Reducing partnership paranoia - building trust through mistrust
A partnership built on mistrust might sound a bit crazy, but it can lead to a surprisingly resilient and long-lasting relationship. Instead of sitting back and assuming your partner will handle everything with honour and integrity you are both constantly checking on each other - it's like having a built-in quality control system.
It is the epitome of mutual accountability - in a mistrustful partnership, both sides are aware of being scrutinised by the other side, which reduces the likelihood of slacking off or taking shortcuts. Every move gets examined and every decision challenged leading to a level of care and diligence that empowers both parties.
Continuous surveillance also ensures that issues are identified before they escalate into bigger problems - it's like having a superpower that allows you to foresee and address problems proactively.
In a mistrustful partnership contract, everything is usually spelt out in detail, with little or no room for ambiguity or misunderstandings. This clarity and precision, where every clause has been debated, dissected and agreed upon, will instil confidence.
So, while trust is good, a bit of healthy mistrust will keep both parties on their toes, ensuring a resilient, thorough and surprisingly long-lasting partnership that will reduce your partnership paranoia.
The 3 As to becoming a trusted advisor
As a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) there is a certain intangible skill set which separates the great from the good. If you can move from simply the numbers and compliance person to a key part of the advisory process, you will not only enjoy the best roles in finance, but you will also take the greatest pleasure from the work you do.
When our team of CFOs get together, we spend a lot of time on this subject discussing how we build closer relationships between our CFOs and the leadership teams and boards they work with.
We recently hosted motivational speaker Phil Hesketh and he spoke about the “3 A’s” highlighting where CFOs should focus their attention to become trusted advisors...
Turning anger into motivation - a fresh look at anger management
Anger can be a highly destructive force or a powerful motivator, depending on how we decide to use it. This emotion can be channelled more constructively to become your superpower.
Anger is a natural feeling that affects everyone. It is a normal emotion with a broad range of intensity from mild irritation and frustration to rage and aggression.
Getting angry may be in reaction to a perceived threat or pent-up frustration, and it can be helpful to take note of what triggers your feelings of anger and try to identify the underlying cause...
Navigating advanced import payments in South Africa
Advanced Import Payments (AIP) are a crucial strategy for businesses seeking to enhance efficiency in their cross-border operations.
In South Africa, where recent regulations have re-shaped the landscape, understanding, and leveraging AIP can yield significant advantages for international trade, integrating South Africa further into the global economy.
AIPs are prepayments made by importers to their overseas suppliers before receiving the goods they have ordered. This arrangement involves a comprehensive compliance framework, including a valid import license and adherence to the South African Revenue Service’s (SARS) Advance Payment Notification (APN) system, which applies to transactions exceeding R50,000...
Automation & AI can transform FSM
Over the past couple of years, implementation of automation in business, along with measured adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), has given businesses in the service industry the ability to enhance their workforce and their operations. This is because automation can take over many of the manual, admin-heavy tasks that can be very time-consuming for a workforce – particularly valuable in Field Service Management (FSM) where there are many moving parts.
It can also concurrently reduce the risk of human error where large volumes of information are being input. Similarly AI, which has been developed to replicate human behaviour? through programming and machine learning, can enhance the capabilities of a human workforce and enable individuals to do more work, faster, and with fewer, if any, errors...
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Ask any budding young entrepreneur in South Africa what they need most, and they will probably rattle off a list as long as your arm: Some moola to invest in their business. A stable electricity supply. The eradication of crime that destroys businesses and results in financial loss. Lower borrowing costs. Reasonable interest rates. And the list goes on.
In fact, these are among the most common challenges listed by entrepreneurs, as revealed in the Business Partners Limited SME Confidence Index released at the end of last year. And while there’s sadly not all that much that entrepreneurs can do about any of these, the good news is that there are proactive steps that they can take that will help them develop the “mental toolbox” they need to succeed...
Voting rights denied for post-commencement creditors - implications
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Optimizing logistics and transportation with a passion for excellence | Building Ecosystem for Logistics Industry | Analytics-driven Logistics
9 个月Have you ever experienced the benefits of incorporating a healthy dose of scepticism in your partnerships? Share your insights! #Trust #Partnerships.
PR with passion & purpose
9 个月Great insights here James Scott I see it all too often, especially in the creative world, where people don't enjoy admin, so they avoid it, making some of the assumptions you mention, with disastrous consequences down the line. Multiple checks & balances are a very healthy thing!