After leaving her role as the founding CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau of South Africa (IAB SA) Josephine Buys, a dynamic and no-nonsense leader in the publishing and marketing industry in South Africa is now the new CEO for Publisher Research Council (PRC). Her interview below typifies the way she goes about life. It’s straight. It’s black or white. This is a woman who knows where she comes from and certainly knows where she’s going:
My Definition Of Success | I used to think it was success in my career, I now know it’s getting the life/work balance right.
I am driven by | Seeing others succeed.
I think my ‘MAGIC’ comes from | Having been ‘brewed’ in Ireland. I’m proud of my Celtic heritage.
The Difference Between good And Great | Work ethic. Respect for others’ valuable time.
A Key Talent | Tenacity. I firmly believe ‘failure’ is a learning opportunity and so I rarely give up. Unless, on reflection, I realise a task I have set myself is unnecessarily stressful, I recalibrate.
Characteristics Of Success |Integrity and punctuality.
Principles I live by | Treat yourself as kindly as you would treat a good friend.
Critical skills I have developed | Actively listening.
How I use my mind | Mindfulness. I have discovered that making time for mental wellbeing is just as important as keeping physically fit.
Most important lessons learnt | Do not expect others to do as you do. Meeting deadlines, delivering error free work, turning up on time etc… Humans are not all the same and if your expectations of others are too high, you will consistently feel let down.
Dealing with doubt and fear | Public speaking is known to induce fear in many, I’m no exception. However, I had an employer who also became a mentor who pushed me out of my comfort zone and onto the stage! Over the years I have learned tips to “bring the butterflies into formation” by knowing my content well, practicing, breathing steadily, enunciating and picking several friendly faces in the crowd from left to right to create flow of delivery. I still get nervous but once I’m speaking, I actually enjoy it!
Performing at my peak | Planning carefully, making sure I don’t over-promise and under deliver. Prioritising my health and wellness.
Resources I Use To Stay Inspired | Reading; whether it be immersing myself in a great novel, a favourite magazine or online. Listening to podcasts. Wise and funny peers (wisdom and laughter are valuable gifts). Taking regular breaks to get fresh air, cycling on the promenade with the ocean to inspire me is a favourite pastime.
My Future Dreams And Ambitions | To mentor young people, give them access to educational and job opportunities and inspire them to reach beyond their own dreams.
Balancing high performance with happiness and contentment | Sometimes success comes at a cost. Again, it’s about finding the balance and committing time to yourself as you would a friend or loved one.
The Best Advice I’ve Received | “No” is one no closer to a yes (in sales in particular).
Finding new talent and Motivating my team | I identify people in every day circumstances whose work ethic I admire and keep them in mind when opportunities for hiring occur. Being in the trenches with my team inspires and shows them that while I expect hard work, I lead by example and the result is a motivated and successful team.
I am inspired by | My mum, Nelson Mandela and Richard Branson. For their strength of character, wisdom and inspiration.
The Legacy I would like to leave | Access to education and job opportunities for our youth. If we can change the world for a single child, we can change the world.
Some entrepreneurs are so ridiculously prolific, talented and ‘out-there’ that they get to take on the status of ‘celebrity’ entrepreneur. In my opinion, David Donde is one of those. I know this for a fact because I get to experience both the brand and the products that David brings to the market almost every day […]
Aspen Heights began with the vision to have the best product for students. We looked across a landscape of mostly aging apartment communities and wanted to “Revolutionize Student Living.” We actually listened to students and turned that feedback into communities they love. As we’ve grown, our neighborhoods continue to change and improve, but people have […]
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Jamie Anderson is an American professional snowboarder. She won the gold medal in the inaugural Women’s Slopestyle Event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. She has won gold medals in slopestyle at the Winter X Games in consecutive years in 2007/8 and 2012/3. My Definition Of Success | It has changed over the years […]
Dr Sherylle Calder is a visual skills coach and guru. She is a sport scientist and performance coach, who is also known as “The Eye Lady”. Dr Calder has helped teams win 2 back-to-back Rugby World Cups amongst many other sporting trophies and her expertise in this field has long been recognised by the top […]
Anthony Christov is an art director currently designing the look for films at award-winning Pixar Animation Studios. He most recently art directored WALL•E. He worked in a similar capacity for the successful Finding Nemo animated feature and was the set designer for Cars and The Incredibles. My Definition Of Success | I think success is having […]
Having delivered thousands of presentations over two decades Jason Hewlett Legacy Project is the only speaker in the world teaching leadership skills, tools, and mindsets in such a powerfully unconventional way. With out-of-the-box performances of uncanny musical and comedy impressions of incredible stage legends, Jason’s keynote, The Promise: Become a Legendary Leader and Discover Your […]
Amit Virmani’s debut, “Cowboys in Paradise”, was one of the most talked-about Asian documentaries in recent years. The controversial film was featured on CNN, BBC and various international media, and is regarded as a valuable counterpoint to “Eat, Pray, Love”. His follow-up, “Menstrual Man”, was a Netflix audience favourite at Hot Docs and will be […]
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