South Africa & China: deal-making differences

Natalie Kolbe, a director at pan-emerging markets private equity investor Actis, reflects on the differences between the deal-making environments in South Africa and China. The label ‘emerging markets’ may help us summarise prevailing global economic trends but it can also conceal and simplify: masking the myriad differences between the countries it describes.

Negotiating with peers & colleagues

We all have a need, now and again, to influence one of our peers to our way of thinking – without the benefit of authority.  So how can we increase our success rate?

Frank L Acuff points out that Authority is the right granted  to you by your position...

Leveraging performance in your workplace, Step 3

So now your top performers are stretching and the top of the middle are kicking in.  Where can you focus next?

Well now would be a good time to focus on the non-performers.

So what about the non-performers? Well if you are Jack Welsh you fire them.  He says people who consistently under-perform are probably doing the wrong job have to go.  He supports John Maxwell’s “Indispensable Law” that weak links create great difficulties in teams. They don’t deliver and they demotivate the more enthusiastic members who are left wondering why the weak links are tolerated by the leadership.

Leveraging performance in your workplace, Step 2

OK so now you have identified how your team is performing and you are working with your top performers to find out what they need to boost their output.  You are creating a space in which they can soar.

How else can you grow performance?

Cutting the poor performers may save costs but it will not create income.  Organisation transformation is expensive, distracting and de-motivating for staff, takes time and carries a high risk of failure.

Leveraging performance in your workplace, Step 1

In the last posting we saw that the research showed that 90% of the highest paid and best educated employees around the world are not high-performing!

So how can we begin to improve this shocking figure?  Perhaps your urge is get on to those non-performers and reduce the 38% to something less dismal.  Where would you begin?

Well it turns out that the best place to start is with the good guys.

Start strategic planning for your business today!

Are you ready for a strategic plan for your business?  Do you know where to start?  Defining and implementing a strategy is an exciting step for any organisation.  Perhaps you have a great idea that has exploded beyond the capacity of your start-up group.

Persistence

Children singing in the company reception.  A window washer writes a message on the window.  A lush pot plant is delivered as a surprise.  What do these stories have in common?  They are creative ways sales people have attracted the attention of prospects.

In the first, the celebrated salesman, Anthony Wainwright got the attention of a children’s products entrepreneur.  In the second, Anthony Wainwright had spent two days trying to get a meeting with Chairman Philip K Wrigley of William Wrigley, Jr., Co.

Manager's delegation faux pas

We come equipped with highly effective psychological defence mechanisms to protect us from discomfort and anxiety.  Unchecked, they sabotage our effectiveness as managers.  The resultant reflex, over-learned behaviours, go undetected until we hunt for them specifically.  Robert Schaffer identifies four pervasive, subtle and crippling behaviour traps.

Trap 1:  Failing to set proper expectations

Have you ever announced a new direction without spelling out specifically what you expect to happen, who is responsible for what and when you expect delivery?  Or more insidiously, do you express expectations with an implied “if you possibly can…”?

Digital strategy is all about doing better business

Many South African companies are starting to come to grips with the realities of online and the opportunities it has to offer. The challenge is understanding the value that it can deliver for their businesses and how they can capitalise on the opportunities available, writes Richard Mullins, director at Acceleration.

"Solutions Focused" coaching for teams

Here is an application of Solutions Focused Coaching for teams, developed by Daniel Meier.  The approach has been elaborated and adapted by various authors to create a range and interesting and effective team workshop exercises.  I have used this in various forms with teams and have found it to be really powerful.