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THE I.D.E.A OF PERSONAL AND RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP

26th October 2020

It is said that to inspire change in others, you need to inspire change within yourself. Embarking on a personal leadership journey is the natural way in which to lead yourself (and your life) in an effective and wise manner. In leading yourself in this way, you begin to focus on the things that are most likely to bring you real meaning, fulfilment, and success.

Stephen Engels, author of The New Success Paradigm: “A Personal Leadership Discovery Platform”, has created - based on two decades of business and leadership research and development - an integrated system that shapes the conversations you have with yourself, inspires the conversations you have with others and positively influences or confirms your values, your points of reference and your filters for various areas in your life. It also shares ways in which you can continually re-define yourself.

Personal leadership is hugely impacted by your self-esteem which is described by Nathaniel Branden in his book “Self-esteem at Work” as follows: “It (self-esteem) contains cognitive, evaluative and emotional components – how you see yourself, evaluate yourself, feel about yourself.”

It is thoughtfully suggested that an inspired and mentored personal leadership journey might begin at around 18 years of age, with the proviso that an individual enjoys adequately supportive social maturity and emotional stability.

According to Stephen’s book, Personal Leadership is expressed in various ways including:
1. The way you lead yourself, and the way you control your life.
2. The way you express yourself through self-determination, and
3. The way you define and express the legacy that you will hand down to your dependents, or successors.

In guiding or transforming your life based on the values, filters and points of reference that you develop for yourself over time, you may potentially have a positive impact on the lives of some of the people around you and you could also get the privilege of inspiring responsible leadership.

Responsible Leadership is a multi-faceted leadership style requiring a moral mind-set, that holds benevolence as a key value, and which puts the souls and needs of the people one leads at centre-stage.

Stephen has developed a simple way to remember the four key areas for a Responsible Leader using the acronym:

I.D.E.A = Impact – Decisions – Example - Awareness.

Some explanations that illustrate the four key focus areas for a responsible leader are given below:
• Impact – Leaders need to be aware of the positive, or negative impact that their communications will potentially have on their environment, as well as on the people that they lead.
• Decisions – Generally speaking, people do not like to make decisions and rather prefer to “sit on the fence” when facing a difficult choice. However, a good leader actively makes measures decisions and good decision-making is, in fact, the only way to move forward in any discipline.
• Example - Leading by example is extremely important, so as not to become an “armchair leader”. In leading by example, a leader stands to become a role model to others.
• Awareness - Developing a moral-minded sense of awareness in the people who one gets the privilege to lead is an extremely important process, as awareness is the first phase in every area of our lives.
Stephen believes that in our rapidly changing world, three foundation stones are increasingly relevant in the expression of leadership excellence, namely:
(i) Character.
(ii) Personal Leadership, and
(iii) Responsible Leadership.

He suggests that “This insight is borne-out by the observation that character, personal leadership, and responsible leadership were distinguishing hallmarks of some of the outstanding leaders the world has seen.”
He goes further to suggest that “Through enhancing the way in which you lead yourself and your life, you can empower yourself, and potentially
improve the way you lead others.”

To find out more, please visit www.stephenengels.com and/or follow Stephen on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Feed the Hungry

16th October 2020

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Every 3.6 seconds, 1 of these people will die due to starvation. Thousands of lives are needlessly lost.

Ahead of World Food Day, which is commemorated annually around the world on the 16th of October to heighten public awareness on issues pertaining to food (in)security and to strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty, Penny Appeal South Africa’s Feed Our World campaign highlights the plight of vulnerable communities who have been victims of poverty, war, drought, famine, displacement or natural disasters.

Feed Our World provides millions of live-saving, nutritious meals to impoverished families around the globe. Poverty is escalating and food scarcity is the norm for low income households, which have also been significantly impacted by the financial implications of the pandemic, and these meals help combat hunger and malnutrition in crisis-hit countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Ultimately, Penny Appeal’s core mission is to provide both short-term relief and long-term interventions to eliminate hunger through sustainable food projects, which also includes vegetable garden projects which provide sustainable food aid solutions.

No-one should have to worry about when their next meal will be. For just R500 a month, a person in need can be fed. Donate at www.pennyappeal.org.za/donate

Penny Appeal South Africa will be arranging various food distribution points around South Africa which includes hot meals around Durban (Chatsworth, Kenville), Balfour Township (Mpumalanga), and in Cape Town (Valhalla Park and Gugulethu), as well as food pack distribution to identified vulnerable communities in Yeoville and in Malawi, over the course of the weekend to highlight World Food Day.

#pennyappealsa #malnutrition #feedtheworld #smallchangebigdifference #TeamOrange

Notes

Businesses urged to be vigilant against email scams

13th October 2020

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With the lockdown leading to business being run almost exclusively on email, fraudsters are increasingly using email-based scams to catch unsuspecting businesses off-guard.

“One of the most common email scams that businesses fall victim to is Business Email Compromise (BEC). Business Email Compromise is a global phenomenon and a form of cybercrime which uses email fraud / email phishing to target businesses, individuals and governments. At its core, the scam leverages digital technology combined with social engineering techniques,” says Nadiah Maharaj, Chief Risk Officer at FNB Business.

The scam can be carried out in multiple ways:

It is common for fraudsters to use malware to compromise (gain unauthorized access) to a business’ email account and to then send emails to that business’s clients (debtors) advising them of a change in the business’ banking details.

A business can also receive an e-mail informing them that their supplier has changed their bank account details. The correspondence will include the details of the new account. The business is then requested to make future payments into the new account. The details are, of course, fraudulent with the consequence that monies are paid to the fraudster and not the legitimate supplier.

Fraudsters can also phone the victims informing them of the change of details and that an email will follow. The telephone call will be used by the fraudster so that they can extract more information to make their communications more believable (also known as social engineering).

Criminals would typically target specific employee roles within an organisation, by sending a spoofed email with instructions that purport to be from a senior party normally the CEO or similar, to affect urgent payments

Business can take the following steps to ensure that they don’t fall victim to this type of fraud:

Make sure your PC/Laptop is current with OS updates and anti-virus/malware software.

If you are contacted by a ‘supplier’, ask to speak to your known contacts and do not take instructions from staff at the supplier who are not known to you. Ensure that any request to change banking details is properly confirmed with that known contact and using contact details you have sourced yourself.

Beware of supposed confirmatory e-mails from almost identical e-mail addresses, such as .com instead of .co.za, or addresses that differ from the genuine one by perhaps one letter that can be easily missed example an “I” instead of “J”

Make use of the “Account Owner Verification” tab on Online Banking to test that the name of the account accords with the account number provided.

Urgent and unplanned payment instructions should be treated with caution. Sensitise staff to this modus operandi and instruct them to scrutinise invoices for irregularities prior to any payment and escalate suspicions.

Ensure that your company’s private information is not disclosed to third parties who are not entitled to receive it, or third parties whose identities cannot be rightfully verified.

Don’t use public computers or unsecured network connections to check e-mail; there’s virtually no way to know if they are infected with malware accidentally or have key logging spyware installed intentionally.

Businesses who have fallen victim to this type of fraud, should contact their Bank immediately to be assisted to stop any payments if possible, as a matter of urgency. FNB customers should contact the FNB Fraud Contact Centre immediately on 087 575 9444 or +27 11 369 2924 if dialling from abroad.

The fraud should be reported to the South African Police Services (SAPS). Banks will provide the SAPS with the relevant information, upon receipt of a duly served subpoena. If the fraudster has benefited from the fraud, business can further consider civil recovery and also check with their insurer if it is an insurable loss.

“This National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we urge all business owners to educate themselves about cybercrime and commit to staying alert and vigilant” concludes Maharaj

Managing effective (and credible) financial projections of a startup

1st October 2020

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The role of a startup Chief Financial Officer (CFO) goes beyond traditional financial management to creating a roadmap for growth and longevity. "Not only does the CFO role demand the efficient and effective deployment of resources that result in maximum returns – it's just as critical to design and implement processes to ensure the financial department seamlessly integrates with the Aura's operations," notes Patrick Gilbride, Chief Financial Officer at Aura – South Africa's most effective, accessible and affordable emergency response platform for the security and medical services industry.

Navigating the startup environment and operating in a near constant state of flux is a time of invaluable opportunity for a new CFO. "Financial forecasting in a startup is always the most challenging task. Aura needs to remain as dynamic as possible, and that often requires a complete change of direction. A big part of my role as CFO is to provide a clear picture of the current state of affairs that enables the management team to make informed decisions," adds Gilbride.

Having credible and effective financial projections is hugely significant to the success of any business, but for a startup it's the golden thread that drives growth, strategy, and an organisation's vision and purpose. "Being involved in an organisation that moves quickly and isn't afraid to make mistakes is the perfect environment for someone who wants to grow as much as possible. I believe Aura is the tool that will bring the security industry into the 21st Century. According to Numbeo's 2020 Crime Index South Africa is the third most dangerous country in the world. Aura is a solution that can bring every South African the security they deserve."

Patrick Gilbride
Aura
Kramerville, Johannesburg.
14 September 2020
Photograph: John Hogg

Gilbride is the newly appointed Chief Financial Officer at Aura.

About Aura
AURA was born out of the critical need for more efficiency within the South African Security industry in order to combat the growing crime rate facing all of us. AURA achieves this efficiency through smart, disruptive and scalable technology, which creates a WIN-WIN-WIN for all parties involved. The customer receives affordable and effective services; the security provider increases revenue and its client base; and AURA fulfils its mission and vision. AURA is driven by a young entrepreneurial founding team with extensive experience within the security and technology spaces.https://aura.services/

Growing and Preserving your Wealth for Financial Sustainability

1st October 2020

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Financial freedom through integrated wealth management solutions
Whether you are retired, starting your first job or working out what you want to achieve with your money, deciding where to invest and adjusting your portfolio can be daunting. The choices you make around planning for your future are some of the biggest decisions you will ever make.

Taking control of your quest to build wealth is not a nicety, it is a necessity says Craig Kiggen, Managing Director of Consolidated Wealth (a Licensed Financial Services Provider). Craig and his team of tenured, highly-qualified financial advisors have been using global investment strategies and a multi-disciplinary goals-based approach to help individuals, families and companies manage their wealth for more than 20 years.

“There are many definitions for wealth management but for our team it is about growing and preserving the wealth of our clients. It is the process of planning your future today by looking after the wealth that you have created or are looking to create so you can achieve financial sustainability in the years to come,” Craig explains.

The Consolidated Wealth team are unique in their approach to financial planning and wealth creation. They view their client relationships as a partnership and the management of their wealth as a journey they walk together. Craig says that the sooner people get started on this journey, the better, regardless of their financial situation.

“We focus on a cradle to grave partnership that starts as early as possible and as a result, our clients range from university graduates to high net worth individuals and companies. The same approach is used for everyone: we start by understanding them and their relationship with money and tailor a researched, bespoke solution for each,” Craig explains.

Too often, people place emphasis on the markets and returns, adopting of a short-term view to investment portfolios rather than a long-term strategy that is financially sustainable. Craig says that Consolidated Wealth encourages their clients to build a holistic, integrated financial plan attuned to their circumstances, needs and priorities at every stage of their lives.

“Every client has a different lifestyle, cash-flow requirements and wealth preservation goals. That is why we work collaboratively with them to design solutions that support their unique investment objectives, integrating both their corporate and their personal investments to build a strategy that aligns with their priorities and their relationship with money.”

He adds that wealth creation means different things to different people and this is reflected in how they choose to invest. Some people are aggressive in their approach and have higher earnings expectations while others are more cautious, opting for stable returns that deliver in the long-term. “The key thing here is the acknowledgement that every person is different. In fact, our new brand identity celebrates this; our logo, for example, is a fingerprint that symbolises the uniqueness of each client’s situation and the tree trunk rings are a visual symbol of growth year by year.”

This priorities-based, highly-individualised approach has resulted in long-standing relationships and has earned Consolidated Wealth an enviable 96% client retention ratio – unheard of in the industry. Headquartered in Durban, the team manages an international portfolio of clients and an asset base of more than R2-billion.

Craig believes the team’s relationships with their clients are the reason for the company’s ongoing success. “Some of our clients have been with us for more than 20 years. We’ve been with them in the trenches and we’ve also celebrated alongside them as they reached their financial goals,” he explains.

“These long-standing relationships are incredibly valuable to our whole team and combined with our growing client base, we view this as a positive indication that we are delivering on our vision to build the world’s most trusted Wealth Solutions business so that every life we touch is financially secure.”

The unique, caring relationships with their clients embodies the ethos of Consolidated Wealth. Pouring ingenuity and passion into everything they do ensures that the company continues to outperform agreed benchmarks resulting in what is one of life’s most fulfilling experiences: delivering long-term, sustainable financial freedom.