RELEVANT with GUY GOLAN - by Angela Shearer

Leading by Example - Guy Golan - CEO of Performanta

Guy Golan is a man who sees his business as a fun place to work. He celebrates victories and shares successes. By nature, he is a hunter, but he has come to learn the significance of gathering. As a leader he is actively committed to change, to safeguarding the future and making our dangerous country a better place for all to live.  

   When asked to describe the color yellow to a blind person, Guy said, “The sun at noon on a cloudless day. Flame at its tip.”   A thoughtful and deep response from a man who analyses the world and writes in his spare time. 

   When placed in a tub of crayons and asked what color he is, Guy said he is definitely blue.  Like the sky and the sea, blue is the mark of depth and stability, symbolic of trust, loyalty, confidence, intelligence and truth. 

  A common theme ensued when I asked what animal he would be if he could choose and he said, “I would be an owl for its wisdom and its ability to observe. A queen bee for her sense of organisation and united cause. A dolphin for its sense of family, and a lioness for her hunting ability and endless perseverance.”  

  40 years ago, Guy dreamed of being a combat pilot or a computer engineer, but his entrepreneurial spirit took him on a different route entirely. Money is not, and has never been, his motivator. Guy is driven by challenge, purpose and the people who make up his tribe. He described himself as a geek at school who was VERY shy, but his curious and adventurous nature opened him up to new things that required a lot more of him. He says that one of the hardest things he ever had to do was get a good mark in Chemistry and the most physically challenging was reaching base camp on the Himalayas.  

  He is proud of his children, his parents, his family and his purple Tribe. His philosophy is to love everyone like you love yourself. Guy says, “When you do this it brings with it an appreciation for life and people.” Saying this, he unintentionally demonstrates that he lives the one value which he believes every leader should possess – HUMILITY.

   Guy is the custodian of the Performanta culture, dedicated to a common goal where the people are happy and empowered to deliver their best. They sustain their success by not deviating from agreed goals. To keep the culture and vision alive, there is a 3-day induction for new employees followed by a one-month buddy system and Guy insists on a TRUE open-door policy. With a strong belief that people form the essence of every organization, great emphasis is placed on culture fit when recruiting new Tribe members. 

  As an organization gets bigger, the “Institution” can often dampen the inspiration felt in smaller teams; Guy believes that they have found a way to tackle the dampening effect by keeping the executive team strong and inspired. He says, “As an organization grows it creates a lot of noise both internally and externally so leaders have to find a balance between the vision and the voices that MUST challenge the vision. This includes finding ways to accommodate and support the different desires, career expectations and preferences of different generations. He uses social media to bring the tribe together and give everyone insight and a sense of belonging, he also dedicates at least four hours a week to walking the corridors and having informal chats with his tribe to make sure he stays connected at the coal face. It is this hands-on approach that helps to identify bad apples, to maintain shared values, mutual goals and a clear, mutual vision.

  The Google culture is one that Guy believes in, seeing it as progressive and positive, giving everyone the chance to grow and contribute. He encourages his people to talk, to listen genuinely and attentively, giving them room to succeed, or fail, if that’s what’s needed. If people are part of the journey, bringing together their cumulative intellect, then Guy believes they are better equipped to outperform a single genius and be more effective and satisfied in their work.

  He doesn’t support an autocratic leadership style, believing it breeds dependence, mediocrity and that it impacts an individual’s ability to think for themselves. He says, “Leaders should be visionaries and have a high sense of EQ. Leaders who pursue money only, who have no genuine cause or suffer from a big ego and stubbornness will not prevail in the future.” He expects the leaders in his organization to be ethical and have compassion always. 

  We all make mistakes throughout our careers and the one thing that Guy says he won’t do is lose control and throw a tantrum. His commitment to personal growth includes working with a coach to consciously develop as a leader and he says he also learns continuously from his employees. He reads, spends time alone in deep thought, watches movies, does Tai Chi or cooks to clear his mind.   

  Completing the sentence “I am,” he simply says, “I am Guy, I develop my own compass and refine its moral accuracy,” and in that small statement he becomes so much and leaves even more room for growth.

 As a last word, his career advice to emerging leaders is, “Focus! Look at your long-term goals, focus on one and when you fail, learn and move on. Learn to use all your senses. Listen, watch, get a feel for your environment and meet as many people as you can from all over the organization. Most importantly, be the one who needs to learn rather than the one who needs to teach. Gain people’s trust and they will appreciate you.”

See the links below for more information on Guy or Performanta:

• https://www.performanta.com/za/
• https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/guy-golan-6b368b/