Empowerment Credentials aids Reputation

An article in the South African Star newspaper yesterday caught my attention. The article”High Empowerdex rating helps Schindler win government tender” illustrates how adhering to current business practices can aid an organisation’s reputation, especially when business decisions are made.

The article states that Schindler was awarded a R40 million lift servicing contract in an open tender by government due to its strong empowerment credentials (Schindler has an A rating from Empowerdex, the ecnomic empowerment rating agency). It also mentions the fact that Schindler has a high rating from the CIDB (The Construction Industry’s Development Board).

Crucial to them being awarded the tender; was the fact that a large portion of the work will be outsourced to emerging suppliers, accompanied by skills transfer.

It is clear that this company scans the environment and has its finger on the pulse when it comes to topical Corporate Social Responsibility issues. Organisations that want to build a superior reputation in the South African marketplace need to pay attention to:

1. Their empowerment credentials and how and when they use these credentials in their communication efforts.

2. Corporate Social Responsible indicators. Studying the international and local environment is crucial in this regard and some organisations embrace both international and local codes putting real meaning to the words “Think Global, Act local”.

This is just another example of how crucial an organisation’s reputation is when it comes to making important decisions. Relate this back to a personal level. When you decide to join an organisation, what criteria do you use to make your decision? To what extent do you rely on references from others, on what you have read, seen or heard about an organisation?

How much of this information do you consciously think about? How much of this information is in your subconscious, influencing your decisionmaking?

I have heard a recruiter say that awards even at school level (such as becoming a prefect) do count in a candidate’s favor, BECAUSE they are indicators for future success. An Organisation’s reputation will feature when important business decisions are taken because it creates expectations for future success.

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Another one bites the dust!

The resignation of Paul Wolfowitz as president of the World Bank should serve as a clear lesson for any CEO or senior executive.

Dear Mr CEO – You are not immune.You are not above the law or public opinion. Your actions and behaviour will be scrutinized.

Barbara Stocking, the director of aid group Oxfam, said that Wolfowitz had done the right thing by quitting. His resignation "shows that even the office of the president has to play by the rules".

What are the rules of the game for CEO’s today? CEO’s need to realise that TRUST is the number one commodity today. It affects your own and your organisation’s reputation.It impacts on your delaings with various stakeholders. What stakeholders are seeking is transparent and ethical behaviour coupled with an understanding of the accountabilities that come from being a leader.

The word CEO does not stand for Chief Entertainment Officer, Chief Embezzlement officer nor Chief Ego Officer. In some ways it can be interpreted as Chief Ethics Officer. Waterfalls flow top to bottom.

It is the CEO that leads the way and sets the tone for either a cherished reputation or for potential disaster.

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Build Your Own Reputation by Doing Things Faster and More Elegantly!

As a consultant I have always known that my only stock in trade is my reputation (and intellectual capital).

I have also known that time is my most precious commodity and that (after being in private practice for more than eleven years) that managing and marketing a consulting practice is a very time intensive exercise. It has thus always been my quest for tools and techniques that would enable me to do what I do – faster and more elegantly.

Ten months ago I read a brilliant book called Getting Things Done by David Allen. This book really got me thinking about how my own levels of efficiency were impacting on my own reputation.

http://www.davidco.com/

However thinking is never enough. Since I liked some of Dr Morita Masetake’s Constructive Living theories this book added a fine dimension to my understanding of Morita’s work. The essence of Morita’s method is often summarized in three rules: Accept all our feelings, know your purpose(s), and do what needs to be done. When once asked what shy people should do, Morita replied, "Sweat." The match between some of his work and the Getting Things done philosophy worked for me. I then took it further and invested in the GTD software. Personally I rate this purchase as probably the MOST important business tool purchase that I have ever made.

Since I implemented his system I have never felt so much in control and this system has allowed me to become so organised that I can now spend a lot of time with my family and on my own self-development.

If you have not yet explored it, I urge you to visit the following sites to bring you up to speed:

http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/08/getting-started-with-getting-things-done/

The thing is you do not have to buy the software but once you understand the system, it is absolutely brilliant.

Here is a cheat sheet: http://lifedev.net/2007/02/gtd-cheatsheet-the-workflow/

See details for the Getting Things Done Outlook Add-In : http://www.davidco.com/store/other.php – If you use Outlook, this Add-In designed by NetCentrics in collaboration with Allen can turbo-charge your GTD implementation. Taking advantage of powerful Outlook features, it customizes your personal application with the right buttons and views to put the Getting Things Done methods at your fingertips.

http://gtdsupport.netcentrics.com/buy/indexd.php

But GTD is also a philosophy and not just a system. If you start to apply it to all parts of your life it will become more meaningful, be it fitness, business or health.

Your business will FEEL it! Your Reputation will be enhanced!

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10 Tips for better Organizational Communication

Communication has been called the glue that hold organisations together to the electricity that powers up a place. It remains a vital and crucial tool to use in building, sustaining and protecting corporate reputation.  Here’s some tips that can revive and empower your communication efforts:

3.1 No doctor will prescribe treatment without a proper diagnosis. Conduct a communications audit. A Communications Audit can be compared to a financial audit or to a medical check up. Likewise, a Communications Audit will evaluate the "health" of an organisation’s formal and informal information systems. The undertaking of such an audit should be the starting point for any communications programme. It will show both positive and negative aspects – So that you can learn from both.

3.2 Change your approach instead of trying to change the way your workforce communicates. Remember Richard Saunders words: "The only way to get a significantly different result is to do something significantly different".

3.3 Make communications with staff a Board priority. Misunderstandings can cost you dearly. As one manager once said on CNN in a panel discussion : "What’s the point in training people – The competition just poaches them". So the other panelist replied : So, watch them stay".

3.4 Communicate, communicate, communicate. Keeping employees in the dark just doesn’t wash any more.

3.5 Implement coaching strategies in your organisations. What is more effective than a manager coaching and communicating face to face with his employees in an amicable, trustworthy but performance orientated way?

3.6 Encourage the formation of cross functional teams to break up traditional organisational " silos". Develop training packages that will equip people used to working in traditional departments to be able to function in cross functional teams. Use new tools such as blogging to enhance this process.

3.7 Build relationships with all stakeholders. This way you will foster cross functional communication and participation.

3.8 Build effective organisational and interpersonal communication practices into the Performance Management system. " That which is not inspected will
never be respected".

3.9 Use various tools, mechanisms and means to communicate. Read books such as " NLP at work" by Sue Knight". This book will give you more insight as to how different people communicate. Use visuals, intranets, blogs, newsletters, payroll inserts, videos, but never forget the power of one – on – one.

3.10 Make communication your responsibility. You know that communication is at best an imperfect science – Therefore assume responsibility for ensuring that your listener understands.

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