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15 Oct 09
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| Sacci Gala Dinner - Our line up of key note speakers are a strong combination of
government, business and labour, brought together to discuss and present on issues
that are pivotal to the current and future business climate of South Africa. |
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• Presenter:
Dr. Rob Davies
• Guest Speaker:
President Jacob Zuma
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| • Venue: Johannesburg Country Club |
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16 Oct 09
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| Sacci Convention - Our line up of key note speakers are a strong combination of
government, business and labour, brought together to discuss and present on issues
that are pivotal to the current and future business climate of South Africa.
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• Presenter:
Mr. Tau Morwe the CEO of
Transnet Port Terminals
• Venue: Johannesburg Country Club |
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22 Oct 09
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SMME meeting
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• Venue: SECOB |
83 Joubert Street
Germiston |
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30 Oct 09
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| · The Women - in Business meeting |
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• Venue: Parthenon Mansions |
| · National Productivity Awards Ceremony |
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• Venue: Kyalami - on - the - track |
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View SECOB’s 10 new Portfolios:
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Productivity Month 2009 |
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Going on overdrive to promote productivity
What initially started out as a week in which efforts to create awareness of productivity and competitiveness were intensified, has now developed into a fully-fledged Productivity Month. This has proved to be a landmark in the organisation's annual campaign. |
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Now in its seventh year, Productivity Month is an annual campaign started by Productivity SA, that is tasked with promoting productivity and competitiveness in the country. The awareness campaign was launched by the Minister of Labour, the Honourable Mr Membathisi Mdladlana. It is also endorsed by more than 20 major corporations.
Productivity SA's Executive Manager for Marketing and Communication, Iggy Sathekge, says this year the organisation will once again embark on an intensive awareness drive during the month of October.
Sathekge says the success of previous awareness campaigns has galvanized the organisation into ensuring that maximum impact is made during this month. While the organisation seeks to heighten awareness of productivity in the country and also seeks to highlight programmes to enhance and sustain productivity in South Africa throughout the year, Productivity Month is like a faire celebrating these efforts, says Sathekge.
The objective of Productivity Month is primarily the promotion of the importance of productivity to every South African.
The purpose of the month is to highlight the importance of productivity in the country and to treat productivity as an enabling tool for transforming our economic growth and the creation of jobs. Productivity serves to spur South Africans on in ensuring that our productivity levels are effective and efficient.
The broader objectives of Productivity Month are:
• To promote productivity within South African industry
• To raise awareness about the potential role of productivity in growing and developing our economy.
• To promote Productivity SA programmes and their outcomes-based solutions to assist ailing companies
• To increase South Africa 's competitiveness
Various important activities are planned throughout the month. These include the launch of Productivity Month on the 1st October. This launch will also serve to celebrate Productivity SA's 40th year of existence. A host of events are scheduled for Productivity Month. One of the key events, which will take place in Limpopo, will have Limpopo's MEC of Economic Affairs launching Productivity Month at a function to be held in the province.
A series of workshops and events for the release of research data are planned for the month. The penultimate event will be the National Productivity Awards, which will be held on the 30th October 2009 |
IS YOUR STAFF PRODUCTIVE? - By Peter L Mitchell
Many businesses have tried to install productivity programs and failed because of the low skill levels of their managers and supervisors. But rather than focus on the leadership behavior that creates failure, this is about the leadership behavior that has proved successful in so many cases.
Effective leaders have worked out that the results for which they are held accountable are produced by their team. This has given them the direction to make sure that training and development is a high priority for their staff. Intuitively they understand that the vast majority of people want to develop to their full potential. So they promote training and coach members of their team at every opportunity.
One of the other characteristics that have been evident in the behavior of effective leaders is that their team trusts them. These leaders go out of their way to demonstrate their trustworthiness. Part of the development of trust is that the manager or supervisor is always consistent and dependable.
When they have established a strong environment of trust they can then introduce the change required for a productivity program. Without the trust, the program is likely to fail. Just ask yourself, would you work smarter with someone you didn't trust?
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| This Week's Articles |
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THREE KILLERS OF PRODUCTIVITY
- By Isabelle Mercier-Turcotte
KILLER #1: Putting off the tough stuff.
Everyone's done this at some point or another as it's human nature to try and avoid the tough stuff that causes us stress. |
Here's the thing: putting off the hard stuff will only lead you to procrastination, and as the deadline weighs on you, you'll find that putting the task off has not only increased the level of pressure, but it has also blown the whole thing out of proportion. 'Cause let's face it, the tough tasks rarely go away! The more you procrastinate, the bigger and uglier the task gets. Period.
SOLUTION: Get the tough stuff done first!
KILLER #2: Having too many Urgent and Important Priorities.
Being able to differentiate between what's Urgent and what's Important is key. Not all important tasks are urgent and not all urgent tasks are important.
SOLUTION: Plan your week
KILLER #3: Looking at emails first thing in the morning.
And we all do it. Well...I have stopped. And since I have stopped, my productivity level has increased dramatically and from the same token, my stress level has significantly decreased.
SOLUTION: STOP looking at your inbox first thing in the morning. Setup your Email Program so that you can send emails without receiving them to not get distracted by the "incoming" when you only need the "outgoing". I recommend to only look at emails 2-4 times a day in pre-determined times and NOT first thing in the morning. It will only throw you out of whack and most of the time...for what? For no other reason than finding yourself taking on other people's urgent stuff. Don't you have enough of your own? |
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The 2009 Annual SACCI Convention and Gala Dinner promises to be an event that should not be missed. Our line up of key note speakers are a strong combination of government, business and labour, brought together to discuss and present on issues that are pivotal to the current and future business climate of South Africa.
We are proud to announce that the Honorable President Jacob Zuma will grace our Gala Dinner as the guest speaker addressing business on their role in local economic development. He will be supported on the program by Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Rob Davies, who will share his perspective on the ‘Roadmap for harmonization and integration in Southern Africa’.
Our principal sponsor, Transnet Port Terminals, will be represented by the CEO of Transnet Port Terminals, Mr. Tau Morwe who will be presenting to the delegates during the programme on 16 October.
We hope that you will join us at this exciting event.
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Motivational Quote
“Success is a state of mind. If you want success,
start thinking of yourself as a success” - The Indispensable Quality
By: Brian Tracy
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Dare to Go Forward
Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is rightly considered the foremost of the virtues because upon it, all others depend”. Courage is the chief distinguishing characteristic of the true leader. It is almost always visible in the leader’s words and actions. It is absolutely indispensable to success, happiness and the ability to motivate other people to be the best they can be.
Follow Through On Your Vision
In a way, it is easy to develop a big vision for yourself and for the person you want to be. It is easy to commit yourself to living with complete integrity. But it requires incredible courage to follow through on your vision and on your commitments. You see, as soon as you set a high goal or standard for yourself, you will run into all kinds of difficulties and setbacks.
Refuse to Compromise
You will be surrounded by temptations to compromise your values and your vision. You will feel an almost irresistible urge to “get along by going along”. Your desire to earn the respect and cooperation of others can easily lead to abandonment of your principles, and here is where courage comes in.
Stick to Your Principles
Courage combined with integrity is the foundation of character. The first form of courage is your ability to stick to your principles, to stand for what you believe in and to refuse to budge unless you feel right about the alternative. Courage is also the ability to step out in faith, to launch out into the unknown and then to face the the inevitable doubt and uncertainty that accompany every new venture.
Avoid Your Comfort Zone
Most people are seduced by the lure of the comfort zone. This can be likened to going out of a warm house on a cold, windy morning. The average person, when he feels the storm swirling outside his comfort zone, rushes back inside where it’s nice and warm. But not the true leader. The true leader has the courage to step away from the familiar and comfortable and to face the unknown with no guarantees of success. It is this ability to “boldly go where no man has gone before” that distinguishes you as a leader from the average person. This is the example that you must set if you are to rise above the average. It is this example that inspires and motivates other people to rise above their previous levels of accomplishment as well.
The Attack of Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great, the king of Macedonia, was one of the most superb leaders of all time. He became king at the age of 19, when his father, Philip ll, was assassinated. In the next 11 years, he conquered much of the known world, leading his armies against numerically superior forces.
Lead the Action
Yet, when he was at the height of his power, the master of the known world, the greatest ruler in history to that date, he would still draw his sword at the beginning of a battle and lead his men forward into the conflict. He insisted on leading by example. Alexander felt that he could not ask his men to risk their lives unless he was willing to demonstrate by his actions that he had complete confidence in the outcome. The sight of Alexander charging forward so excited and motivated his soldiers that no force on earth could stand before them.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:
First set big goals for yourself and force yourself out of the comfort zone by acting boldly – even when there is no guarantee of success. Go boldly where no one has ever gone before.
Second, resolve to act quickly and decisively when you are confronted with a difficult or dangerous situation. Dare to go forward. Practice audacity in all things. Acting with courage builds your courage and confidence higher and higher.
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