#JobSatisfaction – Are you happy with your profession, job or business?

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At some point in life we’d question our purpose and value in, if not to, society. Taking responsibility for one’s life is a lifelong goal. Finding the harmony between what one desires and one ought to do isn’t always a straightforward peaceful exercise.

If it were easy to earn an income from doing work one enjoys, everyone’s life would be blissful. Circumstances of our lives sometimes goad us into making decisions and choices we would naturally not make.

Tools are available to help us resolve conflicting experiences and circumstances in making such choices. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 27 July 2017. Continue reading →

– Which side are you on?

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In one of the many phrases the former US President George Bush ever uttered is the one he said in a joint 2001 address with then French President Jacques Chirac. In his call for nations to provide substantive material support in the fight against terror, he sternly said, “You’re either with us or against us in the fight against terror.”

The line was drawn in the sand. In his mind, the time for neutrality was over. Nations had to decide whether they favoured the US military action against identified enemies or were collectively seen as part of those opposed to the US. Neutrality was seen as indirect support for forces against the US coalition.

Sometimes our experiences put us in the same situation. We either garner strength to be against forces of evil, negativity, polarisation and selfishness or we join forces to advance everyone’s welfare. In other words, we are either a problem or a solution. No fence-sitting. Which side are you on? By Nimroth Gwetsa, 27 June 2017. Continue reading →

– Beware of Distractions

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Despite the hardship fuelled by today’s economy where blue, white and pink-collar workers experience job losses, the digital economy presents us with opportunities to make a living from many activities. Many jobs people do nowadays would, in the past, not be regarded as “real” jobs.

The fullness and diversity of life make us appreciate the many offerings and activities people get involved in and reward them for doing so. Today’s ordinary person is one familiar with, if not adept at, many aspects of life. Gone are the days when people were ignorant in activities not central to their paid jobs. A typical urbanised member of society knows more about the environment, economy, politics, science and technology, health, law and art among others than, perhaps, what their past century equivalent was.

In this light, the rise of digitisation makes it easier for one to be easily distracted from doing one’s job for which one is hired and paid to do, to focusing on doing another’s job. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 29 May 2017. Continue reading →

– It is now time we #WalkTheTalk

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As if our political and social problems insufficiently kept us sick and depressed for days, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch added to our woes, relegating our country’s bonds to sub-investment grade. Moody’s, bless their souls Lord, decided to play the wait-and-see game, placing us on notice for now. Our new finance minister’s recent trip to New York to assure international investors seems to have hit a brick wall.

Our country seems fiercely divided on many issues, at least as seen through the social and mainstream media lenses. Differences include those about the approach for overcoming problems facing us. The “Madiba magic” is no more. Cry our beloved country.

But not all is lost. We somehow agree on our predicament and need to find a way out. How then do we get there when we disagree on so many issues and cannot even get traction on what we agree on? By Nimroth Gwetsa, 28 April 2017. Continue reading →

#CabinetReshuffle – Opportunity Lost and Lessons for Small Growing Businesses

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We’ve heard experts say the president has a prerogative to appoint and dismiss whomever he/ she pleases. The notable condition being that those appointed should consent to taking an oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the Republic. The less said about how we perceive some to have carried out that oath, the better, for each tree is and shall be known by its own fruit. Some grape trees, among the appointed, bear thorns instead of luscious fruit. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 31 March 2017. Continue reading →

– We Need Each Other

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Perilous times often lead to consolidation with people gravitating towards their kind at the exclusion of others and unspoken law of the jungle becoming normalised. We could learn from ancient Egyptians when they faced 7 years of drought and starvation. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 28 February 2017. Continue reading →

– Making #disciples of #employees

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There are relationships, and there are relationships. As “woke” people would say, there are levels to this thing. Not all relationships are the same. It’s best knowing what kind of relationship one has with others and managing expectations accordingly than walking blind. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 January 2017. Continue reading →

#BusinessSuccess – You need more than Business 101 principles to make it

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If there ever was a need for proof that observing Business 101 principles isn’t enough to bring about business success, a visit to a large and busy mall in the festive season to observe customers and business interactions provides proof of such inadequacies.

For some businesses, maintaining flexibility and dual operational strategy might be the additional missing link needed to ensure success. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 28 December 2016. Continue reading →

– Business Technological Hierarchy Of Needs

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No doubt barriers to entry for any business have been raised unless you are content with your business remaining a small outfit and settling for crumbs. But those with a vision to expand their businesses to reach wider geographical coverage cannot avoid investing in capacity increase to attain that growth. Although technology increases the agility of businesses to grow and lowers barriers to entry, the savvy are best positioned to make it. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 29 November 2016. Continue reading →

– Lessons We Could Learn From Tata And Geely based on BMW And Ford Failures

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The success of Land Rover, a company originally spawned off and owned by British carmaker Rover Company, saw its successes in the 70s dwindling owing to the parent company, British Leyland Motor Corporation’s financial troubles. As declines caused one takeover after another, the brand was then bought by BMW in the mid-1990s. But that too didn’t save the carmaker from its troubles. It was given another lease on life when Ford acquired the brand as part of its then Premier Automotive Group (PAG) in 2000, which then also included Jaguar, Volvo and Aston Martin.

The car manufacturer soon experienced financial performance troubles under Ford. The troubles compelled Ford to offload Jaguar and Land Rover to the Indian owned Tata Motors, and the Volvo brand to Geely Automobile of China.

Why couldn’t such previously successful brands be rescued by more successful and formidable carmakers like BMW and Ford? And why have the initially much “deplored” Chinese and Indian carmakers such as Geely and Tata, do the unbelievable and turn these companies around so quickly?

What lessons can we, as owners of small companies, learn from the history of Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo to ensure our growth and development isn’t stunted by the same challenges they experienced? By Nimroth Gwetsa, 31 October 2016. Continue reading →