Improve My Business

My reason for traveling to South Africa was to present at NOSHCON – a conference for Occupational health and Safety hosted by NOSA. I attended many presentations at the conference, and was amazed by what I learned from some of the country’s finest minds:

The plight of the South African worker is that of workers in many developing countries – the workers are often relegated to manual labor, under less-than-ideal conditions, which actually contributes to their declining health. One study by Dr. Candice Christie presented information on worker health, showing that their health actually deteriorated as they worked more, due to malnutrition and dehydration from working outside without adequate health support. Since worker safety is affected by mental sharpness, this decline in physical health links to an increase in worker injury.

Andrew Sharman of Royal Bank of Scotland Group highlighted that it costs corporations worldwide $125 Trillion (yes, that’s a “T”) is lost yearly due to worker accidents and fatality. With numbers like that, this is everyone’s problem.

Andrew Sharman presenting

What can be done? Corporations can take care of their workers. Many of the workers were dehydrated because the water at the worksite was too far away to allow them to grab some water easily; a simple doubling of water stations would be helpful. Malnutrition was due partially to “slave labor” wages paid, and any meals provided were not nutritionally balanced (but were inexpensive).   Better wages and better nutrition would reduce worker injury significantly.

How does this fit into improving your business? It may not… I don’t know. I could try and make a case that you can improve your workers’ conditions, no matter what your business may be; but really, consider whether there’s anything you can do to improve the lot of workers in developing countries, who provide much of what you and I use every day. Research where your materials and labor come from. Know the practices of the companies you buy from. Vote with your wallet – support companies athat are trying to do the right thing like these Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations. Make a difference.

Technorati Tags: NOSA, NOSHCON, South Africa, sustainability, worker health, worker safety

After my safari, I went to the Drakensburg area, where I saw fast-growing trees planted precisely - the beauty of a forest was replaced by mathematical precision planting.  Although the yield went up dramatically, some of the magic was missing - the precisely planted rows are harvested every six months, so no wildlife takes up residence there on a permanent basis; and there was no soft bed of needles, no moss, no character to them.

However, it is nice that they are able to grow these breeds so quickly, which may save some old growth forests from being harvested quite so fast…

Technorati Tags: lessons from nature

Before I attended my conference, I went on safari.  Going on safari, by yourself, is an interesting experience.  First, you are pretty isolated; no internet, no phone (although others told me that there was cell phone reception out there); and no television other “Bush TV” (campfires).  This provides a wonderful opportunity for introspection… which I took advantage of.

I also took advantage of the twice-daily 3 hour safari rides into the 20,000 acre reserve, where I was able to see all sorts of animals in their native habitat (in fact, we were the interlopers…)

Some interesting phenomena - zebras and wildebeests were often together.  They do that both for protection (it’s harder for predators to pick them off in a larger group) and because they are complementary grazers - zebras are bulk feeders, eating even the most straw-like grass, while wildebeests are soft-grass grazers only.  So both animals can graze the same area without competition.

Who can you graze with?  Who can you work with in order to minimize your solitary weaknesses?  Is it time to look around for a partner, a JV, or just a friend to buddy up with?

Technorati Tags: Africa Safari, lessons from nature

I’ve recently returned from a business trip in South Africa (I was a keynote speaker at an occupational health and safety (OHS) conference there) and the trip was truly a life-changing experience. I was a bit apprehensive about going there on my own; and since I didn’t want to be traveling more than I was working (2 days in each direction for a 3 day conference) I added on a safari at the beginning of the trip (so I could time zone adjust, rather than go at the end of the trip).

I found out several things about myself, and thought I’d share some of that here with you both today and in the next several posts.

Lesson #1: When something is new, it’s usually interesting.

I drove 4.5 hours from Johannesburg to Ladysmith to start the safari. Before departing on the trip, I thought the long drive would be a good opportunity to write some blog posts, start working on a presentation that would be due soon after I returned from the trip, etc. I dutifully packed my laptop in my small bag that was to accompany me in the seat rather than be stowed in the rear of the van. I had my camera, too, in case I came across anything I wanted to snap.

Fast forward 4 hours, and almost 100 pictures, later… I found the drive to be fascinating. Parts of South Africa in the winter reminded me of California (everything is a golden brown); other parts reminded me of a former vacation in Zion National Park; and other parts were purely South African in nature, and in the future other sceneries like this will remind me of “my first trip to South Africa”.

Lesson #1A: Make whatever you’re teaching interesting or relevant.

If you are trying to get a new concept across to others, it may be a bit scary to them (uncharted territory). If you can make the concepts interesting, or help them relate it to something that they are already familiar with (this looks like the rock formations in Zion!), then they will become more comfortable with the concepts quickly. But don’t be afraid to introduce new concepts into the mix (this is pure South African!) as it will also give your intended audience something to carry away with them.

Lesson #2: It’s not always about the destination; sometimes it’s about the journey as well.

I spent 4 hours talking to Thamba, my driver. I learned about typical South African life – family, housing, jobs, training, schooling – during our conversation. I also learned about controlled burning – the practice of burning the thick and inedible thatching hay in order to stimulate growth of new green shoots, which are edible by livestock. Accordingly, there were controlled burns going on all around us during the drive.

Lesson #2A: the more interesting you can make the journey, the better the journey will be.

Although I was ready to get out of the vehicle after 4.5 hours, I didn’t consider that portion of my vacation to be ‘wasted’. The more interesting you can make the delivery of your message, the higher the probability that the message will be heard, understood, and absorbed. Make the delivery of the message as important as the message itself. Can you use graphics, visuals? Do you have an audio portion? Do you engage the listener? Whatever you can do to make the message heard more easily, the better received the message will be.

Technorati Tags: living your life, preparation, Streamlining, travel

Last time I shared an article about being efficient versus being effective by Robert Rolih. Now here are the rules on goal setting from http://www.time-management-toolbox.com/articles.html:

1st rule: Your goals should be specific. The clearer the goal, the clearer the outcome. So, always set specific goals that can be measured. Let me give you an example. If I say, “Next year we will increase our market share,” is this specific? Well, not really! But if I add “by four percentage points,” it makes this goal specific and measurable. There’s an old saying that goes, What gets measured, gets done, so always be specific when you set your goals.

2nd rule: Every goal must have a deadline. Human beings operate best when they have clear deadlines. Deadlines get us moving. So every goal you set should have a deadline – the date by which you will accomplish it.

3rd rule: Your goals should be challenging. Aim high: Set goals that will provide you with a challenge; but be careful – they must be realistic! You must believe you can achieve them.

4th rule: Write your goals down. Gene Donohue once said, The difference between a goal and a dream is the written word. So, write your goals down. This will make them concrete.

Ok, those were the four goal-setting rules.

But what if your goals depend on a boss, and you don’t know what they are? Then go to your boss and ask him! Always be clear what your boss expects from you. Otherwise, you will be doing the wrong things most of the time. So, the real secret of effective time management is choosing the right things to do. That means choosing the things that help you achieve your goals. And those things that help achieve your goals are the tasks that will bring you to your goals faster.

Best-selling author Timothy Ferriss once said: Doing the right things is infinitely more important than doing things right. Efficiency is still very important, but only when you do the right things – the things that will bring you closer to your goals.

Technorati Tags: effective, efficient, goal setting, goals, Time Management