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We are only as unified as our loneliest team or Disconnected Worker community members.   No one is immune to feeling lonely at work—not even the outgoing top sales associate, the customer success representative that brings her dog into the office, or the charming vice president who always declines every happy hour invitation due to “overcommitments.” Entry-level […]

Are you someone who starts a whole bunch of projects and tasks yet rarely finish any of them so then How to Finish a Task! is for you? You are in excellent company! A huge percentage (89% according to a study shared in the Huffington Post) of business people don’t know How to Finish a […]

Our internal reward system drives us to do what we like to do for Use purpose-driven routines. What we need to do to fulfill our chosen purpose is however not always what we like to do. That’s why it’s so important to plug our “purpose fulfilling activities” into routines; behaviors driven by habit, not by […]

Have you heard about the mildly seductive and The Unbearable Pain of Pleasure extremely elusive ‘I’ll be happy’ game? I used to play it all the time. “I’ll be happy when I lose 10 kilograms.”, “I’ll be happy when I find a lifetime partner.”, “I’ll be happy when the millions come rolling in.” There’s an […]

Native Americans Voices in Corporate America: Inspiring Change and Inclusivity Introduction The corporate world has increasingly recognized the value of diversity, inclusion, and fresh perspectives in today’s globalized and dynamic business landscape. Indigenous voices, often underrepresented and underheard, offer unique insights and experiences that can enrich corporate America. In this Native Americans article, we will […]

Digital Natives have grown up in a world that has been called the VUCA world. This is an acronym that covers four areas outlined below. V equals volatile U equals uncertain C equals complex A equals ambiguous There is a corresponding VUCA response that we can take advantage of as we walk with Digital Natives […]

Defining great brand values: Five practical pointers A surprising number of brands have values that are about as useful as a chocolate fireguard. Seriously. They do. Unfortunately, this only becomes apparent when brands try to bring their values to life via the experiences they want to build. Things grind to a halt because their brand […]

You CAN Make Meetings Productive with most meetings occurring online, I’m hearing about the frustrations of time wasted during meetings from leaders and teams’ members alike. Meetings are running overtime. The structure is lost. People can’t make it to their meetings on time – even virtually! Some people talk too much while others never utter […]

What’s on your resilience resume? For most people in North America, this week marks the first anniversary of the pandemic changing our lives. It started with disbelief, upheaval, and constant change and progressed to the monotony of sameness. Regardless of the phase, there has been a consistent undertone of uncertainty as to what comes next. […]

Successful women in leadership roles manage their Personal Branding Benefits on a daily basis; and they started focusing on creating theirs early-on in their careers. Why do they focus on Personal Branding? And why has it become such a hot topic in the workforce today? Smart women in business understand the basic concept that every […]

I’m not going to pretend that this is easy stuff for Second Best, especially given all the uncertainty in the world. Over the course of the last three weeks, as corporate America has made the transition from meetings in conference rooms and common spaces to Zoom calls and other online sessions, I’m struck by the […]

I realised everything you do is marketing after I recently stayed at a five-star hotel and found a major marketing problem lurking in the wardrobe in my room.   Upon check-in I was welcomed enthusiastically, and my membership status recognised with a room upgrade. I was even presented with a welcome gift to thank me […]

To Lead Yourself First when Elizabeth Hurley was in college in Chicago, she worked as a waitress at my favorite pizza place in the world, Giordano’s, slinging deep-dish pizzas — and also taking great care of customers and making lots of conversation. Her ease in connecting with customers prompted many people to suggest that Elizabeth […]

A former 9-figure corporate CEO gives you 10 powerful questions to help you seal the deal in your next interview. Just like dressing professionally, showing up on time, and wielding a firm handshake, asking the right questions can make or break the outcome of a long-awaited interview for a super-coveted position. Asking no questions at […]

I posted this about Hole in the Wall and Coffee Bay yesterday for Incredible Adventure Destinations . It’s a classic view of EsiKhaleni! This is a series of 9 episodes taking you on another Wild Journey into the heart of South African Adventure traveling. Follow explorer and adventurer Peter Van Kets and photographers, Jacques Marais, […]

THE ACCELERATION OF RISK as a few months ago, the National Safety Council had me as the closing keynote speaker for their massive annual conference – and I spoke to a few thousand safety professionals on issues surrounding new, emerging, acceleration of risk.   Including a story of what happened when Rosie the Robot from […]

Success always starts with failure or rather, often starts with failure. Sometimes when you do something, it becomes a success but happens very rarely. When you want to do something or start something new, try it out in a small scale so that the failure is survivable. You should make sure that adequate data are […]

How your company’s career page is deterring candidates from applying. Every employee at your company can make or break a customer’s experience. That’s why it’s so important to ensure employees not only understand your company’s story, but also how they fit into it. Why does your company exist? Is there alignment between your stated mission, vision, and […]

At 26 years old, Tramayne Monaghan was the youngest divisional CFO for Tencent and a Top-35-under-35. He has spoken at global conferences and is a mentor to three digital businesses: Broadley Speaking, African Secret and TurnUp Music. He has launched and run various consumer mobile products such as WeChat, WeChat Wallet, VOOV, JOOX and PUBG […]

Life has a such a unique way of giving us what we need (soul food) rather than what we want. Stop another dark night of the soul.   I have just come out of what can only be described as another dark soul of the night. Unable to see further than my fear and feeling […]

The Olympics are finally here after a year-long COVID delay and how Gratitude Wires Your Brain. The Olympic Games are incredibly inspiring. These men and women give a clinic on Peak Performance for twelve action-packed days. There will be thrilling victories, world-record-breaking performances, and soul-crushing defeats. But everyone competing will be showing you what peak […]

11 days ago was the last time I have been outside and even had the privilege to go for a car ride which gave me the promise of perspective. I had just returned home from the hospital, hopped up on all kinds of meds my body has never felt before, never been through surgery in […]

When Lance Armstrong was bust for using performance enhancing drugs through most of his career one of his defences was that it was part of the racing culture of the time and many other riders were doing it too. So, Would you use performance enhancing drugs at work? In order to be competitive, he believed […]

Leading significant organizational change is hard, A Navy SEAL’s 7 Steps for Using Culture to Drive Change. Though well-intentioned, that’s why over half of major transformation efforts fail. Why?   Many reasons can include but aren’t limited to a bad strategy, a weak culture lacking trust and accountability, poor communication, low levels of buy-in, change […]

The following are our Top 10 Keynote Guest Speakers for a global impact for any conference event. Guest Speakers are available to present as the opening or closing keynote speaker on Motivation, Innovation and as event hosts or Facilitators for your next event and conference. Discover YOUR SIGNATURE MOVE, with Jason Hewlett Having delivered thousands of […]

Some say great leaders are born. We say great leaders are made, HOW TO BE A GREAT LEADER. There are many different types of leaders and leadership styles. While it’s important to find your own style, there are many qualities of leaders throughout history that have stood the test of time. While we will view […]

This has been a year like no other in Defying the odds. It has no doubt tested every ounce of our faith, our resilience and our belief in the future in owning your life. Some of us have already reached our tipping point whilst others are hanging on by a sheer tread. I acknowledge all […]

Something about being Attracted to the PAST seems much more romantic than the future so Are you more attracted to the PAST or the FUTURE?. Maybe it’s because the past is a time we can look back on with nostalgia, or perhaps it’s because the future is an unknown quantity. Whatever the reason, it seems […]

“Consider how hard it is to change yourself, and you’ll understand what little chance you have in trying to build your teams” – Unknown. Being a leader means you need to accept responsibility. Not only for the team but for yourself too. I have attempted to be an authentic leader, allowing my team to see […]

This expedition was the first in a series of five Beyond Engulfing Magnificence Expeditions with Jacques Marais. The idea was to mountain bike the edge of the incredible Namib Desert from Serra Cafema on the Angolan border to Swakopmund along the coast of Namibia. I’m on the edge of a gigantic granite outcrop. Ep.2/9 | Engulfing […]

Robyn Benincasa on Building World Class Teams, one of the highest rated female athlete speakers, and her adventure racing teams have learned about building world class teams the hard way – by competing in and winning the world’s toughest ultra-endurance adventure races.   She shares her lessons on ‘Building World Class Teams’ with Fortune 500 […]

If I am not like you, I tend to not like you…so it becomes an Us vs Them = toxic environment   If I am like you, I tend to like you Us vs Them = toxic environment How can we get rid of unnecessary trash talk from the organization, like “We in production and […]

A lack to Build Your Resilience is a massive factor that holds you back from achieving the success you desire. Think of the last time you gave up on a diet, a fitness regime, or a really important prospecting plan in your business. Unfortunately, when you don’t see immediate results, or when the going gets […]

Brands don’t have values or Employee Motivation. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pull the rug out from under you so quickly, but it needed to be said. Before you close this article thinking “that’s absolute rubbish”, just wait a moment. Dust yourself off. Sit back down, have some coffee. Ready? Brands do not have […]

Think about a baby’s laughter. It is one of the most contagious sounds when heard; you are bound to start smiling and eventually, break out in laughter, too. So, How to influence the workplace by bringing the right energy? Imagine if you could be like the baby’s laughter in your place of work. The one […]

Your first time as a manager is a learning experience as much as anything else and what is the best way to build trust? How do you lead your team well? Who should you hire? Where do you draw the boundaries with former colleagues who are now direct-reports? WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO BUILD TRUST? […]

Worrying is psychologically debilitating and The Opposite of Worrying Planning Recently, I helped a client eliminate the worrying component in his narrative which was causing serious procrastination. This is not unusual, and here are some thoughts for those who find themselves trapped in this wheel of hell. I understand worry intimately. I know those who […]

What does it mean to be an inspiring leader? An inspirational leader is someone that people follow, if you’re a leader and nobody’s following you, you’re not really a leader or you lack leadership skills. Think of the world’s most inspiring leaders, who are inspiring leaders throughout history?   What does it mean to be an inspiring leader? An inspiring leader is someone […]

In April, 2020 I wrote an article describing four possible scenarios for how the The Coronavirus Scenarios could play out: “Much Ado About Nothing”, “The Camel’s Straw”, “Spain Again” and “Walking the Tightrope”. At the time the cumulative number of global cases was 2 400 000 and deaths 165 000. Seven months later, the figures are 60 000 000 and […]

It is difficult to conceive that 11 months on from National Lock down on 26 March 2020, our tiny business survives and feels strongly that the tide is turning. What a significant time and mighty relief for us, acutely mindful that so many are struggling desperately just to survive. Despite it not being my natural […]

I have worked with corporate teams that measure what seems like everything. My concern with these teams isn’t what they are measuring, but rather what they are not measuring — leadership effectiveness. Teams measure on-time delivery, sales call per day, employee engagement, and so many more useful metrics. I’ve even seen a team measure coffee […]

Extreme explorer, Cipla Foundation trustee and ambassador, David Grier, the First person to run The Great Wall of China in both directions and fellow extreme athlete, Andrew Stuart have passed the half-way mark of their gruelling 70-day, 4200 kilometre journey across the Great Wall of China.   This challenge is a feat that Grier already […]

Businesses adopting a Working Remote workforce is a trend that has gained an increase of momentum this past year and for some, will continue to be reality for the foreseeable future. There are of course the obvious benefits for a remote team – no commutes for employees and lower overhead costs such as an office […]

Let’s talk about being fake in the workplace… Why Fake it till you make it” mindset will boomerang / backfire and “Fake it till you make it” mindset in the workplace – why it doesn’t work Stepping up doesn’t mean “fake it” By Lizette Volkwyn, Master Coach, published author and Human Lie Detector   Have […]

While The Future of Optimization has permeated our culture at large, it is Gen Z that has grown up in era when technology has enabled them to optimize everything from their sleep and their workouts to their study habits and even their intellect. Last year, I interviewed executives who work in the vitamin division of […]

I mean, isn’t that the nature of goals to begin with? What’s missing between you and your goals might be walking the walk of your goals — not just talking the talk. Or rather, running the run of your goals. I’ll tell you what I mean. Goals are easy to think of but harder to achieve, aren’t […]

Unleashing the Power of Motivational Speakers: Jason Hewlett and David Allison In our journey towards personal and professional growth, we often find ourselves in need of inspiration, guidance, and a gentle push to unlock our full potential. This is where the power of motivational speakers comes into play. These dynamic individuals have the ability to […]

We are all spending a lot of time inside our homes. How much do you REALLY need? For those whose homes are a disorganized clutter zone, this could be stressful and result in more anxiety than isolating already brings to the table. If you are constantly tripping over stuff on the floor, and having to […]

I Got Sued YESTERDAY. Just like this headline is misleading and complete clickbait, such is the reality we are living in, and the point of this author and PAPERBACK WRITER. I clicked on a post recently after reading wild news stories ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and stumbled upon the Yahoo! article entitled: “Fans Sue Movie Yesterday”. I […]

Without exaggerating, there are literally hundreds of ways of becoming more self- aware, and hence be more Adaptable to embrace and think through opportunities and / or adversity. As a Preferred Partner in South Africa for the Six Seconds EQ Worldwide Network (in 174 countries), we talk about ‘emotions driving people, and people driving performance’. […]

Culture and Talent Retention is a real challenge and employees are looking for organizations that inspire them, uplift them and create opportunities for growth and progression. Of significant importance to retaining people is the ability of an organization to create alignment between what they say and what they actually do. Misalignment of value systems is […]

To risk or not to Risk – could I cope with 12 pairs of gloves? The quandary: There’s a question on many female’s hearts and minds this week as the 29th looms ahead about whether to really pop THE question. It might also be on everyone’s hearts and minds wondering if they might be the […]

In organizational culture, there are two types of people: those who look for reasons to be offended, and those who look for ways to understand others. The former type tends to lash out at coworkers, saying cruel things in private or criticizing them in public. They seek revenge on their managers if they feel they […]

We all want to come up with the BIG Little Breakthroughs and the winning idea, solve the challenging problem, or invent something major that will become a staple for generations to come. Under pressure, it’s easy to freeze up and procrastinate. We get the false assumption that the only ideas that are important are the BIG […]