The Public Sector Works with the Right Leadership

I often talk about the incompetence of civil service, but today I want to give a big thumbs up to how the home affairs department is pulling itself together. Long the bane of many South African’s life, home affairs used to be a non-stop queue of bureaucracy, procedure and running around in circles. It appears as though things have changed…

The Difference: 2000 and 2010

10 years ago, futurists were saying that ‘In five to ten years 80% percent of of what drives the world will be driven by continuations, 15% of what we have will be driven by cycles and 5% will be driven by novelty.’ A decade later the tables have quite literally turned and the reverse is now true…

Millennium Goals, Five Years to Go

As 140 heads of state and government gather Monday at the United Nations for the Millennium Development Goals summit, they and the public will ask what has come out of this decade-long effort. The answer will surprise them: A great deal has been achieved, with some of the most exciting breakthroughs occurring in Africa.

Corporate IT Departments are Living in the Stone Age

Corporate IT departments need to realise what technology is available, how easy it is to use and the myriad different applications that are tailormade specifically to enhance how we operate.

South Africa’s endemic culture of entitlement

Why is it that so many South African people feel entitled to everything? Why do so many of our citizens believe that the government must just give them houses, jobs & farms but they do not expect to have to work for it? Why is it that we just expect greater than inflationary increases with scant regard whether we are in fact adding more value than we did a year ago?

What Ever Happened To Labour?

This is a blog post written by Seth Godin which resonated well with me.

How to LeadSA

I recently promoted the new LeadSA initiative on my blog and twitter account, saying what a fantastic idea it was and how important it is for our sense of national identity and patriotism. The publicity and attention it gained was noteworthy and for many individuals it was an outlet to dedicate their focus and efforts for a better country. Not a week later, LeadSA was completely overtaken by stories of the largest national strike in our democracy’s history.

The ANC’s New Common Enemy

Since apartheid ended almost two decades ago, the glue holding the ANC alliance together has steadily come more and more unstuck. Without having a common enemy to fight, the party has continually veered off in many different directions based on individualistic thinking and demands within the party.

How Will You Measure Your Life

The Harvard Business Review recently published an address by HBS professor Clay Christensen to his graduating class of 2010. His speech was on how to apply his principles and thinking to the personal lives of his students rather than just their careers. Entitled “How will you measure your life?”, Christensen captured many key points which resonated deeply with my own thinking and which I have found of huge value in my own personal life.

The Demise of Black Economic Empowerment

Black Economic Empowerment has been at the forefront of South Africa’s developing public and private sector since the democracy of 1994. It is a stringent principle for some, a source of leverage for others and a point of contention for many. Yet has it become more of a thorn in the side of South Africa’s progress than anything else?