I have been reading lately. There is nothing shocking or revelatory about this statement as I usually have a book on the go, reading is simply part of my culture. The recent source of literary focus has been ‘Crucial Conversations Tools forTalking When the Stakes are High’ by Patterson and Co. (it is worth the time studying). It was recommended by someone who I highly esteem so I jumped onto Amazon and downloaded it the same day. I read the first chapter and then my internal resistance started to kick up a fuss. It took me an entire month to get onto Chapter 2. I found every excuse not to read it; there was not enough time, I was too busy, I was too tired, there was a good movie that needed watching. The real reason for all the pushback was that this book demanded change of me. In it I could see a number of my own personal faults neatly dissected. It was like walking into biology class all over again and seeing a rat splayed out across the table with little labels neatly pinned to its innards with the same vomit inducing effect. This was not a simple change either; it is change that is going to take time, effort and a lot of practice.

Change is the sort of concept that dredges up an entire spectrum of emotion in people, from the energetic reds of excitement to the mysterious grumbling radio waves of discontent that settle in the pit of your stomach. Some people get a kick out of it; others (70% of the population) find it something they would rather not do. There is so much that can change as well-jobs, systems, where you park, what you eat, how you style your hair, company policy. Just the sheer thought of changing so much can paralyse people into indecision.

Here is the irony, even if you do nothing change still happens subtly over time. You age, things wear out and need replacing, and people will come and go in your life. Relationships are never static-even if you think they are. There are always new opinions being formed. The weather changes daily. Like it or not change is here to stay.

So how do we manage change? How can it be moved from this big scary monster in the room to something that can be embraced by everyone?

Do not change just for the sake of change. New CEO’s sometimes make this mistake to shake it up and stamp their authority over everything. Others change because ‘everyone is doing it’. Change can happen for a variety of reasons. Change in a crisis may be different to the planned redundancy of a product line. Be aware that it will impact people differently depending on each situation. You will need to tweak your communication and management to each situation. If you find that you are shifting gears from one crisis to another continually then perhaps a hard look at yourself in is order.

Do not mistake change for growth. Not all change is beneficial. Be careful what you change; process altering, system tweaking and restructuring departments may not be the real issue. It may be behaviour that needs to shift in order to improve production and that takes a different set of skills to alter. A long hard look at both the content and condition of your organisation may be in order-especially if you have already changed recently and it did nothing.

Internal change of things within your control is far more effective than trying to change external forces. You cannot change the weather. You can however change communication between staff, shift company culture, and encourage a healthy work accountability.

Find a mutual purpose between the you, the instigator of change, and those that are being affected by the change. This can require time and effort to prevent push back. Find a common goal that appeals to those who are possibly bearing the brunt of any shift and dialogue with them on it. Spend time before and during the shift coming up with a common ground that you can both build off. This can provide a metric for measuring how effective your change will be. If your common ground is ‘improved production methods allowing for ease of production and less time wasted getting the job done’ then that is what you need to measure to show that the change was worth their while. Set up small goals to achieve that reinforce the change and desired effect.

Change and growth can be painful and annoying-ask any teenage boy. The clearer you are about what needs to change, why it should change and the desired outcome before you embark on the journey the better the results will be. If you are not clear what you want then you will be unable to communicate that to others, there will be no buy in and you will fail horribly. Not only that the next time you try change something everyone will remember how you performed last time and you have the extra negative expectations to overcome.

Well managed, well executed change for the right reasons is well worth it and sets you up for the next shift. Where possible spend the time getting it right.

Truth and Lies

Ten years ago I invested a chunk of change into two courses about truth. One was a yearlong study of principles that were universal and could be applied into any situation. The other was based on cognitive psychology and had you look at where you were telling yourself a ‘truth’ that simply was not real. The content of both courses has been invaluable over the years. In a rapid turnover world it is testament that both are still available and running a decade later. I’m not here to sell you a course today; I am here to talk about truth.

We live in a world with a lot of information but not a lot of truth; that has been said before, and not just by me. The internet has become a self validating tool for almost any point of view. Pick an opinion, search it online and you will find a dozen articles supporting your belief. Of course you were right. Now search for the diametrically opposed position and another dozen articles appear. Try it. Pick something a little out of the ordinary “women should or should not wear trousers” for example.

No wonder people have such trouble sticking with the truth. Advertisers and marketers make a living out of manipulating truth to make their product more appealing. Products may not quite live up to what you interpret the advert as but it is too late as the small print got you. Some people go as far as becoming pathological in their lying; taking it to the point where they live the lie so well that they believe it is true even when shown otherwise.

In a world with so much misinformation we are breeding a generation of people who struggle to trust and who struggle with commitment. Recent studies highlighted the personal relationship issues for the Millennial generation, findings that can be attributed to not quite being able to trust completely. Part of the lack of trust has to do with how easy it is to manipulate the ‘truth’ online. A friend of mine went on a Tinder initiated blind date this week-he was disappointed because the girl he met looked very little like the edited and polished photos she had on her Instagram. If they are having this much trouble with trusting a partner then just imagine the trouble they are having trusting your word as a professional or as a brand.

This is why when someone who lives the story that they tell comes along people, after a little scrutiny, embrace them. Integrity, more than ever, is becoming a pathway to success. People will watch what you do far more than they will listen to what you say, and the two better match up. A track record matters more than ever when gaining credibility.

What can you do that enhances truth in your business?

Refuse to deal with liars. Call them out. Get rid of them. Sideline them. Surround yourself with people that you can trust and rely on.

Do not live a lie yourself. Tell great stories but do not make false promises, if anything under promise and then over deliver. If you cannot see yourself living up to your advertising then pull the ad.

Do great work. More than ever showing up consistently and reliably and producing something that matters in a manner that makes your clients happy is going to build your reputation bigger and faster than a fancy advertising campaign. The internet, the very thing that makes truth hard to find, is also the biggest amplifier of people sharing their experience of your work. Sure some people will try manipulating that too, you can hire ‘bots’ to post positive reviews about you should you wish, but the truth will eventually come out. There is no quick trick to greatness and success.

The Fastest In The World

If I asked you to name the fastest man in the world today the chances are you will name one of the big sprint heroes of the day. There is much hype around the Men’s 100m event in the world of televised athletics. It is a big prestige event that draws a lot of our attention due to the media focus on it. There is incredible build up, a bit of rivalry. Hours of training and dedication boil down to a short stretch of rubber. The gun goes and less than ten seconds later it is all over. Meanwhile the guy running the marathon has another two hours and 42 kilometres to go.

We are becoming conditioned to the sprint. The internet has generated a short attention span. Its blitz media and growing demand for more generates a pressure to operate in short iteration cycles. There is a tendency in a crisis economy to look to flip the quick deal, make your money and move on. In your mind the faster you can keep flipping the more you make. So we trade instead of producing, import and sell rather than creating an export, and we complain when the economy is not fixed overnight.

There are no quick fixes to the economy. Yes there are a few policies that could be quickly changed, but the outworking of those decisions is going to take a while. It may take a generation to restore and rebuild. The bottom line is we are in it for the long haul. Zimbabwe (or anywhere in the world for that matter) is a marathon not a sprint and your business needs to be prepared to face it.

Marathon running is as much about psychology as it is physical training. You need a focus that will get you through the rough periods. That focus needs to be positive as opposed to negative else it will just reinforce failure. A great place to start is the impact you are having on your community with your product. There is an idea that ‘social entrepreneurs’, those who focus on finding solutions to social, cultural, and environmental problems, are on their own little class of business. I don’t think that this is true. All entrepreneurship solves a problem. That solution will have an impact on society directly or indirectly. Hence I would argue that all entrepreneurs have a social component (or should have). There is a tendency to focus only on the money in business-after all it is a key metric in sustainability and makes investors happy. It is, however, a poor motivator. If you are going through a rough patch there is a good chance that the money (or lack of) is giving you sleepless nights. Look to the impact on lives. Look to the relationships you are building. Look past your selfish profit margins to others. Look for the positive, generate optimism and then go deal with the money.

The long haul needs people. In the short term it is easy to do it on your own, it is easy to burn people with your deals because you never have to deal with them again. The long term needs relationships that you can rely on. The long term needs community. The better we can build a solid, positive community of people around us the better we will last the storm. Community allows money to circulate within it rather than having it externalised. A strong community realises the power and benefits of building something that lasts, even if there are differences of opinion. I sat in two meetings with the same professional grouping over the last month. The first meeting was destructive and confrontational and ended in a walk out. The second was like looking at a different crowd of people; it was positive, the discussion was constructive, differences of opinion were acknowledged and a way forward was reached. The primary difference was that in the month between meetings one member of the community had spent time and effort meeting with individuals and getting them to focus on the benefit to the professional community and their clients rather than just individual members opinions.

Lift up your head and see the long term. Then dig yourself in and prepare for it. Then, with that focus, get on with the daily battles that get you there. Before you know it you will be at the end of the race.

Principles for Surviving a Crisis...but really for any time.

In the mid 1700’s a whirlwind hit the English landscaping scene. That local hurricane was a designer by the name of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. He was responsible for transforming the gardens of over 170 locations. I’m not talking here about just potting a few roses, rather redesigning the look of acres of estate, especially the entire view from the front of the house. He moved mountains of earth before there were bulldozers, uprooted and replanted trees, created lakes where there were none; all in the name of creating natural beauty. Looking at his work today, much of which has survived some 250 years later, it is easy to think that the stunning landscapes he fashioned were the natural thing. Appealing to the eye due to inherent artistic principle, his vistas were designed to stand the test of time. It is one thing to have someone create a garden that has the potential to last, it is another to have it maintained faithfully for 250 years. Today you may be standing on a precipice with your business, staring at a proverbial hole in the ground and wondering how in earth you are going to transform it into a lake, one that lasts a day let alone few years, when you are in the middle of a drought.

The principles that you need are the same now as then. They are the same regardless of your position; whether you find yourself as a CEO, a sole trader, a middle level manager in the private sector, or a government employee. They matter in times of crisis as well as in less stressful situations.

Give an account of your actions and your finances. Be accountable to yourself, to your spouse, to staff, to investors, to the taxman. You are not an island. People need the surety that comes with knowing how things are being run well and that dealings are open and transparent. Accountability keeps you above board in your actions and stops you from unscrupulous dealings that have far greater ramifications.

There needs to be an openness and engagement that comes with accountability. In the current crisis many people are not being paid on time. If you find yourself in this situation with your staff talk to them, let them know what is going on. Do not just leave them second guessing and grumbling. Who knows, part of your solution may come from those you have never bothered to listen to.

You cannot expect what you do not inspect. This is the reverse of you being accountable. Inspect your business; keep tabs on what others are doing. Call out negative behaviours. Just as a garden needs regular weeding so does your business. Inspecting helps you realise where to trim, nurture and fertilise staff. Tighten your belt, keep tabs on your cash flow, plug the leaks.

Look forward and at the same time face current reality. Vision is important. See possibility before it is there. This was one of Mr Brown’s key assets. He could evaluate an estate in an hour on horseback and already have an idea of what could be done. His work was designed with the long term in mind-trees grow over the years and that would need to be taken into account when planning. I would love to see more twenty and fifty year plans coming from our cities, plans that are implementable in the long term and not just changing with a new mayor.

Vision on its own does not pull you into action-it is the comparison of the vision to the current reality that brings about the drive. I have a dripping tap in my house, if I never look at it and realise that it is dripping and wasting water then I will never fix it, it will just keep merrily dripping away.

One of the reasons people refuse to look at the current problem is that it becomes a way of avoiding the work. Digging a garden is hard. Work requires effort regardless of how you look at it. Do the work. There is no point having a solution to your problem and then not actioning it. You will be surprised how many people avoid taking action simply because they talk themselves out of it.

Keep dreaming, keep building, keep digging, keep striving forward one step at a time. Above all do not fall into the trap of doing nothing.

Getting Others to Tell Your Story: A Lesson from Jungle Book

Very few books have ever brought me to tears. In Runyard Kipling’s ‘The Second JungleBook’ the wolf pack central to the book fights a long and hard battle against a group of invading wild dogs. At the end of it, the former pack leader, Akela, dies after helping the pack achieve victory. It is a poignant moment, drawn out as, aided by a teenage Mowgli, fully cognisant that his time is near, he staggers to his feet and sings his final farewell. As a young teenager reading it for the first time and having grown very attached to the character during the book I was deeply and emotionally moved (unlike the sanitised and totally non-literary death of Akela in the current Disney film which merely passed as an annoying incident). Then I dried my eyes, closed the book, put it back on the shelf and carried on with my life. No change in behaviour necessary.

The last couple of weeks we have been talking about telling your story; the story of your business, your product, what drives you. It is great to have a strong and emotional story, but your story is only of value to your business if it motivates people to action. The aim of telling a tale is to promote behavioural change in the listener. This could be to get the consumer to buy your product or it could be to get buy- in from your staff to behave in a particular manner towards your clients (which in turn makes them buy your product). Beyond just the act of increasing your profit margin, you really want them to tell your story to others.

In the same way that I can retell you the tale of The Jungle Book, you want your clients and staff to pass your story on as they recount their experience of interacting with your business and product. I remember the first time some friends of mine stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago. These were seasoned travellers, well used to hotels and travel. They came back raving. There were stories of everyone knowing your name, experiments with leaving clothes on the floor, the comfort of the beds; you just could not shut them up. They told the hotel’s story. The hotel’s website is full of stunning pictures, but it does not do the justice of a personal recommendation from a friend backed up by emotional stories of an incredible experience.

So how do you get others to tell your story? It starts with you. Firstly create a suitably emotional tale that moves people to action. Then back it up with your own action. No one likes a hypocrite so your story better be true. Give people a reason to behave in the way you want. Reward and affirm staff who emulate the behaviour you desire. Check that the client interaction experience matches the values you have put into your business. Look for other stories that reinforce your story. So if you are a restaurant owner and you see a waiter doing something that makes a client’s experience incredible (for example offering a free dessert to the guy who is trying to impress his lady but you can see is a little cash strapped) take that story on board and tell it alongside yours.

Give your staff the opportunity and freedom to make the choices that enable them to tell your story. A lot of businesses hamstring their staff with rigidity and rules. Take the waiter in the restaurant for example. Enabling a waiter to give away something, not bank breaking, but allowing them once in a while to make a decision to enhance a client’s experience without consulting management is liberating. It liberates the waiter to think and react to ‘on the floor’ moments, it liberates the manager to trust the waiter. Of course there is accountability, of course there are limits, but it is not rigid and restrictive.

Too many end-of-line client interactors are merely robots doing a job without the power to enable decisions. So the clothing store clerk has no idea about fashion, no idea about colour interaction, no idea how to read a client coming into the store and direct them to the appropriate section. Nor do they want to because advising a client goes beyond their job description and if they did they would probably get rapped over the knuckles because, after all, their job is to merely take the money, not to create a shopping experience. If you want to see a local store that is getting it right visit an Electrosales branch. Every salesman on the floor knows how to help me, and if he can’t he knows who to call. It makes going there a pleasure. It makes me want to tell their story.

Tell, empower, act, and tell it again. This process takes time but it gets results. Until next time, in the words of Akela, “Good Hunting!”

Story Telling in Advertising

I grew up at a time when television was a limited commodity-well in Zimbabwe anyway. The station began broadcasting late in the afternoon (late enough to get some serious play in as well as finish your homework) and switched off shortly after midnight. With limited television time came limited advertising space. So when an advert showed it was really competing for space and attention. Despite this, many were, sadly, forgettable. There are two adverts that stand out in my brain when it comes to my childhood. Along with the theme tunes to Voltron and Captain Planet; the Toughees “Rhino advert” and Perfection’s “Where’s is mysoap” occupy a happy space in the portion of my temporal lobe that stores my past.

Why on earth would these two adverts stick in my brain when so many of the others did not? Neither of them presents any facts and figures about the actual product. It is precisely this reason that they worked so well. They work because they tell a story that transcends the product and connects with their audience. Chances are that if you ever saw the shoe advert that you started humming the theme tune the minute I referred to it; it was simply that powerful.

Getting your product across to people; whether it a presentation or an advert can come in three forms. Facts: the size, speed, efficiency, colour, how quick it takes to get the job done. In advertising this is the equivalent of a 1960’s voiceover ad, or the fake doctor telling you why he uses a particular brand. Second is evidence, showing why it works better than what you are using now. This is the brand a versus brand b type advert that seems to dominate the washing powder industry. Neither of these connects really well with people when compared to the third option: the story.

Whether you are flighting an advert or pitching a product to an investor you have to connect with your audience. Nothing connects faster than emotion. The best way to generate emotion is through a great story. Not just the classic Grade 7 model of a story that has a beginning, middle and end, but something more akin to a hero/villain tale with a problem, crisis and resolution. Condensing that story into under a minute makes a great advert.

There is a school of thought that the days of mass marketing are over; that television adverts are a waste of money because they no longer work in a world dominated by information. I’m not so sure that this is quite true. I just think we need to tell better stories. Certainly the infomercial’s days are numbered. The telemarketing with cold facts that try and build an emotion while bombarding you with product pictures is doomed to obsolescence. Part of this is the emotion they are building is fear. Through telling you there is a limited time offer, with a limited supply, and limited bargains for the first few orders it generates action by making you feel you are missing out. Bring out a great story that oozes positive emotion and the infomercial will lose every time.

Another aspect of the problem is today’s grapple for mind space. There is more information today than we have time to watch or process. We rely on headline news and recommendations of others to decide what is worth watching. So the infomercial worked well in the past because there were a few local channels to watch on television and nothing else. Today I have the internet with podcasts, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Udemy, blogs, Youtube, Netflix, a host of other streaming channels, as well as good old television with more channels on my DSTv bouquet than I need.

Despite all this volume so many people tell their story really badly, mediocre at best. That mediocrity gets drowned out in the hubbub of voices clamouring for attention. A great story climbs above that and naturally draws people to it because it resonates with them. Humans love sharing emotional stories. Great stories get shared and passed along to others.

A story must relate to the target audience. As much as I have a personal loathing for the hungry lion and zebra advert that plays before movies at the moment, it works because the children in its target market can relate to it (especially since there is a strong similarity to a mainstream cartoon movie). Comparatively, the brilliant 2015 Extra Gum commercial that ends in a proposal relates to me because I can vividly remember going down on one knee with a ring.

There must be a crisis or conflict situation. This can include a villain- in adverts the role of villain is often filled by the problem as opposed to a scary character. A couple being apart, a pile of dirty dishes, a child running through the dirt, running out of fuel, a question to be answered all work for this.

Finally there must be a resolution with a better outcome for the hero, one that ties in with your product and the reason for using it. A positive emotional ending is a powerful tool. People will remember how they feel every time they see your product.

Spend some time this week watching commercials critically, not just on television but invest in bandwidth and check out some on Youtube. Examine why some resonate with you and others do not. Then check your personal story and where it could do with a bit of polishing. Do it right and you could knock the Toughees advert out of my brain.

You Doing You...Rocks: The Confidence to Step Out

I hit a game-changer this weekend. I had a significant ‘Ah-ha’ moment that shook my paradigm and I want to share it with you. I was MCing an event this past weekend for a group of professionals. It was well organized, all the speakers were on time with their material, and it flowed rather well. During the afternoon break a couple of people came up and complimented me on how I was doing. I smiled and thanked them, but the problem was that inside I was dying quietly. I did not really think that it was going that well, I did not feel I was connecting with the audience. All in all I was rather dissatisfied with my performance. I relayed this to a friend of mine later that night. He threw a quote back at me that blew me away. He said ‘Just keep doing You. You doing You…Rocks!’

That was it. End of discussion. I did not have to try harder, up my game, fake it on the stage. He had seen me MC before, knew I had the skills and ability. All I had to do was get out there and do what I already did; openly, without shame or reservation. 

When can you be you? It is easy to be self critical and say ‘well if people saw the real me they would hate it’. Instead we put up walls to stop people connecting in case they get to close. We shy away from taking up positions of responsibility because we feel unready for them, because we are not perfect. At the other extreme we know we are not perfect so we fake it, and we fake it so much that we forget who we really are and live a life that is a series of lies with no call to accountability.

I am not suddenly saying there is no room for personal growth. I could have done a better job MCing, there are a couple of points that I need to fix next time in presenting. That part of growth will always be there. However, I can have the confidence to step out, as me, with my personality, my way of doing things and have a significant impact. So how can I continue to be the best ‘Me’, how can you be the best ‘You’?

One of the big hindrances to stepping out where we are now is our past. Our fear of previous failures and thoughts of what people may think of ‘the boy from the rural areas’ hinder us from doing our best work. Embrace your backstory and move forward from it. Your backstory, the bit in your life about where you came from, can be the most powerful storytelling tool you have. You cannot live in your past, but you can use it to propel long lasting and meaningful change. Not only that, it makes a great story; one that inspires others. The story of the CEO who used to walk to work in the founding days of him company resonates with us. Being comfortable with your past, being open about how it has helped you become who you are today is part of being comfortable with ‘You’. Many people, when they look at their lives, find something to be passionate about rooted deep within an experience in their past.

You have to be passionate about what you do. If you are not passionate about your business and the transformation it is making in it and through it I doubt that you will be either happy or successful. People can tell when you do not have a passion for something and will fail to connect. Millennials; people born 1980 to the mid 2000’s, don’t just want a competitive salary, they want to be connected to something bigger than themselves. This applies to them as both as employees and as clients. Being you means allowing that passion to the forefront of your life.

Tied to passion is motive. What drives you? Making money or making a difference? Great motives are not self-serving. Donald Trump is steamrolling ahead in the US Republican primaries because he is coming across as motivated about people. Regardless of your personal opinion about him, his ‘Make America Great Again’ campaign has gained appeal among voters because the message it brings is looking to build up citizens to positions of success; the perceived motive is less about him attaining presidency (he already has success and money) and more about what the people stand to gain. 

The motive that keeps you going when under pressure is one that is less about you and more about others. A personal motive is easy to give up on because the only person it affects is you. When you have set a motives about changing the lives of others you are less likely to quit because the success of others rests on your success. If my motive when on stage is about me looking good as an MC then I will fail to deliver, if it is about the crowd having a great interactive experience that connects them to the material then it changes the way I behave. 

Under times of pressure it is easy to let passions be stifled or to twist motives to the most basic and self-serving. I am encouraging you today to begin the task of recalibrating. Rekindle that which you are passionate about and see where you can bring it to bear in the position you are in-especially if you have taken on a job just because it is something to bring an income and not something that excites you.

Each day we pass up opportunities to do our best work because of fear. Do not let that happen today. Unleash your A-game into your work and life wholeheartedly and completely. Remember just keep doing You. Because you doing You…Rocks!

Toxic Teammates: The Wrecking Balls of Company Culture

Team Culture matters. It matters big. Someone can recreate your product, but if they cannot recreate your culture behind its success it is unlikely they will beat you in the field. Of course if they have a more constructive culture well they may just whip the rug out under your feet.

 One of the greatest impacts on team culture is not external but internal; from the very members themselves. Every now and again you are going to find that you have a Toxic Teammate. Like a poorly maintained commuter omnibus this individual spews toxic fumes through your team via their words and behaviour. Left unchecked they can pollute those around them and derail your efforts. 

The Critic as their name implies criticises everything. I mean everything. They are incredibly negative with nothing good to say about work, business, or the world in general. Every suggestion gets shut down by fault finding, every circumstance is a disaster and if they had their way we should all stay in bed every day because life is a miserable failure. Except of course that if you stay in bed you may choke on your pillow. There is no pleasing these people. Overtime their negativity infects others who in turn start failing to see any silver lining.

The Passive sits in the corner, unengaged, disconnected, and waits. They offer no input, wait to be volunteered, and have no motivation. They may go as far as fiddling with their phone or tablet during the meeting and if they were not there, well no one would miss them.

The Blamer, as opposed to The Passive, is often eager to volunteer. He promises high but rarely delivers. When he fails to perform somehow it is never his fault. There is always an excuse and some circumstance to blame for his laziness and ineptitude. What is worse is that he genuinely believes the excuses-he is not making them up. If he can get away with it, others will think they can too.

The Know-it-all never shuts up. This is the Deadpool of the team, just not as funny. Their opinion on how we should do it is broadcast loudly and incessantly. They offer help that is unsolicited but inappropriate. Often they do not have the expertise or skill to back up what they are saying. These are the characters that when they open their mouth in a meeting, and they will, that everyone groans inwardly. They believe they are helping, that they are useful yet often they are a distraction. Their inability to filter their input means that anything truly meaningful they say gets lost in the babble.

The Captain of the World is the pedantic rule bearer. They follow a complex set of laws that cannot be bent or changed. Say you get to the canteen and there is no one else there. Instead of going through the long set of railings that keep the usual queues in order you pop underneath them to get to the front. The Captain of the World is the person who complains and insists you go through them. These are people unwilling to change. They are motivated by a deep internal fear that something will go wrong and project this onto everyone else. 

Each type of Toxic Teammate needs to be dealt with. For many of us, we occasionally portray some of the behaviours outlined above. It is unlikely that most Toxics start out that way, they develop overtime as dissolution, laziness and entitlement creep into their mind-set.

Be on your guard for such behaviour in your life and in those of your teammates. Call out negative behaviour. Reward the positive. In calling it out, start by doing so privately. Deal with any root issues or circumstances that may have changed and caused a rise in the toxicity level. If it persists then you may need to have a more aggressive approach.

Act! Do not wait. Toxic behaviour spreads if not managed. Remove the Critic. Find a way to engage The Passive, consider moving them to another team or role that they are passionate about. Call the Blamer to account. Give the Know-it-all strict guidelines and parameters of operation. Get the Captain of the World to relinquish his title (or put them in charge of your Health and Safety Program where their pettiness may be useful).

We are all happier without toxic pollution in our lives and in our teams. Teams are made up of real people, with real issues. Facing them can be messy but it is far easier to plug a hole in a leaking barrel early than it is to clean up an entire oil spill.

Surviving Attrition : Avoiding Burn Out in Business

I woke this morning and drew back the curtains to find it grey and overcast outside. A drip from the gutter reinforced the fact that there was a fine drizzle that hazed the view. Inwardly I groaned at the thought of another dull day; the drip in the drainpipe echoing the drip of heaviness in my heart. On the way to work a streetkid, braving the damp in his tattered clothing, knocked at my window. Drip. I got held up at no less than three roadblocks checking for radio licences. Drip. The headlines that I drove past screamed of turmoil and shortage. Drip. I got to the office to find that a large order had just been cancelled. Drip. My bank had emailed me to inform me that another piece of paper was required in order to fulfil an external payment. Drip. The rent was due. I could go on. The continual drip of negativity and pressure is a slow attrition on a man’s soul. 

Attrition has multiple meanings in business. At its basic level attrition refers to loss and wearing down. Staff attrition refers to the voluntary leaving of staff due to events like retirement or seeking greener pastures. Client attrition refers to the loss of clients from your business and is a metric some businesses track. Attrition of the soul, however, you are not going to find in a list of business definitions. It is the wearing down of the drive and desire of a person. It is subtle and lethal to businesses. Unchecked it can lead to the tipping point where someone just throws in the towel with their business-even if there was still a chance of the company surviving the pressures it is under. This is the effect that leads to one last straw causing someone to crack under pressure with an ‘I just can’t take it anymore’. Let’s be honest-we are all under a lot of pressure these days, especially if you are doing business in Africa.

We will all have days when we wake up to find that our ‘get up and go’ has already got up and left before we could get started with the day. How do we survive the situation when the pressures of life and work threaten to make this a daily occurrence?

Start with a clear and passionate vision that is stronger than your trials. Focusing on the daily and menial can take your focus off the vision you had when you first started the company. Cynicism replaces exuberance as stumbling blocks come your way. Rekindle the spark. What are you passionate about? What makes you leap inside? Focus on that. Perhaps you need to retweak the plan or look at fulfilling the vision in a slightly different way.

Attitude matters in an attrition rich environment. Seeing opportunities rather than failures is often a matter of perspective. That cancelled order can free you up to take on another project. That product you are having to import-perhaps there is an opportunity for you to manufacture it locally. Yes, it will take effort to stay positive in the face of so much. One way is to embrace thankfulness. Gratitude resets your internal focus. Be grateful for the work that you do have rather than whining about how much you do not have. Be grateful that you have staff that are loyal enough to tolerate a few days delay in their salaries-and then pay them. 

On the topic of staff, it is easier to stay positive is you have a positive company culture. If all your managers and employees are complaining alongside you at the unfairness of life, the economy and the universe in general it is easy to have a ‘bitch fest’  Your vision needs your culture to survive. Reinforce those behaviours that promote the reaching of your vision and goal.

Embrace a strong external support network. This could be your church, your friends, and your family. We are not alone on this road through life, nor do I think we are meant to walk it in isolation.  Like-minded people with similar values and a positive outlook on life can pick you up when you are feeling down. Every now and again we need to ride on someone else’s faith for a short while till we are strong enough to step out on our own. Likewise there are people around you who may need a word of encouragement from you to help them get through their day.

The drip will probably be around for a while. There will always be circumstances that can wear you out if you are not careful. Build inner resilience and perseverance in order to survive.

One last tip here. There are certain health issues that can make it harder to be positive as they sap your energy. Parasitic infections, low vitamin levels, and a myriad of other conditions can make life very difficult and you may not be aware that you have them. If you are not well physically it is an extra burden that adds to the drip on your soul. Go see your health care provider, get checked out and treated appropriately. Then with renewed vigour take on the world.