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My good friend and colleague, Lynda Smith, sent me an article recently that got me thinking about how companies and countries need to have strategy for the ageing Baby Boomers. Lynda runs an excellent consulting firm, The Refirement Network, that focuses on this issue, and additionally helps those facing retirement to think about it differently (hence the name of her business).

The article she sent me (read it here) highlighted research that placed South Africa in the top ten best retirement destinations in the world. The particular slant of the article was to indicate that this would result in upward pressure on suitable house prices. But there’s more to it than that.

Companies in areas, regions and countries that are good retirement destinations should strategise about the products and services that retirees of the future will demand. This is everything from high tech setups in their homes together with technical support services, to healthcare and wellness issues. A quick moment of pondering adds so many other items to the list, including education (yes, the 65+ market is ripe for continuing education), transport, financial advice, providing the luxuries and nostalgic items from their home countries, entertainment, security and so much more.

The SA government should be marketing South Africa as an attractive retirement destination, as should the coastal cities in the country. And businesses should be gearing themselves up for this too.

What are you doing?

I heard a great story in a workshop in which I was involved with a group of educators. We were talking about ‘Rethinking Education’ and in particular the way in which technology is impacting on education. As you can imagine it was an emotive and challenging discussion as assumptions, worldviews and even values were all under the microscope, and for some, it felt like they were under the cosh! It was a time where one of my favourite quotes by Mark Twain was vividly coming to life: It is not what you don’t know that gets you into trouble but rather it is what you know for certain that just ain’t so. There is a lot about our understanding (perhaps on how the world works) that when it comes to the current context and reality that ‘just ain’t so’!

There were the predictable concerns around controlling the technology and the usual suspicions about the technology in the first place. Many of the educators were on the back-foot; they were on the defensive as after all, they were the ones ignorant in much of the technological ways that are ‘first nature’ for the Digital Natives that inhabit their classrooms.

It was in this context that one of the workshop participants told of an incident where one of his teachers had reclaimed some lost territory. It was a generational fight back of note! It was turning the beast on the handler.

A grade 10 pupil was using the classroom to catch-up on some much-needed sleep. Most students do this of course but the trick is to somehow look attentive yet be slumbering. I can recall an incident from my own school experience when one classmate was so fast asleep we were able, with the teacher’s full cooperation, to evacuate the classroom whilst leaving him isolated and alone in his slumber! He woke up sometime during the following lesson surrounded by strange classmates!

In this particular case the disguise element left something to be desired and it came to the teacher’s attention that this pupil was in fact fast asleep. The response? Take a picture. Out came the smart phone and one click later the picture was on the classroom smart board and was sent to the pupil’s father. Bam! Father gets a picture of his son sleeping in the classroom asking if this is the best return on the substantial tuition fees paid? There is no need to imagine what unfolded from that point onwards!

Yes, techno-savvy Boomers can be dangerous! Technology goes both ways. Technology has to be part of the 21st century classroom. If it isn’t we might as well use caves and write on the walls. The challenge is neither the technology itself nor the Digital Natives (the learners)…the challenge is getting the educators up to speed with the technology. It is getting the teachers to understand what the technology can do, how it could be incorporated and of course, the dangers present. The glaring irony for me in facing this challenge is that the answer, or part of the answer at least, is right under our noses!

Get the kids to teach the adults in this area. In business we call it ‘reverse mentoring’. Why not?

Without getting to far into the whole debate, one that is more complex – and more important than I am acknowledging here in this blog, let me raise some important thoughts associated with this story. I must confess that these additional thoughts were raised by one of South Africa’s most respected and experienced educators who happened to be reading this blog as it was written. Here was his input: One of the things that kids hate most is when educators involve parents in what happens at school. What would be the consequence to the trust relationship between teacher and pupil in this incident? The second provocative thought associated with this incident raised by my friend was this: where would it all end? What if the pupil retaliated and had the teacher started something he couldn’t finish?

Ummm…certainly worth thinking about but still, I just loved the story and the initiative taken by the alert teacher. It was not my intention to unpack some of the deeper issues that could be the consequence of the action taken.

That I will leave to you. It is your story to enjoy and yours to now reflect on and explore to a deeper level.

Class dismissed.

It was a statement that immediately arrested my imagination. A statement that was simple yet profound and one that conveyed an idea that proved unshakable. It was a statement that demanded contemplation and had me immediately reaching for a means to record it before it got lost in the unfolding storyline.

I was watching the movie Grey Owl, the true story set in the 1930′s of a ‘Native American’ conservationist of the Ojibwe tribe who worked to raise global awareness on the endangered beaver and the decimation of the forests. A man ahead of his times and celebrated as an articulate and outspoken ‘Red Indian’ (as he was referred to back then) but who, on his death, was revealed to be of British origin, having been born Archibald Belaney on 18th September 1888. As a young man, Belaney had immigrated to Canada and taken on a First Nations identity. In that sense it is the story of a little boy who became his dream. It is a story where both deception and authenticity are inextricably entwined. In the story, Grey Owl whilst giving what was to be his final public speech, makes the memorable statement, ‘the nightmare of no more silence’.

The nightmare of no more silence: An evocative and powerful thought. We live in a world where silence is assaulted in every possible way. It is a world in which urbanization is on the march, one in which noisy cities banish silence to isolated places. It is a world that is increasingly uncomfortable with the unfamiliar experience that silence affords and with that, a neglect of the gifts that silence invites.

I want to suggest that it is a thought that has both significance and relevance for you as a leader.

Increasingly the concept of ‘reflection’ is making itself felt within leadership literature by those who write and speak on leadership practice. There is a growing realization that beyond evaluation sits the discipline of reflection and without it, the leader’s ability to regulate his or her behavior, is limited. We have a ‘learning leadership cycle’ that includes four ‘stations’ – theory, practice, evaluation and reflection (Forde) – it is a cycle that provides a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to develop savvy leaders. It is an ‘open-ended’ cycle in that as it spirals to increasingly greater depth new learning unfolds. It is a dynamic inter-play between the theory which informs practice, which leads to the need to evaluate and then invites reflection. This then in turn leads to a reshaping of the theory – and so the cycle is re-launched. I refer to it as the ‘leadership tumble-turn’. The leadership cycle offers an excellent framework from which to plot any leadership development or education initiatives.

Of these ‘stations’, reflection is the most in need of our attention in the process of leadership development and education. Of this I have no doubt. In the vast majority of leadership development programmes in which I have been involved, programmes designed and hosted by leading business schools across the globe, reflection is the most neglected part of the process. It would seem that there is a real unease about building serious reflection into the learning process for fear that it appears as ‘doing nothing’ or merely provides opportunity for busy executives to catch-up on email and stay connected to their noisy world. Given opportunity to ‘reflect’ I have seldom seen participants in such programmes understand what is required of them or grab hold the opportunity wholeheartedly. Silence and inactivity have been worked out the leadership equation and they go against the grain of what we understand as effective leadership. This is wrong and we are the poorer for holding such beliefs.

Reflection (silence) is the bridge that connects our little world to the greater world. It is the bridge from our activity to self-awareness that leads to emotional intelligence. Silence means distinguishing oneself from immediacy, it offers the pause that leads to a more intelligent engagement as a leader. Silence is a discipline that every leader needs to cultivate into a leadership habit.

I once had opportunity to befriend a monk from Bhutan by the name of Gembo. In was in the context of teaching in the Asia Pacific Leadership Program in Hawaii, where Gembo was a participant. I had been talking about reflection and the need for self-awareness after which I discovered, much to my embarrassment, that Gembo had once embarked on a ten-year silent retreat. In fact he only completed six years as the King of Bhutan had requested that he interrupt his retreat in order to play a key role in Bhutan’s transition to a constitutional monarchy. Six years living in silence… and here I was talking about silence and the discipline of reflection! Gembo left an indelible mark on those fortunate enough to meet him. I am sure that there were many factors that contributed to such an impression but I know that the reflective habit he had so intentionally cultivated was a mayor ingredient in that mix.

When teaching on strategic leadership I employ a teaching methodology (pioneered by a colleague) known as the ‘Silence Class’. Essentially, after a brief introduction, it involves a prolonged period in which I say and do nothing (this can be up to four hours). During this time I remain in the classroom and stay alert and attentive to the unfolding events but refuse all efforts to get me to speak or activity engage with the participants. It is used to create a classroom experience that Ron Heifetz of Harvard refers to as an, ‘adaptive challenge’. An adaptive challenge can be defined as, ‘knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do’. I have written an article on the Silence Class and believe that the class would be a rich research subject. I have had the opportunity to do the class around the world on over 30 occasions, involving approximately 730 people, representing some 45 cultures. All this has given me a unique and revealing insight to leaders’ ability to engage with silence. Social science research confirms that certain Eastern cultures generally have a greater tolerance for silence than do most Westerners, but in my experience, the overall ability to be silent is extremely low. We have been taught to talk, to engage, to be active, to be doing something…anything, and all of this provides a degree of comfort, reassurance and leaves us feeling productive together with a sense that this is what is what ‘good leaders do’.

In many cases such an approach doesn’t work and may even do harm. Reflection becomes an essential leadership attribute in a world of exponential change and disruption. Leaders need to create opportunity for silence for reflection and in doing so, need to lead the way. Perhaps we need to find another word for ‘silence’ – if that is what it takes, then I’m all for it.

Grey Owl spoke about how every creature has its rightful place and in it’s rightful place it becomes beautiful. He illustrated this by talking about how clumsy beavers look on land but not so in water. Practicing silence, if unfamiliar, will at first seem clumsy and unnatural. But as with most things, the more you practice the art of silence, the greater will be the ease with which it happens. I once suggested to the CEO of an engineering firm who was battling with his executive team that he bookend his Exco meetings with a time of silence. The skepticism that greeted my suggestion was all too apparent but he was desperate enough to try what sounded like a “lunatic idea”. A couple of months later I happened to bump into him in an airport and before I could even ask him as to how the silence had worked out he offered an amazing story. He said that when he first introduced the concept of starting the meeting with a time of silence there had been some quizzical stares but it had gone unchallenged. The first couple of attempts were really too short to accomplish much and most of the team he said had shuffled paper around in some discomfort whilst the silence lasted. However gradually the period of silence grew and with it the comfort level amongst the team. “An amazing thing happened” he said, “somehow the quality of our meetings improved dramatically and I’m not exactly sure how but I suspect that the silence at the beginning and end was the major reason for this improvement. In fact we now have some 5 minutes of total silence to open and close our time together and I think if I were to try and dispense with it, there would be a lynching. It has become that important”.

For the discipline of silence to become both an individual and collective leadership habit, a solid business case will most likely be needed. This is hard to deliver and like the CEO, one might need to be willing to launch out in faith that there will be good to be had rather than rely on measureable evidence to the fact. It simply doesn’t work like that and I suspect you understand exactly what I mean when I talk about the need to simply try it without waiting for the proof. In that sense it is a little like exercise and getting fit. Hard work initially before the benefits are to be seen and felt by which time it has become part of your life!

I believe that silence is part of leadership, as it is part of great music and art. It forms an essential part of life and leaders need to rediscover silence for both themselves and those they lead. A story is told as much by silence as by speech, it is a virtue that reveals as much as it may cover. We need it now more so than ever given the noisy clutter that makes for 21st century living and it is the leader’s responsibility to ensure that silence forms part of the organization.

Here then might be some questions on which to reflect before perhaps exploring the subject further:

• What is your comfort level with silence? Why is this?
• What would it take for you to experience silence for a period of time?
• Who could teach / mentor you in such a discipline?
• In what ways could you introduce this into your team / organizational culture?
• Why could silence be important in your practice of leadership?

Elbert Hubbard, an American writer, artist and philosopher who died in 1915 once said, ‘he who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words’.

I suspect you hit the nail on the head Elbert!

By Prof Nick Barker and Dr Graeme Codrington, TomorrowToday

Difference matters. Globalization has resulted in increasing uncertainty, interdependence and complexity, coupled with accelerating and non-linear change. It has also resulted – unexpectedly – in a growing emphasis on difference. While the world is flatter and superficially more homogenous, our differences have become increasingly important. The 21st century challenge for leaders is not merely how to manage or cope with difference, but how to lead diversity.

Difference is both an asset and a liability. When harnessed successfully, it fosters innovation, develops resilience, boosts productivity, enables problem solving, and enhances morale in the workplace. It also allows for smoother entry into and operating within new markets. When mishandled, it results in communication breakdowns, frustration, lack of productivity, misunderstanding and conflict that cripples everything from small teams to global business negotiations.

The key problem is a failure to distinguish between two concepts that are frequently confused: variety and diversity. Variety is the simple fact of difference, a surface characteristic visible at a glance. This prevailing view of difference is grounded in how we are “different from” one another. Diversity, by contrast, is a dynamic, innovative achievement that emerges over time under strong leadership. In this case, people are “different for” each other. Difference is not something to be tolerated, but an asset to be leveraged and a source of competitive advantage. This shift in mindset – from variety to diversity – involves learning to appreciate difference: that is, to both “value” difference and “add value” to difference. Leaders must learn to create a workplace where differences are intentionally activated for business success. Employees need to become “different for” the team and the company in ways deemed valuable by others.

Filters: the method for learning to lead diversity

If this is the goal, then leaders clearly need a few new skills. A crucial first step is to learn to identify one’s own “filters” and the filters of all the team members.

We all perceive and interpret the world through filters (or lenses). Examples include: culture, gender, age, personality, race/ethnicity, religion, class, sexuality, education, health, and “futures” (how we think about change and the future). These filters are often unseen by us, as we simply consider them to be the “normal” world around us. And we mistakenly assume other people see the world the same way.

Identifying your filters and, more importantly, recognizing their order or hierarchy (this can fluctuate depending on context) is an important tool for enhancing self-awareness and developing empathy by understanding others from their point of view. Consciously or unconsciously, we default to our dominant filters to make sense of human behavior. In a given situation, competing perspectives, explanations and reactions are frequently grounded not in different filters, but in our personal filter hierarchies. By identifying these hierarchies, we can learn to recognize when dominant filters influence our personal behavior (biases, triggers and blind-spots) and that of others, enabling a more informed and sophisticated leadership response. By highlighting difference, we will also discover ways to intentionally lead diversity.

Generations

As an example, one of the most useful filters is that of different generations. The way people younger and older than yourself see the world is very different these days.  This so-called ‘generation gap’ influences expectations, attitudes and behaviors. Generational filters develop early in life, shaped by the political, economic, social, educational and cultural norms of the day in the first decade and a half of your life. Understanding these filters requires a quick history tour of the forces at play in the early years of each of your team members. This has impacted many of their approaches to work, including their affinity with technology, their willingness and ability to work in teams in certain team styles, their approach to authority, their need for supervision (or not), their ability to work remotely, their need for meetings, and so many other factors. Each of these issues may be small factors on their own, but they all add up to the experience we have of working in an office or interacting with a client, and they make all the difference in the world to how easy, interesting and energizing it is to work with others. They therefore affect productivity, creativity and resilience directly.

By understanding the impact of different generations, inside and outside your organization, you can improve customer relationships, and the productivity and interactions of your teams.

The reason that generations is a useful filter to examine in the world of work is that it is one that people find fairly easy to talk about. Gender, race and religious filters can quickly raise people’s barriers and sensitivities and can be difficult to engage in the workplace. But people find speaking about generations – about Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and so on – quite easy, and even fun to do. It’s a great place for leaders to start to engage their team about difference. We don’t all need to act like Boomers to get the job done. In fact, teams function better when the different generations keep their distinct approaches and assumptions in tact, but make space for other perspectives and options at the same time.

Culture

Another example of a filter is culture. Like generations, culture is a powerful filter and a key component of learning to lead diversity. Today’s global leaders must appreciate the impact culture has on all aspects of business and must develop advanced cultural intelligence.

Humans are cultural beings. Anthropologists suggest almost all aspects of human existence are culturally mediated, but culture is mostly invisible, beneath the surface. Regardless of borders, groups of people perceive the world through their own set of beliefs, values, attitudes and assumptions. Culture is learned and shared. It provides a sense of identity and belonging. It helps us understand the world and shapes how we behave towards others.

You need to understand key ideas and pitfalls like “ethnocentrism” (the interpretation of other people’s behavior in terms of your cultural values), “naïve realism” (the mistaken belief that other people see the world the same way as you do), and “cultural relativism” (the importance of understanding a different culture from within; that is, from an indigenous point of view). As a leader, you need to discover how to remain open-minded and flexible, how to communicate and connect with people culturally different from yourself, thereby developing relationships, building trust and fostering confidence.

Making Difference Matter

These new skills for leaders are not easy to learn. And yet, actually they are. They become easy when you take the first, vital, large step of making a decision that you WANT to engage with difference. That is a non-negotiable starting point for everyone who wants to successfully lead diversity. The second key step is to embrace difference – seek it out, celebrate it, even create it if necessary. By focusing the spotlight on difference, we will begin to learn new ways to intentionally lead diversity. That is, to be different for, not from, each other. To value and add value to difference. After that, the next steps depend on where you are now and where you want to go. Key skills required along the way include listening, emotional intelligence, courage, empathy, self-reflection, adaptive leadership and learning.  But it all starts with a decision to make difference matter.  That’s what you should work on today.

Prof Nick Barker is a world expert on leadership development and the role of the leader in times of crisis and change, and Dr Graeme Codrington is a leading futurist and expert on the people aspects of the future world of work.  They work together at TomorrowToday, a strategic insights consultancy with bases in Africa, Europe, North America and Asia.  Contact them at nick@tomorrowtoday.asia or graeme@tomorrowtoday.uk.com, and follow their daily blog at http://www.newworldofwork.co.uk

Steve Pinker, Professor of Psychology at Harvard, famously wrote that ‘behavioural science is not for sissies’ and I agree. Although I wish somebody had alerted me to this fact before I embarked on a four-year long Sociology degree aged 19. I think this phrase is even more relevant to those of us foolish (or brave) enough to be interested in gender issues, for there does appear to be a social, cultural and corporate wound in this space. Perhaps the reason for this is because it has been an area of study where lots of contradictory opinions have prevailed? History, politics and economics have contributed to influencing gender dynamics and most importantly, I think, really discussing and teasing out gender issues happens relatively subtly. Of course the status quo has also influenced the ‘story’ of gender and as usual stories are subjective. I also think that we have all been far more socially conditioned in to gender codes and roles of behaviour than we think; and that even for those liberated, progressive, urban, secularised, Westernised and egalitarian amongst us, I think we will find less fairness going on than we would like to think there is. Furthermore I think that because there are real wounds in this space, many women are cautious about admitting that there are differences between men and women; and men would just never be so brazen as to suggest such a thing, except possibily in the recesses of their own minds, for fear of being labeled misogynist (and that’s the PC name, for the purposes of this article). But I think, having come through the whole post-war; and 1970′s, 1980′s and 1990′s feminist movement, it’s time to acknowledge that men and women are different; and like all difference, that is to be celebrated. As a Gen X’er, one of the big things I am celebrating (as a woman) is that I was never subjected to the fashion of wearing shoulder pads. I always thought that was so symbolic of women trying to have broader shoulders like men. My philosophy has always been to suggest that women should put on their stilettos and lip gloss and be proudly feminine in order to succeed in the new world of work. 

So essentially for about two millennia men and women have remained biologically different from one another, but their essential biology hasn’t changed. What has changed is our social conditioning.

Not only has our social conditioning changed, but education has also. In an article for The Times entitled ‘A woman’s world beckons’, Professor Jonathan Jansen states that ‘we are running out of educated men‘. This is quite a bold statement to make. But I found it particularly pertinent because I had lunch with the headmaster of a very established, well-respected all-boys private school (one modeled on a traditional English public school) recently, who was expressing similar sentiments. The headmaster in question has noticed that in the last few years, relative to their sister school, that his male students are struggling. Like this headmaster, Professor Jansen has noticed that there is a consistent trend where there are more female than male graduates from university, across all disciplines. The same thing is happening at school level. At the end of 2011 230 846 male students wrote Matric (their final school year examination) and 166 057 passed. The pass rate for a South African Matric is a 30% average. However, 265 244 female students wrote Matric and 182 060 passed. So not only did more girls write, but more girls passed. As Professor Jansen points out, if you multiply this over a ten year period, those are significant numbers which will result in a pretty uneven education playing field; and later, arguably, an uneven workforce along gender lines.

In addition to this education trend, which will influence the workplace, by making it more feminine, there are various key trends that will add more estrogen to the workplace.

1. Legislative and government policy will influence the numbers of women in the workplace. Governments in Spain, France and Norway, for example, are already adopting ‘targets’ for women in public service; and no doubt corporates will follow suit.
2. As the epicentre of commercialism moves further and further East, so will demographic shifts and changes happen along gender lines. It is likely that in developed economies women will replace men in the workplace (as men go East), which will result in a feminine influence over corporate culture.
3. As we see a rise in a female-dominated workplace, so will we see a rise in the demand for more flexible working conditions like job-sharing, part-time work and flexible working hours, which will shift and change organisational structures, policies, processes and strategy, as well as hiring and retention programmes.
4. Although important, women tend to be less motivated by financial gain and appear more interested in flexibility in the workplace (probably so they can accommodate their domestic responsibilities). So organisations in the future will have to take flexibility and fluidity in to account when building their strategies.
5. Women tend to lead through collaboration, communication and networking, and less by competitiveness, which may result in their being less profit for shareholders being generated in the future; and more employee satisfaction and social profit.

Of course all these things will take time, but forward thinking business leaders should start now to enable women to achieve leadership positions, as their essential talents compliment a connection economy, but also because you should want to attract and retain women in your organisation (even after they have had babies). In my view, companies and organisations will have to consciously find ways to enable women to give birth, raise children and stay connected to the organisation, so they do not lose their female talent. Of course this is not to say that their male talent is just as important, anywhere needs a healthy balance, but I am talking specifically about female leadership here.

The above trends will also influence domestic set ups, as more and more men will become house-husbands. In most countries there is a patriarchal hangover from the past and so I think there are going to be interesting dynamics playing out for families going forward. I am hoping there will be much more balance for men and women in order to fulfill their domestic responsibilities whilst also having a satisfying career. This is possible because of technology amongst other things.

There will always be those women who decide to become ‘mompreneurs’, small, home-based businesses, whereby women get paid in a formal capacity to do the unpaid/ informal work of their mothers and grand-mothers. A good example of this might be a mother with a degree in accounting who starts a small arranging toddler’s birthday parties. In addition to this, because of the cost of child care (mostly in developed economies) women are choosing to be stay-at-home Moms despite the fact that they might have a law degree. That is exactly the kind of women companies need to find out how to retain, because her children will grow up and go to school and she will want to use her legal brain again.

So where does all this leave men and women? I think there is an interesting and worrying trend which both Professor Jansen and the headmaster I spoke of illuminates for us which is: in the future will we have to worry about how men fit in to the workplace? But at the same time we are still dealing with how to assist women at work, deal with discrimination and real-life challenges in order to grow females in the leadership space.

It’s complicated. I repeat Pinker’s sentiments: behavioural science is indeed not for sissies.

 

Our colleagues in the UK have formed a partnership with our business television friends at yourBusinessChannel, and they’re pleased to bring you TomorrowToday TV.

On this channel, we feature a selection of short video clips from business experts to get you thinking further about various aspects of the new world of work. The experts featured on this business tv channel are from a diverse range of specialist fields and are at the leading edge of the industry they’re in – either at the forefront of change, or driving it into their industries.

The channel will feature regularly updated content, including contributions from our own panel of experts and the TomorrowToday team.

Bookmark TomorrowToday Business TV now, and visit us regularly!

For even more insights, specifically on the role of digital in the new world of work, see Dr Graeme Codrington who is being featured on yBC’s Digital Transformation TV channel.

Scott Thompson is the CEO of Yahoo, a position he has held since January, after moving from PayPal. An activist shareholder recently discovered that Scott has falsified his CV and bio, claiming to have a BA in Computer Science when in fact he only has a BA in Accounting.

The press over the last few days have reported that he has apologised to Yahoo staff. This is not really the case. He has apologised to them for how the issue is affecting the company and their ability to focus on their jobs, but he has not admitted any error (although there clearly is one), nor any wrongdoing (again, that seems clear). Read ComputerWorld UK’s reporting of this here.

What should be done now? Well, it depends really on how this happened. I agree with the sentiments in this report from the Washington Post, which suggest that his knowledge of the error is a vital factor.

But my own advice is simpler still. He should resign or be fired. Yes, he should do so because he lied. That would be enough reason. But I suggest that there is an even better – and bigger – reason to do so.

As the head of an Internet search and information company, the fact that he thought he could get away with a falsification of this nature is an indication of a gross misunderstanding of the new rules of the new world of work. Transparency, openness of data, and the power of the small people to uncover injustice and untruth, are all ubiquitous and part of the new operating system of the world we’re busy constructing. To ignore this, or worse, to think that you can outplay it, is indication of a person unfit to make be making leadership decisions in this type of company.

How long is it going to take big companies and big men to realise that we live in a wikileaks world?

Yes, he lied on his CV, and so Scott Thompson should go. But he also clearly doesn’t understand the world he was supposed to be shaping. And for that reason alone, Yahoo should say goodbye.

In a misguided arrangement to make a stop over to George we made a booking at the Tankwa Karoo National Park . . . it is in fact now where near George and takes a minimum of about 18 hrs from Johannesburg to get there. Here are some of the photos of this beautiful place (even after a night spent sleeping in our car outside of our paid for accommodation).

This shoot was done in March of Esla and her two girls, sadly one of her horses is no longer with us - a reminder of the value of memory and how photos enhance our memories of those encounters which enrich our lives.

In the 21st century I think we are all acutely aware of the significance of communication. It is all around us, in so many forms: face to face (both verbal and non-verbal or our body language), written, in various forms in the media; and digital, just to name a few. Therapists talk about the need for it in all relationships. Managers talk about the need for it in and amongst their teams. Parents and teachers urge their children and students, respectively, to trust them enough to feel free to do it. Thousands of people go to training every day on how to communicate better. In the world of work we talk about learning ‘soft skills for improved communication’ in order to get ahead. At TomorrowToday we often talk about the fact that we are living in a connection economy; and that our ability to build relationships with people will increasingly become a differentiator for us and our organisation, so we urge people to learn new ways of communicating. We talk about finding adaptable and flexible ways to communicate with others in the face of increasing diversity. We remind leaders they will have to learn to communicate differently because of a changed work force and work place. Billions of emails (lots of them spam) get sent everyday, alongside probably trillions of instant messages.We live in an age saturated by information and we are obsessed with finding ways in which to communicate differently, more effectively, more efficiently, with more empathy and productively. In fact, we are even asked to communicate more inventively and creatively too.

A friend of mine was telling me the other day that he had been on a conference call, whilst driving home from work in Johannesburg (SA), with three other people. One was in Washington (USA), one was in New York (USA) and one was in London (UK). This is the amazing part about using technology for communication; and the aspect of our ability to communicate that has (and will continue) to change everything in our professional and personal lives. Not only were all four participants on the conference call all thousands of miles away from one another, but the conversation was happening for my friend from a moving car!

This got me thinking. What impact does technology, in the context of communication, have on every facet of our lives? The answer is: a HUGE impact. The second question is: is this the first time this has happened to society? And the answer is, no. The last question is: HOW does communication; and the tools we have to govern the way we do it, affect the make-up of our society; and ultimately, the make-up of organisations in the new world of work? And then one has to wonder how the changing face of oranisational structure affects organisational culture, which will have already been affected by changes in social value systems, which would largely have been changed because of technology and the new modes of communication it offers. So, I began to contemplate the significance of communication in designing the fabric of our social structures through out history.

I started with the hunter-gatherer economy; and I wondered if they had any mode of communication apart from verbal and non-verbal face to face communication. Communication played a significant and fundamental part in their survival. Whether their communication was simply hand gestures, conversations, story-telling, displays of how to do things through observation for learning, or ritualistic communication, the point is, that people in hunter-gatherer societies remained close-knit communities. This was largely influenced by a need to stay close to one another because the only way they could communicate with one another was face to face. They were not even writing things down. Populations were small (especially relative to today) and communities were nomadic. So their communication methods played a large role in the way in which their society and social interactions were set up.

During the agricultural economy there were very significant changes in communication, which would also radically change society. Like all social and economic eras this time had many faces, but latterly this society was very class-based, with a huge distinction between the rich (landowners) and poor surfs. But in approximately 1440 something would change society as it was then as significantly as the Internet has changed society in the 20th century. That something was the invention of the printing press. Now, written documents could essentially be mass-produced in an assembly line-style way, as apposed to having to be hand-written by a learned few. Like all things (like the Internet in the last 30 years) the printing press took some time to evolve in to it’s final state. At first it’s existence did not directly affect the masses, but certainly by the time of the Renaissance is had significantly impacted communication methods in Europe. The production of books had grown like wild fire. Suddenly information could be distributed to the masses, democratising knowledge, and to a large extent secularising information and education. The Reformation threatened the power of the church and political authorities, because ordinary people’s literacy levels improved, which paved the way to the rise of a middle class. Increased cultural awareness of cultural difference gave way to nationalism and the utilisation of European vernacular languages, which meant Latin would lose it’s wide-spread use. Perhaps this era sewed the seeds for the knowledge-base society we live-in today.

The next major change in society is known as the industrial era or economy. In his book ‘The Meaning of the 21st Century‘, James Martin talks about the Industrial Revolution and the 21st century revolution as balancing one another. Because the ‘Industrial Revolution started the extraordinary events of the last 250 years and the 21st century revolution will gain control of those events so that they don’t destroy us’. I would argue therefore that the world we know today started evolving 250 years ago; and that the two major defining moments for communication and social structure were the Industrial Revolution and the Second World War. Both these events evoked huge progression in the communication space; and this, along with the extraordinary inventions of the 19th and early 20th century (like the telephone, for example) would pave the way towards the next significant age, known as the information era or economy.

The information age is so called because it coincides with the rise of the computer, which was the primary vehicle through which information would be distributed. During; and just after, the War there was a boom in the invention of communication devices as tools developed for the military were released for public use. Besides the telephone, there was now telegrams, the telex, typewriters and radios. Before long the television and fax machines would also play a role in changing the fabric of society.  This was the beginning of globalisation, the multi-national corporation, proper education for all and mass production of consumer goods. This would radically change people’s lives both personally and professionally.

We know live in a connection economy and one can see how our society (and organisational structure) has evolved out of the information era. In a world of instant messaging, social media, mobile phones, iPads, Google and YouTube, for example, we have never had so much access to communication. We now have family members and close friends who live on the other side of the world, but with whom we can communicate within seconds whenever we need to. We have also never had so much access to free and available information, which I believe is one of the biggest influences on shifting organisational structure. Now more than ever, people inside businesses need to know. Because a) we are used to multiple methods of communication and b) we can communicate 24/7 with anyone in the world. This shift from hierarchical organisational structures, where only the top echelons knew what was going on, into organisations being a lot more egalitarian and collaborative is happening and must happen, but it is also the most significant thing that has happened because of the way we communicate differently in the new world of work.

It is profound to think of how our methods of communication can affect our gender, generational and cultural value systems also, and we see this in how these three pillars of society are broadly reshaping institutions, both family and organisations.

 

 

 

 

 

Birds of a feather flock together. The old saying rings very true when it comes to media channels that drive social interaction instead of one way broadcasting. Media channels that have a ‘live’ mechanism to them are inherently channels that can entice and engage its fans/viewers/listeners in a very personal and social manner.

I would agree with the sentiment that radio is social. Let me rephrase this, good radio is social. It uses talk shows, open’s the lines up for conversations with listeners and is a great medium to connect with people in a personal manner.

Social media does the same, arguably with a bit more longevity to the conversations taking place. Through online conversations, that are the catalyst for opening up engagement with followers, social media touches its followers in a very unique and personal fashion.

Social media and radio are two peas in a pod. Social, engaging and exciting.

In my experience, when two social people get together the party just gets bigger and better. The same is true with campaigns, shows and conversations that utilize both radio and social media platforms to meet people.

How to best optimise radio and social media

DJ Fresh on 5FM

• Use the live nature of radio to build fanfare
• Everyone likes a bit of fanfare. It excites us and makes us interested in getting involved in something. The problem is that it normally dies down quickly.

Radio is a great medium to create fanfare for its listeners. I would suggest coupling your radio campaign with social media based calls to action (tweet us, message us on Facebook, etc) in order to introduce your platform to listeners of radio. Once these people get caught up in the excitement they may join your social media channels in order to ‘get involved.’ Opening up the opportunity for you to keep your fans involved in your brand over a longer engagement period than your radio campaign (assuming your content and engagement is useful, interesting and inline with your radio campaign objectives).

Building better brand engagement

In the book “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die” the Heath brothers explain how the human brain works in remembering and idea.

Your brain hosts a truly staggering number of loops. The more hooks an idea has,the better it will cling to memory. Your childhood home has a gazillion hooks in your brain. Your credit card number has one, if it’s lucky.

Using radio and social media will allow you to build deeper brand engagement and more hooks in your customers mind. I think the biggest challenge would be to build a creative campaign that leveraged the live nature of radio and then extended it to a deeper social media engagement that allowed willing customers to spend a lot of time entrenched in the campaign.

Why social media and radio are best friends original posted on our Keynote Speaker - Mike Saunders blog

Just a few photos where I have been playing with a new free Jessica Drossin texture, to visit her site go to http://jessicadrossintextures.blogspot.com/.

South Africa has a long history of clever TV advertising, with some outstanding brands and campaigns. Probably the stand out brand, though, is Nando’s, the chicken restaurant, who have a reputation for pushing the boundaries (sometimes too far).

Recently, Nando’s spoofed one of South Africa’s oldest and most conservative insurance companies’ TV adverts. Just yesterday, Santam hit back with a very clever, superbly positioned advert that links the two brands together and has a lot of fun at the same time. I can’t wait to see how Nando’s responds – because they definitely will.

In the process, both these brands are demonstrating huge public appeal, wonderful personality, a lot of fun, and are gaining great brand recognition and value. This is everything that advertising can be in a new world where conversation, community, engagement, interaction and fun are all taken for granted by the younger generation. To follow the whole story watch the videos below in order:


1. Santam released their Real McCoy ad (“Its easy to miss things right in front of you”)

2. Nando’s spoofed it

3. Santam releases “Back at Ya” ad, and lays down the gauntlet… deliver or “Are you Chicken?”

How will Nando’s respond. I’ll post it here…

Nice work, everyone involved in this!

“Write drunk, edit sober” is something Ernest Hemingway allegedly once said. I think it is good advice, except maybe for alcoholics! The kind of writing that tends to inspire me is writing that has passion, flow and somehow captures grand ideas in a way that imprints them on both head and heart. It is writing that inspires and creates a shift in thoughts, attitudes and behavior. We know we have been part of some special dance when we encounter such writing and we are sorry when it ends. We read the final word wanting more and somehow feel as though a good friend has left us. I am often amazed at the ability of individuals to craft words into something magical and am also slightly envious of such a gift. Good writing is hard work and usually the easier it reads, the harder the work that has gone into the piece!

Good leadership is a little like good writing. It takes hard work. It can appear both effortless and magical all at the same time.  But the wise know it is not. Good leadership is cultivated and is intentional. The formula, if there is such a thing, differs depending on context as time, place and the situation all shape the leadership need. There can be no simple ‘A, B, C’ to leadership, although many, including myself, try to impose form and shape to something that defies both. Leadership is both art and science; it involves both head and heart. Authentic leadership relies on coherency between one’s inner and outer worlds, it is dependent on the synergy between values and actions.

I am concerned with what passes as ‘leadership development’ in many companies and the efforts of many business schools. Often the guardians of such programmes have given in to the demands to measure, the need for instant returns and the unwillingness to embrace discomfort in the learning process. The result is lots of activity and investment but a hollow feeling that it is all some sort of cunning board game in what it takes to get ahead. Lots of information and knowledge but with little application and meaningful change. Decisive moments in the leadership journey are held hostage by well defined end objectives and so the battle can be lost before it has really begun. I’m just surprised that the charade has lasted as long as it has done.

If we are serious about effective leadership in a changing world, we will need to rethink many of our current models. Both the theory and practice of leadership in this changing world need to adapt. We will need to ask hard questions and look in unlikely places for the answers. We will need to look beyond the scope of our current vision and be willing to try new things and accept failure as an essential part of the learning process. We will need to accept that the wisdom that has got us here cannot be the wisdom that gets us to where we need to be. Often all this is far easier said than done. It will require a willingness to not only learn but to also  ‘unlearn’ and ‘relearn’. I suspect that for many in leadership those latter two prove more troublesome.

Write drunk, edit sober. Maybe Hemingway knew something we don’t. He certainly knew a thing or two about writing. Both extremes are needed – the uninhibited passion as well as the objective attention to detail. Leadership is both gut and deliberate; both head and heart. That is just why it is so difficult.

Write drunk, edit sober…I’ll let you ponder further just what this might mean for leadership. Besides the obvious humour that such pondering invites…there also might be some valuable insights that are yet to be captured!

Play is important.

For any child, play is serious stuff and central to their daily activities. We have lots of expressions that would underscore the importance of play (all work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy is one I recall). But as adults we don’t really believe it. At least not if we are to be judged by our responses to, ‘Dad, can you come and play?’ Somehow that question always seems to arrive at the most inopportune moment and somehow we repeatedly hear ourselves respond, ‘Not right now’, or ‘I’m busy but I’ll come in a little while’, only never to get around to it. Our schedule always assumes priority over the little people’s agenda and timing. Well, they will learn not to ask when they can see I am busy, we reason.

A recently overheard conversation between a friend and his three-year-old daughter: ‘Dad, you won’t work at my party, will you?’ Or the conditioned response closer to home of, ‘Dad, I know you will probably say no, but . . .’ When I hear that precursor it wrenches at my heart because there is no hiding or denying the poor track record that has prompted such an approach.

The next stage is even worse. It is when they don’t ask at all. And when you wake up to what you have missed, it is too late and it is the little people who have grown up and are now themselves too busy. And there is no going back.

It seems that along the way we are taught that adults don’t really play, well, certainly not leaders at any rate. Leadership is serious stuff – there’s no denying that. But leaders, more than most, need to play. And I am not just talking about adult play here because we give that important names like vacation, rest, retreat, sport, entertaining clients and so on.

I’m talking about down-to-earth, knee-dirty type play. Engaging with a little person and accepting their invitation to enter their world where you could become anyone and anything. Why, just the other day I became Spiderman. I have always wanted to be Spiderman and for a few special moments I was . . . until that is the game’s plot required a tree and so the intrepid (and well cast) Spiderman was, like it or not,  turned into a weeping Willow. . .

From time to time leaders need to engage in the magical world of make-believe, to indulge in a game of cards or monopoly, to pick up the bat and ball and be the first to holler, ‘Let’s go play!’

Finding games to play with the little people at home is easy – just let them lead and I bet you will be the first to make the ‘time-out’ call. In the serious world of corporate life the play is there – it is just that it has been neglected for so long that it might require time and care to restore it to its rightful place.

But don’t worry. There will be others who, if asked, will know what to do, and here’s a tip: let them decide the play.

I know of a international software company who used ‘play’ to help create their very serious stratgy. It was a playfully serious company to begin with but the strategy formulation was centred around a storytelling theme and at one stage, involved fancy dress and play acting. It worked. I am involved with another company, this time one that plays in the insurance field, who created deliberate space for play in the the midst of their serious work. They are now thinking of including surfing as part of bringing to life the metaphor they hope will guide them into their future. I know of a call centre that has created access to various computer games for their staff to play. Play is important. When did we stop believing that as adults?

I was once shown around a very well organised preschool crèche. It catered for a sector of the community that did not have much cash to spare but who were nonetheless fiercely proud of appearances and making the most of what they had. This was reflected in the dress code of the kids who arrived each morning. Each child wore shoes, for to go barefoot was considered a sign of poverty, something that their parents wanted to avoid at all costs. Because of this prevailing social mindset, taking one’s shoes off during the morning (and for some the entire day) was considered poor form. If the parents were to arrive and see their kids without shoes they would voice their displeasure to the principal. But here was the problem and dilemma for the principal and her staff. Playing while wearing shoes was problematic. The jungle gym, the sandpit and various other play activities were best done without shoes. In fact, she explained, going barefoot in such instances was important in the kids’ development as they learnt to feel different textures with their feet. Yet for the sake of appearances they were denied this opportunity and it seemed that no amount of explanation was going to persuade the parents otherwise.

It occurred to me that many leaders are subjected to the same restrictions as those kids. They are leading with their shoes on when the situation calls for ‘barefoot leadership’.

I wonder what those ‘shoes’ are for you? I also wonder what it would be like for you to try going barefoot for a while?

And yes, you can take that as a dare! Go on then…I dare you!

The subject of women at work is fascinating and can be explored endlessly, because it is so nuanced and complicated and of course can be overlayed with culture, socio-economics, geographic location, generation, religion, education levels; and different eras in history to name just a few. What is interesting to me, however, is an emergence of war amongst women as apposed to for women, by women or against women, as it has more obviously appeared in the past.

There was a time, not so long ago, where all women outwardly aspired to having the glass slipper: Cinderella’s dream of marriage to Prince Charming, children, devotion to a husband and family, devotion to a community; and devotion to women’s groups like sewing and book clubs on a domestic scale; and to organisations like the Daughters of the American Revolution and Black Sash in South Africa, on a larger more political scale.

• So when was this time exactly?
• Why were women so connected to the idea of the glass slipper?
• What did women really get out of it?

The history of feminism is complicated. The idea of feminism (in my opinion, according to what feminism stood for) started a lot longer ago than one might imagine. Like most movements, people don’t always agree on when they started and of course largely their ‘beginnings’ will be influenced by what one’s notion of what it’s purpose was, what scale it was operating on, how many people it touched and what it achieved in terms of its exposure. From a sociological perspective one can see evidence of feminist thinking as far back as the 17th century, but we are all aware that the plight of women is something that continues to exist even in to the 21st century. Due to the significance of socio-political and socio-economic events, the role of feminism has differed and the movement has looked different because of different reasons for its existence through-out different times in history. For example, the Industrial Revolution and the Second World War would be two major examples of events that had an impact on women and the feminist movement and the role of women in society. I think the latter was particularly significant because of the lack of men around. Women realised they were perfectly capable of doing “men’s work”. This idea is represented by Rosie the Riveter – the female icon who taught American women they could ‘do it’ during the war. I think that this encouraging icon really changed the mind-sets of women across all classes; and even though after the war, when governments in the 1950′s and 1960′s actively encouraged women to go back to being ‘good women’ doing ‘women’s work’, a seed for change had been planted. However, it was not really until the 1970′s, when the daughters of these women were grown up, that we saw a mass introduction of women in the job market and in tertiary level education. So to answer my first question, I think most women outwardly aspired to the glass slipper right up until the 1970′s because it was the right thing to do.

Women were connected to the glass slipper for lots of reasons. They were expected to want children; and if they didn’t, they were a weird and if they didn’t catch a man before 25, they were likely going to be an old maid, which meant their brother or father would probably end up looking after them. Largely this was so because politics and legislation (which was still run by men) and of course social convention prevented women from daring to not want the glass slipper. Even in the 1970′s amongst highly educated women, more than half believed they should be a wife and mother and then a career women.

What did women get out of the glass slipper? In the past: protection, security, social recognition, personal satisfaction, biological fulfillment… lots of things I am sure. But at a cost.

But the real tragedy for me is this: some women of course had to go to work whether they wanted to or not. So where as before, women across class all had something in common (the glass slipper) after the 1970′s women’s individual aspirations were allowed to be expressed and I think that’s where the divide began. I think that this is where things began to change in terms of the war amongst women. For those with a choice (the elite, the highly educated, those aspiring to jobs in professional services, for example) things had changed by the early 1980′s. Roughly 85% of those who graduated from top universities wanted top notch careers as well as children. I think for this class of women, choice, good education, opportunity for expansion and growth up the corporate ladder, wealth, child-care and equality in a man’s world is hard, but possible.

Those whose lives haven’t changed are women whose work does not require a tertiary level education. Amongst firefighters, mechanics, electricians, construction workers, machine operators, service-level blue collar workers, only 1% were women in 1960. That number had increased to just over 1% by 1983 and to just 2% by 1998. The more equality we want for women, the more inequality is created amongst women along class lines.

So there are more women in the workplace now than men, in terms of numbers. The number of women in decision-making positions is still proportionately low. There are still gender-based job choices for men and women. There are more female university graduates than male. The cost of child care is high, globally, and generally women give up their careers in order to parent.

Does this highlight the real historic cost of the glass slipper? It’s an expensive slipper I would say.

 

I have been meaning to write about developing a social media policy for some time now. This is something that I believe can make or break your internal and external social media campaigns. A good social media policy does not restrict people from social media but rather equips them to use social media in the most beneficial manner.

When looking at your social media policy it is a good idea to understand how people are already engaging with you. How your customers are talking to you or about you, and how your employees are doing the same. Do your best to get a clear picture of the technology your employees and customers are comfortable using.

I would then suggest you look at what you would like to see happening with you company and social media. Then take a hard look at what needs to be allowed for, encouraged or discouraged. Don’t simply create a “rule list” of do’s or dont’s. This would be very ineffective because you will simply look as though you are trying to control something you don’t have control of.

One of the best social media policies was written by IBM. It’s great because it empowers people to share company values. A value based policy will always go further than a rules based policy. Staff at IBM have hundreds of blogs and in 2005 IBM released this guideline for bloggers:

1. Speak in the first person.
2. Respect copyright and fair use laws.
3. Safeguard confidential and proprietary information.
4. Protect company clients, business partners and suppliers.
5. Respect your audience and your coworkers.
6. Add value.
7. Don’t pick fights.
8. Be the first to respond to your own mistakes.
9. Adopt a warm, open and approachable tone.

This is a good foundation to start from in your own organisation. I hope you enjoy empowering your employees inside the social media space for your organisation.

If you would like someone to help you develop and write a social media policy please feel free to touch base with me so that we can discuss this further.

The best social media policy is based on values – not rules original posted on

I recently had the good fortune of being invited to the city of Durban, in KwaZulu Natal, to tour around what is probably one of
 the biggest and most well organized informal markets in the world. Warwick Junction lies in the heart of Durban’s inner city; and is a hugely busy transport interchange between trains, busses and taxis connecting commuters to all over the city and it’s outskirts. Consequently approximately 460 000 travelers pass through this area everyday.  It is not surprising, therefore, that over 100 years ago vendors began informally selling their wares to passers by; and that all these years later, this area is one of the most significant economic hubs in one of South Africa’s major cities.

The ‘Markets of Warwick’ as they are known, are made up of a variety of different markets, all selling or producing different things. There is, for example, a Traditional African Herb Market, a Bead Market, a Bovine Head Market, a Fresh Produce Market (known as the ‘Early Morning Market’ or the ‘Mother Market’), markets that sell ordinary clothes, church clothes; and music and music equipment, to name a few. Collectively the markets have about 5000 to 8000 official vendors, who, it would seem, pay a monthly vendor fee to belong to something similar to a co-op. However, the number of people who are directly or indirectly economically supported by the market is approximately 70 000 to 100 000.  These people are not only made up of the families and dependents of the vendors, but also include all the suppliers in the supply chain and all those who get spin-off business from the market, like taxi drivers.

What is most significant for me, however, is that this market turns over an amount of over 2 billion rand a year. So, in the retail space, this ‘company’ – if it can be called that for the purposes of this comparison – employs almost 8000 people, has a customer base of just under half a million people a day and has an annual turnover of over 2 billion rand. That is significantly more feet and money passing through hands than your average shopping centre I would imagine. Moreover, it is well run, efficient, diverse in what it offers, versatile in what it offers (vendors are highly responsive to market demand, the World Cup in 2010 was a perfect case in point), has sustained itself for going on 100 years despite undergoing economic and political upheaval and change. Also, because vendors are essentially their own business owners, the markets do not have all the Human Resource, talent retention, internal politics, payroll etc., problems that most conventional business have. Despite all this, have you considered that the Warwick Market falls in to what is known as the informal business sector?

Whilst I was wondering around this magical place, contemplating all that I was learning about myself by spending time with these remarkable vendors and their remarkable stories, I wondered what a place like Warwick represented for the future of business, most specifically big conglomerates and multi-national corporations. Warwick embodies for me the best aspects of the new world of work, in that it’s survival is reliant on collaboration, trust, respect, hard work, networking, team-work, good leadership, humility, creativity, innovation, market responsiveness, cutting edge service, high quality products, convenience, reliability, excellent communication, tolerance for difference, transparency and honesty. All these are qualities that future business also needs in order to survive.

What was also interesting about Warwick was the interchange between modern, western goods (like soccer shirts and CD players) and more traditional products like African herbs and the bovine heads. The gentleman who showed me around the market pointed out to me that many of the products available could or would never be sold in the formal sector (and yet things sold in the formal sector can be sold here). A market like this, therefore, provides products and services for a huge proportion of South Africa’s population who have a need for things that are not to be found in supermarkets.

Furthermore to me, there is an interesting dichotomy between a traditional way of life and urbanization. The Bovine Heads Market is a beautiful illustration of this. Bovine (cow) heads are a traditional Zulu delicacy. Cow’s heads are skinned and then the meat around the jawbone is carefully shaved off and boiled.  This is then served with traditionally made dumplings, which as I understand it, it boiled bread. What is so interesting about this market in particular, is that historically preparing and consuming the bovine head was a privilege reserved only for Zulu men. However, now, with urbanization (and I can only assume female empowerment) not only are the heads prepared by women but women are now allowed to get a ‘take away’ bovine head and dumpling. Men still reserve the right to sit and eat this special food at the market.

This experience illustrated so many important things for me. One of the things I thought of is the potential interplay between the formal and informal business sectors in to the future. In 2008 the world tipped from being primarily rural to being primarily urban. Cities are growing rather than getting smaller. This must mean that governments, big business and social practices generally are going to shift and change to accommodate new ways of over-populated urban living. What Warwick illuminated for me was the need to consider now what the future holds for the informal business sector in relation to the formal business sector. I think there will come a time in the future where the formal sector will learn from the informal and I definitely think that there will come a time where they will both have to work collaboratively. If one considers which cities are predicted to grow most in the next 15 years, most are cities in developing economies that have historically had a proportionately large informal business sector. I think that because of this historic behaviour, because of the disillusionment with big business and the system (embodied in the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall street), because of a skills deficit that the world is facing amongst the youth and because of the formal sector not being able to create jobs fast enough, the informal sector (illustrated by Warwick) will play increasingly significant roles in the global economy.

Another thing that interested me was how urbanization is potentially reshaping traditional cultural practices as male/ female dynamics shift and change. I do not have any researched statistics on this, but I observed a lot of female vendors. What was interesting too, was that the individual markets tended to be one gender dominated. For example, the bead market, the church clothes market; and the Bovine Head market, seemed to be run almost exclusively by women of all ages (the CD players and soccer shirts were being sold mostly by young men).  I wonder if informal business is female dominated; and what kind of implication this is going to have for female economic empowerment? Much like the rise of the ‘mompreneur’; the number of women in the informal business sector will increasingly lead to women heading up households (financially), women becoming decision-makers; and women spending their money differently (because they do spend their money differently to men) both in the formal and informal space.  I wonder what impact this will have on male/ female domestic dynamics and in particular the role of parenting. If men (across all socio-economic groupings) have to take more hands-on responsibility for children because women are effectively running their own business, where does that leave future generations in terms of their understanding of what is normal?

All these are interesting things to consider. But one thing I am pretty sure of is this: cities, big business, formal business and the role of men and women therein is going to look different in the not so distant future.

If you are interested in visiting Warwick Market contact info@tomorrowtoday.co.za – there really is much to learn about yourself and your business from a day with those vendors.

 

It was Jim O’Neill, Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, who some 10 years ago, coined the acronym, ‘BRIC’ – a grouping of emerging economies namely, Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Then, in a more recent move, South Africa was added to the club and so ‘BRIC’ became, ‘BRICS’.

A recent trip to India now means that I can cross off each of these nations as destinations. In fact I have been fortunate enough to visit both Russia and China on several occasions. While I was in India the annual BRICS summit was taking place very close to where I was staying and was the subject of a great deal of media attention. It helped to act as a catalyst to focus my thoughts on both BRICS and that of my own journey.

There is no doubt that these (and other emerging economic powerhouses) are forever changing the global landscape as a new world order emerges. There is some debate as to whether or not South Africa deserves to be included in this grouping as on the face of it there other nations who could better justify inclusion.  South Korea, Mexico, Indonesia and Turkey could all make strong cases for inclusion but try putting together an acronym for all eight – now there’s a challenge!

South Africa is somewhat dwarfed by the other four club members.  They have also each considerably out-performed South Africa when it comes to the rate of economic growth: For instance, China’s dollar value of GDP is creating the economic equivalent of a new South Africa every four months! O’Neill argues that South Africa justifies inclusion when considered as, ‘Africa’s representative’.  Debatable perhaps but it is a point taken.

The Goldman Sachs index referred to a the ‘Growth Environment Score’ – is a straight-forward look at the national variables necessary for sustained growth and productivity. The index was recently given a face-lift to incorporate a further five variables in addition to the thirteen that made-up the original index. The eighteen variables can be split into six different categories: macroeconomic stability (government deficit, external debt and inflation), macroeconomic conditions (investment rate, degree of openness to trade), political conditions (corruption, rule of law and political stability), technology (mobile phones, personal computers, internets users and secure internet servers), microeconomic environment (cost of starting a business, urban population, patent applications and research and development expenditure) and finally, human life (life expectancy and schooling). In the 2011 index statistics South Africa scores 5.08 out of 10 with South Korea scoring an impressive 7.7 – which places this nation fourth out of a total of 183 countries that Goldman Sachs rate. What is interesting is that South Africa scores higher than both India and Russia in the 2011 figures.

But back to my most recent BRICS destination – India. It is a staggering experience, a cacophony of sounds, smells and colours. David Blair, MD of Fitch Design Consultancy was quoted as saying, “Indians’ love of colour is well known and we have found that when we have brought concepts to India we have had to brighten up the whole experience to appeal to local tastes”. India is a nation of paradox and one in which nothing is what it seems; a country brimming with friendly, smiling people – all seemingly armed with a tangible energy and a humble confidence in who they are and what the future holds. It can all be quite intoxicating to the uninitiated.

The projections are that India is set to surpass China when it comes to economic clout by the year 2050. The Indian population (currently 1.3 billion) will pass that of China by 2035. The significant difference being that India has a ‘young population’ – a factor that will power its long-term economic prospects.

Earlier this year, when I was last in China, I heard the Chairman of the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce say, “If you are not in China, you are already too late”. It was a stark warning that resonated with all present and I suspect that that will be true of India in the not too distant future.

The biggest challenge in absorbing this global shift, this new and emerging world, is in how it challenges our conventional wisdom – both conceptual and practical. To think that we can simply transplant what has ‘worked here’ to ‘work there’ is a massive mistake. It is often indicative of lazy thinking and a hallmark of arrogance, a belief that ‘we know what works best’. Experiencing India is liable to quickly shake one out of such mediocrity and laziness. It is one thing reading the figures and projections; it is an entirely different thing to get a ‘hands-on’ experience of places such as India or China. It is when experiencing such places that the realization of the real work of global leadership hits home: that of cultural awareness and adaptive intelligence. Many of the lessons that have served so well in the past, in a different and familiar context, come up woefully short in the face of such over-whelming difference. We quickly realize that ‘our way’ is not ‘the way’ and that our ability to learn, translate, remain open and stay curious will be the new survival kit for thriving in a context such as India or China. Leaders will be required to go back to ‘boot camp’ if they are to succeed in this new emerging world order.

Places like India and China, indeed South Africa, are complex, fragmented and paradoxical. Yet, this is what our global future looks like and so we need to be asking how best to go about preparing our people and organizations for such diversity and the challenges that form part of this reality.

I have isolated five leadership lessons– one for each of the BRICS nations that I have visited, yet all equally applicable when considering the challenge of leading in emerging economies.

Realize that the more you think you know, how little you really know. Repeated visits to China and Russia combined with a life spent in South Africa could all be construed as a ready platform for expertise. However, my reality is that the more I have travelled, experienced, read, asked and observed – the more I realize just how little I really know about ‘other places’.  Leaders will need to avoid the trap of being seen by others (or themselves) as ‘instant experts’. In this global context there is no such thing! Curiosity needs to fuel the leader’s learning journey and there needs to be a willingness to recognize and understand that wisdom comes in many forms and guises.

Getting lost is part of the journey. Getting ‘lost’ translates as the willingness to ‘fail’ when it comes to organizations. Getting lost in a strange place (the Russian metro) is scary yet this is often where the most valuable lessons and insight are to be found. Individuals and organizations need to decide how best to embrace such an attitude and mindset but, if you are to thrive in this new world, getting lost is not optional.  In India I was privy to some insightful lessons that had been learnt through personal and corporate failure. Leaders need to finds ways to elevate such lessons in order to leverage learning and development; the problem is that all too often leaders have tended to bury such lessons – not shine a spotlight on them!

It might look, taste or feel the same…but it isn’t! We tend to frame and interpret things from our own particular reference points. Travel in strange places quickly undermines such assumptions and often does so with consequences that are the stories with which we entertain and regale family, friends and colleagues on our return. As a leader you need to be aware of the lenses’ through which you interpret ‘reality’ and make judgements. You need to be willing to suspend the ‘truth’ of such views if you are to honestly engage in the challenging world of paradox and difference. In fact it can be a very sobering experience to realise that the reliability of such lenses, something that may have remained unquestioned and fixed for so long, are in fact, questionable. This becomes the uncomfortable terrain of personal growth and is often like wearing a scratchy garment that causes one to itch without relief.  However, as the reframing takes place we will arrive at a place of insight and clarity in spite of how we may feel during the early stages of the journey. T.S Eliot said it best in his poem The Four Quarters when he wrote, ‘We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time’. They are words I have grown to appreciate for the wisdom that is embedded within them.

Getting out is the only way to truly get in. I remember seeing a sign in a supermarket where the entrance was under repair, it read: ‘The only way out is In’. It was a memorable sign and also good leadership advice. Many travel to the places we have mentioned only to ‘experience’ them from five-star hotels and coaches, insulated from the reality and life that happens all around them. That is no way to experience difference. Getting out of one’s comfort zone is critical to finding a way ‘in’ to the context and culture in which you find yourself. This need not only apply to when one is travelling, as I know too many leaders who seldom venture from the comfort and confines of their oak-panelled offices to get a dose of reality within their own kingdom!

Learn the language…or at least how to say “hello” and “thank you”. Greetings differ and what is appropriate in one place isn’t so in another. Some cultures smile a lot, others don’t. Some place hands together (India) and others use a similar gesture but one that is entirely different (China). Of course I am talking about surface things here but cultural sensitivities will go a long way to forging authentic relationships. I know of deals that have been won or lost based purely on such cultural awareness’s.  Intel have employed a cultural anthropologist (Genevieve Bell) to assist them navigate these new realities within their context. It is a smart move and one that I suspect will be replicated by others who find themselves operating in this global context.  It is no coincidence that one of the finest leadership programmes I know of – the Asia Pacific Leadership Program (East West Center, Hawaii) is headed-up by a cultural anthropologist by the name of Prof Nick Barker. It is from this discipline (cultural anthropology) that we will be able to withdraw helpful frameworks and knowledge about how better to engage and learn in the midst of difference and diversity. As I have repeatedly heard Nick say, “we are not different from each other but rather we are different for each other”. It will be a vital source of learning for those serious about this new world that is emerging, one in which the old rules and etiquette are of limited use. Of course cultural anthropology isn’t the only resource available and companies will need to embrace a wider frame of reference than that which is currently employed, if they are to make inroads in this new context. It should be evident in business schools but sadly there is often little imagination to be found in leadership curriculum in such places.

The future is not what it used to be. My mother who is in her eighties still talks about the ‘far east’. The reality is, the ‘far east’ has become the ‘near east’. Leaders need to embrace the changes that are taking place. You need to read, ask, learn but better yet, you need to go. Go and experience the places that I’ve spoken about and as you do so, here is some advice: go as a pilgrim and not a tourist. The difference is that tourists take pictures but pilgrims collect stories. Go and collect some of your own stories and then learn to live and translate these for those around you so that you become a learning organization – one that is ready to embrace the change, the chaos and the opportunity that is our future.