Pygmalion and the power of believing in others
“What managers believe about themselves subtly influences what they believe about their subordinates, what they expect of them, and how they will treat them.”
- J. Sterling Livingston
In Greek mythology, the story of Pygmalion is about a sculptor who carved a statue of Galatea, a beautiful woman that he then fell in love with. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was so moved by his love that she brought Galatea to life - a?moving message about how belief and hope can create change.
In his book "Pygmalion in Management," J. Sterling Livingston used Pygmalion as a metaphor to describe what he called the Pygmalion Effect. He showed that when leaders and managers believe in their employees' potential, those employees are more likely to excel.
Research has shown that positive expectations are pivotal in boosting confidence and motivation. On the other hand, low expectations can act as a barrier to growth, leading to disengagement and decreased performance. This can make employees feel undervalued and demotivated, ultimately hampering productivity.
Perhaps the power of the Pygmalion Effect lies in its ability to unlock potential by simply believing in others.
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AI professional indemnity insurance
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is arguably one of the most prolific buzzwords of the past decade. Since the advent of ChatGPT in late 2022, AI has become a hotly debated topic beyond the boardroom, reaching casual dinners and braai’s. True, AI presents potentially both humanity’s greatest achievement and unknowable prodigious risk.
A little-known fact is that the original “AI boom” occurred as far back as the 1980s, so the concept is not new. The rapid adoption of AI currently being experienced is largely due to the proliferation of data. Advanced innovations in cloud computing are also critical for effective applications of AI.
What is AI? AI is not just one thing – it is an amalgamation of various technologies, including machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing. These technologies are combined with data, analytics, and automation. It is used to help businesses drive innovation and achieve their goals, faster and hopefully more accurately.
The two faces of AI
As beneficial as AI is to...
Employee self-service portals empower!
With remote work firmly entrenched in our reality, employee self-service systems have become a game-changer, digitising and automating critical tasks to ease the administrative load on payroll and HR teams. These web or mobile-based platforms offer employees direct access to their personal HR information, enabling them to manage various aspects of their employment independently.
Beyond mere convenience, employee self-service represents a paradigm shift in the employer-employee relationship, placing the reins of control firmly in the hands of the workforce.
Gone are the days of long waits for HR assistance, endless email chains and tedious paperwork to request time off or update personal information. With just a few clicks from any internet-enabled device, employees can handle a myriad of tasks themselves, from updating contact details to viewing pay slips, applying for leave or submitting expense claims.
Cultivating a sense of ownership and autonomy
By granting employees direct access to their personal information and enabling them to manage their own interactions, organisations signal their confidence in their workforce’s ability to act responsibly. This cultivates a...
Open banking for SMEs and financial management integration
Open banking and open finance are buzzwords in the financial sector that have been sparking curiosity. They are frameworks that allow authorised third-party providers (companies or services that offer financial products/services to consumers) to access financial data from banks and other institutions via secure application programming interfaces (APIs).
In simpler terms, it’s like having a universal remote for your finances, enabling you to control and connect your financial information with different services.
Globally, open banking and open finance are at various stages depending on the region. However, both have generally focused on consumer payments and aiding individuals. This has left the needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) being overlooked – or assumed to be the same as those of individuals.
Yet, SMEs have existing needs that open banking can support or solve, whether that’s regular access to up-to-date financial data to help them forecast, secure credit or speed up payments. It can also help by providing alternative methods to making and receiving account-to-account (A2A) payments. These can be more cost-effective than card payments at a time when, for many small businesses, every penny adds up.
Why SMEs are embracing open banking
As technology advances and the world becomes more connected, open banking and open finance is gaining popularity. While often associated with consumer banking, SMBs are expected to be the fastest adopters of this new approach to finance...
Seeking returns, identifying quality in businesses and avoiding scam bots
This vidcast dives into the key considerations investors should think about when looking to identify quality businesses. We highlight some important metrics that can be used to measure the strength of a company’s performance, as well as some leadership considerations to take into account...
AI and ethical creative writing
Like many companies, we grapple with the ethics of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our work, which for us is creating brilliant campaigns for our clients.?
Over the past year or so, since AI really made itself felt, we’ve hashed and rehashed so many questions, especially around content generation: can we use AI to produce copy for our clients? Should we? If so, how should we? What should we tell them about using AI, if anything? And why should they pay us to use AI when they can do it themselves – for free?
AI as a writer’s resource
Don’t get me wrong, we’re not anti-AI Luddites; we think it’s tremendously exciting. We see the things that generative AI – such as ChatGPT, which can produce copy to instruction – excels at, which are useful and save time and costs: summarising long or complicated copy, generating listicles, brainstorming ideas or doing research (within limits), for example....
Business rescue payment obligations
A landmark high court ruling found that business rescue practitioners can’t “have their cake and eat it too”. The case involving sugar giant Tongaat Hulett, balances the principles of corporate rescue with the broader societal imperatives of industry regulation.
About the matter
The crux of the matter was whether business rescue practitioners (BRPs) could suspend certain statutory obligations during business rescue proceedings. Tongaat has been in voluntary business rescue since October 2022. Its BRPs sought a declarator that they were entitled to suspend any obligation of Tongaat that arose under the Sugar Industry Agreement (SI Agreement) during business rescue. This included any local market redistribution payments and related levies that became due during business rescue. They also suspended payment of the redistribution and levies for the first six months of the business rescue....
AI driving growth and innovation
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to supercharge every aspect of business and society, South Africa stands at a critical juncture. Rather than fearing job displacement, we can harness AI to drive widespread growth and prosperity.
By fostering local innovation, investing in AI education, and creating a conducive regulatory environment, we can empower citizens and businesses alike.
In the heart of our country, a quiet revolution is underway. This revolution, marked not by upheaval but by the gentle hum of computers and the boundless curiosity of students and innovators, is reshaping the landscape of opportunity through the power of AI. This is a story about using AI to enhance, not replace, the human element in society, particularly in a country like South Africa where unemployment rates are at an all-time high, and opportunities may seem scarce to most people.
The human-centric approach to AI
In South Africa, the narrative around AI often raises concerns about job displacement. However, AI should really be viewed as...
Leadership qualities of electable leaders
2024 has been dubbed the ‘super election year’. According to?Statista, around half the world’s population lives in the more than 60 countries holding national elections in 2024, and with roughly two billion eligible voters, this is being described as the largest election year in history.
If we view the world as a global organisation and bear in mind to what extent leadership shifts impact organisations, just imagine the scale of change that awaits us due to 2024’s multiple elections.
We asked a few questions to leaders and those who report to them in a variety of industries across the globe, about what the most important behaviours are for strong leadership and psychological safety. Ultimately, we wanted to know: “As a leader in business, have you ever stopped to think about whether you would cut if you had to be democratically elected for your current leadership role?”
From the 415 responses we have...
You have been served! - how you should respond to a summons
Life can be unpredictable and challenging, and there may come a time when you find yourself unable to repay money you owe someone. Ignoring the issue or failing to make arrangements can lead to legal action against you, which often involves receiving a summons. Being served with a summons can be a daunting experience, and while you may be tempted to scrunch the darn thing up and slam dunk it into the bin, it is important to understand the steps involved and take timely action to protect your rights.
A summons is the first step in a legal claim initiated by a plaintiff against a defendant. Typically, although not necessarily, before a summons is issued, a letter of demand is sent, but if payment isn’t made, a summons follows.
By knowing the process, understanding the nature of the claims against you and seeking appropriate legal guidance, you can potentially defend yourself against the claims outlined in the summons.
What is a summons?
A summons is an important legal document issued by the court that...
AI in endpoint security - revolutionising cybersecurity solutions
Security technologies have come a long way from the anti-virus and firewall solutions of the past. As data grows exponentially, traditional security measures are no longer effective.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in improving cyber defences. Companies across industry sectors must adapt to ensure their data and infrastructure remain secure through more innovative endpoint security strategies.
Behaviour-based solutions
AI enables more sophisticated and responsive protective measures. Traditional security approaches, such as signature-based detection in anti-virus applications, have evolved into behaviour-based solutions thanks to AI.
This shift is evident in Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) systems, which now...