Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
SA: Sisulu: Address by the Parliamentary speaker
A call to action to all of our Parliamentarians, highlighting the plight of ordinary people at the hand of anthropogenic impact on climate change.
It is going to require more than just paying lip service to this call; it is going to require strong interministerial action, and a display of consistent systemic thinking that seeks to create strong synergies that go beyond our current interministerial clusters.
A challenge to our Cabinet Ministers, Captains of Industry, Executive Directors of NGOs and Co-ops, and most importantly DGs in government, and CEOs of SOEs (State Owned Enterprises), and leaders of government agencies.
This is not about COP 17 only, but BEYOND as well.
Amplify’d from www.polity.org.za
Honourable Minister Edna Molewa and
Deputy Minister Marius Fransman
Honourable Speakers of Legislatures
Mayors
Chairpersons of Committees
Members of Parliament and Legislatures
Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corpse
Traditional Leaders
Seminar Speakers
Invited Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this Consultative Seminar on Climate Change.
This seminal event provides us with an opportunity to share ideas and discuss the importance of tackling the challenges of climate change. We must act boldly, and decisively, in the face of this common threat. That is why all of us are here today.
We have a massive responsibility and working together we will have a successful session which will contribute to making the world much better and safer for all, especially the poor.”
Let us turn the climate crisis into a climate compact.
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1fxn5
Thursday, October 27, 2011
How to identify key industry figures
The key is building deeper levels of networking that are beneficial to both at each node.
Amplify’d from www.destinyman.com
How to identify key industry figures
Get closer to the successful guys who can help shape your career.
1. Look inside your organisation
Your place of employment could be teeming with inspirational and influential people. Pretoria-based career coach Goodnews Cadogan says: “I always used to tell my clients: ‘If you do not have a friend or two who operate in the same space as you do (and they are excellent at it), you are not likely to be a high valued employee, leader or entrepreneur.' It all begins with personal associates, and is followed by professional and industry associations, coupled to continued professional development.”
He says the moment you make a conscious choice to lead a professional life, “life-long learning is the twin to which you have to commit, but with friends and associates who give you support.”
3. Use media resources
If you’re hell-bent on having Donald Trump and Richard Branson as your key influencers, you can use their literature to map your own success story. Cadogan warns that you won’t be operating in the same field of play as they do. “Branson’s Screw It, Let’s Do It and Losing My Virginity and Trump’s How to Get Rich and How to Turn your Idea into a Money Machine are good inspirational reads, but these entrepreneurs won’t be with you every step of the way.”
On the other hand, movies such as The Social Network and business documentaries can also offer you a window into the lives of successful business people and other successful executives.
There’s also DESTINY MAN Mentorship – an online programme aimed at helping you tap into the professional wealth offered by industry experts via www.destinyman.com. The best thing about such interactions is that experts can respond directly to your situation and address the questions you have without making any generalisations.
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1ftk8
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
How Germany Became Europe’s Green Leader: A Look at Four Decades of Sustainable Policymaking
In short- in South Africa, we can do it also- NOTHING IS STOPPING US FROM DOING THIS.
Amplify’d from www.thesolutionsjournal.com
How Germany Became Europe’s Green Leader: A Look at Four Decades of Sustainable Policymaking
- Germany’s experience with policies aimed at “greening” the economy provides several lessons for the United States about how to make sustainability politically acceptable in a federal system of government:
- Start small and implement policies in stages. Many sustainability policies in Germany were first implemented at a small geographic scale or with a small scope. Successful pilot projects were expanded in stages over time.
- There is no silver bullet. Policies have to be coordinated and integrated across sectors and levels of government to achieve maximum effectiveness.
- Foster citizen participation and communicate policies effectively. Citizen input reduces potential legal challenges, increases public acceptance, and has the potential to improve projects and outcomes.
- Find innovative solutions and embrace bipartisanship. Successful green policies in Germany were designed to meet the needs of multiple constituents.
Pricing Energy for Jobs and Resource Conservation: Germany’s Energy Tax Reform
A Positive Macroeconomic Balance
Lessons from Energy Pricing in Germany
Promoting Renewable Energy
As a member state of the European Union (EU), Germany’s energy policies are driven by a mix of national and European legislation. Formally, the 27 EU member states regulate energy policies within their own national borders. However, EU treaty provisions concerning the European internal market, free competition, and environmental protection have created a European energy policy.12
In 2009, a major piece of renewable-energy legislation was passed as part of an overall climate and energy package. The European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive13 requires each member state to increase its share of renewable energy—such as solar, wind power, biomass, or hydroelectric—to raise the overall share from 8.5 percent in 2010 to 20 percent by 2020 across all sectors (e.g., power generation, heating and cooling, and transportation fuels).
Achievements in Renewable Energy
Germany has seen a remarkable expansion of renewable energy in the last decade. The share of renewable energy in electricity generation rose from 6 percent in 2000 to 16 percent in 2009.14 Over this time, the German government revised its own targets twice, given that previous targets had been exceeded ahead of schedule. The German government is expecting a share of 38 percent renewable power by 2020 and continues to drive the transformation “towards an energy system based completely on renewable energies.”15,16
Sustainability Lessons for the United States
First, start small and implement policies in stages. Many sustainability policies in Germany were first implemented at a small geographic scale or with a small scope and were expanded in stages over time. Small-scale pilot projects allow policymakers to experiment and the public to experience a real-life example of the proposed program. Unsuccessful projects can be discontinued and successful programs can be expanded. For example, many German cities initially implemented traffic-calming technologies in those neighborhoods where residents complained most about traffic safety, noise, and air pollution from car travel. Successful implementation of a pilot project in one neighborhood led other neighborhoods to demand traffic calming as well. This approach can also work at other scales and in other sectors. For example, the German Renewable Energy Sources Act initially covered only very basic technologies, but it was extended over time and rewarded innovations and new approaches. To some extent the United States is using this approach already, as witnessed by the creation of pedestrian zones in New York City’s Times Square or the new bike lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC. On the federal level, however, the U.S. Congress does not have a consistent history of passing incremental improvements to energy policy or climate legislation.
Fourth, find innovative solutions and embrace bipartisanship. The implementation of several of the highlighted policies came with strong political controversy in Germany. However, the policies survived because, over time, parties across the political spectrum benefited from them or could not afford reversing them. For example, the Renewable Energy Sources Act was supported by both the political left and right because both the progressive renewable-energy industry and the conservative German farm community benefited from its implementation. Before and during the introduction of the Ecological Tax Reform Act, Germany’s center-right parties opposed the reform and promised to roll it back once they were in power again. However, after winning elections in 2005, the conservatives found it impossible to forfeit the robust tax revenue generated by the reform.
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1frls
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
OUR OPINION: Madonsela the real hero
OUR OPINION: Madonsela the real hero
Without her courage there would have been no evidence beyond media allegations and ministerial corruption would have been allowed to continue.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The 147 Companies that Control Everything
It is quite interesting to learn that the wealth of the world is in a few hands, thereby wielding control over the future of the WORLD. It is quite risky, for we never know what drives them is in sync, with the rest of the WORLD.
This has great implications for sustainability of the whole commercial ecosystem!
Amplify’d from www.forbes.com
The 147 Companies That Control Everything
Three systems theorists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have taken a database listing 37 million companies and investors worldwide and analyzed all 43,060 transnational corporations and share ownerships linking them. They built a model of who owns what and what their revenues are and mapped the whole edifice of economic power.
From New Scientist:
When the team further untangled the web of ownership, it found much of it tracked back to a “super-entity” of 147 even more tightly knit companies – all of their ownership was held by other members of the super-entity – that controlled 40 per cent of the total wealth in the network. “In effect, less than 1 per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network,” says Glattfelder. Most were financial institutions.
15. Walton Enterprises LLC
16. Bank of New York Mellon Corp
17. Natixis
18. Goldman Sachs Group Inc
19. T Rowe Price Group Inc
20. Legg Mason Inc
15. Walton Enterprises LLC
16. Bank of New York Mellon Corp
17. Natixis
18. Goldman Sachs Group Inc
19. T Rowe Price Group Inc
20. Legg Mason Inc
Here’s the top 20 of the 147 superconnected companies. The top 50 are at the New Scientist. The authors of the paper did not release the entire list of 147. We’re working on it.
2. Capital Group Companies Inc
3. FMR Corporation
4. AXA
5. State Street Corporation
6. JP Morgan Chase & Co
7. Legal & General Group plc
8. Vanguard Group Inc
9. UBS AG
10. Merrill Lynch & Co Inc
11. Wellington Management Co LLP
12. Deutsche Bank AG
13. Franklin Resources Inc
14. Credit Suisse Group
15. Walton Enterprises LLC
16. Bank of New York Mellon Corp
17. Natixis
18. Goldman Sachs Group Inc
19. T Rowe Price Group Inc
20. Legg Mason Inc
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1fj6d
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Jehovah's Witnesses: ► ss11 p. 3 Theocratic Ministry School Schedule fo...
Jehovah's Witnesses: ► ss11 p. 3 Theocratic Ministry School Schedule fo...: "June 20 Bible reading: Psalms 45 - 51 No. 1: Psalm 48:1 –49:9 No. 2: Is God’s Kingdom a Real Government? ( rs p. 226 ¶1-2) (..."
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Executive EQ- Emotional Intelligence in Business
It has been quite a contest for me to choose one of my recently-read books for a review. It is the strong link between personal, team and organisation high performance status, and EQ (emotional intelligence) that persuaded me to go for this book. Of the books I have read on the subject, none come close to this one in the depth of the research conducted, as well as the strong message that EQ is essential for 21st century leader, team or organisation, and it is directly linked to increased profitability in business. I am also convinced that it is linked to excellent public service delivery through public sector organisations led by executives who have abundance of EQ in their midst.
The definition of EQ offered by the authors is: “Emotional Intelligence is the ability to sense, understand, and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotion as a source of human energy, information, connection and influence.”
One of the models I use for executive coaching, the leadership circle, suggests that the leader has to be excellent at two things: task achievement, and relationship building. At the nexus of these two demands on the leader, or executive, is their level of maturity, measured in very specific and deliberate ways, in a 360 degree context. On the other hand, at The Village Leadership Consulting, we look at the leader as an individual (Me), their team (We) and other relationships, through which they exercise their influence. We further examine and work with their extended area of influence (Work) which is strategic and operational in nature, which they consciously influence. Lastly, the (Work) the larger socio-economic and political space in which they and their organisation operate in, and have to comprehend, so they can respond in ways that enhance the sustainable competitiveness of self and the organisation they serve. The Leadership Circle, and the Village Leadership Consulting body of work, highlights the importance of Emotional Intelligence as the critical component of Executive Leader’s success, including that of the organisation they serve. I add, the nation, the region, and the continent they serve, as well as the earth that we all live in.
The book highlights the functional and the myriad of other competencies, and qualities that are critical for executive leadership and organisation success, which without a deliberate development, application and measurement EQ, would not be executed successfully. Cooper and Sawaf engaged a leading corporate data and measurement firm, Essi Systems, and developed a comprehensive (norm-tested, and statistically reliable) EQ Map, and Organisational EQ Profiles, the details of which can be found in the book. The brief explanation of the underpinning model, referred to as the Four Cornerstone Model, is explained below.
Executive EQ begins with:
1. The cornerstone of emotional literacy, which builds a locus of personal efficacy and confidence through emotional honesty, energy, awareness, feedback, intuition, responsibility, and connection.
2. The second cornerstone, emotional fitness, builds your authenticity, believability, and resilience, expanding your circle of trust and your capacity for listening, managing conflict, and making the most of constructive discontent.
3. In emotional depth, the third cornerstone, you explore ways to align your life and work with your unique potential and purpose, and to back this with integrity, commitment, and accountability, which, in turn, increase your influence without authority.
4. From here you advance to the fourth cornerstone, emotional alchemy, through which you extend your creative instincts and capacity to flow with problems and pressures and to compete for the future by building your capabilities to sense more readily and access the widest range of hidden solutions and emerging opportunities.
I find congruence between what the book offers on Executive EQ, and what we offer in our Executive Development programs for individuals and teams, as well as organisation-wide large scale change programs. It is my recommendation that this book forms part of required reading by all executives that seek to create highly competitive and transformed organisations. Our own socio-political, and economic challenges in South Africa, require that we have in our midst, abundance of high levels of Executive EQ, to create a highly competitive nation.
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a11gtg
Monday, March 21, 2011
YARIS HYBRID UNVEILED
Toyota is doing what they do best- pipping others to the post of driving sustainability, and seeing the gap in the market, with the shift towards alternatives to fossil fuels.
In South Africa, they have introduced three models: SUV, and sedan Lexus, as well as the Prius, and soon the Auris...
Well done Toyota
Amplify’d from www.pamedia.co.za
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bvsfk
SA: A matter of time before it explodes
For me it is not like as if both the citizens, and corporate SA are innocent bystanders, as the minority of politicians are plundering the meagre leftovers of both local, and multinational businesses.
The status quo, and the resultant 2020 scenario depicted in this article, is careful planning and collusion by both big business and very skilled politicians, who know exactly what they are doing. Strategists capable of negotiating what is best for each side in the short term, sat at CODESA, and cooked this recipe. On the other hand, equally capable citizens, on one end of the continuum, and shareholders in the various entities, sat, and are still sitting complacently, hoping that 2020, or whatever date in the future, will be none of their business (it will correct itself), as they either will be dead, or are ready to move out of this economy, when it explodes.
By then, they (the wealthy few) will have reaped the resources to the timeline in which they are prepared to be part of SA, and hopefully they will export whatever cash resources they have. The citizens (majority) believe the politicians when they tell them, it will be OK.
I do not believe that there is not enough critical mass amongst the blacks, to lead both Corporate SA, and government towards the ideals expressed in this article.
I believe there is not enough courage (from political leadership) to call the bluff of disinvestment, should the State intervene to the point of shifting the current structural dynamics towards New Capitalism, a la Otto Scharmer (see link below).
http://www.ottoscharmer.com/docs/articles/2010_Oxford_SevenAcupuncturePoints.pdf
Amplify’d from www.leader.co.za
South Africa: Only a matter of time before the bomb explodes
by Moeletsi Mbeki: Author, political commentator and entrepreneur.
- Life expectancy has declined from 65 years to 53 years since the ANC came to power;
- In 2007, SA became a net food importer for the first time in its history;
- The elimination of agricultural subsidies by the government led to the loss of 600000 farm workers’ jobs and the eviction from the commercial farming sector of about 2,4-million people between 1997 and 2007; and
- The ANC stopped controlling the borders, leading to a flood of poor people into SA, which has led to conflicts between SA’s poor and foreign African migrants.
- The economy has a strong built-in dependence on cheap labour;
- It has a strong built-in dependence on the exploitation of primary resources;
- It is strongly unfavourable to the development of skills in our general population;
- It has a strong bias towards importing technology and economic solutions; and
- It promotes inequality between citizens by creating a large, marginalised underclass.
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bvrtu
Monday, March 7, 2011
Who's afraid of clean power? | Climate Spectator
Who's afraid of clean power? | Climate Spectator
The demonisation of the renewable energy industry has been inevitable. The Maginot Line of climate warming denialism has been broken, so the defence of business-as-usual folds back on fears about costs, the lights going out, and sending us back to the dark ages. This is not so much a question of economics as ideology.
EMPLOYMENT EQUITY ACT IS INTENDED TO OPE
Of red herrings and obstructionist tendencies from some parts of the South African leadership in commerce, and labour, has been the order of the day, since the announcements of the changes to the EE Act. Put bluntly- swart gevaar!
For the past 16 years, in some companies and sectors, there has been lost opportunities to the magnitude of 68% and above, where natural attrition presented opportunities for transformation. Rather put bluntly, these companies failed to appoint from the designated employee groups, and continued to appoint as usual from a small pool of White males only. Now that the State is intervening by tightening the screws, they have the audacity to cry 'foul'. Some narrow-midend labour experts, and self-styled, and economists suffering from dead-end thinking, prophesy doom, without reflecting on the selfish and short-sighted approach of the representatives of capital of the past two decades.
If we all cared to observe the input, throughput, and output of our education, and corporate system, without being anecdotal about it, we may just find our answer to the skills shortage challenge. It will prevent its hackneyed use as an excuse for lack of representation of the designated groups in the boardrooms, and other platforms of leadership in South Africa. We may just discover that brakes are being deliberately applied to retard progress of some, though they may share the same tertiary qualifications, with their counterparts.
Corporate SA leadership has a case to answer regarding lack of progress since the early 80's, when most of the discriminatory legislation in the workplace was repealed. All of the post 1994 transformation-based legislation was an attempt to nudge business in the right direction without being interventionist, on the part of government.
Business failed to play ball, and the initial zeal with which it moved in the early 90's was killed through poor enforcement capability, on the part of government, as well as goodwill expectation (by government) from business leadership.
Business leadership should see this as a second chance to transform, so that all may benefit, without bringing organisation competitiveness to its knees.
Amplify’d from www.politicsweb.co.za
President says amendments will not have negative effect on coloureds or Indians
Current provision in the Act: "demographic profile of the national and regional economically active population (EAP)". Proposed change in the Bill: "demographic profile of the economically active population".
It is important to note that nowhere in the proposed change is there a proposal to remove 'regional' and leave 'national', in fact, both 'national and regional' are removed. The reason for removal of the two elements is that employers have been enquiring over the years from the Department of Labour how they should implement both regional and national demographics of the EAP in their workplaces. As a result of these enquiries, the change is being proposed.
The 10th Commission on Employment Equity Report released by the Department of Labour in July 2010 also revealed that transformation in the workplace remained very slow. The report indicated that 10 years after the introduction of the Employment Equity Act, white men continued to hold 63% of top management positions in the private sector. African women are at less than 6% and coloured and Indian women were at one percent each.
Statement issued by The Presidency, March 7 2011
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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
That's the way we (used to) do things around here
Carefully thought through change initiatives, result in deliberate change that seeks to unleash the power of the brain, rather than limit it.
Amplify’d from www.strategy-business.com
“That’s the Way We (Used to) Do Things Around Here”
When corporate leaders talk about change, they usually have a desired result in mind: gains in performance, a better approach to customers, the solution to a formidable challenge. They know that if they are to achieve this result, people throughout the company need to change their behavior and practices, and that can’t happen by simple decree. How, then, does it happen? In the last few years, insights from neuroscience have begun to answer that question. New behaviors can be put in place, but only by reframing attitudes that are so entrenched that they are almost literally embedded in the physical pathways of employees’ neurons. These beliefs have been reinforced over the years through everyday routines and hundreds of workplace conversations. They all have the same underlying theme: “That’s the way we do things around here.”
But there is a particular type of highly charged conversational process that leads to changes in the neural patterns of people throughout an organization — a process that works with, not against, the predisposition and capability of the human brain.
Cargill’s Strategy Transformation
Consider, for example, the way that Cargill, a major agricultural and food products company, applied knowledge of the human brain to raise its game in collaboration and innovation across business units. Cargill had already undergone one major shift, starting in 1999, toward becoming a more agile, solutions-based organization. The company’s executives had defined the “heart of leadership” for their company as integrity, conviction, and courage. They had also set out to create a “culture of freedom,” empowering and encouraging employees at every level to act with decisiveness and accountability on behalf of customers.
The situation clearly called for new behaviors. Better collaboration among Cargill employees, for example, would not just solve the problem of redundant sales calls. It could lead to new logistics, risk management, and quality assurance practices. But that type of collaboration, especially across Cargill’s 70-plus businesses operating in 66 countries, would be a stretch — particularly since in Cargill’s culture, it would require bottom-up commitment.
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bsbxr
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Democracy in America & the World [I ADD]
Mr Sumner's illuminating diagram highlights the absence of pragmatic but non-corrupt, non-idealistic conservatives and progressives. If it suggested that they exist, then it would mean that there is room for perfection in human conceived forms of governance. For me it is complete as it is, as it depicts humanity as it is, without trying to complete possible configurations that are not humanly possible.
Amplify’d from www.economist.com
Sumner's wheel of ideology
SCOTT SUMNER isn't just one of the internet's finest economic commentators. He's also a crack gentleman amateur political theorist. In a recent post, Mr Sumner offers a fresh and intriguing political typology. Behold:
My goal here is to set things up in such a way that each group has a values affinity to those on one side, and an ideological affinity to those on the other side. So you could circle any two adjoining groups, and describe a common feature:
1. Progressives/Pragmatic libertarians: Both tend to be secular utilitarians, or at least consequentialists
2. Pragmatic and dogmatic libertarians: Both favor very small government
3. Dogmatic libertarians and idealistic conservatives: Both are nostalgic for the past, and revere the (original intent of) the Constitution.
4. Idealistic conservatives and corrupt Republicans: Both are Republicans.
5. Corrupt Republicans and corrupt Dems: Both believe in realpolitik, are disdainful of fuzzy-headed, idealistic intellectuals.
6. Corrupt Democrats and idealistic progressives: Both are Democrats
Thus on values there are three pairings: utilitarian, natural rights, and selfish. On ideology there are three different pairings: Democrat, Republican and libertarian.
Indeed, Mr Sumner argues that policy-minded intellectuals of all ideological stripes have arrived at rough consensus on a number of issues ranging from occupational licensing to urban policy, but I don't think we'd want to say that this makes the conservatives and progressives among them honorary pragmatic libertarians. Mr Sumner's illuminating diagram would make more sense to me if it made room for pragmatic but non-corrupt, non-idealistic conservatives and progressives. Maybe somebody can figure out how to draw that.
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Tuesday, February 15, 2011
VIDEO: How to steal passwords from a locked iPhone | Naked Security
German researchers say that they have found a way to steal passwords stored on a locked Apple iPhone in just six minutes. Even if they don't know your iPhone's passcode. Learn more and understand the implications if users have iPhones inside your business.
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/eQCcjU
Motswana is a calabash
Nkgwana, the calabash, iselwa (in isiXhosa), ukhamba (in isiZulu), is expressed here as the epitome of the Motswana. All the way from the careful selection of the mix, the moulding thereof, and the baking, to produce a container that is resilient, that can withstand the heat of the sun, the torrent rains of the skies opening up, and possibly the accidental fall (I add).
For me it is the description of how the Motswana leads, and interacts with others, as well as how they pass judgement, and decide on issues of fairness and justice, resonating more with how I have always been taught, how best to lead.
I ask- it an authentic, African way of leading?- I find the above to be the common thread that runs across authentic African Leadership- What do you think?
Amplify’d from www.mmegi.bw
Correspondent
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Thursday, February 3, 2011
Muslim Brotherhood After Mubarak
Founded by Hasan al-Banna in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has had the longest continuous existence of any contemporary Islamist group. It was initially established not as a political party but as a da'wa (religious outreach) association that aimed to cultivate pious and committed Muslims through preaching, social services, and spreading religious commitment and integrity by example. The group saw its understanding of Islam as the only "true" one and condemned partisanship as a source of national weakness. It called on Egyptians to unite to confront the forces of Zionism and imperialism and pursue economic development and social justice.
Amplify’d from www.foreignaffairs.com
Summary:
Portraying the Muslim Brotherhood as eager and able to seize power and impose its version of sharia on an unwilling citizenry is a caricature that exaggerates certain features of the Brotherhood and underestimates the extent to which the group has changed over time.
Founded by Hasan al-Banna in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has had the longest continuous existence of any contemporary Islamist group. It was initially established not as a political party but as a da'wa (religious outreach) association that aimed to cultivate pious and committed Muslims through preaching, social services, and spreading religious commitment and integrity by example. The group saw its understanding of Islam as the only "true" one and condemned partisanship as a source of national weakness. It called on Egyptians to unite to confront the forces of Zionism and imperialism and pursue economic development and social justice.
Individuals affiliated with the reformist faction of the Brotherhood, whether still active in the group or not, appear to be the most involved in leading Egypt's popular uprising.
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Monday, January 31, 2011
Being A Catalyst For Change- The SA Challenge
In the articles herein below, the authors write about the global leadership challenges in the 21st Century, in the second, citing the recent State of the Union speech by President Obama of the United States.
From where I sit, I feel I am too small to write about the world, but maybe, just about South Africa, may just be the right focus. I am not for once, declaring our problems to be much bigger than those of the rest of the World, and neither am I saying we are the worst of humanity, in our ability as a nation, to deal with same. I would also like to say that these times that we live in, seemingly difficult to deal with, should not surprise us, as they were foretold many years ago.
We have enough tools in the name of analytics, for us to understand the cause and effect of most of our challenges, including the main one, in our context- widening, and ever-growing gap between the rich and the poor (exclusive economic model & architecture that has not changed much since 1981, when most of the exclusive laws were repealed), as well as incapacity of the Public Service to deliver to its citizens. All in all, it is both Public & Private Sector leadership, failing to lead in a manner that is best for the +46 million population of South Africa.
Leadership, for the sake of simplicity, I define as those who have access to either economic power, or political power, thereby giving them the levers to push and pull, to respond to environmental challenges. They unfortunately see themselves as separate from the status quo, as well as the trajectory our past, and future. Borrowing from Cohen & Wilber, verbatim, I say to the leadership as described:
Amplify’d from campaign.r20.constantcontact.com
Generating Transformative Change
Geoff Fitch, Terri O'Fallon, Venita Ramirez, and Ken Wilber
Transformation, as Ken Wilber often points out, is a mystery. Sure, we've done a pretty good job of measuring transformation and tracking all the various dimensions, vectors, and stages of human potential—but whenever someone inevitably asks "how do we get people to transform?", we are typically left scratching our heads. Which means that whenever we say something like "enlightenment is an accident, and practice makes you more accident-prone" we aren't trying to be clever or cryptic. More than anything, we are confessing our own humility in the face of one of life's most perplexing mysteries.
This is why whenever someone discovers a recipe for real and measurable transformation, we tend to take notice. As it happens, our friends at Pacific Integral seem to have done exactly that. Listen as Geoff, Terri, and Venita talk with Ken Wilber about Generating Transformative Change, a powerful and innovative approach to leadership training. The GTC program draws explicitly from the work of Ken Wilber, Susanne Cook-Greuter, and many other integral pioneers, and represents yet another exciting example of the integral project making a real impact upon the world, helping today's leaders rise to the challenges of the 21st century.
[+listen]
Being a Catalyst For Change
Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber
"This is our generation's Sputnik moment," President Obama said in last night's State of the Union Address, invoking something that we have all felt to one degree or another. To say that we live in extraordinary times is an understatement—the threats before us have never been more menacing, the opportunities never more thrilling, and the need for personal and collective evolution never more urgent. We seem to stand on the verge of a cultural, technological, and spiritual tipping point. Of course, which way it tips remains to be seen.
But this moment—this precious Sputnik moment—is not something that exists outside of you. In a nondual sense, you are this moment, you are this threat, you are this opportunity. You and the world are radically not-two, which means that this world, its suffering, and the many crises looming on the horizon, are things you need to take really freaking seriously. This is the moment when humanity takes its first steps into the next phase of its maturity, into an era much bigger than the Space Age—into an Integral Age of unprecedented wisdom, compassion, sophistication, and efficacy. But if you want it to happen, you need to make it happen, with every action, every gesture, and every breath.
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/ao4zt
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Being A Catalyst For Change- The SA Challenge
In the articles herein below, the authors write about the global leadership challenges in the 21st Century, in the second, citing the recent State of the Union speech by President Obama of the United States.
From where I sit, I feel I am too small to write about the world, but maybe, just about South Africa, may just be the right focus. I am not for once, declaring our problems to be much bigger than those of the rest of the World, and neither am I saying we are the worst of humanity, in our ability as a nation, to deal with same. I would also like to say that these times that we live in, seemingly difficult to deal with, should not surprise us, as they were foretold many years ago.
We have enough tools in the name of analytics, for us to understand the cause and effect of most of our challenges, including the main one, in our context- widening, and ever-growing gap between the rich and the poor (exclusive economic model & architecture that has not changed much since 1981, when most of the exclusive laws were repealed), as well as incapacity of the Public Service to deliver to its citizens. All in all, it is both Public & Private Sector leadership, failing to lead in a manner that is best for the +46 million population of South Africa.
Leadership, for the sake of simplicity, I define as those who have access to either economic power, or political power, thereby giving them the levers to push and pull, to respond to environmental challenges. They unfortunately see themselves as separate from the status quo, as well as the trajectory our past, and future. Borrowing from Cohen & Wilber, verbatim, I say to the leadership as described:
"But this moment—this precious Sputnik moment—is not something that exists outside of you. In a nondual sense, you are this moment, you are this threat, you are this opportunity. You and the world are radically not-two, which means that this world, its suffering, and the many crises looming on the horizon, are things you need to take really freaking seriously. This is the moment when humanity takes its first steps into the next phase of its maturity, into an era much bigger than the Space Age—into an Integral Age of unprecedented wisdom, compassion, sophistication, and efficacy. But if you want it to happen, you need to make it happen, with every action, every gesture, and every breath."
My observation, prior, and post 1994, tells me that both forms of leadership, private and public alike, they are incapable of dealing with the challenges, as they do not see themselves as being part of the creation of the problem, and vested interests, collusion, and 'short-termism' (enshrined in quarterly reviews, and five-yearly elections) reinforces current thinking and behaviour on both sides, and at all levels of human existence.
As long as you, as leadership, cannot see the nondual (should I say, non-triangular) nature of the relationship between the problems and the solutions, and your BEING, we are not likely to succeed as a nation. We will never achieve the goals associated with rolling back the frontiers of poverty, having globally competitive businesses that do not solely depend on the strength of the ZAR for their sustainability, having shareholders who take EE & BBB-EE goals as critical for creating larger domestic markets in the shortest possible time, and many more.
Our challenges are at the most basic level, and the new, higher order ones that have emerged: climate change, regional & continental competitiveness, efficient and alternative forms of energy, weaning ourselves of fossil fuels, and maintaining an environment that would make us the pride of generations to come, are by far, unreachable, and would remain elusive, well into the future, until we get rid of what some refer to as 'dead-end thinking'. We cannot seem to, for example, think ourselves out of the limitations of just looking at quarterly achievements, at the expense of business sustainability. Furthermore, neither, are we able to think ourselves out of the five-year cycles of political leadership life, at the expense of SA 2050, when the structural limitations of our economy have been replaced by bold and fearless public policy that is influenced by the new challenges I referred to as being of higher order.
Something is going to have to give, to allow for fresh thinking to emerge, and it will have to give-in quickly, so as to allow for leadershift to happen, and that would be disastrous.
The choice we have, is to invite fresh thinking, bold actions, and a tight balance of sight between the short, and the long view. All of these cannot happen, until all forms of leadership desist from dead-end thinking, and colluding in their actions, at the expense of the long view, and both lower, and higher order challenges faced by South Africa.
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Generating Transformative Change
Geoff Fitch, Terri O'Fallon, Venita Ramirez, and Ken Wilber
Transformation, as Ken Wilber often points out, is a mystery. Sure, we've done a pretty good job of measuring transformation and tracking all the various dimensions, vectors, and stages of human potential—but whenever someone inevitably asks "how do we get people to transform?", we are typically left scratching our heads. Which means that whenever we say something like "enlightenment is an accident, and practice makes you more accident-prone" we aren't trying to be clever or cryptic. More than anything, we are confessing our own humility in the face of one of life's most perplexing mysteries.
This is why whenever someone discovers a recipe for real and measurable transformation, we tend to take notice. As it happens, our friends at Pacific Integral seem to have done exactly that. Listen as Geoff, Terri, and Venita talk with Ken Wilber about Generating Transformative Change, a powerful and innovative approach to leadership training. The GTC program draws explicitly from the work of Ken Wilber, Susanne Cook-Greuter, and many other integral pioneers, and represents yet another exciting example of the integral project making a real impact upon the world, helping today's leaders rise to the challenges of the 21st century.
[+listen]
Andrew Cohen and Ken Wilber
"This is our generation's Sputnik moment," President Obama said in last night's State of the Union Address, invoking something that we have all felt to one degree or another. To say that we live in extraordinary times is an understatement—the threats before us have never been more menacing, the opportunities never more thrilling, and the need for personal and collective evolution never more urgent. We seem to stand on the verge of a cultural, technological, and spiritual tipping point. Of course, which way it tips remains to be seen.
But this moment—this precious Sputnik moment—is not something that exists outside of you. In a nondual sense, you are this moment, you are this threat, you are this opportunity. You and the world are radically not-two, which means that this world, its suffering, and the many crises looming on the horizon, are things you need to take really freaking seriously. This is the moment when humanity takes its first steps into the next phase of its maturity, into an era much bigger than the Space Age—into an Integral Age of unprecedented wisdom, compassion, sophistication, and efficacy. But if you want it to happen, you need to make it happen, with every action, every gesture, and every breath.
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