This article also appeared in Finweek Magazine in their 29-Nov-2012 issue 
Looking around the audience at a recent talk on entrepreneurship, I was amazed to see that I was the only female entrepreneur there. The speaker noticed this too, and posed the question, “Why are there so few female entrepreneurs, and more importantly, does it matter?” At the time I didn’t think gender differences were important in the entrepreneurship space. However, further research proved eye-opening. Continue reading
This article also appeared in Finweek Magazine in their 15-Nov-2012 issue
“You need to burn to learn”. In other words, we are wired to learn the hard way. In the business world, Rupert Murdoch with MySpace is a classic example of exactly this. Continue reading
Puppy & Kitty Haven are being forced to close down. If they cannot find homes for them in 2 weeks, they will have to put down 200 animals! If you can adopt a pet call Sam +27(0)83 387 1012 or email info@puppyhaven.co.za. It’s a fantastic cause that I really support. We got 2 of our dogs there, best investment ever! Please spread the word
This article also appeared in Finweek Magazine in their 8-Nov-2012 issue
In my past life in corporate, I remember how damaging it was when an inexperienced new boss was appointed. Not only was Sally new to our department, she was new to the job of boss. Whereas our previous manager John had rewarded new ideas and new thinking, now we could no longer take initiative and be innovative. Sally created more and more rules, and the slightest deviation from the rules was punished, even if you produced a better result than you would have by following the procedures 100%. Creativity and fresh thinking was simply not tolerated. Everything, even the most straightforward tasks, had to be approved by Sally first, regardless of your level of experience. She checked everything we did in micro-detail and cracked the whip on petty issues. We were floundering without the strategic direction that John had given so well. The culture in our department changed from one of trust and innovation to bitchy backstabbing. The innovators quickly left, and productivity deteriorated dramatically. Under John’s leadership, people would come in early and work late because they were passionate about their jobs, and they worked hard until they got their work done, and done well. Now the only people left in Sally’s department were clock watchers, churning out mediocre work just to get the job done and get her off their backs. It was disheartening to see all of John’s work destroyed. I stuck it out as long as I was able, but eventually left before a small part of me died.
If you’ve worked in corporate, chances are you’ve had a boss like Sally (or at least a boss who has some elements of Sally) at some point in your career.
I’m a strong believer in seeing the positive in everything. This experience was no different. We all need a bad boss like Sally to appreciate good bosses and to become better bosses ourselves.
So what valuable lessons can we take away from managers like Sally? Continue reading
This article also appeared in Finweek Magazine in their 01-Nov-2012 issue
In the words of author Nathaniel S. Summers, “The strength of a person is often weighed by how they deal with their weaknesses.” By way of example, I’d like to share a true story with you. Continue reading
This is a guest post by Ruth Tearle.
I have always had a belief that if you keep doing the right things, for long enough, the rewards will come.
In today’s Internet-driven recruitment world, your CV is the single most powerful document you have in your job search arsenal. If you get it right, it can open doors to new careers and opportunities. Get it wrong and you won’t even make it to the interview stage. Here are some useful tips to help you strengthen your CV.
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This article also appeared in Finweek magazine in their 27-Sep-2012 print issue and online.
When I was still working in corporate as a clinical trial project manager, my manager sent an email to his boss describing how I’d beaten the targets on two of our research trials. Without thinking, he used lots of the lingo that everyone in our department understood, like FPV, LPV, ER and so on. When I got home that night, I gave the email to my husband to read. “Well, what do you think? Pretty cool, hey?” I asked, bursting with excitement.
However, after going through it three or four times, he looked at me blankly and said (as diplomatically as he could): “I can see you’re really excited about this, and it must be good news. But I’m really sorry. I don’t understand a word of this email. Can you tell me what it means?”
I learnt a fundamental lesson that day. It really brought home to me just how critical it is to communicate in a way that anyone can understand. It doesn’t matter if they are a child, a foreigner or someone outside your field. Continue reading
This article also appeared in Finweek magazine in their 6-Sep-2012 issue
The American author Theodor Geisel, who wrote under the pen name of Dr. Seuss, was rejected by 27 publishers when he submitted his first manuscript. When he finally found a publisher, his 46 books including “Cat in the Hat”, and “Green Eggs and Ham” went on to sell nearly half a billion books worldwide.
Renowned writer JK Rowling shares a similar story. Her first book “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was submitted to 12 publishing houses. All 12 rejected it. But then the number 13 turned out to be an incredibly lucky one for Rowling and the Bloomsbury publishing group. Rowling went from living on social security to being a self-made billionaire. In its 2011 world billionaires’ list, Forbes estimated Rowling’s net worth at US$1bn.
Looking at these phenomenal turnarounds, there are a number of critical lessons we can take away:
This article also appeared in Finweek Magazine in their 16-Aug-2012 issue
In my previous life in corporate, one of the biggest time-wasters was the budgeting process. We would write off three months preparing budgets for the next year. Invariably we tweaked last year’s numbers, added some inflation and extra for contingency, and there you had the new spend which you had to defend.
Why is this exercise destructive for your business?
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