Upcoming events - Diarise...

Leadership Lessons from the Berlin Wall

Don't waste the Crisis (adapted from Sean Meerhan and Bernie Jaworski, IMD)

If we are able to adjust to the mixed economic signals, we are on the crest of the biggest opportunity to come along in a life time.

• Wake up to the opportunity. Customers no longer tolerate substandard solutions.
• They demand value in all segments and expect their favourite brands evolve and respond to the new world.
• While competitors bury their heads in solace, you can steal the initiative.
• Advice to all executives/leaders from current research conducted:
  • Sort out the core – build around it - only then, change the game.
  • Back to the basics is often a mantra for unfocussed cost cutting by desperate management.
  • Based on the research, spanning 7 recessions over 40 years, reveals that the winning companies emerging from economic downturns,  adhere to 4 key areas in which they ”sort out the core“:
    • Focus on core products and core markets and the underlying capability system.
    • Invest more heavily than competitors in market communications in core markets.
    • Invest in fantastic customer experiences and bias cost reduction efforts towards non-customer value adding expenses.
    • Selectively align talent development with the reset strategic agenda.
      • Recession beaters look at the following:
        • Decide not to be average
        • See your business as the customer does
        • Now is the moment of opportunity
        • Adhere to your new focus.

The Seed Parable... What are we planting?

A successful businessman was growing old and needed to appoint a successor to take over. He decided to do something different and called together all his young executives. He told them that it was time for him to step down and choose the next CEO. “I have decided to be different and choose one of you”.  The young executives were shocked. He then stated that he was going to give each one of them a seed, ”a very special one I want you to plant. You need to water the seed and come back in a year’s time with what you have grown and I will then judge the plants and choose my successor”.

Jim, like the others, went home with his seed, told his wife the story, and carefully planted the seed with compost and fertiliser and watered it. The young executives started talking about their seeds and how they were growing. Jim kept checking his but nothing ever grew even after  4 - 6 weeks. Jim felt like a failure and was very disappointed as he saw how his colleague’s plants had grown.

A year had almost past and it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life…..taking an empty pot! He felt sick in his stomach but his wife suggested he be honest and take his empty pot along. At the meeting he was amazed at all the beautiful plants grown by the other executives. When the CEO arrived, he greeted all and congratulated them, but Jim tried to hide it. He noticed Jim at the back and beckoned him to come forward. ”He knows I failed” thought Jim. The CEO asked Jim what had happened and he told his story of failure.

The CEO then asked all to be seated.  “Behold your next CEO” he announced and pointed to Jim, who was dumbstruck. “How was this possible?” all the others asked.  The CEO explained that a year ago when he handed out the assignment: ”I gave all a seed to be planted, watered and nurtured. But I gave you all boiled, dead seeds. Where you all substituted your seeds for another one,  Jim was the only one with courage and honesty to bring me an empty pot. Therefore he is the new CEO.”

If you plant honesty, you will reap….. trust 
If you plant goodness, you will reap….  friends
If you plant humility, you will reap…. greatness
If you plant perseverance, you will reap …. contentment
If you plant consideration, you will reap…. perspective
If you plant hard work, you will reap…… success
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap…… reconciliation

So be careful what we plant now, as it will determine what we reap later!

The State of the Training and HRD Industry Report now available

Each year ASTD provides local practioners in HRD/HR with an annual State of the Industry Report, with the assistance of dedicated researchers at Unisa, UJ and others. If you are looking for good benchmarking info, the 2008 report is out and can be purchased for
R 350.00 from Juanita at juanita@astd.co.za. Valuable info on training spend, training needs, performance management is available in the report. Research report of this nature normally sells for over R 2,000.00. Thanks to all researches for their dedication.

Growing Competent Leaders for Africa

Due to the enormous economic and developmental challenges facing our Leaders today, ASTD South Africa, has put together an outstanding programme to assist managers/leaders to hone and grow their leadership competencies, and to fine tune the positive role model required to deliver growth and value for our future. To achieve this we have invited 33 outstanding speakers to address our 2010 annual Conference at Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensberg. Nine International experts from as far the USA, Brazil, Germany, Holland, Venezuela, Switzerland, Australia will share some emerging insights.

Date :    24 - 26th March 2010
Venue : Champagne Sports Resort, Drakensberg.
Programme: See www.sbs.co.za/astd.

Early bird closes 30th November 2009.