Audiobook: The Hard Way: Adapt, Survive and Win, Mark ‘billy’ Billingham

Read by Mark Billingham

Really enjoy this book and learning more about the SAS. The majority of the book is read by Mark ‘billy’ Billingham, which is absolutely super.

Love these ten tips that he shares on how he got to where he did:  

1. If you don’t reach your goal, you will still be in a better place you were in than you started, as long as you try.
2. It does not matter what other people say about you, because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what you think about yourself.
3. Belief, courage and conviction can help you to navigate dangerous situations best. It’s your job to come up with new options and new ideas, and against all odds, new solutions to each problem that creeps up in your daily life. Always keep trying.
4. When everyone is bigger and stronger than you and looks the part, have the self-assurance to know that your greatest weapon is your experience. Think / plan / execute.
5. You are only as good as your last job. Never any time for self-gratification. What could we have done better? What could have gone wrong. Analyse our mistakes and aim to never repeat them, only to be better. Every day is a school day; listen, learn and pass on your knowledge and experience. Those that you invest in are the future.
6. Always go further in everything that you believe in. We all have the power to make the world a better place. Your duty is to give more, do more, share more. Do the right thing for the greater good.
7. There will be times in your life, when you may be criticised; unjustly accused of something. If you want to please everybody, you are on a certain road to failure. Especially when it comes to being successful. As soon as you put your head above the crowd and say, “I’m going to do this” or “Let’s go for that”, certain people will criticise and doubt you. Focus on the people that cheer you on and want you to succeed.
8. Somethings we will not be able to improve. Somethings you just have to accept in life, e.g. slowing down physically; but you don’t have to slow down mentally. Focus on everything that is going right and what you can do, and what you can improve on.
9. Always recognise the people who got you to where you are. Small and large scale.
10. Never give up.  

5/5

Put your feet up on your favourite movies while watching your favourite movie

Giving VHS tapes a second lease on life.

Caption: John Singano, local upholsterer in Imizamo Yetho, Hout Bay, is the talent behind covering footstools being repurposed from old VHS video tapes as part of the Re.Bag.Re.Use^TM initiative.

The Re.Bag.Re.Use^TM team, crochets beautiful multifunctional items from the tape itself. Going a step further to use the entire VHS tape, the Re.Bag.Re.Use team has found a way to use the empty video tapes as well. VHS and cassette tapes are in most cases non-recyclable or not accepted by recyclers, therefore repurposing this material is the next best sustainable option.

“For quite some time I have been worrying about all the empty VHS video cases that we are generating,” shares Re.Bag.Re.Use founder, Regine le Roux. “The main reason being, it's one of those awful plastics that can't be recycled and will potentially end up in landfill when they are not repurposed.”

“Footstools is one of the solutions that we have come up with to repurpose empty VHS boxes!” adds le Roux.

John Singano, local upholsterer in Imizamo Yetho, Hout Bay, is the talent behind covering the footstools. “When Regine first asked me for a quote to upholster the footstools made from VHS tapes I was so excited. Instead of throwing something away, we can turn it into something that people can love. As an upholsterer, we are often left with a lot of material offcuts that are too small for other projects and the material gets thrown away. But now, we can use these off cuts to cover the VHS footstools. Nothing goes to waste!”

“It’s such a thrill to make something so beautiful out of ‘nothing’,” adds le Roux.

Re.Bag.Re.Use is an initiative that was borne in Hout Bay;  it started off as a hobby during the Covid-19 lockdown. The flagship product is a multifunctional bag, crocheted and repurposed from empty bread bag, but as the project is growing and building moment, additional products are being added to the product range. For more information visit www.rebagreuse.com or Instagram: www.instagram.com/re.bag.re.use

 

Book: The Toyota Way, 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer, Jeffrey K. Liker.

It was very interesting to learn more about the history of Toyota, and what makes it such a remarkable company.  

I absolutely love this illustration of the Toyota Way. There is such a strong tie with their way of thinking and doing things, and the elements that build strong reputations:

The foundation is built on their philosophy, this for me ties in incredibly closely to values; something which is the corner stone to any business’ success and reputation.

The importance of processes comes next. I love processes. Reputations are built on consistency. You are either consistently good or consistently inconsistent; either way you are building a reputation for yourself. Processes helps you to become consistent.

People and partners; having the right team and strategic alliances are also key to your success and your reputation. If you associate yourself with dodgy people and dealings, you will compromise your business and reputation.

Continuous improvement ~ the only way to grow is through continuous improvement. But you can only do that if you have the foundation of values, processes and people in place. 

I also particularly like the fact that the environment is very important to them. The Heart of the Toyota Production System: Eliminating Waste. 

Here are the 14 Management Principles:

Principle 1: Base your management decisions on a long-term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term financial goals.

Principle 2: Create continuous process flow to bring problems to the surface.

Principle 3: Use “pull’ systems to avoid overproduction.

Principle 4: Level out the workload; work like the tortoise, not the hare.

Principle 5: Build a culture of stopping to fix problems, to get quality right the first time.

Principle 6: Standardized tasks are the foundation for continuous improvement and employee empowerment.

Principle 7: Use visual control so no problems are hidden.

Principle 8: Use only reliable, thoroughly tested technology that service your people and processes.

Principle 9: Grow leaders who thoroughly understand the work, live the philosophy, and teach it to others.

Principle 10: Develop exceptional people and teams who follow your company’s philosophy.

Principle 11: Respect your extended network of partners and suppliers by challenging them and helping them improve.

Principle 12: Go and see for yourself and thoroughly understand the situation.

Principle 13: Make decisions slowly by consensus, thoroughly considering all options; implement decisions rapidly.

Principle 14: Become a learning organisation through relentless reflection and continuous improvement.

Some of the technical aspects got a bit tedious. 

3/5

Making something out of nothing!

Just had to share my excitement...

For quite some time I have been worrying about all the empty VHS video cases that we are generating.  

The main reason being, it's one of those awful plastics that can't be recycled. 

Long story short, footstools is one of the solutions that I have come up with to repurpose them into...

John the upholsterer in Imizamo Yetho here in Hout Bay, is the talent behind covering the footstool in material.

(Which, incidentally was an off cut piece  of material also heading to the dump).

Making something out of nothing! 

The Re.Bag.Re.Use bags international award

Caption: Re.Bag.Re.Use has bagged international recognition and is the co-winner of the ECCO International Communications Network 2022 Awards! From left to right: Portia Chirawu, Sakile Ndlovu, Margaret Nyika, Darmeris Makovere, Mejury Kazingizi, Rita Ncube are some of the Re.Bag.Re.Use team members sharing their excitement when they heard that their work is being recognised abroad.

Earlier this month, the Re.Bag.Re.Use initiative that started in Hout Bay, Cape Town, received international recognition and was awarded the co-winner spot at the ECCO International Communications Network 2022 Awards.

The purpose of Re.Bag.Re.Use is to give people the opportunity to put bread on the table by using their skills to crochet products from upcycled plastic, minimising plastic accumulation in the environment and keeping it out of landfill.

When Re.Bag.Re.Use products are sold, it pays towards a cutter and a crocheter from the local community. A percentage also gets donated to a local charity; the Neighbourhood Old Age Home and the Rotary Club of Newlands, who are the main beneficiaries.

"This project from South Africa convinced the jury especially because of its social contribution for women in the current economic crisis and for the benefits towards our environment. We see this initiative having the potential to encourage more local entrepreneurs and businesses to start similar projects that have social and environmental benefits", says Christian Kollmann, Chairperson of ECCO International Communications Network

“Moreover, according to the jury, the project was accompanied by professional media and communication work that brought convincing results in growing the initiative,” added Kollmann.  

Regine le Roux, founder of the initiative shares, “what an honour to be recognised internationally. It’s a nod and the boost to let the team know that we’re onto something incredible here. I would never in a million years have thought that an empty bread bag would bring so much joy and have such a positive impact on so many people.”

For more information please visit our Instagram page: www.instagram.com/re.bag.re.use/

WhatsApp: 083 302 1528

Email: regine@rebagreuse.com

www.rebagreuse.com

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Audiobook review: Elon Musk, How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is shaping our future, Ashlee Vance

Very interesting to learn more about Elon Musk and all his endeavours. His achievements are astounding. Ashlee Vance describes Musk as an upgraded mix of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

Everything is achievable, and he has delivered on everything that he said he would. His timelines aren’t accurate, but he gets things done; this is incredibly inspiring. 

What annoyed me a bit about the audiobook though was the narrator. I am not too sure as to why every time he read a part narrating something that Musk said, his voice went up an octave and a few decibels softer. I watched a YouTube video to check whether Elon has a high pitched~Michael Jackson~esque voice, but no, he actually has a lovely deep voice. 

One of the quotes shared in the book: 

“We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters.” – Peter Thiel

An interesting read.

4/5

DLYCBK!* Etiquette #6 Get a person’s name right and pronounce it correctly

 

It is so important to get people's name right. I appreciate that I don’t have the easiest name to pronounce, but, it really means a lot when someone checks how to pronounce it and tries to make an effort to get it right. It boils down to respect.

Sometime ago during a business lunch, I sat next to a gentleman, a term I use very loosely, here is the conversation:

Regine: Hi, my name is Regine

"Gentleman": Oh, you mean "Régine" (pronouncing it with a French accent) 

Regine: Uhm, no, Regine (emphasising the "g")

"Gentleman": Yes, but the French pronounce it Régine

Regine: Yes, they do, but mine is pronounced "Regien"; it is my Grandmother's name.

"Gentleman": waves hand at me and says, "ag don't worry about it," and turns his back to me.

I shared this story with my team as part of our weekly lessons learnt and linking it to our core values during a team meeting. One of my colleagues then shared this wonderful poem:

“Give your daughters difficult names.

Give your daughters names that command the full use of the tongue.

My name makes you want to tell me the truth.

My name doesn’t allow me to trust anyone that cannot pronounce it right”

~Warsan Shire