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.
Victoria Verbaan is an established designer, artist and illustrator. Working in a wide variety of artistic disciplines ranging from illustration and painting to the design of bespoke rugs, wallpaper, limited edition fine art prints, fabric and more recently, ceramics. Commissioned artwork and fabric can be seen in local and international homes as well as restaurants […]
Francisca Kakra Forson is an international freelance journalist with Voice of America and West Africa Democracy radio based in Ghana and a consultant for the Institute for Statistical, Social & Economic Research at the University of Ghana. She is also fast becoming a powerful social activist and in-demand motivational speaker with a passion for matters […]
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 […]
Ralph Steadman is a prolific artist who in his 40 year career has produced thousands of groundbreaking and influential artworks. He is an artist, writer, sculptor, cartoonist and designer who has illustrated such classics as Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island and Animal Farm. His books include the studies of Sigmund Freud and Leonardo da Vinci, […]
Nigel Saval was motivated by his love for surfing and the pivotal role that this sport played in his life, he started the 9 Miles Project in 2013 with the vision of improving the community. The project works with the youth of Strandfontein, Bayview, San Remo and surrounding informal settlements in the Western Cape and […]
Prof Saurabh Sinha cannot but leave an impression on those who encounter him. As one of South Africa’s great electronic engineers he has obtained his B. Eng, M. Eng and Ph.D. degrees in Electronic Engineering from the University of Pretoria (UP) having achieved both his B. Eng and M. Eng with distinction. As a published […]
Fred is deeply passionate about Africa and believes that the missing ingredient on the continent is good leadership. In line with this, he has founded two organizations that aim to catalyze a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial African leaders: African Leadership Academy and the African Leadership Network. In recognition of his work in developing Africa’s […]
Alfredo Barsuglia is an Austrian artist. His most recent project is the Social Pool which is an eleven-by-five-feet wide pool in the Southern California desert, open for anybody to use. Alfredo Barsuglia Definition Of Success | Basically I would say success is to be able to put your ideas into realization, but in general it’s […]
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