#BizTrends2023: What about the shoemaker's children?

#BizTrends2023

Having a purpose driven entity has been all the buzz in recent years. These days it's about making a difference and there is the added pressure of making a big impact.

With this, I agree to a certain extent. Looking after the communities in which we live and work is fundamental to an organisation’s success, it is one of the ten building blocks that we measure at Reputation Matters when quantifying an organisation’s reputation.

Looking inward

But sometimes it is the small consistent actions that make the biggest difference and will have a major impact in the long run. Within the creative industry be it, reputation-, communication-, public relations- or marketing management, we often obsess about building brands for our clients, but very often forget about our own businesses and teams.

What is it that they say about the shoemaker’s children? Before we are able to make any positive impact for anyone else, we have to take a look inward, and foster one of our most important stakeholder groups, our employees.

The value of values

From the insights that we garnered from the reputation research projects that we conducted last year, one of the fundamental solutions to most organisation’s problems is having a set of core values in place that drive decisions and ultimately behaviour.

It’s not about coming up with a set of values that sound good, it’s about actually making a difference and guiding the ‘way we do things around here’.

Values are fundamental to a healthy team morale and organisation’s culture. Therefore, one of the biggest continued focus areas for organisations for 2023, should be on employees, and particularly on employee mental health and wellbeing.

Employee mental health and wellbeing

Your employees are fundamental to your organisation’s success. It is important to know where they stand, with their work, their managers, fellow colleagues, and career aspirations. They also spend most of their time at work, and companies should therefore take responsibility over their employees’ mental health.

Before you go off looking for corporate social responsibility projects to get involved in, ask yourself whether you are looking after your own team?

How are you fostering and nurturing your teams?

This is what we should be looking at internally:

Mental wellness

Results of a 2021 survey by the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) found that 90% of Public Relations (PR) professionals had experienced poor mental health.

The three key triggers including: lack of reward or recognition for good work; long hours and not enough career growth opportunities. From all the studies that we’ve conducted at Reputation Matters last year, we have also seen a significant focus on the need to prioritise mental health in the workplace.

Quiet quitting

As a result of the lack of support for mental wellbeing, we will see even more ‘quiet quitting’. The term “quiet quitting” refers to employees who put no more effort into their jobs than absolutely necessary.

A 2022 Gallup survey suggested that at least half of the US’ workforce consists of quiet quitters. I read in The Citizen that Tshepiso Rasetlola, an associate in employment law at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, shared that if employees become less engaged in their role, they generally also see less room for growth and are subsequently less interested in their company.

When a workforce is lacklustre about the organisation that they are working for, it will reflect in the organisation’s reputation and ultimately its bottom line.

Employee engagement and two-way communication channels are therefore even more crucial than ever before to build your team’s morale, trust in leadership, and to support your teams.

Work life balance

The pandemic put a lot of pressure on everyone and gave people a lot of time to think and to take stock of what they would like to achieve with their life. Right after the pandemic we saw a lot of movement, especially Generation Xers, between companies or starting their own businesses. People want to take control of their lives as well as where and when they want to work.

We need to start considering more flexibility in working hours, we’ll definitely see more companies moving towards the four-day work week.

All too often employees are not heard

Where to start? It’s important to take stock and to get feedback directly from your team in a safe environment. We’ve had tremendous success with gaining insights into teams with our employee climate survey that we’ve developed.

Employee climate surveys create safe anonymous feedback channels where employees can share their experiences about their workplace and team. We see too often that companies work on a ‘gut feeling’ about the well-being of their teams.

They are more often than not, quite shocked to realise that their employees may not be as happy or invested in the company as they had hoped or thought they were. Invariably, we do find in our surveys that employees are a lot harsher with their feedback than external stakeholders, and generally score the business much lower, but this honest feedback is important as employees do want the organisations that they work for to do well.

They are also at the heart of the business and know exactly what is building or breaking down the success of the company. Sadly, all too often employees are not heard.

Times and circumstances will always change and therefore it’s important to understand how this impacts a workforce. More so than ever before, it is important to be proactive in valuing your most valuable asset, your employees.

Written for Bizcommunity: #BizTrends2023: What about the shoemaker's children? (bizcommunity.com)

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Being more productive: Routine Roots Us

Towards the end of last year, I audio booked: Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. He theorises that four thousand weeks is the average number of weeks we live.

My take home from this book was that there are a lot of productivity programs out there, but the long and the short of it is, that regardless of how productive you want to be, there isn’t really a point to it (not exactly helpful). However, he does add that the main aim is to enjoy the here and now. For me, to be organised, definitely helps with enjoying the moment. 

After a wonderful Christmas break, I started feeling particularly anxious and stressed, this was a bit bizarre as I got to a point where I was over analyzing every situation. Rather exhausting and counterproductive especially after a holiday, which should technically energise and put you into a relaxed frame of mind. 

Something that I then realised about myself is that I enjoy, no let me rephrase, I need routine and structure. 

At the beginning of each year, I set time aside to review my goals from the previous year, reflect on them and then work on goals for the new year. It’s quite an exercise, but I found that as soon as I had set my goals for this year, the anxiety dissipated, and it was as if I was able to breathe again. 

In case it is helpful for someone who might feel a bit panicked for the year, this is my process, which I highly recommend doing during January. 

I use a lot of colour, and, a lot of paper. I’ve just counted, and see that I have structured my goals into twelve different categories, each category gets its own colour. Having different categories helps to have a good balance between things that you want to achieve in different realms of your life. 

On a side note, a good friend of mine reminded me the other day as we were chatting about goals, keep in mind that there are two types of goals. A process goal and an outcomes based goal. A process goal is something that becomes part of your routine, e.g. being healthier: eating less sugar or flossing each day, it’s part of a routine that becomes a habit, it’s ongoing. Whereas an outcomes based goal, is something specific that you want to achieve, e.g. reduce your waist size by two centimeters before the end of the year; something that you can measure and tick off at the end of a specific timeframe.

 

1. Year in review: I first go through all the goals that I set myself the previous year. I go through it goal by goal, reflect on whether I achieved it (outcomes goal), stuck to it (process goal) or didn’t achieve it at all. Then ask myself what I learnt from it and what I could’ve / should’ve done differently. 

In Burkeman’s book, he does talk about having a fail list and being ok with not achieving some of your goals. Invariably, there are going to be some items on your goals list that you don’t achieve. Don’t beat yourself up about it and move on. This helped me a lot, as one of my goals last year was improving a specific relationship. But, I realised that somethings are out of my control, as much as I wanted to foster a closer relationship, at minimum improve communication, it was going to be near impossible as it was one sided. If you irritate someone, then no amount of goal setting is ever going to change that. When I made peace with that and the goal went onto my fail list, I was ok with it and felt lighter. This year the focus will rather be on sharing time and focussing on relationships where mutual respect and fun is fostered. The other item that was on my fail list from last year, was doing one coldwater swim with my Aunt. I thought that I had a lot of time at the beginning of last year to get it checked off, but before I knew it the year was over! But, I am thrilled that I've already joined her for TWO swims this year! There's a fine balance between being OK with failing a goal, but also not giving up too quickly. There are such magical moments when you push yourself outside of your comfort zone. 

Once I’ve reviewed each goal, I then ask myself do I want to set this goal again? What do I hope to achieve this time around with it, what do I want to do differently, or is there perhaps something totally different that I want to add to the specific category. 

[If you didn’t set goals for yourself last year, don’t stress about it. Make a list of everything that you would like to achieve this year. Use different categories, e.g. Family, friends, finances, fitness, spirituality, work, education, health, home, side hustle ~ whatever is most relevant for you. Reflect on each and determine what you would like to accomplish within each category. In other words, next year this time, what would you have liked to have achieved.] 

Then, on a big sheet of paper divide the page into different categories and then list the goals in each segment with a different colour. Paste this sheet on the wall close to your desk, so that at a glance you can see and remind yourself what your priorities are. 

2. Monthly. Once the overall year plan is plotted. I then take twelve sheets of paper. One for each month and then translate the year into monthly activities that will get me to the overall goal. I love tick boxes, so build in a check box wherever I can. The actions are also colour coded; same as for the year. Last year I also made a separate check list page for the 100 x 10 kms that I stuck on the fridge, after each run I would colour in a square. I'm all for celebrating small wins!

3. Weekly.  From there, the activities get diarised into my weekly calendar. I prefer using Google Calendar, as it allows me to move things around as I need to. 

It’s important to have structure, but at the same time, to be flexible. Also, as Burkeman shares, projects that you work on will always take longer than anticipated regardless of how well you try and plan them. So it’s important to have wiggle room in your week and not plan it too tightly so that if something runs over, it doesn't cause the rest of your day and week to be driven by anxiety because you didn’t get around to completing something.

When you set your goals, remember, if they don't scare you, they aren't big enough. Bring in something that challenges you, and I also think it's good to bring in something creative. Try new things. One of my favourite goals last year was a 100 day drawing challenge that a friend introduced me to. [Checkit out www.instagram.com/thebell365 ]

Generally, I plan my activities in 30 minute increments, but, I set my alarm for 25 minutes, then I know I have five minutes left to either wrap up, or to take a quick break. Then on to the next task for 25 minutes. If there is something that may need a bit more time, I slot it in for 60 minutes, but set the timer for 50 minutes, then challenge myself to complete it within the 50 minutes.  Years ago I used to work for hours on end without a break. It was exhausting and often towards the end of the assignment, get so tired that more often than not it had to be redone at a later stage, which was very frustrating. In Burkeman’s book, he does share that small increments of work each day gets much more done than trying to do it all in once. 

One of the scourges of trying to be productive is procrastination. Sometimes, you can be as organised as you want to be, but procrastination is real. There’s a wonderful meme I saw the other day saying: 

There is no limits to what you can accomplish when you’re supposed to be doing something else. 

I do find that it helps to say to myself, let me time myself for just five minutes to do something that I really don’t feel like doing. You can often get quite a lot done in five minutes, and I do find that it breaks down that procrastination barrier. 

The ‘one minute rule’ is also great; if something is going to take you less than a minute to do, do it right away. [Here's a super article on the One Minute Rule]

One last thing, when it comes to your goals, there is something quite powerful in writing them down, reading them often and talking about them, it tends to keep you more accountable and focussed on achieving them. 

Here's to your wonderfully productive and prosperous 2023!

Daily Maverick Article: VHS tapes are making a comeback… as upcycled bags and footstools that combat plastic pollution

Thank you so much to the Daily Maverick for this great article!

Reuben Mhashu, recently started helping to build the footstools. 

I met Reuben a couple of years back, he is one of Hout Bay’s top runners, he recently won the West Coast Marathon!

He has the potential to go incredibly far, but unfortunately does not currently have any sponsors. He's helping to build the footstools so that he can save towards new running shoes (the necessary nutrition needed and not to mention the entry fees for all the races!) If you perhaps know of any sponsorship opportunities for Reuben, please let me know.

Reuben Mhashu

Here's some of the latest footstools that Reuben and John have made: 

For more information: regine@rebagreuse.com / +27 83 302 1528

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-12-28-vhs-tapes-are-making-a-comeback-as-upcycled-bags-and-footstools-that-combat-plastic-pollution/ 

IKIGAI: Food won't help you live longer. The secret is smiling and having a good time.

Good advice to start the year with!

 

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