[s]PEAK UP!

I recently participated in a business television programme, which highlights the work of international speakers and business coaches. The host of the show asked me what I would deem 7 things that successful people do. The show is aimed at small business owners (like myself) and it hopes to inspire and equip those in the SMME sector to strengthen themselves and their teams to reach greater levels of effectiveness. Once the show is live, I'll make sure you get to see it! So, herewith my 7 Keys to Success. 1.  Vision  - it’s been said so many times that the word vision itself has lost a bit of sparkle, but the truth is; human beings are designed in every way to pre-programme ourselves with “what we want” before we create the drive and energy to get there. High performance people go a few steps further. They write it down, give themselves a time frame and create a general plan of how to get there. They still stay flexible, because life isn’t static. Countless studies ha

A fundamental part of every leader's role is finding ways to solve problems. So, if being a confident problem solver is really important to your success and performance, much of that confidence comes from having a good process to use when approaching a problem. With the right process, you can solve problems quickly and effectively. Without one, your solutions may be ineffective, or you'll get stuck and do nothing, with sometimes painful consequences. When I listen to 'experts' who talk about solving problems, they can really make it sound so complex. They  typically say things like: There are four basic steps in solving a problem: Defining the problem. Generating alternatives. Evaluating and selecting alternatives. Implementing solutions. I totally agree that these steps are important. But I've often found that my best solutions come from when I'm not thinking of the problem at all! You know what they say: "good ideas don't ke

As I reflect on our recent Freedom Day in South Africa on 27 April, I'm really touched by the thought that so many people have lost their livelihoods, family ties and even their lives  so that I can call myself FREE. But what does Freedom actually mean? Did you know that there are 17 Different interpretations of the word F reedom ? I kid you not! According to dictionary.com freedom can mean: 1. the   state   of   being   free   or   at   liberty   rather   than   in  confinement   or   under   physical   restraint: He   won   his   freedom   after   a   retrial. 2. exemption   from   external   control,   interference, regulation,   etc. 3. the   power   to   determine   action   without   restraint. 4. political   or   national   independence. 5. personal   liberty,   as   opposed   to   bondage   or  slavery: a   slave   who   bought   his   freedom. 6. exemption   from   the   presence   of   anything  specified   (usuall

How to Maintain Momentum I recently had a coaching conversation with a high performance person, in which she came to the startling conclusion that she's burnt out! After a bit of exploring, we realised that she probably just feels like she's running out steam.  What is the difference, you might ask? Well, according to wikipedia ( occupational) burnout is  characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy within the workplace. It goes further to say that: " The  job-demands model  of burnout proposes that burnout is influenced by job demands and job resources. Job demands are the physical and psychological costs of work, such as work pressure and emotional demands. Job resources are organisational aspects of the job that help employees manage job demands".  When we probed further into where she perceived the burnout to be, it was more in relation to her personal life and household, than her professional life - although the two can be