November 2006

I spent a full week in South Africa speaking and interviewing with some interesting people.

I had a wonderful meal with Albie Schoeman, who is the HR Director of Clover, the largest milk company in South Africa. Albie was telling me how the Board had been using the ‘Perceptions on bottom line profits’ material I had presented. He said that it had made a significant impact on the team and they had incorporated it into their Conference. We had a delightful meal at the Meat Co in Monte Casino and it was great to see him again.

I had a fascinating interview with Paolo Caveleri, CEO of Hollard in Joburg. What a magnificent Head Office. Modern, with the feel of dynamic people in a fun atmosphere. I found it a useful insight into one of South Africa’s most innovative and exciting companies.

Paolo Caveleri, CEO at Hollards

Looking down on the common area. Note the basketball ring, climbing wall and there was also a Pool table, table tennis tables and more for staff to enjoy.

I also had interviews at Syngenta and South African Breweries as well as meetings at ABSA Bank with my good friend Lawerence Mlotshwa.
Syngenta is an interesting organisation who have done some good things with their leadership team. I am looking forward to going back there and finding out more. Of course, South African Breweries is an amazing story and I am enjoying my research with them which is ongoing.

I had a couple of speaking engagements during the week which went down well.
Paul du Toit had arranged a public event where Ronnie Muhl and I were the principle speakers. Ronnie told his amazing story of climbing Mount Everest and I tried out some new material which seemed to go well. I really appreciate Paul’s efforts to put on the event. He is such a lovely guy and works so hard for the speaking industry.

Also a big thank you to Randal Godden and the members of his group in Joburg who made me feel so welcome. Thanks for inviting me back and I look forward to seeing you next year.


Randal and I at the Golf Club

After an exciting week in SA I was on my way to the United States for three days to do some Institute for Management Studies events in Washington, Philadelphia and New Jersey. Wonderful people and exceptionally nice Chairmen in all three areas. They have invited me back next year, so I must have done something right ☺

Jim was kind enough to give me a whistle stop trip around Washington which was wonderful. The city needs to be seen to be believed. It is very grand and well laid out. It was interesting to meet people a week after the elections where the Democrats had won back The House and the Senate. The great thing about democracy is that people can speak out about how they feel about their ruler and people were very open about their feelings. I think there was also an air of trepidation about what will happen over the next two years.

Back to London and straight into a speech for Vistage that afternoon for Ian Simmonds. Great group and finally got to meet Robert Drew. Everyone seemed to enjoy the presentation and lovely feedback from them all.


The following morning I had a speech for the West Midlands Quality Group and then onto Manchester Police for another speech in the afternoon. All in all an exhausting week but very rewarding indeed.

Having had a successful week we all went to dinner on Saturday night as a thank you to the team. We had decided to restructure the teams responsibilities and everyone was pleased with the new structure and at one of our most successful weeks in sales.

The last week has been a little less hectic but still quite busy. At least I am home and not flying for a few weeks.

My mastermind group went reasonably well. I think we need to bring in some new blood and be prepared to challenge a lot more. I am enjoying the relationship with Roger Harrop and think there is a lot more we could do together.

A fascinating interview with a local business, BGB Engineering. What an amazing company and my thanks go to David Hoyt for sharing their journey with me. I love stories of organisations that think strategically and are also prepared to think differently. Some fascinating insights and I will write an article about them in the next week.




Finally, I visited a school I had worked for a couple of years ago in Nottingham.
I had worked with the Senior Management team as they embarked on their journey to become a college and developing an engineering centre. This was now nearly complete and I had the pleasure to attend a pre-launch event and to say a few words. It was lovely to be able to recognise the hard work of the Head, Peter Brown. He is a dynamic man who had a great vision. Well done Peter, I look forward to seeing a lot more of Top Valley School and Engineering College in the future.


Peter Brown, Head of Top Valley School and Engineering College

The last week of the month will be devoted to writing and planning projects for the next year.

Three Weeks in UK

An interesting three weeks in the UK. So many good things are happening and I’ve had the opportunity to speak at some great venues and meet some wonderful people.

I spoke in Edinburgh, which is always a pleasure. I do enjoy Scotland. The people are so friendly but at the same time they are to the point. They will challenge but at the same time they are open to discussion and ideas.

I have been invited to speak in Bristol (another great event), Manchester, Coventry, London, Newcastle amongst other places. I had an interesting day speaking and working with a College in Northamptonshire. Schools in UK are generally struggling to grasp the future and adapt their thinking to be able to prepare their students for that future.

The Manchester Vistage (formally TEC) group was a wonderful meeting. Some excellent questions and discussion. Thanks to Edward for inviting me and I wish you all well.

I had the pleasure of visiting a division of a Japanese company who has had such massive growth in the last three years. It is interesting to see their approach to business and how they have coped with the growth.

A highlight for me was to speak at the Inspire2006 Conference in London that was organised by the Academy of Chief Executives. It was a delight for two reasons. Firstly I got to see two great friends and spend time with them. My friend Mitchell (see picture) was there and it is a delight to see him, chat with him and I enjoy listening to him speak. I need to listen to him from time to time to get myself re-focused and realise that there is so much I can do if I don’t let myself get in the way of me!!!



My other friend, Guy Levine, was also there and I love seeing him. He is such a lovely young man with a good brain and a warm heart. His insight into marketing on the internet is really wonderful.

I also got to see a number of other friends including Robyn Pearce who is the current President of the International Federation for Professional Speakers.

A wonderful experience was to be on stage at Inspire2006 and have the chance to question the four speakers after they had delivered their speeches. They were all Chief Executives of their companies. John Timpson of Timpson’s, Mark Adlestone from Beaverbrooks Jewelers and Claire Owen of Stopgap. They were all consistent in their message about the need to focus and develop people and most importantly the need to recruit the right people. They were very clear that if the person is not right, then deal with it and don’t let it contaminate the organisation.

I was only able to attend the opening of the UK Speakers Association conference but it was wonderful to see some old friends and to make some contacts.

I am off to South Africa now and have a hectic week planned over there.

South Africa and Namibia

Sunday evening I left for Jo’burg and landed on Monday morning. I hired a car and drove to Sun City, which is two hours from Jo’burg. I was speaking at the IPM Conference and was looking forward to staying at this amazing resort again. Sun City has a number of hotels, a golf course (I hear that there are crocodiles in the river), a casino and some amazing water features.



Elija Lipheko and I

The conference went very well, I ran a small workshop on ‘empowering people’ and then I was the closing speaker for the Conference. The speech went extremely well and the CEO asked if I would speak again next year. People were delighted with the message I gave them as I reminded them that South Africa has come a long way in the last 15 years and they should take pride in what they have achieved. I also pointed out the need to be focused and ‘face forward’ as they continued to build their future. In many ways South Africa is an example to the world in how to overcome adversity and seek reconciliation.

I was delighted to have met some interesting people, including the Director General of the CIPD in UK. I would like to thank Elija Lipheko the CEO of IPM, Shirley Zinn the President, Nicola who did all the planning and took care of me, and all the team who did such a great job.

Wednesday saw me presenting on behalf of Knowledge Resources. This was a packed workshop that went very well indeed. We had a chance to explore leadership and gave the attendees some very useful tips, which each one of them could use in their business.

Thursday took me to the country of Namibia. I had been invited by the Walvis Bay Municipality to speak at their Annual Business Breakfast. This was a new place for me to visit and I was looking forward to finding out about this Port on the edge of a great desert.

I was met by Piet Van Neikerk who organises the event every year. I was delighted to be told I was staying at a Protea Hotel in town. Protea is the biggest hotel group in Africa and I had interviewed Arthur Gillis, their CEO, last year. They are an imaginative hotel group and provide an excellent service as well as some really great accommodation. I was not disappointed. I met the hotel manager; Dave Wylie.

Piet and I outside the Town Hall

Piet, Dave and I headed off into the dunes for ‘sun-downers’. We drove along the main road out of town and literally turned off the road and headed into the sand. Up the dunes we went, until we found a spot over-looking the sea. Here we broke out the wine and the beer and got to know each other as the sun set over the sea. In front of us was the lovely site of the sun setting, to the left was the town of Walvis Bay, where lights came on in the distance as the darkness moved across the land, and behind us the dunes and desert spread out and changed colour as the sun set.

Even though there was a cool breeze on the dunes, the event was something very special. We packed up as the last bit of sun disappeared and headed into town for dinner. They took me to a restaurant on the old Peer. The original Rhodesian Teak boards still provided the restaurant with a floor. What a magnificent meal. Walvis Bay oysters (like cream in the mouth), and medallions of wild game (Ostrich and Gemsbok). We were joined by Jan and the four of us had a lovely meal followed by a night-cap back at the Protea Hotel.

The hospitality of these gentlemen was wonderful. These are lovely people who enjoy being in this town. Both Piet and Jan work hard to develop the town and Dave is doing a wonderful job with his hotel. I was exhausted, but very pleased with my first impressions of Walvis Bay.

I had an early start in order to get set up for the breakfast meeting. Over 350 people had booked, this was the chance a lot of businesses have to buy a table and invite their clients. Once again I had a chance to share with the people what is happening in the leadership world and gave them some pointers to help them in their businesses. I had an overwhelming response from them and many kind words of thanks.

Jan had arranged a trip to a local manufacturing company, which was very interesting. Then they had a treat for me! They would take me into the desert and show me some of the treasures and fun that can be had. We went for a ride, which I could not even start to describe. I saw the campsite where German soldiers camped in the first World War with footprints and tracks fossilised in the clay. Bottles used for shooting practice and even bones from those that had not made it! What can I say? An experience never to be forgotten, and the company of two great guys who were able to show and tell me so much. I want to thank Piet, Jan and Dave for their friendship and hospitality. I want to say a special thanks to Protea Hotel and the staff who were brilliant. To the Municipality and the wonderful people of Walvis Bay I say thank you for making me feel so welcome and for your kind words.

All I can say is, I will be back! To my new friends I say, thank you and a book is in the post.


Sunset in the Dessert

A trip to the States

The last two weeks have been hectic but also great learning opportunities.


I visited America and had a wonderful response from my trip to St Louis. I stayed at the Hilton St Louis Frontenac. Unfortunately my bags had not joined me on my journey!!!! This is when i discovered Tom, the night supervisor at the front desk. He was so helpful and arranged for a taxi to take me to Walmart at 4am (which is open 24hours) and get something to wear to go on stage the next morning. Thanks to Tom and all the staff at Hilton Frontenac for their wonderful support and a great visit.


St Louis people are so friendly and made me very welcome. A sell out for both days and Jim and his wife Kathy had done a great job in planning the two days. Thanks to them both for a wonderful visit and the opportunity to make some wonderful contacts.

My next stop was New Orleans. It was my first visit back after Huricain Katrina last year. AJ took me around and showed me some of the devestation that still remains a year later. Blocks and blocks of houses still empty with water lines showing how high the water was. AJ was able to tell me so much about what had happened and give me a first hand experience of the scale of the problem. My thanks go to him for this and I really do wish him well as he works hard to build his IMS business. Just call if I can help.

Last week was Dawn's birthday and we had a great party. Dawn runs the office for me and she is doing so well in keeping in touch with our clients around the world as well as making new contacts. I have a great team of people supporting me and appreciate them all.

A trip to the Middle East

31st August 2006 A visit to Pakistan

I have just spent 3 days in Pakistan starting in Lahore for a day and a night and then on to Karachi. I am not sure what I was expecting as I went with an open mind and an interest in what the people would be like and in particular how they would respond to me.

I enjoyed my visit a lot more than I expected. The people of this country are very hospitable and friendly. I was amazed at the friendliness of the people everywhere I went. From hotel staff to people that attended my seminars, I was greeted and made to feel welcome. I particularly want to thank Octara who brought me to Pakistan and arranged my visit. Their people are professional and very keen to work with me so that the attendees get the best possible seminar.

The audience at all three events asked great questions and talked to me at length about their situation and what they wanted to get out of my presentations. They were hungry to learn and the lucky winners were delighted with the books we gave away. This country faces many issues relating to the infrastructure but it has such great potential. With loads of natural resources, there is so much they could do, given the opportunity.

I look forward to returning and hope that I am able to contribute in some small way to the development of this country. I want to thank Muhammad Arif and Hamza W. Hashmi in particular for their hospitality and the friendship they showed me. I look forward to seeing them again soon.

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3rd September 2006 Dubai

Three days in Dubai. Lorna joined me here because she will be in charge of developing relationships in this area of the world. It was her first visit and an opportunity for her to discover this fascinating city.

We had the chance to meet with the Group CEO of Tranzum and CEO of Octara, Jamil Janjua, and had a wonderful lunch with him and his wife. They are a lovely couple and very hospitable. I look forward to doing more with them in the future.

This visit was also about planning for the Global Summit which will take place next June in Dubai. Reg Athwal has a good team in place and we were able to discuss the program and sponsorship as well as look at venues etc. Thank you Reg for your hospitality and we look forward to being back.

A visit to Gold Fields South Africa

Meeting Ian Cockerill, CEO of Gold Fields SA

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I arrived at Gold Fields Head Office to meet the CEO, Ian Cockerill. I was shown into a room, which I took to be the Board Room with a painting of Cecil John Rhodes on one wall and a photo of Nelson Mandella on another wall.



Ian walked through the door and I was immediately struck by the warmth of this man. He was welcoming and within minutes he was showing me around the room explaining the history of Gold Fields and what this room, in particular, represented.

Gold Fields will be 120 years old in February and the history of those years is etched into this room in simple things that denote landmarks or points in time. The latest is a cheque on the wall for R4.1 billion which was the result of the black empowerment transaction, which ensured that 15% of the company was owned by previously disadvantaged people in South Africa.

A year ago this company was in the middle of fighting off a hostile takeover from Harmony. The battle consumed the headlines for over 7 months in a very public and aggressive attack by Harmony. I was here to find out from this man how his leadership style had needed to be adapted, and what he had learnt. I also wanted to know how he saw the future of leadership in the face of ‘going global’.

I found my interview with Ian extremely interesting as he explained the approach he and his team had taken. He explained how he had prepared, the approach he had decided to take and the impact on him and his family. Here was a man that personified one of the characteristics of real leaders – his ability to learn from what happens and move on.

Ian believes the team is stronger and wiser, although a little cynical as a result of their experience. He explained that you see the worst side of people and life in these situations, which makes you a little cynical. But, in no way was I led to believe that this was anything but a healthy cynicism that will add to his and his teams ability to lead Gold Fields in the future.

Ian is a man I could talk to for hours because of his insightful mind, his grasp and perspective on business and the way the world is moving. I think I found in Ian a kindred spirit because he is also interested in Leadership.

I thank Ian for allowing me the opportunity to ask him some questions and in particular for sharing his passion with me, as well as his experiences.

Most of all I want to wish Gold Fields a very Happy Birthday for February.

A visit to South African Breweries

23 August 2006

A visit to the head office of South African Breweries (SAB) in Joburg

I visit numerous corporate offices and most corporate Head Office
buildings are extremely efficient looking, a lot of glass and marble
and no soul and a definite air of snobbery or the feeling of having
walked into their version of heaven. Even the secretaries in these
places give the air of being an upper breed because they “work in
Head Office” and in here, “we are the top dog”!

Driving into SAB at 65 Park Lane is NOT like that. Even the guard at
the gate is the most helpful, considerate and very pleasant person to
deal with. The receptionist was only covering, and yet had the
efficiency of a person who totally knew what was expected of someone in that position.

The walk into the Directors suite is always interesting as it often
tells you a lot about the organisation. I was very pleasantly
surprised to find a warm, friendly atmosphere that was not overly
‘plush’ but rather shouted out to me – we are proud of being
South African!

The walls have some very large, beautiful paintings of African scenes
that would stir the soul of any person who loved this part of the
world. Of course, painted into every picture is something that shows
South African Breweries, which is done in a way that shows a pride in
being part of this great country.

My interview with Tony van Kralingen, the Managing Director of SAB in
South Africa, was one of those interviews that I didn’t want to
end. There was so much knowledge to be gleaned from this man about this amazing company. The insight I gained from him backed up
everything I knew about SAB from my previous visits to their depots
and regions around the country. I had expected a bit of exaggeration
from Tony but everything I heard I could believe and understood based
on my past experience.

The reason I was here and why I wanted to interview Tony was because I
wanted to know how they generated the culture within their business
where measurement is not to be feared but rather something that is
welcomed. On my visits a couple of years ago to a number of depots within different
regions, the expression, “If it moves we measure
it” was very common. What I wanted to know was how an organisation
(especially one of this size) engenders that culture at all levels.

I was fascinated with what I discovered and appreciated the time Tony
gave me in order to show me a glimpse of what happens behind the curtain of
this progressive global company.



And on to Muscat in Oman

After a successful visit to Dubai at the CEO Conference I went on to Muscat in Oman. This was my first visit to Oman and I was really impressed by how this country is also developing and moving forward. Whole areas of Muscat have been torn down and rebuilt. I was taken to see the Palace and the royal ship in the harbour.

I was speaking at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and the delegates were business people from the business community. I was slightly concerned that I would not be understood and how the message would be relevant to their country and their situation.

I need not have worried. They were able to understand me and loved my session. One way I judge a session is by how many questions people ask, and we had to cut the questions because we ran out of time. So it was a success and they were delighted. They gave me a beautiful gift and I spent the afternoon in a Soek, which is a tradtional market.

My week in the Middle East

This week has been hectic with very little sleep but at the same time a great experience. On Saturday afternoon I flew to Dubai and arrived on Sunday morning at 3am. On to the hotel and finally into bed at 4.30am. We were being picked up at 9am!!!!!

I was speaking at the CEO Conference being held at the famous Jumeirah Beach complex. There were CEO's from America, China, UK and the Middle East. It was great to be speaking with people I knew and have the chance to catch up with them.

A wonderful event organised by James McGee in Dubai included a visit to the construction site of the tallest building. A visit to the Palm and a boat ride around the construction site.

Probably the highlight of the event was meeting and talking to H H Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum who is the man behind A1 Motor Racing. A visionary man who has a deep passion. He is an interesting businessman and I look forward to seeing him again in the future.

I also met a lovely man, Thomas Power, from UK who runs an excellent internet site www.ecademy.com and he was a pleasure to get to know. I hope this was the start of a long friendship. It was great to get to know Reg Athwall a lot more and of course my good friend and loony Scouse, Guy Levine. It is always facinating to listen to Rohit Talwar and chat to him about the future trends.

So now I am in Oman and tomorrow I talk to the Chamber of Commerce. I met the President of the Chamber today and got to know a bit about the country and the challenges and opportunities of living here.

More update at the end of the week