South Africa's global brain bank

Despite the "brain drain", with so many talented South Africans leaving our shores to start new lives overseas, there is a network that is trying to harness all this brain power and direct its energy toward our shores - some good news.

It's not just a flash in the pan either, as membership in the US is already up to 120 and includes finance experts, doctors, lawyers and entertainers, amongst others.

Let's be honest, we as a country are struggling because we cannot provide an inviting atmosphere suitable to retain these talented people, but at least this effort will help maintain ties with these individuals and allow South Africa to benefit in some way from their international experience.

While I can say that we should try create a conducive environment to attracting these and others like them back here, it's not as simple as that, since some of them require a larger challenge than South Africa is able to offer, purely because of its size.

And surely there is benefit to South Africa in being able to draw on experienced international resources when we need them? I certainly don't like the thought of people going from SA, but when they are growing and developing in this manner, it's possible that the benefit SA derives is greater than what it loses.

It's great to know that we are producing people of this calibre who have gone on to become global leaders, and it's also good to know that they still want to be involved with South Africa. Congratulations to all involved in the Global South Africans project - I wish you all the best with the project.

You can read the full article here.

The SA Blook - in retrospect

A week has passed since the SA blook went live and it sure has been a fun ride.

Thanks to everyone that supported the idea. The main references I've seen out there are:

• Media Update
• justB[coz] - Support the SA Blook
• Brand South Africa blog - Look at Blook
• Mike Stopforth - the SA Blook
• Mobile Marketing - Brand significance through building communities
• Waiting in transit... - South Africa's first on-line book
• Living the Glugster life - Never too old to learn new things

I also want to thank Andy for posting about the blook on Techleader [and also on mygenius], and Mandy, who wrote a quick biography of the various authors just prior to the launch.

In considering how it's turned out, there are two distinct aspects I want to look at:

The topic of the blook and content of the various chapters

This topic proved to be a popular one, although at the time I distributed it to the authors I never would have dreamed we would be publishing this just after all the furore around the xenophobic attacks. Some of the authors even changed their chapters late to refer to what happened.

I believe this is a highly relevant topic, and that we only scratched the surface. Henre also alluded to this in his very interesting synopsis, and perhaps there is room to expand on this topic from here.

However, it seems that the chapters came together really well - especially considering that none of the authors saw any of the other posts before theirs were published [other than my introduction a few days before going live]. With this in mind, wouldn't you agree that there was an amazing amount of consistency to the content? [This might sound crazy, but it was part of the experiment].

The experiment, namely publishing an online book on blogs with a number of different authors

Some of the important things that I learned through this:

• Everything takes longer to do than you think it will. Everything. Take your estimate and multiply by four to get closer to the real time involved.
• Plan for the worst [have a backup plan]. On go-live day I encountered laptop troubles [my screen gave in so I had to use another computer]; Blogger went down for quite a while; one of the authors was away in Durban and was offline; a few other authors were difficult to track down; and a myriad of other business and personal matters arose rather suddenly that day.
• Don't think the worst of people when they don't respond - apparently quite a few of my mails regarding the project ended up in spam folders... darn gmail. So I had to resend. and resend. and resend. [nobody's fault, just causes communication problems and delays]
• No matter how well you [I] think you [I] write, there are many people out there who write way better than you [I] do. C'est la vie, so get over it.
• An average idea put into action is waaaay better than a brilliant idea that you sit on.
• Never make decisions for others or be afraid to ask people to be involved. All of the writers that took part are way better writers than I am, but they were willing to take part anyway.
• Bloggers are very willing to support other bloggers, as proven by the above fact and the links referred to at the top of this post. [I saw this post on Problogger shortly after contacting the various authors. A good read for those interested in blog projects]
• Venturing into the unknown is a wild, fun ride... and probably even more so online where information moves [almost] at the speed of thought.

One thing I also want to comment on is the mention of this being SA's first online book. I'm not sure if that's true [although I hope it is], but interestingly, Tertia Albertyn probably published SA's first real blook - and got nominated for a Lulu Blooker prize in the process. I don't know if she won, but that is a brilliant achievement regardless.

Now that I've said all this, the most important point - your thoughts and comments.

Please take a minute to leave your thoughts about these questions:

1. What do you think of the blook's content [each of the chapters] and did it mean something to you?
2. Do you think the blook as a concept/experiment worked, and what would you change to make it better?
3. Is this blook something that others should read [ie people that don't frequent blogs or social media sites]? If so, how would you suggest it would best be distributed to be relevant and effective?

Thanks for joining us on this exhilirating ride. It's been a blast! Please check back as we try to take the blook to South Africa, and hopefully shine a light on the amazing opportunities that await us.

We've been having it!

Advertising at it's best! This has to be the funniest advert I've seen in years, and everytime I see it I can't help but pack out laughing. Well done Vodacom!

If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favour and have a look. If you have, you'll know what I'm talking about, and probably want another look anyway. A brilliant take on the complexities of modern cellular telephone technology and how primitive all of the wonderful features actually are. Here it is:

SA Blook: A Piece of Significance

Contents

Introduction
1. The new South Africa - is it real?
2. Is SA rich or poor?
3. What the world thinks of South Africa and what our global opportunities are
4. The importance of each individual's contribution collectively
5. SA Inc and the business of doing business in SA
6. The beauty and grandeur that surrounds us
7. The importance of technology in SA's global emergence
8. Building brand South Africa
9. Making the most of SA's creative talents and abilities
10. Innovate for a better South Africa
11. The role of the younger generation in SA, and what we need to do to support them
12. Connecting South Africa - Communities that transcend technology
13. We are African - the role of collaboration in South Africa's growth


Image above copyright Darren Gorton 2008. Content copyright of the respective authors and indicated on the relevant posts.

SA Blook, Introduction

Introduction

Welcome to the SA blook, a collaboration between South African bloggers with a strong belief in the future of our nation. Essentially, it is a book, originally published online and written by a diverse group of writers with strong views about our country and the reality South Africans find themselves living in.

There are countless books about South Africa’s history and how it developed, and there are bound to be many more. There is also an endless supply of daily news that reminds us about the real and difficult challenges that our country faces and has yet to overcome. While most South Africans understand and feel the pain of these challenges, we will never be able to move forward unless we lift our eyes to the horizon and step boldly forward, aiming to build a foundation for a better future for us all. This blook is about South Africa - a constructive look at our present, our future and the opportunities we have.

While this blook is admittedly an experiment in online writing, this fact should not detract from the importance of the topic at hand – something relevant to all South Africans. Every topic touched upon is intricately linked to South Africa’s present and future, and although we would not like to suggest that our present challenges are simply remedied by positive thinking, we hope to stimulate strong debate and new thinking around these topics. By doing so, the writers hope to contribute to a new perspective in this country, knowing that thinking is the precursor to action.

I trust you will enjoy reading this as much as we all enjoyed writing it, and that you’ll participate in a way that is impossible with traditional books – by leaving your comments, thoughts and ideas on the relevant online chapters as you read them.

Before you go on to read the rest of the blook, I would just like to extend a huge thank you to all the writers who were willing to take part in this blook. They have invested valuable time and thinking into this, and for that I am truly grateful!

[I also want to point out that each author is the owner of their respective chapter, so please do not reproduce, redistribute or alter it in any way without their consent]

South Africa. Actually.

With a GDP (in millions of US dollars) at least 50% higher than any other African country, South Africa is a critical component of the African continent, and possibly even a key to economic and social revival in Africa. Yet, in spite of this success, we find ourselves trailing global leaders by quite a large margin in so many ways.

It’s plain for everyone to see that South Africa has a lot of problems, but its important to remember that we are not alone. Every country has its own struggles, and considering where we’ve come from and the changes that have taken place here over the past 15 or so years, it’s not surprising that we find ourselves here.

As far as challenges go, you name it and we’ve probably had it at some point. Crime, financial crises, unemployment, illiteracy, poverty, droughts… and the list goes on. What surprises me is that we fail to realise that so many [although not all] of these are merely symptoms of a greater problem rather than the cause itself, and we don’t get to the real issues behind the problems we face each day. We often hear the problem of skills shortages mentioned, but if you ask me, our real problem is not a shortage of skills, but rather a shortage of people who really care! Skills can be taught [over time, I admit]. Caring cannot be taught – it’s a conscious decision each of us has to make. And its not an easy decision to make either, as evidenced by the fact that so many people find it easier to move to a different country overseas than to change their attitude and remain here.

It is immensely important that South Africa positions itself to take advantage of the windows of opportunity that are flying at us at staggering speed, even if we don’t yet understand exactly what they are. That responsibility cannot be delegated to a select few political or business leaders within the country, no matter how capable they may be. A leader’s job is to envision those that they influence. Each of us is a leader in some respect, and we all have a circle of influence, no matter how large or small. It is up to each of us to take responsibility for this if we truly want to build this nation.

South Africa reloaded

So, Leader, let me ask you - is it time for us to reload?

In his State of the Nation address on 8 February 2008, while referring to Eskom’s plight at the time, President Thabo Mbeki said “We are a minerals resource economy. We must therefore continue to support the mining industry. It is inevitable that if we are to continue on our growth path as a manufacturing country, we will also have to continue supporting the processing industry.”

There’s no denying the importance of resources to South Africa, and indeed to Africa, but surely there is life after gold? After all, if there’s one thing that history has taught us, it is that stagnation has been the downfall of many an empire – both in terms of countries and businesses.

We have seen that the success of much of the western world, and the United States of America in particular, has been in becoming a post-industrial society, represented by a shift from provision of goods to services and an increased reliance on white-collar as opposed to blue-collar work. It’s true that this does not come without its own problems, and I’m not suggesting this as an end to itself, but rather that we need to take the lessons out of these changes that contributed to those nations’ economic and social successes and implement them here to the extent they are relevant.

We cannot continue to rely on those things that we have always done to take us where we want to go.

“Business Unusual”? No, this is not a reference to corruption or to accounting scandals. In fact, this is our government’s approach to improving the quality of life of every South African. Surely it also means a commitment to developing our South African levels of creativity and knowledge… and therefore our [potentially highly valuable] intellectual capital?

As I said earlier, perhaps it’s time for us to reload, in two senses of the meaning:
Reloading often refers to getting a fresh supply of ammunition ready for use in a weapon. Just like a bee without its sting is harmless, a weapon without ammunition is also harmless, and if South Africa is to play a significant role in the new global community [and economy], we are going to need some new ammunition, in the form of new ideas, new approaches and a strong emphasis on the importance of creating and increasing the value of our intangible assets [our intellectual capital] as opposed to our tangible assets.
Applied to technology, when something is reloaded it generally means overwriting what was originally in memory with new information. We have a history full of painful lessons, so how do we learn the lessons from this history without living and remaining in the past? For if we forget these lessons, we are no wiser now than we were when we made the mistakes, and if we keep living in the past, it becomes impossible for us to move into the future.

With the advent of a global technology revolution, we are watching history unfold and realities change as a global community increasingly becomes a reality.

With this in mind, I trust that this blook will stimulate our approach to handling these issues, as we learn to better appreciate South Africa’s amazing opportunities and better understand our role in envisioning and creating a planet-rocking, mouth-dropping, awe-inspiring future.

When the opportunities present themselves, let us be ready!


Copyright Darren Gorton 2008. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No-derivatives 2.5 ZA license.


This post is a chapter of the SA Blook: A Piece of Significance, an online book written by a diverse group of writers with strong views of our country and the reality we find ourselves living in. The other chapters in the Blook are here:

Introduction
1. The new South Africa - is it real?
2. Is SA rich or poor?
3. What the world thinks of South Africa and what our global opportunities are
4. The importance of each individual's contribution collectively
5. SA Inc and the business of doing business in SA
6. The beauty and grandeur that surrounds us
7. The importance of technology in SA's global emergence
8. Building brand South Africa
9. Making the most of SA's creative talents and abilities
10. Innovate for a better South Africa
11. The role of the younger generation in SA, and what we need to do to support them
12. Connecting South Africa - Communities that transcend technology
13. We are African - the role of collaboration in South Africa's growth

South Africa. Life after gold.

Does it feel like South Africa is settling for second best? Perhaps South Africa [and Africa, actually] needs to wake up and see the new opportunities in front of us.

After being the world's top gold producer for about 105 years, China supplanted South Africa during 2007 as the world's number one, proving that we can never take anything for granted.

Africa, including South Africa, has always been rich in natural resources such as gold, diamonds and platinum, and it is on the back of this that much of Africa has grown. We've have relied a lot on this, and evidence thereof is the resource companies like Anglo American and BHP Billiton among the SA Giants. In the back of our minds, we know these resources won't last forever. But even if they last for a very long time, is it right for us to continue to rely on these as our key to the world?

And is it possible to really change our focus?

I would say that it's not just a good idea, but an absolute necessity!

For starters, consider the Dubai success story. Dubai could easily have taken its own primary resource - oil - for granted. But they haven't, and they have successfully ensured their own longevity by changing their strategy. If Dubai had continued to pursue its old ways, it's probably fair to say that they would not be in the position they currently are in, and most of their economic success and growth would still be highly reliant on oil.

For South Africa and Africa, where would our greatest opportunities lie? Consider this:

Technology currently presents South Africa [and Africa] with our greatest opportunity to-date to truly compete on a global stage. This is our chance to change the playing field!

How? Globally, the rules have changed and location is not critical in many industries already. The most obvious example of this is the trend towards outsourcing call-centres to India, and also outsourcing IT to China.

So surely then, even if Africa as a whole makes up about 2% of global GDP, less than Brazil's contribution, it doesn't actually matter...

The world is waiting to reward the great innovators and thinkers. Even though "technological innovation was the heart of the industrial revolution", that was led by physical technology and mass-production. Now mass innovation and mass creativity takes preference, and it removes the physical barriers that have always restricted nations such as ours.

At last, intellectual property can be created and sold without borders. Just think, using the internet and technology available today, we can create products and ideas here in South Africa and sell them globally almost instantaneously.

We have many talented individuals with great ideas. We have technology available to us which opens up a global market to us. We just need to understand how to use this to our advantage. We know that this would not be without it's challenges [see Erik's good post on Africa's technology gap], but the risks are larger - see this post by Tycoon's Geoff Candy about SA falling behind in the Internet stakes.

This is too good an opportunity for us to miss! So what do we do?
Let's promote the growth of leaders in this sphere.
Let's promote investment in creative and/or technology businesses.
Let's promote a greater understanding of how creativity and technology can revolutionise all of our industries here at home - and globally.

I believe this country needs to seriously focus on the development of valuable [globe-shaking] intellectual property!

What do you think?

The final list of SA blook authors

One thing I love about the blogging community is the willingness to take part in new things, as evidenced by the brilliant team of writers who have agreed to be a part of the SA blook group of authors.

Last week I announced the initial list of authors, with a promise to reveal the remaining two writers soon. Well, last week was one of those crazy weeks where the unimaginable happens, to the point where today I can't give you the remaining two writers...

... but only because there are more than two more to announce.

And here they are [again, in no particular order]:

• Kerry-Anne Gilowey
• Tycoon's Geoff Candy and Hilton Tarrant
• Mandy de Waal
• Andy Hadfield
• Grant Brewer
• And in true blog tradition, there will also be a guest post, written by someone who's writing I greatly respect [and who doesn't have a blog yet, even though I keep telling him he should have one!] - Siyabonga Nhlumayo
  

So then, the complete list of authors [bloggers] looks like this:

• Andy Hadfield
• Duncan Drennan
• Eve Dmochowska
• Grant Brewer
• Justin Hartman
• Kerry-Anne Gilowey
• Mandy de Waal
• Melissa Attree
• Nic Haralambous
• Paul Jacobson
• Saul Kropman
• Tycoon's Geoff Candy and Hilton Tarrant
• Siyabonga Nhlumayo - our guest writer/blogger
  

And some other information that people have been looking for - the blook goes live on 1 June 2008, so make a note in your diaries. I'll post an update next week listing some of the topics allocated to our writers.

In the meantime, here are some fun facts about the blook and the authors:

• At least six of the writers have their names as domain names [should be seven by the time the blook is released].
  
• There are a couple of Thought Leaders on the team, four Tech Leaders and a Times Blogumist.
  
• Many of the writers have ties to some of SA's great media players, including the Mail and Guardian, Avusa and Moneyweb.
• The field includes a bunch of entrepreneurs, an engineer, a lawyer and three CA's.
• The average age of writers is 30 [okay, I'm just guessing here - I figure the average must be somewhere between 20 and 50, but that just doesn't sound the same].
  
• Of those invited to write, two courteously declined to take part, and two did not reply at all.
  
• There are five awesome volunteers.
• At the time of posting this, eight of the writers are listed on the satwitter wiki.
• Bloggers use a variety of platforms including Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad and Movable Type [although Wordpress seems to be the clear favourite].

For those interested, you can find more information about the blook here

A blook for such a time as this

Most people would agree that we live in challenging times. This is true globally [with talk of a world political and economic crisis getting louder], as well as here at home in South Africa, where many are negative and heading for greener pastures.

And not only do we sit in the midst of uncertainty now, but our history is littered with tales of wars, disputes and general discontent. But this is true of almost every country, and having spent my whole life here and seeing so many people fleeing the country for no reason other than to get away, I wish that people could see the opportunities that sit right on our doorstep.

So with that in mind, here it is, the central theme that some brilliant writers have been tasked to work around and play with, along with the guidance of specific topics.

The blook will be about South Africa from the perspective of bloggers [taking into account their different viewpoints] - a positive and constructive look at where SA is today and the opportunities that lie ahead of us. There are many books about SA's history and lots of stories about how SA is struggling today, so I think that for a moment we should stop looking at history and problems, and start looking at the present, the future and some great opportunities.

City Press has an interesting billboard in Johannesburg that tells passers-by something along the lines of "Either you break it, or you build it". This is also true for SA - in the end, it comes down to nation building. I believe it was Augustine that said "I believe in order to know" - an amazing truth that often escapes us. I know that everyone who wants to help build this nation we live in has chosen to believe in its future. I hope that after reading this blook, all of us will see more of its amazing potential!

Certainly, the blook is aimed at the wired community [and could therefore have a slight technology bias], but hopefully it will also reach the eyes and ears of those who don't read blogs very often and mean something to everyone.

For those who missed it, the blook was mentioned on Media Update earlier this week. Many thanks to Pat for taking the time to look at this and include it in there.

Next week I will release the names of the other writers in addition to those already published [it's been an interesting week, for sure] and give some more details about the release.

Oh, and I have to give a quick mention to Nic's unusual approach to writing his blook chapter - you gotta love it!

SA blook - meet the authors

Here it is - a first look at some of the awesome writers that have agreed to take part in the SA blook.

One criticism often levelled against blogging and bloggers is that anyone can do it, and therefore the quality of writing in blogs is generally rather poor [here's a humorous take on this by Wired]. Although there is some truth to this, I must say that since I started blogging, I have come across a number of brilliant blogs, with writing that is both easy and enjoyable to read. So to the critics all I can say is: Don't generalise - there are some bloggers out there who have real talent and skill.

While it is impossible to include all the good SA bloggers in a project like this, I'm proud to say that our team for this one consists of some absolutely brilliant writers.

So without further ado, here are the bloggers taking part, in no particular order [since I would only do them injustice by trying to describe them myself, I have also included links to more information about each of them]:

• Eve Dmochowska [read more about Eve here]
• Duncan Drennan [read more about Duncan here]
• Paul Jacobson [read more about Paul here]
• Melissa Attree [read more about Melissa here]
• Nic Haralambous [read more about Nic here]
• Saul Kropman [read more about Saul here]
• Justin Hartman [read more about Justin here]

In addition to the above awesome writers, there are two more that are in the process of being finalised and will be unveiled within the next week.

While each writer has their own distinct style and opinion, I believe all these writers have one common characteristic being their positive outlook on our current environment and willingness to explore ways in which to shape our future into something stunning.

I have to say it again - I'm absolutely astounded by the quality of writers taking part and could never have imagined when I started that this would include writers of their calibre - so to all those taking part, all I can say is "Wow, thank you!".

I'll be posting the theme of the blook early next week and some more details about how it will be put together. I look forward to seeing what will come of it, and hope you'll enjoy it too!

If you have any thoughts, questions or suggestions, please leave a comment - it would be great to hear from you.

Blook bloggers [authors] to be announced soon

Watch this space for the names of the bloggers who will be writing as part of the SA blook.

I will be putting these up over the next couple of days, as well as giving some more info about the theme.

Hold onto your hats...

Perspectives: South Africa - where do we actually fit in to a global economy?

This one simply blew my mind...

A little while ago, I had a look at the measure of SA's wealth - GDP [gross domestic product] and how SA has grown in wealth - you can see it here.

The funny thing about numbers is that they don't mean much unless you actually compare it to something else. South Africa generated $255,155 million in 2006. So what!?

As I was saying, this one simply blew my mind. Well, have a look for yourself:

Quick explanation:

• the size of the bubble reflects population size
• the further right the bubble is, the higher the country's total GDP [or wealth generated]; and
• the higher up the bubble is, the higher the average GDP per person [the best indicator - shows average wealth generated per person]
• SA is the green bubble in all the graphs
  

South Africa vs major African countries
[Egypt, Nigeria and Algeria]


You can see here that SA is way ahead of the pack compared to other African countries, both in terms of total GDP and GDP per person.

South Africa vs other emerging market countries
[India, China and Brazil]


Although SA is much smaller than all these other emerging markets, we're still ahead in terms of GDP per person.

South Africa vs some significant global economies
[USA, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, Australia]


Um, well.... what can I say. Blew my mind. Amazing that we can be so far ahead in the graphs above, and here we barely feature at all.

Certainly changed my perspective on where we live. Not in a bad way... there are lots of opportunities and positive aspects related to this. But I'll never think about it the same way again, that's for sure.

You can find my other posts in this theme here -> Perspectives

Source for information: International Monetary Fund

It's not all doom and gloom in SA

With all the challenges that have come our way recently such as load-shedding, interest rate hikes, petrol and food price increase, soaring inflation data and muted growth expectations, it has admittedly left many of us wondering what will happen next.

Despite all this, I am still fundamentally positive about SA's future, but it's good to hear that certain economic experts share that outlook, particularly when the economic indicators would generally be used as ammunition to state otherwise. Here's a Fin24 article noting some of the less-often mentioned positive aspects, quoting Econometrix chief economist Dr Azar Jammine.

We should not focus on the negative [although we must learn from our current situation and mistakes]. But let's rather focus on the opportunities and positive effects - they do exist!

Also, have a look at this from one of Thought Leader's newer bloggers, Miriam Mannak - a positive view of SA from a foreigner living here [who, may I add, is writing the way that Thought Leader's ought to write]. It's actually rather refreshing.

Perspectives: South Africa - the growth phase

As a starting point, let's look at this amazing "growth phase" that we're going through and that everyone keeps referring to. "South Africa is growing", they say. But without a bit of background, it's difficult to see what this actually means to us. So let's try give it a go.

We'll start with GDP [aka Gross Domestic Product]. The SA Reserve Bank defines this as "the total value of all final goods and services produced within the boundaries of a country in a particular period". [If you're interested, they have a not-too-painful description of how its calculated on that page, worth a read if you have a slight interest in this topic]

I will use GDP as it is one of the most important measures of a country's economic health. I realise that money is not the only measure of a country's success, but it does provide a reasonable and easily understandable way of quantifying many of it's effects.

[Please bear with me. Sometimes the definitions and measures get a bit technical, but I'll try keep the info visual and understandable as far as possible.]

In real terms, this is how SA's GDP has grown since 1980:



It looks huge, but this doesn't take into account population growth, so GDP per person is often a good way to see if wealth per person has grown or not. Here is a look [the bars show the population growth, while the line shows GDP per person]:



Looks rosy so far, but we don't know if this only looks good because the Rand has gotten weaker or because of high inflation rates. To get an even better look, let's look at the GDP per person in US Dollar terms and also taking into account purchasing price parity [basically the price at which both currencies can buy the same goods over a longer-term period]:


From this, you can see SA has grown since 1980, and you can also see the accelerated growth phase we've been in since about 2002. Sadly not everyone has benefited from this, but that's another story for another day. For now at least, we can conclude that SA has definitely been growing, and continues to.

Does this mean anything to you? Anything I could improve? Have any thoughts as to what you would like to see or better understand? Please contact me or leave a comment below - I would value your feedback!

You can find my other posts in this theme here -> Perspectives

Source for information: International Monetary Fund

Perspectives: Turn your world upside down

Fitting in with the theme of perspectives, Elaine Rumboll was kind enough to show me this - a great, refreshing and different [particularly if you live in the Southern hemisphere] way to look at the world. [Thanks Elaine!]


This is an accurate rendition of a world map, but in this version, the cartographers have put Africa in the centre and have placed the South at the top and North at the bottom. The actual map and further details are available here at mindshift

A brilliant way to change our perspective!

As I've said here before - Let's turn the world upside down!

Follow my other posts in this theme here -> Perspectives

It's amazing what a change in perspective can do

It's time to start getting back on track with the theme of this blog, and I thought the best way to do that would be to provide a little bit of perspective on South Africa versus this world we're living in. Over the next few weeks I'll be putting up some [hopefully] interesting info which might just give you a slightly different view of this place we call home.

Just to give an idea of what I'm talking about, have a look at this amazing illustration from our stunning universe:

Our home - Earth, which holds over 6.5 billion people like you and me.

Look at how the sun dwarfs our "huge" planet Earth...

...and then look at how insignificant the sun is compared to the largest known star - Canis Majoris

[in the above picture, you cannot even represent the sun with a single pixel, it's so small]

It's amazing what a change in perspective can do!

[See my source here for a nice visual journey through the universe]

A stark reminder of where we are

Although I could not, even by a large stretch of the imagination, be described as a fan of Llewellyn Kriel's writing, reading this final Thought Leader post of his [after picking it up on muti], was quite sobering. Personal safety is a major concern for everyone, and I hope Mr Kriel will find a more peaceful life out of the spotlight.

I believe in our country and hold great hope for its future. But that reference to this country includes every person living here, not just select individuals or groups of people - we need to be a nation that supports each other and builds together. We cannot afford an us versus them scenario - on this tiny marble called Earth, we are already the "them" to every other country's "us", and there is absolutely no freakin' way that this can change if we are consumed with in-fighting.

Reading Llewellyn's post is hugely unsettling, and that's why its worth reading - just as a reminder of the large obstacles that we, as a country, still need to overcome. And while we all know they exist, I don't in any way believe that they are insurmountable [even if logic and feeling tells us they are].

I still believe. I still care. It's not easy, I know you don't find it easy either. And I trust you do still believe and care too, because that's the only way we can change this!

SA rocks. Believe it.

"Just this week, JZ became president of the ANC, and not by a small margin either. And while some commentators [and bloggers] believe this has little relevance to us, I think in times to come we will look back and see the real importance of this change."

Amidst all the talk around what happened this week, very little has been positive, which really gets to me. Everything in life is a choice - including how we choose to look at things happening around us. For a slightly different angle on the current situation, please read the rest of the post quoted above in Momentary significance that changes our lives forever.

My thanks go out to Nic for being such a great host, and for so kindly putting this up on SA Rocks. Nic is doing an amazing job with this initiative, and it really shows the true meaning of "Proudly South African". Please head over there and support this great site [and get a cool badge at the same time, if you don't already have one]. Let's show the world what we already know - that SA rocks.

There's no place like home

Barely a day goes by that you don't hear about someone else who wants to leave SA for the "better opportunities" and safer environment of [insert country name here].

I've watched in agony over the past few years as family, friends and colleagues [including many people absolutely brimming with potential] have packed up and moved to London, Boston, Washington, the Cayman Islands... [you get the picture]. All beautiful places to live, no doubt. Their pictures and stories enthrall me. Their lack of lustre for SA saddens me.

Know what I'm saying?

Thank goodness sanity prevails in this amazing place. Great to see sites like SA Rocks, and many proud SA bloggers still touting SA.

WELL DONE guys and girls!

Now let's make 'em sorry they ever left!!! Rock on SA!

Are the only options really "zero growth" or "drown in red-tape"

We often hear talk of South Africa's informal sector [aka second economy], but I don't think that business people really understand the significance and challenges of this cog in our economy. In fact, I'm incredibly sure that, not only do we highly underestimate the significance and challenges, but also that we don't have a cooking clue what needs to be done to dramatically improve the situation.

Here's a Business Day article which gives a little bit of insight into this interesting phenomenon.

I recently had a chat with a highly respected audit partner from one of the "Big 4" auditing firms recently around this topic. What really stands out is the disparity between what this second economy represents, and the business mechanisms and legislation being put in place as South Africa "progresses".

Here is just the tip of the iceberg in this love-hate relationship:

Informal sector -

A veritable wishing well full of potential-laden young entrepreneurial mogul-wannabes. BOAT-LOADS of skill [some we would easily recognise, others not so much]. OODLES of enthusiasm. TONS of ingenuity.

And no tools to overcome their greatest needs.

What do [we believe] they need?

• A bit of guidance. [and we say "but we have many organisations providing mentors, etc..."]
• Some education. [and we say "all government ever talks about is education..."]
• A structured, practical means to develop their business [and we say "ummm..."]
  

Why is this?

Consider the current business environment in SA -

• Registering a business, along with all the prerequisites takes ages [and we know they need to do this to attract funding from any serious business-person, that funding being critical to help them grow into a serious business themselves]
• Our tax requirements are onerous, complex and absolutely mind-numbing [and we know they need to meet these requirements to be taken seriously and to avoid any nightmares down the growth path]
• Opening a bank account is a borderline I'm-off-to-crazy-land exercise [and we know many can't provide proof of residence and other similar documents which are required. we also know the Mzanzi account doesn't cut it as account balances can't exceed R15,000]
• After this its the accounting, auditing and other legal regulations that companies have to comply with [and we know that every existing business already struggles with these - so how is a newcomer supposed to cope]

What I had to ask myself was this: do you leave these young firestarters alone to dwindle along in the second economy for the rest of their lives, just trying to make ends meet?

or do you help launch them into the bubbling cauldron of business as we know it - the same cauldron where many experienced directors of companies are calling it a day due to the high personal risk involved in being in business?

Honestly, both options are appalling to me.

We need some, no - many, no - HEAPS more success stories like this. There must be a better way. Government? Lawyers, regulators, SARS? Can anyone help please?

A new job everyday

One aspect of our society which is now commonplace is to see people alongside the road [everywhere you go] advertising their services as painters, tilers, builders and a variety of other 'professions'. While this is considered by many to be a nuisance, I can't help but look at the flipside -

- everyday, each of these people effectively looks for a new job, with a different employer, a different location, and a different wage/salary.

When last did you change jobs? I recall seeing that changing jobs fell into four of the most stressful events of a person's life [along with getting married, death of a close relative and moving house]. The most difficult part of changing jobs is not necessarily once you know where you're going, but all the uncertainty when you're still looking.

Now imagine looking for a new job every single day.

Here's a thought - in a each neighbourhood, establish a central venue where all such skilled people can go daily, register as available, and possibly even receive a meal. Their details [name, ID number, skills, contact number, etc] would be recorded here. Any people looking for workers with these skills could go straight to this 'agency' and find a tradesman with the skills they are looking for.

It may take a while to become readily accepted, but could provide huge benefits to both sides, including:
For the tradesman: a central destination each day, possibly a meal, credibility through verification of their details, and keeping them away from potential danger at busy street corners and intersections.
For the public: a central source of skills when required, verified details of the individual you're employing and more safety in public areas that work-seekers currently frequent.

This kind of idea would probably require government initiative, but with a bit of creative flair, could also prove to be a profitable business. How? Sale of advertising to a captive market each day; visibility through sponsorship of food, tools, etc; commission on people placed; revenue from transport facilities going directly to/from the venue. These are just off the top of my head - I'm sure there are endless possibilities.

Perhaps it sounds a bit ridiculous. Perhaps it could work.