for the opportunity to have attended the evening.

I had a moment of immense pride to see how well some of the past team members that started their careers at Reputation Matters are doing. Morongoa Ramaboa is now the spokesperson for Robben Island Museum, and Thabo L. Mangoenyane is part of the Corporate Affairs department at Tiger Brands. I was so pleased to catch up with both of them this week.

On Thursday evening, I attended the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA)'s AGM. I was very grateful for the opportunity to present the ethics and reputation research results that we conducted for the African Public Reputation Association (APRA) earlier this year. It was so wonderful to reconnect and catch up with everyone. All the best to Rene Benecke who has taken over the role of PRISA President.

Yesterday, I caught up with the Gauteng team. I am so incredibly grateful and proud of our dynamic team. We combined a couple of team meetings with our monthly Cheers for Peers, the ideas shared and energy in the room was just inspiring! 

 

The absolute cherry on top of the amazing week, was catching up with my cousin and his wonderful wife. I am so grateful for an incredibly fun evening, reminiscing and a lot of laughing! 

BIGGEST LESSON THIS WEEK
Always check that your hire car's lights are off before walking off. Not all cars' headlights automatically switch off. (Europcar, are however amazingly quick to help jump start a car). [Just make sure that you idle the car for long enough and try not to stall it, you will need to flag someone down to help you jump start it again...]

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Those who take from their followers are not true leaders,' Former Deputy Chief Justice, Dikgang Moseneke

THIS WEEK I FINISHED READING...

As mentioned last week, I attended Robin Banks' Mind Power seminar. Last weekend I went out to find a copy of John Kehoe's book, Mind Power, a book highly recommended during the session. It's a fairly quick read, I managed to finish it in a week. As Robin said, it's all good and well to read it quickly, but it is important to practice and continuously train your mind what it thinks. What you think and say to yourself is what you attract and become.

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE

In the spirit of Wimbledon:

This is definitely my type of running race!

One more...

And a last one...

The week that was 20190607

PROUDEST | MOST GRATEFUL MOMENT

I was absolutely thrilled and so proud to see our Awesome AfriCAN initiative in this week's People's Post. I am also so proud of Chris on our team for getting the Awesome AfriCAN website up and running. We are still looking for sponsors for individuals to attend the computer classes, as well as sponsors of websites for entrepreneurs.

The week started with saying good bye to Charles Moore and celebrating his awesome life. Although I did not know him for very long, I am so grateful for the day I met him and Ashleigh and became friends. I have been so inspired and humbled by both of their strength.

biggest lesson this week

The photo above should actually also be underneath the grateful heading above. I am so incredibly grateful for the amazing friends that I have Bronwyn (left) and Lisa (right). The event that we attended was Robin Banks' Mind Power seminar. Earlier in the week when I booked, it sounded like a good idea, I'll be honest as we arrived at Belmont Park, my enthusiasm level had dwindled significantly and I was looking for an escape route. I am so glad that I did stick it out and stay. As Robin says, we are all sitting on a gold mind, and it is all about tapping into it and what we feed it. It turned out being such a fun and energetic evening, filled with a lot of laughing! 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

THIS WEEK I FINISHED READING...
Didn't finish any books this week.

WHAT MADE ME GIGGLE

Couldn't resist sharing this one too: