When you are purpose driven rather than trophy driven, miracles can happen...

3,127 Likes - 149 Comments - 676 Reposts - 223,769 Views 

 The #Springbok captain on the driving force behind South Africa's 🇿🇦 winning team:

"It’s more purposeful when you don't do something only for yourself but when adding other people that you don't even know or have never even met, when you start playing for others,”

"It's much harder to give up when you think of how many people would give anything to be where we are.

"The majority of our people are unemployed, some don't have homes, so for me not giving everything will be cheating, not just myself and the team but the rest of the people at home.

"And the harder we play, the more we work, the more we are able to open up opportunities for others.”

#leadership #southafrica #StrongerTogether #inspiration 

3,287 Likes, 128 Comments, 135 Reshares, 272,961 Views 

 “I have never seen South Africa like this. We were playing for the people back home. We can achieve anything if we work together as one.”

Said the Springbok Captain back in 2019... as valid as ever

Yes we can overcome any challenge and show the world the true genius of South Africa 🇿🇦 and her people 👏

#leadership #southafrica #inspiration #StrongerTogether 

2,357 Likes - 157 Comments - 176 Reposts - 267,479  Views 

Cheslin Kolbe is so quick he can answer a missed call ...

 #leadership #southafrica #strongertogether

Credit: Rugby World Cup on X 

697 Likes - 2Comments - 28 Reposts - 64,828 Views 

 There are moments in your life when you need to step up to the challenge and take your game to the next level.

And when your team and the nation stands behind you and supports you fully in achieving the collective goal, nothing can stop you ...

Let us commit to supporting each other and our children in building a better world and score the goals that are most important to the future of humanity

Thank you South Africa for inspiring the World again!

#southafrica #leadership #strongertogether #inspiration 

1,494 Likes - 43 Comments - 86 Reposts - 102,261 Views 

 a heroic display of determination by the #springboks and a truly magnifique performance in front of 90,000 fervent French Fans

#leadership #southafrica #StrongerTogether 

5,750 Likes - 255 Comments - 459 Reposts - 500,199 Views 

this is a great display of South Africa's leadership in assisting Canadian firefighters to control the runaway fire that has engulfed large parts of Canada and is felt as far away as New York.

Showcasing South Africa's Environmental Management Flagship Programme "Working On Fire🔥" which is addressing Poverty and Unemployment to conserve our natural resource base and biodiversity through controlling wild fires 🔥 through Public Private Partnerships (PPP).

#southafrica #leadership #canada #inspiration #brandleadership

Credit: Edmonton International Airport (YEG) 

2,835 Likes - 172 Comments - 443,615 Views 

When he first came into office, almost a year ago, Zambia’s new president was ridiculed by skeptics who called him, “the calculator boy,” for his strong focus on the economy and his background as an accountant.

Looking back now, it’s evident that these were the exact skills that Zambia needed to pull itself back from the economic mess it was in at the time, having become the first African country to default on repayments during the pandemic. Since he became president in August last year, Hakainde Hichilema has steered the economy towards stability.

The Zambian kwacha is the best performing currency in the world against the US dollar, rallying over 18.5% from Jan. 22 to Sept. 1.

While continental peers South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya have been unable to control rising inflation and plunging currencies, Hichilema’s government has managed to reduce the inflation rate from 24.4% in August 2021 to 9.7% in June this year.

Zambia’s economy

What could be Zambia’s secret in shining in economic areas where almost all countries in the world are struggling? A raft of both monetary and fiscal measures, according to the Policy Monitoring and Research Centre in Lusaka, the capital ...

#economy #currency #zambia #southafrica #research 

620 Likes - 10 Comments - 47,797 8Views

 Education and lifelong #learning does pay off --- Congratulations 👏 to Ralph Mupita who has set MTN on an unparalleled growth trajectory

Ralph Mupita holds two degrees from the University of Cape Town and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School General Management Programme

Mupita has said that he was inspired by his parents to be successful. According to him, they instilled in him values and encouraged him to always be ambitious and aspire for greatness.

Apart from instilling in him values, they also made him aware of all the incredible things he could accomplish in life if he had the right education.

Consequently, he put a lot of energy into his studies and fortunate enough for him, he excelled academically.

#growth #education #successprinciples #leadership 

1,158 Likes, 53 Comments, 86,511 Views 

Great news 👍 #CapeTown is now one of the world’s fastest-growing regions in terms of foreign investment.

The ranking also awarded #SouthAfrica 🇿🇦 first place in Africa for economic potential, start-up status and business friendliness.

“The Cape Town – Stellenbosch corridor contains 450 tech firms employing more than 40,000 people, making the ecosystem bigger than Nairobi and Lagos combined.”

Other key aspects that make Cape Town the ‘tech capital of Africa’ include:

▪︎ Tech start-ups: At the end of 2020, there were 550 tech companies and over 40,000 people employed in the tech sector, in Cape Town.

▪︎ Investments: In 2020, a total of $88 million (R1.2 billion) disclosed investments were injected into tech start-ups in Cape Town across 46 deals, the highest investments made in South Africa.

▪︎Venture capital firms: the Western Cape has the highest number of venture capital firms, which makes it easy for startups to access funding.

▪︎Co-working spaces: The Western Cape has over 30 co-working spaces, the highest in Africa and 715 free WiFi spots in Cape Town alone.

▪︎Developer talent: Cape Town hosts 38% of the total developers in South Africa, the highest concentration of developers in the country.

▪︎Coffee culture: Cape Town boasts a deep and diverse coffee culture across 100s of stylish outlets.

▪︎EdTech Hub of Africa: Cape Town has a high density of digital skills training academies and is the location of choice for EdTech businesses that are building content for entities and educational institutions across the globe.

▪︎Home to four world-class universities: The University of Cape Town retained its spot as Africa’s top university, with Stellenbosch University ranked the 3rd best University in the 2021 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. Students from across the globe come to study in Cape Town, with many being attracted into the growing tech ecosystem.

▪︎Ease of doing business: According to the latest World Bank research report on Doing Business in South Africa, Cape Town ranked the top metropolitan municipality in the country when it comes to the ease of doing business.

#foreigndirectinvestment #tech #business 

830 Likes, 139 Comments, 90,913 Views 

 “We are coming home!!! Never again will I ever take for granted the uniqueness, the vibrancy and the energy of our homeland.”

A post written by a South African coming back home after living abroad is going viral for all the right reasons.

Antoinette Takis Stolenkamp originally published the incredibly uplifting post to a community group called “I Love Fourways“, but it has since been screen-grabbed and forwarded to phones around the country, leaving everyone who reads it feeling a little more proudly South African.

Read it below:

INCOMING alert!! After more than two years abroad, we are coming HOME and I have never been more excited about anything in my life!

We left with the same narrative as so many other South Africans… to give our children a better life, a more secure future… blah blah blah! Free education, safe streets, free healthcare, unlimited supply of electricity, no crime or corruption, great retirement opportunity, but OMG I CAN NOT WAIT TO GET OUT OF HERE.

Never again will I ever take for granted the uniqueness, the vibrancy and the energy of our homeland.

Who needs electricity 24/7 when you have sunlight and energy literally emanating from the people? Who wants free education for your kids, but no lessons on how to deal with the world, how to be compassionate or how to overcome obstacles?

A society where everybody has enough, so nobody learns how to share. Reliable and safe public transport, but journeys that are so uncomfortable and cold as nobody makes eye contact.

The streets are safe but the people walking them are so dull. There is no loadshedding, yet there is no warmth, colour or light. The elderly have great pension benefits but are lonely.

Free healthcare yet my children have never been more sick with less access to doctors, and very long waiting periods. I can tell you for sure that South African doctors and private healthcare is of the BEST in the world.

I want to return to my home, where beggars on the street teach my children about giving, and what is important in life. We may be third world but let me tell you our world is filled with spirit and colour.

People may have nothing, but they dance in the streets. Their souls are alive! I know I will probably curse when I am home, but the thing is, I can curse with people who understand it. We can laugh and cry about it.

But we are in it TOGETHER ...

#southafrica #inspiration #home 

291 Likes, 15 Comments, 23,132 Views 

 "𝗦𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 - 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 ... what a journey it has been!" This is how Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show and one of the most loved comedians across the world, announced his retirement from the show.

When you feel the need to move on, you should take a moment and listen ...

#southafrica #leadership #inspiration #trevornoah #future 

279 Likes, 45 Comments, 36,393 Views 

 Touted as a possible #NelsonMandela Grand Prix, it is understood that an announcement regarding a 2024 #Soweto Grand Prix of South Africa 🇿🇦 is imminent.

A source allegedly close to a conglomerate of highly influential South African businessmen committed to bringing F1 back, has suggested that the mooted race will happen at the NASREC showgrounds, adjacent to the FNB Stadium, which hosted the opening and final games, among others at the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup in South Africa. And within walking distance of Soweto.

Arguably the biggest event in Africa since the New Millennium, the World Cup proved an unqualified success; not least that it included Soweto, the historic township south of Johannesburg so steeped in African heritage, among other previously disadvantaged areas, as central to its accomplishments.

Now a new South African Grand Prix bid group intends to pick up on those World Cup highs and bring Formula 1 to Soweto from 2024.

A rudimentary leaked map reveals a planned street circuit in and around the NASREC national showgrounds.

Most of the track traverses the facility’s service roads, often used as a popular tarmac rally stage over the years.

The planned track also appears to utilise much of the state of the art showground facility’s infrastructure.

NASREC is already well proven through its ability to house many major exhibitions, let alone so splendidly accommodating the 94,000 spectators attending World Cup matches there.

The bid company intends to empower the people of Soweto to take ownership of their own Grand Prix in the spirit of Nelson Mandela. Part of the plan is for visitors to stay in Soweto and the South of Johannesburg, and to enjoy the hospitality, entertainment and the African vibe of Vilakazi Street and its parties, rather than only in the north and Sandton, as was always the norm.

Local employment is also high on the agenda. Plans include empowering 20,000 young and unemployed Sowetans through incubative opportunities around their own Grand Prix. Promoting future business thinking is another of many grassroots initiatives to foster growth in Soweto around an annual F1 visit.

#southafrica #business #growth #f1 #grandprix 

2,157 Likes - 64 Comments - 182,948 Views 

Following South Africa's 🇿🇦 World Cup success, Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that he will return as the head coach of the Springboks 🏆

Will the Springboks be the first ever Rugby 🏉 Team to win the World Cup three times in a row?

#leadership #southafrica #inspiration #StrongerTogether #springboks

224 Likes - 31 Reposts - 19,129 Views 

 WHOM are you playing for? Reflections from Coach Rassie ...

hashtag#southafrica hashtag#leadership hashtag#strongertogether

Credit: SuperSport TV  

294 Likes - 26 Reposts - 25,228 Views 

 When you love your team, your family and your country unconditionally, the world will go out of their way to support you and make your dreams come true...

Great analysis of how Siya Kolisi transformed the hopes of a nation into a sporting triumph that touched the hearts of people across the world.

"At this point as he spoke, Kolisi turned to Nienaber, in front of the couple of hundred assembled press, and spoke directly to his coach.

"Jacques, honestly, it's been a huge honour for me and a huge privilege, and your wife and the kids... I appreciate you. We love you as a team, not as a coach, but as a person.

You've taken it to another level. The way you speak to us -- it's not 'make a big hit, make a tackle', you talk to me as a person, as a father, a husband, as a son, it goes such a long way so thank you. We honour you as a team. All the best. They will be lucky too have you wherever you go."

All the while Nienaber, never one to go overboard or let his voice rise in public, kept a gaze just past Kolisi, almost as if he knew if he made eye contact, it would be too much emotionally.

It was a remarkable World Cup for the Boks. They pushed the limits of innovation with their traffic light system, the decision to take a scrum off a mark, and then there was the 7-1 split on the bench.

But innovation aside, what anchored this team was their incredible mental strength.

"Coach Rassie said great things are never achieved in ideal conditions, and this wasn't ideal conditions for us as a group," Kolisi said.

"Playing the home team in their home country was one of the hardest things to do and obviously when we played the last game against England, which was tight, we had to fight and today as well, no different."

The secret behind how they managed to swing those matches in their favour? Family.

"The motivation was everything from home and our families," Kolisi said. "The coaches created an environment for us where we can be with our families no matter where we are, it feels like we are home. There are 15-20 kids running round the hotel. It's one of the greatest things they could have done for us.

"People also from South Africa, some of our friends, they've used their savings to come and watch us. For me not to give my 100% on the field would be cheating all those people and that's what the coaches always remind us of. The motivations for us, we don't have to look far."

Post-match, Kolisi said: "There is so much going wrong in our country -- we are the last line of defence."

"At the last World Cup the country was hopeful that maybe there was a chance we could win it and what transpired afterwards was the belief between this team," Kolisi said. "There is not a lot of things going right in our country and we have the privilege to be able to do what we love and inspire people in life, not just sports people.

"You need to come and see South Africa to understand. When we come together nothing can stop us, not just in sport but also in life."  

671 Likes - 66 Reposts - 59,187 Views 

 You don't need the best players to win. You need the best team players to win your World Cup, both in the arena of sports and business...

Says Mike Greenaway, Multimedia Journalist, IOL Sport: "At the World Rugby Awards in Paris, Etzebeth was the only South African named in the tournament’s Dream Team. It featured five Irishmen, five Frenchmen, four New Zealanders and a solitary Springbok.

South Africans understandably were shocked, but I think it was a backhanded compliment.

But how then did the Springboks win the World Cup if they didn’t necessarily have the best players?

The answer is that they had the best TEAM. The Boks add up to much more than the sum of their parts.

The super-glue that holds the 23 players together during a match is their spirit, belief, courage and resilience.

But it is not just the bloody-mindedness that the Boks showed in adversity. They were also the best-coached team in France.

How funny it is now that for so long, the Springboks were viewed by some critics as the dumbest team in world rugby.

They were laughed at for their dinosaur approach to the game, and rightly so.

Compare this to the innovation they have shown in recent years.

What other team would have called up a flyhalf to replace a hooker? No other side would have taken the chance of having to play a final with Deon Fourie at hooker for most of the game.

No other team had the guts to make huge calls, like going for a 7-1 split on the bench.

Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber have redefined what it means to be a replacement. If you are on the bench, you are not second-best – you are a highly-valued component of a bigger picture.

What other coaching staff would have the courage to pull off a flyhalf after just 30 minutes? And Manie Libbok did not blink in the week afterwards.

The squad is so tight that egos do not exist among the Boks. That is why they can dig deep to win tough matches.

To reiterate, the Boks are way bigger than the sum of their parts because of the work they put in off the field.

Finally, they are superbly led by a wonderful human being in Siya Kolisi. If only he could run for office in the next elections …"

#leadership #southafrica #inspiration #StrongerTogether #springboks

See the full story at https://lnkd.in/d6AaKgP7 

248 Likes - 27 Reposts - 30,995 Views 

When you communicate with your teammates, always make time to understand their back story, before rushing to pass judgement about what might appear as lacking in their behavior.

This is the heart breaking backstory of Makazole Mapimpi and how understanding where he came from helped his teammates to understand his decision about not including family pictures on the back of his jersey...

The modest wing grew up and was housed in Tsholomnqa village, a rural area in Mdantsane, East London. Unlike many of his Springbok counterparts, he didn’t attend any major rugby school and was in no position to be scouted for his ability.

Makazole Mapimpi came from, quite possibly, the harshest personal conditions any Springbok has had to endure in order to succeed. He was raised by his grandmother as his mother, brother, and sister had all tragically passed on by the time he was a household name.

hashtag#leadership hashtag#strongertogether hashtag#teamdevelopment  

297 Likes - 19 Reposts - 25,327 Views 

The Key 🔑 to the Springboks back-to-back World Cup Success (according to Cheslin Kolbe): "I think the defining point in both World Cups and the reason why we won was because they opened the Springbok door to the families.

“They allowed the families to stay with us throughout the whole World Cup.

“Speaking to some of the other players [in other teams], they didn’t have that luxury of having their families there. Maybe they could for five to 10 days or they had specific days.

“Knowing that our families are there with us after a hard day of training does bring a bit of calmness and it is refreshing.

“It can be overwhelming at times for other players because they don’t have families there, but everybody bought into it. That was very special.

“For them [family] to just share that moment and seeing how everything works was incredible.

“Yes, we sacrifice a lot but our families sacrifice way more than us. A lot of people don’t know that.

They don’t know what our families go through and we as players take our hats off for what they do and how they overcome challenges at times.”

hashtag#leadership hashtag#southafrica hashtag#StrongerTogether hashtag#springboks hashtag#successprinciples
 

514 Likes - 55 Reposts - 45,258 Views 

 Says Rassie: "I know there's a lot (of people) who disagree with me, and sometimes (are) mad with me and sometimes even hate me a little bit ... but I must tell you I really love South Africa, I love the South African people."

"I like our diversity. I like the way that we keep on grafting and try to get to the other side. And I think the players are sharing that and it's wonderful to be part of that."

hashtag#leadership hashtag#southafrica hashtag#strongertogether  

1,933 Likes - 466 Reposts - 164,960 Views 

5 Reasons why the World loves South Africa (according to Trevor Noah)...

#southafrica #inspiration #tourism 

635 Likes - 131 Reposts - 83,985 Views 

"If we cannot have conversations about difficult things, if the conversations themselves are now the difficult things, then what hope do we have of fixing the difficult things?"

Trevor Noah reflecting on the state of the world --- and comparing leadership conversations to navigating a minefield of polarizing opinions...

#leadership #futureleaders #futurethinking

1,624 Likes - 422 Reshares - 151,830 Views 

The results of the first 4-day workweek pilot in South Africa, which started on 1 March 2023, have been published – and while the well-being metrics were encouraging, there were some unique challenges faced with the new work model.

“Contrary to initial scepticism, the first ever pilot of the 4-day week in a developing country – and the first in Africa – has shown huge benefits for both employees and employers,” said 4 Day Week South Africa.

The model prescribes 100% of the pay for 80% of the time in exchange for a commitment to delivering 100% of the output. 28 South African businesses and one Botswanan business participated in this first pilot.

These businesses included tax and finance services, marketing agencies, employment services companies, and IT software companies, among others.

The report noted that companies rated their experience an impressive 8.0 out of 10, with 92% definitely intending to continue the 4-day week or considering it.

“Employees value their time off so much that 51% say they would need a 21 – 50% pay increase to revert to a 5 day week at their next job.

Additionally, 13% report that no amount of money would induce them to return to the 5-day formula,” said 4 Day Week.

Other notable outcomes of the first trial in South Africa include the following:

▪︎A 10.5% average increase in company revenue over the course of the trial period;

▪︎Almost half (49%) of employees reported an increase in productivity during the trial;

▪︎Resignation rates decreased by 11%;

▪︎The number of sick and personal days taken by employees also decreased during the trial, with a 9% weighted decrease in absenteeism; and

▪︎A third of participants experienced a decrease in work stress during the trial period, with rates of burnout dropping for 57% of people. This is despite an increase in workload for 31% of the sample.

“The 4-day week presents a rare combination of benefits for both employees and employers by enhancing well-being, productivity, and work organisation.

hashtag#southafrica hashtag#leadership hashtag#workbetter

Source: https://lnkd.in/d9ASRFkS 

85 Likes - 13 Comments - 17,675 Views 

 Hans Hawinkels is the man behind identifying Tencent as a great investment and facilitating a deal for Naspers to buy a 46.5% stake for $33 million – one of the best venture capital deals of all time.

Shortly after becoming Naspers CEO, Koos Bekker appointed Hawinkels as MIH Asia CEO and asked him to move to Hong Kong to look for new opportunities in the Far East.

He identified Tencent – which operated the rapidly growing instant messaging platform QQ – and met with its founder, Ma Huateng (Pony Ma).

Huateng was ready to partner with Naspers, but the MIH and Naspers executive management had reservations about investing in Tencent.

They had already pumped a lot of money into Chinese Internet ventures, which did not show a significant return.

In his book Koos Bekker’s Billions, TJ Strydom said Naspers was about to report the first annual loss in its history, and the dotcom crash was unfolding.

However, Hawinkels was adamant that it was a good opportunity and pushed to make the Tencent deal happen.

He also worked for months to convince two major Tencent shareholders, IDG and PCCW, to sell their shares.

With everything in place, Bekker helped convince Naspers to invest $33 million – around R266 million at the time – for a 46.5% stake in Tencent.

The timing was exceptional. The deal was done in June 2001, and by the end of the month, Tencent broke even for the first time.

This high-risk investment changed Naspers’ future. Tencent became one of the largest companies in the world and pushed Naspers and Prosus’ combined market cap into the trillions.

One would have expected Hawinkels to be elevated to hero status in the Naspers corridors, but his fate was far less illustrious.

Bekker and the Tencent founders have all become billionaires several times over and are now household names in the venture capital and technology space.

Unfortunately for Hawinkels, it took a few years for Tencent to show its true potential and emerge as a global tech giant.

Naspers’ losses in China started to mount, and many of its investments in Europe, the United States, and South Africa were bleeding cash.

The company announced rapid and drastic cost-cutting. It also cut back its support for operations that took too long to break even.

Hawinkel became a victim of what former Naspers CEO and chairman Ton Vosloo described as “Koos’ guillotine”.

Hawinkel’s contract was not renewed after 2002, and he missed out on the long-term benefits of his excellent Tencent investment.

hashtag#southafrica hashtag#leadership hashtag#business  

151 Likes - 27 Reposts - 27,903 Views 

 “We are bombarded by terms like South Africa being the most unequal society on earth, surrounded by poverty,” he said.

“There are pictures in Time magazine of rows of shacks right next to fancy houses. We see the same shacks as we fly into Cape Town International Airport.”

Therefore, people believe that poverty, inequality, and living in a shack is true for most South Africans.

However, Alcock said it is a false narrative that is not true for most South Africans.

He highlighted an example of this false narrative in a recent headline, “Cash-crunched consumers turn to alcohol and clothing”.

The article was based on the fact that Shoprite’s alcohol business grew by 17% and Pick n Pay’s clothing business grew by 12%.

Alcock said the growth had nothing to do with consumers struggling. In fact, it was because consumers had more money to spend on alcohol and clothing.

There are also many stories of a grandmother living on the breadline struggling to feed the eight children she looks after.

Although the story is true, it is not representative of the majority of South Africans who are living far more comfortably.

Alcock said there had been a tremendous transformation of housing in townships across South Africa, seen in the latest statistics.

Over 86% of South African households live in formal dwellings. Only 12% of households live in informal dwellings, like shacks.

“If you go into townships today, you will find that most houses are impressive formal houses,” he said.

Alcock said the informal economy, often left out of official national figures, is booming in South Africa.

▪︎South Africans earn at least R20 billion per year in backroom rentals.

▪︎ Salons and hair extension sellers earn R10 billion per year.

▪︎R25 billion per year is earned by spaza shop rentals.The spaza shop market is worth R160 billion annually across 100,000 spaza shops.

▪︎The informal fast-food market is worth around R50 billion annually across 45,000 outlets.


▪︎45,000 licensed taverns and shebeens earn R110 billion each year.

▪︎The taxi industry earns R50 billion per year.

He said the first business unemployed young people start in a township is car washes. It shows the booming car market in these areas.

“There are 10 million unfinanced and generally uninsured cars on our roads. We now have traffic jams in townships,” he said.

hashtag#southafrica hashtag#leadership hashtag#economy  

2,687 Likes - 166 Reposts - 192,274 Views

 Very, very few people have the ability to genuinely and completely captivate a room. When that room is full of cynical, jaded, tired journalists with an almost universally pessimistic view of the world, that number dwindles even more.

Very, very few people have the ability to command genuine respect, let alone legitimate devotion, from a dressing room full of elite athletes, with their egos, alpha personalities and single-minded focus.

They have an uncanny ability to sniff out insincerity, incompetence or insecurity and, in a results-based business, the tolerance for any level of insincerity is low.

As you can imagine, the list of people able to do both is minuscule. Which makes Siya Kolisi all the more special.

Listening to the South Africa captain speak at press conferences is an inspiring experience – the earnestness and passion with which he discusses leading the Springboks and playing for the 60 million people back home could easily come across as cloying, contrived and corny but his natural charisma instead makes it enthralling.

It’s almost impossible not to be swept along by the humility of the boy who grew up in extreme poverty in an Eastern Cape township yet has become one of his country’s greatest rugby players, while serving as a role model for millions.

This may sound too gushing but I implore you to listen to him speak – if leadership is about making people want to run through walls for you, Kolisi makes you believe there’s not a brick structure on earth you couldn’t smash.

“There’s so much going wrong in our country, we are the last line of defence,” explained Kolisi.

“There’s so much division in the country, it is possible to work together as South Africans, not just on the rugby field, but in life in general.

As soon as we work together, all is possible, no matter in what sphere – in the field, in offices, it shows what we can do. We can’t go away from that.

“1995, without that I wouldn’t be here. For people who look like me, I’ve got a job to give whatever I can to the jersey, to show they can get opportunities like this.”

From being seen as a political appointment as captain to inspiring a nation in two World Cup finals, Kolisi’s journey has been remarkable and will continue well beyond the end of his playing career.

As for when that end comes, who knows? He’ll be 36 years old by the time the 2027 World Cup rolls around and it feels unlikely that he’ll be in position to try and skipper the Boks to an unprecedented three-peat of titles.

Not that any good usually comes from writing Siya Kolisi off. A Saturday night in Paris secured his legacy for all eternity and begs the question of what comes next for rugby’s greatest leader

#leadership #southafrica #inspiration #StrongerTogether #springboks 

600 Likes -  45 Reposts -  40,088 Views

Consider two moments: The first is when the final whistle is blown in the match on Saturday. Kolisi runs right across the field to hug Cheslin Kolbe. Kolbe, as we all know, was sent off for the final 10 minutes of the game after instinctively lashing out at the ball as it was flying past him, in what the TMO judges considered a deliberate deflection. 

It was a harsh decision, but that seems to have been the trend of the night.

All Blacks captain Sam Cane was red-carded, no less for a highish tackle on Jesse Kriel. A yellow card, perhaps, but a red card seemed harsh.

The point is that Kolbe, who has been magical on the field for the entire tournament, must have felt then that he had single-handedly lost the game for the Springboks.

Kolbe couldn’t bear to watch; he spent most of the 10 minutes hiding his head under his shirt. 

Kolisi sensed this, and his first admirable act on winning the game was to rush across the field to lift the head and relieve his stress and anxiety of his teammate. 

The second incident came during the post-match interview in which he was congratulated on the back-to-back wins and asked to “tell me about this moment for you”.

The first words out of his mouth were not about his actions or even those of his team, but about his opponents. “I want to give credit to the All Blacks, they took us to the end … with a man down,” and so on. 

I know it is a trope of post-match press conferences to give some consolation to the losing team; I presume team captains are taught this stuff.

But because of something in the phraseology or the delivery, Kolisi was convincing. The obvious point is that he has real empathy and, you know, that’s a wonderful thing.

But it’s also a leadership thing. For all of the high praise of leadership qualities heaped on people who are a little cruel and often mean, it’s refreshing to see the opposite at work; the value of empathy and kindness.

Perhaps there is a role for hard-headedness in business and a different kind of role for empathy in team sports.

Leadership, as I was trying to point out, is a varied thing, and often situational. 

There is a bit more too; in the same post-match interview, Kolisi managed, in the space of less than two minutes, to explain what the win meant for South Africans and South Africa now, in its rather battered state:

“Our country goes through such a lot. We are bearing that hope that they have…”

Children of the developing world working together to make things possible, on the field or in the office, it shows what we can do, etc.

It was all there. He just seemed born for that moment: proud and humble. Hard to pull off if it is not genuine. 

#leadership #southafrica #inspiration #StrongerTogether #springboks 

363 Likes - 79 Reposts - 80,320 Views

 The virtuous (and sometimes vicious) cycle of a high performance life and #career explained by Rassie to the Team ...

#leadership #southafrica #inspiration #strongertogether

Credit: Rugby Rocks TV 

1,695 Likes - 212 Reposts -  164,321 Views

 Siya on Leadership: "We need to use our diversity to our advantage. It's a powerful force that other countries don't have that we have."

Captain Kolisi encouraged President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet to also promote diversity in the government.

Delivering his speech to fans, Kolisi said the Boks demonstrated how diversity was a strength the country has over others.

"We are very diverse, just like you guys are out there. We just wanted to show that diversity is our strength in South Africa."

#leadership #southafrica #strongertogether #springboks #diversity

828 Likes - 180 Reposts - 97,121 Views

 Coach Rassie telling the Springbok team what it really takes to become the best in the world in your field...

"Sacrifice is not getting up at 5am and going to the gym. That's only one leg of sacrifice."

#leadership #southafrica #strongertogether #springboks #career 

642 Likes - 48 Reposts - 59,687 Views

 Handre Pollard reflects on the crucial moment just before the match-winning penalty against France:

Says Polly: “We were still sort of discussing it, whether we were going to take it because it was a long way out and the circumstances of the game. The next thing Bongi Mbonambi walks to the ref and tells him we’re taking the shot and then he screams in my hear - This is for South Africa.”

“I looked at Bongi and said alright. It’s great to have your teammates backing you like that. It gives you a lot of confidence as a kicker.”

#leadership #southafrica #inspiration #strongertogether #springboks 

5,329 Likes - 304 Comments - 169,681 Views

 "Thanks to his exceptional teaching skills and compassion, for almost two decades, the Learning Channel became an indispensable platform for young people of our country to receive interactive TV education in Mathematics and Science. In this way, he became the teacher for the entire South African nation.", said Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela

Although his initial journey was into the world of business, he soon realised he would not be content unless he followed his passion for teaching.

His first project in the education sector was establishing "Star Schools" to provide value for money education with top-class teachers.

Smith became famous throughout South Africa, where his schools have taught almost a million pupils of all races.

He received many accolades for his innovations in teaching, including the highly prestigious "Teacher of the Year" award.

Smith was voted one of the top three presenters on South African television in 1998.

Besides his education programmes, Smith appeared along with Jeremy Mansfield in the popular South African television quiz show, A Word or 2.

He was also a judge for the Miss South Africa Pageant in 1998 and 1999.

In 2004, Smith was voted 86th in the Top 100 Great South Africans.

#education #teaching #learning #teachers 

912 Likes - 46 Comments - 52,206 Views

Probably the most in-depth and personal interview with South Africa's 🇿🇦 New shooting star - by the ThisLifeOnline Magazine (full story in the links below)

Has Covid-19 affected your training? 

Initially the hard lockdown in 2020 was really difficult with me not being able to train for a few weeks.

And then not being able to go to an Olympics for which we had trained so hard!

But then I realised health and lives are so much more important.

Fortunately, during most of the pandemic our pool facilities at Tuks [Pretoria] University have remained open, and we’ve continued to train as if the Olympics is going ahead.

Your training? 

Every week I do eight two-hour swimming sessions and two one-hour gym sessions. It takes discipline!

Training diet? 

Egg and toast for breakfast. Veg, protein and carbs for lunch and dinner.

I tend to eat the same things because I know they work for me.

Ultimate comfort food? 

Carrot cake. I eat healthily during the week but if I want ice cream or chocolate I don’t feel bad about it. It gives me extra energy!

How do you cope with the competitive pressure? 

It can be hard. I find that I do best when I focus on myself and ignore the expectations of others.

You and God?

Even winning Commonwealth gold is nothing compared to how God makes me feel. I don’t think we have any concept of how great He is.

How do you connect with God? 

I take time alone with Him. I go to a church called Every Nation, and walk out filled with energy and the sense that nothing in my week can defeat me. I feel alive in His presence.

People who’ve inspired me are… 

Obviously Penny Heyns! Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Chad le Clos because I know how much hard work it takes to achieve what they have.

But I’ve never wanted to emulate anybody. I’m not them and I like finding my own way.

Guilty pleasure? I don’t have time for one! Even series binge-watching is a foreign concept to me

See the full story at https://lnkd.in/dcbNUZ9

#southafrica #leadership #inspiration #successprinciples 

2,017 Likes - 65 Comments - 107,306 Views

Siya Kolisi has paid homage to the Grey High old boy who paid for the school bursary that the World Cup-winning Bok skipper admits changed the course of his life.   

More than a decade ago, Kolisi was the first recipient of the Vincent Mai Bursary Scheme, which allowed him to attend prestigious Grey High in Port Elizabeth.  

In 1964 he moved to London and went on to establish a highly-respected career as a merchant banker in London and the USA over a period of years.  

Mai then went on to launch a bursary scheme at his old school for worthy recipients from lesser privileged backgrounds, with Kolisi emerging as a benefactor.  

On Sunday, the Bok skipper took to social media to pay tribute to the man who influenced his early life so unexpectedly.  

‘Vincent is a fellow Grey boy and has invested in hundreds of kids in SA through bursaries, the majority of the time without ever meeting them.  

‘I was one of those kids. Without the opportunity, there is no way I’d be where I am today. He sowed into my life without ever knowing what would come from it, and I couldn’t be more grateful.  ‘I’m so honoured to have spent some time with him and his family. I’m so excited for the work we’re about to do in South Africa together.’ 

3,374 Likes - 436 Comments - 171,401 Views

 Team #southafrica clinch GOLD at the men’s 4x100m relay at the World Athletics held in Poland....

"It looked like Simbine was going to run out of space to catch the South American, but he never gave up and ran “through the line” – the practice of not stopping or dipping just before the line, but actually running at full tilt, something he has been working on throughout 2021.

And this time around the practice paid off, as Simbine clinched the gold medal, with South Africa winning in 38.71, one-hundredth of a second quicker than Brazil, who were initially credited with second place in 38.72.

#team #leadership #teamwork #sports #inspiration 

1,206 Likes - 68 Comments - 122,883 Views

Why BUSI IS BAD in the New Economy --- What Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have to say about the Trap of BUSYNESS for CEO's 

2,599 Likes, 229 Comments, 115,687 Views

The Try that shook the World  --- a moment of genius to savour for years to come ... 

1,042 Likes - 54 Reposts - 70,906 Views 

 Today South Africa 🇿🇦 is #StrongerTogether than ever and showing the world what can be achieved when you play as One Team, One Country

#leadership #southafrica #inspiration #springboks 

886 Likes - 134 Reposts - 83,044 Views 

 When you give your best, you inspire the people you touch to unlock their own greatness...

Words of Wisdom from our Captain - and the hallmark of leadership

#leadership #strongertogether #inspiration 

1,136 Likes -  56 Reposts -  99,108 Views 

 when Rassie took over the Springboks in 2018, they were suffering from a string of humiliating defeats and ranked 7th (!) in the world.

Rassie's Boks lost half of their matches in that first season, but beat England in a fiercely contested series, and went on to claim a rare victory against the All Blacks on New Zealand soil.

The Boks continued to build in 2019, and made a further statement when they won their first Rugby Championship title in 10 years.

They rode that momentum into the World Cup in Japan, and went on to hammer a more fancied England 32-12 in the final.

Fast forward to the 2023 RWC, and Rassie is being acknowledged as one of the greatest innovators in the history of Rugby 🏉

Says former England 🇬🇧 head coach Sir Clive Woodward: "“Erasmus has taken his team from a low ebb to the brink of being double world champions.

He’s done it by being his own man and using unorthodox thinking. Orthodox thinking is a curse in professional sport.

“More than anyone, the RFU really could do with some unorthodox thinking. South Africa are now a better side than they were in 2019 which is no mean feat.”

Woodward hailed some of the Springboks’ tactics throughout the Rugby World Cup as they made their way to the final.

“The tournament in France has been littered with examples of Erasmus’ genius. I was genuinely annoyed when I saw South Africa call a scrum from a mark against France because it was genius and something I had never thought about,”

“That one action said everything you need to know about Erasmus. Then there was Cheslin Kolbe’s charge down of a Thomas Ramos conversion in the same game. That missed two points for France arguably won South Africa the match."

“Erasmus also substituted Manie Libbok after 31 minutes against England. These were all huge calls. But Erasmus has the courage of his convictions.

And, of course, he’s led a South Africa team that has revolutionised the use of replacements by bringing on his ‘bomb squad’.

He added: “He really is a breath of fresh air. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility him joining England. It would certainly get the fans talking in the pubs! And that’s what the game needs.”

#leadership #southafrica #StrongerTogether #rassie #springboks 

4,148 Likes - 218 Comments - 117,044 Views 

338 Likes - 11 Comments - 22,455 Views

 Great Case Study on how Going back to Basics helped Margaret Nienaber and her team at Standard Bank Group turn around downtime performance:

The “back to basics” campaign focused on the mindset of employees and how they perceived the bank.

▪︎Firstly, it aimed to create a sense of unity among employees from distinctly different parts of the company across its global operations.

“When there is a problem, it does not matter where it is — which country or which business unit — we all make sure that we are aware of it and we understand the potential impacts in other areas of the group,” Nienaber said.

▪︎Secondly, it sought to move away from a culture of fear typically present in many large organisations where employees are afraid to speak up if they make mistakes or spot a problem.

“We created this absolute transparency where we celebrated people who were speaking up or escalating things quickly,” said Nienaber.

▪︎The “back to basics” approach also advocates for the bank’s employees to think about the tasks they had completed as something to be proud of, like an artist that signs off on their work.

“Sometimes when things went wrong, and this happened in particular in May last year, people didn’t document the changes they made to the system properly,” Nienaber said.

“We needed to roll back to fix [the issue], but we did not really know what had been changed.”

▪︎Standard Bank gamified this concept by rewarding all team members with stickers that they voted for every time a month-end period passed without a major incident.

Nienaber said that added an element of camaraderie among employees, as staff knew they had to work together because either all of them got a sticker or none of them did.

#team #leadership #culture #business #southafrica

945 Likes, 52 Comments, 67,295 Views 

 Tributes have flooded in from those whose lives Mark touched both on and off the air.

Managing Director of HOT 102.7FM, Lloyd Madurai, said Mark's death left "an enormous hole in the HOT family, as well as the broader radio industry.”

“Old school radio pros like Mark don’t come around very often and the only comfort we can draw is the fact that Mark had an incredible impact on not just South African radio, but the broader community, bravely fighting this awful disease in the public eye, and inspiring and giving hope to people in a similar position.”

Radio host Gareth Cliff said: "He fought a tough fight and inspired many in the process, and during his many years on radio,” wrote radio host Gareth Cliff.

Former public protector Thuli Madonsela said Mark "gave humanity his best".

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mark Pilgrim. He gave humanity his best and fought a good fight. Heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and fans. May his great soul rest in peace,” she wrote.

#southafrica #inspiration #community 

1,581 Likes - 34 Comments - 115158 Views

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has paid tribute to his wife, Rachel for her unconditional support.  

It's no secret that being married to a sports star can be challenging, especially with the grueling routines and travel schedules, and Siya is grateful to Rachel for being behind him all the way.  

Siya made history as the first black captain to lead the Springboks to victory at the recent  rugby world cup.   

But everyone knows behind every successful man, there's a woman right?   And, Siya paid glowing tribute to the queen who played a pivotal part in his success.   

"Thanks for always being there for me, believing in me and pushing me to be the best I can be."  

1,560 Likes - 131 Comments - 122,955 Views

 "Everybody come back to South Africa - this is a great country!" --- the instrumental role #business is playing in turning around #southafrica and how we work together to build a better #future for the next generation

Gift of the Givers Founder Imtiaz Sooliman outlining concrete steps to building a prosperous future

#leadership #inspiration 

2,175 Likes - 102 Comments - 119,461 Views

 Another South African 🇿🇦 Champion rises to the Top of the World to lead the most valuable soccer ⚽️ brand on planet earth

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has added to his backroom team with the appointment of Benni McCarthy as a first-team coach.

The former South Africa striker was a boyhood Reds fan and scored twice against us for Porto in the 2003/04 Champions League knockout stages.

"I support Man United and always wanted to play for them," he once said. "I loved players like Mark Hughes, Andy Cole and Ryan Giggs."

The 44-year-old also represented the likes of Ajax, Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United during his distinguished career

McCarthy left his post as AmaZulu head coach in March after guiding the South African team to a record second position in the league. In 2020/21, he was named the South African Premier League's Coach of the Season.

The ex-forward will specialise in coaching attacking plays and positioning.

#brand #leadership #inspiration #southafrica #soccer 

2,051 Likes - 662 Reposts - 117,263 Views

 Sibahle Zwane is a 10-year old grade 4 maths genius and a businessman in the making through his amazing talent.

With a remarkable ability to work out huge numbers in his head, he goes around the Lehae neighbourhood near Lenasia making a quick buck from shocked strangers.

His mom Mbali Zwane says she was surprised when she saw videos of her son making money from his maths skills trending on Facebook

"Sibahle tells me he goes to the park, asks random strangers if they know their maths. And then he says 'well ask me'. When they throw big numbers at him - whether to add, subtract, multiply - he gets the answer spot on."

For every right answer, the young genius charges R2. "I've seen this boy come home with R100 or R200 notes which he then gives to his grandfather to keep for him," says Zwane

#maths #STEM #southafrica (credit: SowetanLive) 

713 Likes - 80 Reposts -  51,170 Views

 "Go out and have the best of missions, this is a mercy mission, this is a life-restoration mission, this is a life-saving mission, this is a life-giving mission. Go out and save the lives of South Africans," President Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa told the soldiers that people were worried and uncertain, calling on them to reassure them that things would be fine.

"They will be looking up to you to give them confidence that everything will be alright, they will be looking unto you not as a force of might but as a force of kindness."

#leadership #southafrica #ramaphosa 

713 Likes - 80 Reposts - 42,533 Views

62Likes - 31 Reposts - 33,602 Views 

 FirstRand's newly appointed CEO Mary Vilakazi is hoping her appointment will inspire township residents and women to climb the corporate ladder.

“If my appointment inspires a person in Alex to believe that anything is possible, that would be a great outcome,” said Vilakazi, who was born and grew up in Alexandra, Johannesburg, in an interview with Business Times

She pointed out her ability to collaborate with other leaders in the organization and beyond as well as the keen focus on tasks on hand as key success factors in her #career

#leadership #southafrica 

416 Likes - 25 Reposts - 34,214 Views 

 "Born to teenage parents and having lived with his late grandmother, his extraordinary talent was spotted when he was 12 and he was offered a scholarship at Grey High School in Gqeberha, one of South Africa’s great nurseries of sporting talent.

Kolisi was signed by Western Province and moved to Cape Town where he was spotted by none other than Rassie Erasmus, the ex-Springbok on his way to becoming a coaching great, who became Kolisi’s mentor.

Kolisi was made Stormers captain in 2017 for the Super Rugby competition with his best friend, lock Eben Etzebeth, as his vice-captain.

A year later Erasmus handed Kolisi the captaincy of the Springboks — a 42-39 defeat of England at Ellis Park.

That game started ominously, with England running up a 22-point lead after 20 minutes. But the ferocity of the Springbok pack and the intensity of all the players that have come to define the Rassie-Siya era saw them bounce back.

Kolisi’s moment of glory came two years later in 2019 when he lifted the William Webb Ellis trophy in Japan after the Boks thrashed England 32-12 in the World Cup final.

The man is an inspiration on the field and off the field.

Married to Rachel and with two kids of his own, Kolisi has adopted his two younger siblings.

The Kolisi clan, now South African royalty, are moving to France after the World Cup, where he will play for Top 14 club Racing92.

Before then, he has the opportunity to make history.

If South Africa take the title once more in France, they will be only the second team ever to win back to back World Cups.

New Zealand won in 2011 and 2015 under the legendary Richie McCaw.

Kolisi will be only the second captain ever to win the Cup twice.

He will do it with the same magical number six that Mandela had on his back, when Madiba borrowed captain Francois Pienaar’s jersey after South Africa won the World Cup for the first time in 1995.

And it will feel just as good.

#southafrica #leadership #inspiration #SiyaKolisi #rugbyworldcup 

686 Likes - 63 Reposts - 96,583 Views 

The Importance of Female Rolemodels --- the world's most successful soccer ⚽️ player of all time, Brazil's 🇧🇷 Marta, explains why rolemodels are key to the success of future female leaders ...

#leadership #career #inspiration #womensworldcup #success

1,296 Likes - 44 Comments - 117,473 Views 

Not only did Banyana Banyana make the nation proud 👏 and put South Africa on the Global Map again 👏 but the success of the African teams has tremendous potential for unlocking social development across the continent.

Says team captain Refiloe Jane:

"Having three African countries into the round of 16 shows you again about the growth. And imagine now if there was a lot of investment being put into place, what more can (we) achieve?

You know, we have so much talent in Africa, that goes without saying. We've got a group of players who are playing overseas, who learn so much from abroad, who come back to their national teams and show their knowledge.

But if we can invest in our own countries in Africa, we can get so much out of the players, and we can advance in so many tournaments.

And you never know where we can get. But if you can get that investment in terms of money, in terms of sponsorship, in terms of broadcasts, so much can happen in the African continent,"

#southafrica #leadership #inspiration #womensworldcup #development

250 Likes - 26 Comments - 31,873 Views 

 Fund managers believe that South Africa’s economy, inflation and load shedding are heading in a positive direction.

According to the most recent South Africa Fund Manager Survey from the Bank of America (BofA), the fear of South Africa entering a recession is decreasing significantly, with the outlook for the economy turning positive.

The research, which took answers from 14 fund managers in July, shows that a net 21% of respondents expect the economy to strengthen in the next 12 months, which is the highest reading in 15 months.

Overall, 50% of respondents said that they expect the economy to get a little stronger in the next 12 months, with 21% expecting it to stay the same.

See the full story at https://lnkd.in/davgKmUg

#southafrica #economy #business 

1,190 Likes - 118 Reposts - 83,949 Views 

Almost 30 000 readers of The Telegraph newspaper have crowned South Africa as their favourite country in the world and Cape Town as their favourite city in the world in the 2023 Telegraph Travel Awards.

Since 2013, Table Mountain, the glistening shores of Camps Bay, the scenic promise of the Cape Peninsula and the Wineland’s award-winning wines have unfailingly captured the hearts of the globe in every edition of the Telegraph Travel Awards.

This year brings no exception.

From beautiful weather and views to wine farms and the penguins of Boulders Beach, not to mention the laid-back Capetonian lifestyle, we can see why.

South Africa also garnered its crown as the ‘Greatest Country on Earth‘, according to Telegraph readers.

A round of applause to New Zealand and Maldives who snatched the second and third spots in the ‘Best Country’ stakes, as well as to Venice and Seville who were runners up in the ‘Best WorldWide City’ category.

Top 10 Countries:

South Africa 🇿🇦

New Zealand 🇳🇿

Maldives 🇲🇻

Japan 🇯🇵

Australia 🇦🇺

Italy 🇮🇹

Kenya 🇰🇪

India 🇮🇳

Costa Rica 🇨🇷

Botswana 🇧🇼

Top 10 Cities:

Cape Town

Venice

Seville

Vancouver

Rome

Florence

Rio de Janeiro

Sydney

Kyoto

Dubrovnik

#southafrica #travel #tourism 

 383 Likes - 24 Comments - 45,755 Views 

Soon there will be no customers left for #Eskom --- as they say, necessity is the mother of #innovation ...

#business #economy #southafrica 

7,200  Likes - 317 Comments - 779 reposts - 879,165 Views 

9 Reasons why the World loves South Africa 🇿🇦...

#southafrica #inspiration #travel 

281 Likes - 25 Comments - 21,226 Views 

 One of the most cherished #leaders of modern times 👏 and not just by the numbers --- here are the reasons why:

Daily Investor asked Jordaan what he thinks are the most important factors that helped him achieve his goals. He highlighted three points:

▪︎Deep industry insight. The real magic happens in the last 1% of industry knowledge. For example, few banking CEOs globally know exactly how Return on Equity is calculated for their different business lines.

However, understanding the varying cost of capital is an essential part of maximising value creation. Or they don’t have deep insight into the yield curve and interest rate maturity transformation, but this is the essence of banking.

▪︎Surrounding yourself with people who are better than you, and challenging them to deliver more than they knew they were capable of by empowering them to get on with it.

Sometimes the CEO needs to get out of their way. The role of the CEO is not to make great business decisions. Instead, it is to facilitate great decision-making. Great people hate being micro-managed. The CEO needs to help them win.

▪︎A cultural revolution that promotes intrapreneurship and innovation. In my experience, many preach this, but few truly operate with the commercial savvy and smart risk-taking that is required in a hyper-competitive world.

Of course, it all starts with giving the customer great value. If this means cannibalising yourself, then embrace the inevitable future rather than defend the unsustainable.

Daily Investor spoke to former FNB employees who served under Jordaan, and they confirmed that Jordaan empowered his staff.

They also respected him for having exceptional knowledge of the banking industry, which included small details at bank branches and other units.

One former FNB employee said Jordaan would regularly visit her division, and although she was not an executive, he would remember her name and always discuss her work with her.

Others describe him as an inspirational leader interested in employee feedback to improve operations.

Like many top CEOs, including Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, Jordaan understood his business exceptionally well and was involved in all aspects of FNB.

#business #innovation #leadership #inspiration 

180 Likes - 11 Comments - 33,008 Views 

 The Speech that inspired the #SaudiArabia Team to snatch Victory from the Jaws of Defeat against Messi & Co ...

Instead of consolidating at the break, Renard rallied his players, telling them to go on the attack in the second period.

In the footage, Coach Herve Renard can be seen asking the squad if they just want to ‘take a picture with Lionel Messi’.

“Messi, he has the ball in the middle of the pitch and you stand [hands up] in front of the defence… you have to go and mark him in the middle,” he encouraged.

“Take your phone, you can make a picture with him!"

Credit: TalkSport

#saudiarabia #team #leadership #inspiration #fifaworldcup2022 

467 Likes - 22 Comments - 32,717 Views 

 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 Mamokgethi Phakeng 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 - yet her own journey started under a tree when she did grade 1 starting primary school

Find out who inspired Prof Phakeng at an early age ...

316 Likes - 30 Comments - 33,345 Views 

The fastest marathon runner in the history of humanity

#leadership #inspiration #inspiringstories #successstories #eliudkipchoge 

346 Likes - 51 Reposts - 28,406Views 

 What a professional traveler from the US had to say about his first visit to South Africa... 

205 Likes - 19 Comments - 35,365 Views 

 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻: How Her Grandmother and Mother Propelled Sungeetha Sewpersad Towards Success --- Growing up in humble beginnings in one of South Africa's smallest settlements, Mariannhill in KwaZulu Natal, today Sungeetha is the Chief People Officer at the Financial Services Giant RMB - Rand Merchant Bank.

In the Future Leader Interview, she reveals how her grandmother and her mother inspired her road to success...

Episode 29 of the LinkedIn #Leadership Series on "#Africa's Leading Women"

Hosted by The Future Leader Forum

#southafrica #inspiration #future 

281 Likes - 19 Comments - 35,020 Views 

 A true story from the Kruger Park, South Africa 🇿🇦

#southafrica #motherhood #inspiration #leadership # #mother

Credit: Instagram @latestkruger 

328 Likes - 39 Reposts - 20,083 Views 

 "His parents were both teenagers when he was born. As a result, he was raised by his grandmother, who performed ad hoc jobs until she could no longer work.

Kolisi had to look after her until her death. Losing his primary caregiver was one of his most significant early challenges.

His grandmother died in his arms when he was 12. Kolisi wrote:

“The one person who’d loved me unconditionally had gone, and without her, Zwide could seem an even scarier place than before.”

His upbringing reflects the resilience of countless South Africans striving for a better life.

In 2002, he joined a local rugby team which provided him with a crucial positive role model in headmaster and coach Eric Songwiqi.

This new environment offered a structure that was missing in his life after the loss of his grandmother.

The support from his coach and the responsibility he felt towards his teammates prompted a transformation in his coping strategies.

Kolisi’s story serves as a powerful testament to the concept of resilience: how individuals adapt and grow in response to challenges.

Sometimes, people engage in socially unacceptable behaviours as coping mechanisms to survive their harsh realities.

In his early years, Kolisi engaged in substance misuse, violence, aggressiveness and self-destructive behaviour to cope with challenges and form an identity to fit in to his society.

Playing rugby, attending school, spirituality and faith also helped him cope.

His journey encompasses socially acceptable and unacceptable behaviours, demonstrating that overcoming adversity is dynamic.

Our backgrounds, life experiences and the societies we belong to shape who we are and our lives’ direction ...

Rugby played an important role in Kolisi’s life, both on and off the field. In a team environment, he found solace and a nurturing environment that provided security, a sense of belonging.

A refuge from his chaotic life at home and in society.

Kolisi’s resilience and success is not limited to rugby. He’s used his platform to make a positive impact in his community and beyond.

Through the Kolisi Foundation he has provided opportunities and support to improve the lives of disadvantaged communities.

This includes providing safe spaces through sport and education, addressing gender-based violence and contributing to food security.

His commitment to giving back reflects his belief in the ubuntu philosophy of humanity towards others.

The journey from adversity to triumph is not complete until others are uplifted.

Kolisi’s story is not just about overcoming adversity but finding purpose and meaning in that adversity.

He reminds us that no matter where we come from, we have the potential to rise above adversity, challenge the status quo and shape a brighter future.

#leadership #southafrica #inspiration 

303 Likes - 38 Reposts - 20,968 Views 

 "I love Rassie Erasmus, the current director of rugby and former coach of the Springboks.  He encapsulates what South Africans should and could be like.

Rassie is not from the mansions of Waterkloof in Pretoria or Stellenbosch but from the Afrikaner working class area of Despatch just outside Gqberha. 

The M-Net documentary, Chasing the Sun, which tracks the Springboks in their successful efforts to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, provides a brilliant insight of Rassie’s philosophy.

As the team prepares for the world cup, Rassie seemingly decides to tackle the matter of racial diversity.

He does not tackle it head-on. He does not deflect responsibility to the administrators of the South African Rugby Union (Saru) or to politicians.

In the most genuine and honest way, he gets all of the players to understand that no matter their backgrounds, they all have sacrificed to be selected for the squad. 

He gets black players to elaborate on where they come from — like Makazole Mapimpi, who was raised by his grandmother in a single-roomed hut in the former Transkei area of the Eastern Cape.

The white players, who may not have endured the financial and economic hardships of their black counterparts, also sacrificed.

Their parents worked two or three jobs, so they could go to certain schools.  

Through this process, the players begin to understand and empathise with each other’s backgrounds and the sacrifices they each made.

This not only builds healthy respect, but also genuine friendship and loyalty.

But Rassie did not just stop there. He then related them to the whole country — and spoke of where we have come from and what we currently endure.

Therefore, whatever happens on the field cannot be worse than what we have all experienced in our lives.

He effectively uses the trauma we have lived through as testimony of our remarkableness, not as a weakness. There is no space for victims, just victors.

Rassie is able to get this group of players to drop their differences and become one team centred on being South African.

South Africans have to come together, otherwise we will not be able to tackle the problems in this country.

It requires us to walk that extra mile towards each other, as opposed to waiting to see what the other will do.

The Springboks showed us what is possible in 2019. Many of us believe that they can repeat that feat in this year’s Rugby World Cup.

We believe that because we know the players and coaches are one single unit. 

We need to relinquish our own misconceptions about each other and be one team.

We need leaders like Rassie Erasmus, who are unafraid to admit that there is a crisis, and then to take a risk on us and believe that we can and will pull together.

If we do that we can win our own world cup against poverty, inequality and unemployment.

#southafrica #leadership #StrongerTogether 

107 Likes - 23 Comments - 22,718 Views 

 When you know where the ball needs to go without even looking --- this is what it's like having a sixth sense for opportunities, anticipating shifts and thinking ahead like a skilled chess player.

#springboks #southafrica #leadership 

731 Likes - 46b Comments - 53,995 Views 

 “I just got back from filming in South Africa. It’s an absolutely stunning country,
and there’s a beautiful philosophy – Ubuntu – that originated there.

And it is the idea that humanity is based on the plural, not the singular.

Ubuntu means essentially: I am because we are.

And so I thank all of you. I am because you are, thank you.” 

338 Likes - 11 Comments - 22,455 Views

 Great Case Study on how Going back to Basics helped Margaret Nienaber and her team at Standard Bank Group turn around downtime performance:

The “back to basics” campaign focused on the mindset of employees and how they perceived the bank.

▪︎Firstly, it aimed to create a sense of unity among employees from distinctly different parts of the company across its global operations.

“When there is a problem, it does not matter where it is — which country or which business unit — we all make sure that we are aware of it and we understand the potential impacts in other areas of the group,” Nienaber said.

▪︎Secondly, it sought to move away from a culture of fear typically present in many large organisations where employees are afraid to speak up if they make mistakes or spot a problem.

“We created this absolute transparency where we celebrated people who were speaking up or escalating things quickly,” said Nienaber.

▪︎The “back to basics” approach also advocates for the bank’s employees to think about the tasks they had completed as something to be proud of, like an artist that signs off on their work.

“Sometimes when things went wrong, and this happened in particular in May last year, people didn’t document the changes they made to the system properly,” Nienaber said.

“We needed to roll back to fix [the issue], but we did not really know what had been changed.”

▪︎Standard Bank gamified this concept by rewarding all team members with stickers that they voted for every time a month-end period passed without a major incident.

Nienaber said that added an element of camaraderie among employees, as staff knew they had to work together because either all of them got a sticker or none of them did.

#team #leadership #culture #business #southafrica

945 Likes, 52 Comments, 67,295 Views 

 Tributes have flooded in from those whose lives Mark touched both on and off the air.

Managing Director of HOT 102.7FM, Lloyd Madurai, said Mark's death left "an enormous hole in the HOT family, as well as the broader radio industry.”

“Old school radio pros like Mark don’t come around very often and the only comfort we can draw is the fact that Mark had an incredible impact on not just South African radio, but the broader community, bravely fighting this awful disease in the public eye, and inspiring and giving hope to people in a similar position.”

Radio host Gareth Cliff said: "He fought a tough fight and inspired many in the process, and during his many years on radio,” wrote radio host Gareth Cliff.

Former public protector Thuli Madonsela said Mark "gave humanity his best".

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mark Pilgrim. He gave humanity his best and fought a good fight. Heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and fans. May his great soul rest in peace,” she wrote.

#southafrica #inspiration #community 

10,198 Likes - 430 Comments - 623,688 Views

 Another Great Victory 🏆 for Team South Africa 🇿🇦 --- #BanyanaBanyana are Champions of #Africa for the very first time.

This victory ended a run of five finals without success for South Africa, who completed the tournament in Morocco with a 100 per cent record.

Coach, Desiree Ellis said that this win had been a long time coming.

“When we walked out and saw the sea of red, I was not perturbed. You could see the focus on the player's faces, they were not perturbed.

The players were really determined and from the first moment, you could see that they wanted to win it. Today they showed true kasi flavour and the South African spirit and togetherness all came together”.

Credit: Banyana Banyana Official Twitter account

#southafrica #wafcon2022 #inspiration 

16,237 Likes - 1,029 Comments - 673,688 Views

"Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches and two jet planes? What would that do for the world?" Sadio Mane's response to fans who queried this picture  I starved, I worked in the fields, I played barefoot, and I didn't go to school. Now I can help people. I prefer to build schools and give poor people food or clothing.   I have built schools [and] a stadium; we provide clothes, shoes, and food for people in extreme poverty.   In addition, I give 70 euros per month to all people from a very poor Senegalese region in order to contribute to their family economy.   I do not need to display luxury cars, luxury homes, trips, and even planes. I prefer that my people receive a little of what life has given me,"   He is one of the most celebrated footballers in the world, yet he carries a cracked iPhone  

4,004 Likes - 236 Comments - 214,104 Views -  

When the Elephant Whisperer Laurence Anthony died unexpectedly from a heart attack, 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 experts still to this day cannot explain ...    

An incredible true story all the way from Zululand