Nikki’s Tip of the Week – week-ending 14th August 2016 & Upcoming Events
It was Einstein who said “The height of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome!” Not that I am suggesting that any of us is insane, but that said, how many of us sit around and do nothing to grow? We wait and wait for something to happen to us instead of us making something happen. You know the “if only I could win the lotto I would be able to ….”, and the “if I had that job I could . . .” or the “if my life was like John Doe who lives in the mansion down the road and who is married to the beautiful Jane, my life would be perfect!
Yet we actually do nothing but wait and ponder and ponder and wait. We don’t try new things, like perhaps getting a new job, or actually just try doing something , like perhaps even buying that lotto ticket and do we actually understand that John Doe’s life is miserable because his kids are all on drugs and his beautiful wife literally hates him!
We don’t challenge ourselves to do better, we don’t find the solutions to the problems we have but are content to wait and wait and wait in the hope that something will change . . . Pretty insane behaviour don’t you think?
Here’s the deal . . .
Please feel free to engage with me, or not. Please feel free to send me your own snippets of information, early warnings, appropriate funnies and what have you, to share with other like-minded individuals, entrepreneurs and start-ups.
I hope and trust that you will enjoy the journey with me.
This weeks’ Blog:
MOTIVATION – How To Grow
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
Ralph Emerson says “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”
Ain’t that the truth! It really makes me mad when I hear people saying things like ‘Some people are born more equal than others’ or ‘He/She’s had it easy because they were born with a silver/gold spoon in their mouths’! You see I really do believe that we are all ‘born equal’. Now before you all start beating up on me – hear me out. I really believe that we all have the potential and the ability to be the best of who/what we can be – that’s all. I also believe that we can only be judged on our own potential and not that we can be compared to others. Yet at some point, many of us think that we can just sit back and watch the world go round as we have achieved everything that there is to achieve. What absolute nonsense! There is always something more.
Think about it for a moment – when a baby gets to a certain age, they want to do things for themselves and go places by themselves, so they start to crawl and my goodness if any of you ever met my cousin’s youngest – he could really move when he set his mind to it. We often used to have to run to keep up with him crawling towards his goal (usually his freedom out the kitchen door). Kids don’t stop there though. They don’t think – ok, I can crawl now so I have achieved my goal and that’s as far as I am going to go – I’ll just sit here and for the rest of my life just crawl to where-ever I need to go! They then at some point stand up and then walk and pretty soon they start to run. I remember as a child always falling over – I was pretty much just gangly legs at that stage, and my parents were forever telling me to walk and not run – but hey, I had places to go and interesting things to see and do and time was a-wasting, so I ran.
To this day I run – ok, so don’t take that literally, I don’t much like to physically run anymore, but my mind certainly still runs. There are so many new things to see or to learn. So many more books that I want to read (most people laugh when they see my reading list, it runs to 26 typed pages), so many new ideas that I want to see reach their full potential.
So many new things that I want to try. There are discussions that I want to have with people and debates on controversial subjects that I would love to sink my teeth into. There are countries that I want to visit and some that I need to re-visit. There are people that I would love to meet and dishes that I would love to sample. There are movies that I want to watch or I suppose I could just sit there and say, well I’m done – then what?
Na-ah, not for me – whilst there is still time in the day (or the night for that matter), there is time to do things - for me. Things that will challenge me, make me stretch my brain and make me grow as an individual.
Things that will help to make me be all that I can be – and then some.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or [email protected] or https://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Look what’s happening at Business Engage
- Rania Anderson Events
- The Board Walk.
- RANIA ANDERSON EVENTS (IN JOHANNESBURG AND CAPE TOWN)
Bring a male colleague! If you both register together tickets will be discounted 20% to R440,00 ex VAT per person
Internationally acclaimed author and speaker on business women in developing and emerging economies.
The author of Undeterred: The Six Success Habits of Women in Emerging Economies, the first career advice book expressly written for educated women in developing and emerging economies.
As the founder of The Way Women Work a global platform she speaks to, advises, coaches, trains and writes for women and men at companies around the world including: P&G, GE, Barclays, PwC, Bank of America, T-Systems and O-I programs as well as at universities and conferences around the world.
Click link to profile www.thewaywomenwork.com.
NEXT EVENTS IN JOHANNESBURG AND CAPE TOWN
Date : 6 September 2016
Venue : The Maslow Hotel, Sandton
Time : 07h30 – 11h30
Cost : R550,00 ex VAT per person
RSVP : [email protected]
Date : 9 September 2016
Venue : The Table Bar Hotel, Cape Town
Time : 10h00-13h30
Cost : R550,00 ex VAT per person
RSVP : [email protected]
Bring a male colleague! If you both register together tickets will be discounted 20% to R440,00 ex VAT per person
Agenda
Session 1 : What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Women Advance
The session is based on Rania’s experience coaching women in senior and executive positions, her work with women all over the world especially in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, her experience as a senior leader at a large corporation as well as her book Undeterred; The Six Success Habits of Women in Emerging Economies.
The presentation covers the specific actions that make a difference in enabling women to advance in their careers and allows men to understand the role they play in effecting the advancement for women. 3 women are identified for one-on-one coaching by a panel of senior leaders (both men and women) at the event gaining immediate wins in their advancement.
Session 2 : Building a Network for Success
How to
- 6 September 2016; The Maslow Hotel, Sandton
- 9 September 2016; The Table Bay Hotel, Cape Town
- 8 September; RMB Cape Town
- 28 September; Webber Wentzel, Sandton
- Stop random networking.
- Build a circle of competence and a 360°network internally and externally in a culturally appropriate way.
- Use social media especially LinkedIn to expand and deepen connections.
The difference between mentors and a sponsor, the importance of each and how to develop these relationships. - The secret to building a network.
Numbers are limited and seats are only confirmed once payment has been received.
2. THE BOARD WALK EVENTS (IN JOHANNESBURG AND CAPE TOWN)
The Concept
The Boardwalk is an initiative that has been created to nurture the development of aspiring directors who are currently in senior management positions within medium to large companies, to help them to unlock their future potential. It aims to expose these individuals to existing directors (both executive and non-executive) and partners during an interactive networking breakfast that will encourage meaningful engagement and dialogue.
The Name
While “The Boardwalk” paints the picture of a promenade or walkway, it holds an underlying meaning of the bridge that an aspiring director needs to cross to become Board ready, as well as the journey that needs to be embarked upon.
As they take their first steps down this path of opportunity, these aspiring directors will benefit from those already sitting in the higher echelons of corporate South Africa who will offer their guidance and share their insights and challenges.
The Format
Business and other leaders will be invited to host a table of between eight and ten people. The job of the host will be to impart knowledge, experience and words of wisdom to the table, while directing the conversation.
The topics may be either specific or general as the host and the table pleases. Attendees will rotate tables twice during the breakfast, while the host remains at their table throughout.
NEXT EVENTS IN CAPE TOWN AND JOHANNESBURG
Date : 8 September 2016
Venue : RMB, Portside, Cape Town
Time : 08h30 – 11h30
Cost : R495,00 ex VAT per person
RSVP : [email protected]
Guest Speaker : Rania Anderson; other hosts will be confirmed
Date : 28 September 2016
Venue : Webber Wentzel, Sandton
Time : 07h30-10h30
Cost : R495,00 ex VAT per person
RSVP : [email protected]
Guest Speaker : Sally Hutton, Managing Partner, Webber Wentzel
Topic : “Imperatives to increase women in leadership positions”
Other hosts include :
Venessa Chetty : JD Group, Siegie Brownlee : Regenesys Business School; Kate Moodley : Discovery; Robyn de Villiers : Burson-Marsteller; Christine Ramon : AngloGold Ashanti; Maya Makanjee : Vodacom.
Numbers are limited and seats are only confirmed once payment has been received.
Kind regards
Col
084-353-9865
www.30percentclub.org
www.genderawards.co.za