Tag Archives: skills development

‘MUST HAVES’ FOR BOSSES REVEALS NEED FOR LOCAL STUDY

 

purpose-driven-leadership[1]

REAL Communication Consulting’s Desiray Viney ran a workshop entitled, ‘Must Haves’ for The New Age Executive at Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business this week.

Attended by managers and directors of business, industry and NGOs, it produced much discussion around the qualities, attributes, skills and actions of an effective manager or leader in this volatile, uncertain and fast-paced world.

Participants were asked to work through a given list of twelve (from leading writers) and to select and rank their own Six ‘Must Haves’ for Executives list. It culminated in this list:

  1. Have the courage and skills needed to lead an organisation in today’s environment – To build the confidence of your people to achieve the impossible: constant improvement, growth against a backdrop of extraordinary challenges and growing stakeholder expectations.
  2. Know that all people in your organisation are important – make the effort to be in their presence. Don’t be too far removed from those who matter most – within boundaries. People at the “bottom” are more informed and empowered than ever. Respect them. While they need your wisdom and direction, you should draw on their input in your decision-making.
  3. Ask the difficult questions and have the tough conversations on all levels of the organisation. Know the facts crucial to making wise decisions, and make a conscious decision that knowing the truth, being respected and doing what is right is most important, more so than being liked or avoiding conflict.
  4. Communicate purposefully! Don’t allow an information vacuum. Give feedback. Muzzle your voice, listen to what others think, and schedule face-to-face interactions.
  5. Know that values drive people’s behaviour, strive to create a values driven organisation. Remain true to your own values, which should match those of your organisation. Enable people to strive for excellence, and celebrate when they achieve. Have fun too.
  6. Have a Plan, acknowledging the speed of socio-political and economic change and how these interact and impact your business. The rate of change is very fast and it’s becoming more difficult to predict these forces in society, but you still need to strive to understand them.

Taki Anastasis, Sunshine Bakery’s chief executive, distinguished between the leader and the manager roles and explained how sometimes there’s a gap in their understanding of certain issues and how they communicate their understanding of values and instructions etc.

Kai Steinfeld, MD of Pfisterer, maintained that “In a global production-based company, having a vision and planning is essential.”Innovative leadership

This workshop raised a number of issues in Business. Clearly, every business is unique and requires leadership appropriate to its operational environment. It also highlighted the need for more research on how local company bosses communicate and implement their vision, values and strategies. Information collected would provide the appropriate data and findings to advance leadership in South Africa.

 

 

Employee relations is core to any Business Branding Strategy.

Connect, engage and win together

Connect, engage and win together

Strategic business communication planning should start ‘from the inside out’.  Leaders and managers should begin with a journey to the ‘source’ and purpose of their business, to find the real values that drive them forward to growth, prosperity and sustainability.

Once they’re identified their values and set their goals, the obvious next step would be to share them with the people within the company who, on a daily basis, have to ‘live’ those values and work to achieve those goals.  They have to buy in to them, making the company’s values and goals their own. Their actions and behaviour have to reflect their belief in the company and what it stands for. Some would refer to this as developing a ‘corporate culture’.

However, too often business leaders fail to share and instil the common core values and then wonder why there’s a mismatch or non-alignment between their values and customer satisfaction.

Here are some points on Strategic Employee Relations Planning. It can go a long way in developing a common culture that positively affects and benefits the employees themselves, customers and other stakeholders, the brand and ultimately the company reputation:

  • Business Leaders have to be audience-centric, and employees are the key audience. Leaders and managers have to listen to them in order to be ‘listened to’
  • Internal communication and engagement must be two-way and ongoing to contribute to team cohesion, performance, productivity and profitability
  • Employees must feel supported by management; their individual needs for growth and skills development must be addressed for mutual benefit
  • Knowing they and management have a shared purpose and vision gives employees the desire to achieve the common goals
  • Where there are actions aimed at fulfilling common goals, measurability, evaluation and constant reflection are welcome and valued
  • Rewards for achievement are a motivation to perform and reach goals together
  • Shared values and goals lead to shared responsibility where each employee knows what’s expected of him, as part of the whole organisation.

So it is vital that your Strategic Employee Relations Plan is used as a tool that underpins all your business activities.

NGOs a site for PR skills development

Earlier this month a jubilant Department of Education announced the 78% pass rate for the 2013 Matriculants. But hot on the heels of the release came questions, criticisms and expressions of concern regarding the lack of jobs, the skills deficit, and the relevance of a university degree when there was dire need for artisans (who actually earn more than graduates). We all know the problems but what about solutions?

On 9 January Rowan Philp wrote a piece in The Witness entitled “Volunteer or Bust!”
http://www.witness.co.za/index.php?showcontent&global[_id]=112563

What caught my attention were the following:

• pupils had “fixed and unrealistic ideas” about jobs
• “Young people have to change their mind-set from ‘What can I get from employers?’, to ‘What can I give to employers?’ They should draw up a list of all the employed adults they know – and ask to work-shadow, intern, or just volunteer.”
• gain on-the-job experience, even if it meant no pay.
• there was “increasing concern” over viable careers for matrics.
• the country needed artisans and entrepreneurs.

The matric results have focused the nation’s attention on the desperate need to address the problems of unemployment and skills shortage. For me, the NGO environment is an ideal one for developing volunteers into skilled workers and entrepreneurs over a wide range of activities while building the capacity of communities. I have been involved in CESL (Community engagement with Student Learning) projects and seen the positive impact on young people working with NGOs.

There are so many NGOs with uplifting projects needing staff and funding. In conversation with Michael Deegan, CEO of the PMB Community Chest, he mentioned the need for NGOs to think of new ways of doing things, and to rework their corporate identity, image and communication strategies to create more awareness and draw more donors, corporate sponsors and volunteers.

Clearly the new audience is the youth and so NGOs and charities need to change the perception that charity and community work is only for the older generation. Already the Community Chest has a programme directed at the youth called the “@Generation” to address this. Having young volunteers working in NGOs would go a long way to improve their understanding and perceptions of ‘charity’ work.

NGOs are multi-dimensional too in that they operate on so many levels and with so many stakeholders – from government departments, communities, business, international donors and aid organisations to local educators, women’s groups, healthcare givers and of course the media. Volunteers would leave with a range of skills, abilities and interests to offer the world of business.

So here’s my suggestion for a possible solution:

Volunteerism as “giving to grow” – NGOs, Business and the Community can do it together

We need to develop a volunteer programme whereby unemployed matriculants go into NGOs to work and to train.
The types of skills they would learn is wide-ranging, from office admin, computer, financial and business to project management, government relations and funding policies, procedures and proposals.

However, my sphere of interest and expertise is corporate communication and public relations, so I will focus on NGOs and their dire need of strategic planning in this area. They are also perfect sites for potential learning and development of specific communication and PR skills, techniques and activities which are vital for their existence.
These include: Branding, copy writing, publicity, interpersonal communication skills, CSI – corporate social investment, community relations, media relations, sponsorship, integrated marketing, event management, and so on.

All they need is people to teach them! And funds to pay them.
So my proposal is that business contribute in money and in kind to enable NGOs to implement such a programme by covering the cost of willing professionals like me to deliver skill interventions and deliverables to achieve the outcomes – NGOs performing optimally, addressing socio-economic issues like healthcare, education, skills development, unemployment, whilst simultaneously building citizens, communities and the country.

It’s not impossible. It just takes concerned citizens and business to put their money where their mouths are! NGOs like The Community Chest are waiting for you…….

SA government must do better at development education and people-to-people links

With all the networking I’ve been doing over the past eight months, I’ve got to meet so many interesting people doing exciting things. I’ve been inspired, encouraged and learnt so much about how to improve the way I do things.

The highlight of last week (perhaps my year?) was the opportunity to meet people involved in the AusAID Australia Awards – Africa Programme. Ever heard of that? Well, let me enlighten you, as I was………. This is my short version, however, you can visit www.adsafrica.com.au or http://www.ausaid.gov.au/australia-awards if you want more information.

The Australian government, through its Agency for International Development (AID), has been working very hard and investing millions in its efforts towards achieving the UN’s Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) of eliminating poverty and hunger, improving health, gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability, as well as creating global partnerships. It has shown its commitment by giving assistance in these areas to over 145 developing countries. Examples include delivery of: sanitation and clean water supply programmes in African countries like Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa; measles and polio immunization programmes in Papua New Guinea; building a bridge across the Mekong River giving marginalized people in East Asia more mobility and accessibility to economic opportunities.

AusAID works with governments of developing countries to improve the way they deliver social, economic and community services. Through partnerships and policy dialogues with specific organisations, clinics and schools are built, advice and training is given; management systems are put in place – all with a view to improving crucial services and empowering people.

Enter the Australia Awards… The Australian government provides funds for educational and training opportunities for key people who take up scholarships in Australia where they study and develop skills that empower them to contribute to capacity and skills building and leadership on their return to their home countries. In this way these awardees, with potential to be future leaders, change-makers and advocates for a better life – socially and economically, promote the development and improvement in the quality of health, educational, social and civic services and make a difference to their communities and their countries.

There is a message in this: If the Australian government can implement a development education and training initiative in Africa, surely the South Africa government can too? Let’s follow their lead.

As communities explode over lack of services delivery and as over 20,000 South African matriculants prepare to enter the working world, it behoves leaders in business, education and civic organisations to get into gear on urgent dialogue, action and proactive partnerships to speed up reform of skills development and training programmes to increase job creation, reduce poverty, improve service delivery, energise our economy and develop good citizens.

What businesses want – exposure and publicity

NEED TO GET PUBLICITY FOR YOUR COMPANY?
REAL Communication Consulting’s Dee Viney is running another PR Boot Camp workshop: entitled “Creating news for your business.”

All businesses want exposure and many people say they’d love to create more awareness of their products, activities and services and brands, but just don’t know how to – apart from just placing adverts. This intensive workshop aims to help business people plan to connect and grow through news creation and media releases. Using experiential learning techniques, Dee will get attendees to share their own experiences while acquiring new knowledge and skills.

Each participant will learn to:
communicate with key stakeholders;
target corporate messages and actions effectively in the media; and
write an effective press release.

Choose from two dates: 30 October or 21 November from 8.30 to 12.30 at Chamber House, Royal Showgrounds, PMB.

The cost is R 550 per person including a Workbook and refreshments.

Register now for the PR Boot Camp

Public Relations Boot Camp registration form

In this comprehensive series of workshops you will learn important information and skills to assist you and your business to strategically plan to build relationships with your publics or stakeholders. Understanding public relations in a wider context rather than simply in terms of publicity and events, and leveraging all opportunities to engage with your stakeholders, will give you the competitive edge, as well as enhance your corporate reputation.
What will participants learn?
 Strategic approach to PR
 Corporate culture, Identity,
 Image and Reputation
 Stakeholder relations
 PR Techniques
What Topics are covered?
 Role, function and approach to PR
 Planning PR messages and activities
 Mission Statement & Values
 Corporate Identity & Brand
 The Media and PR
 Use of PR techniques & tools

Pre-Registration Information
Yes! I would like to attend PR Boot Camp!

Sign me up for the following workshops:
21 May 28 May
04 June 11 June (circle your choice)

All workshops are from 8.30 – 12:30

Each workshop costs R 500.
If you attend ALL 4 you pay R 1 800 in advance.

Your Information

Name: _______________________

Position: _______________________

Organisation: ____________________

Tel/Cel: ______________________

Email Add: _________________________

Payment to:

D L Viney ABSA Bank Code 632005 Account No 4070604371

Please email proof of payment with the completed form.