It's all about Character...

There is a great sense of accomplishment that one feels when you begin to see the fruit of you labour come to life. There is personal satisfaction in knowing that every personal sacrifice that one has made has been worth the pain, anxiety and grey hairs that have come with them. It is equally heart warming to know that all of that energy was not wasted on seamlessly small and mundane task...that each action no matter how small was the contributing factor that has helped reach this pinnacle of achievement. 

I don’t think the reward would be as great or would feel quite as satisfying if the journey were easy. Whoever gained great sense of satisfaction from doing something that was effortless? What would life be if we were not challenged in some way that allowed us to grow, build our strength and character? 

Richard Reeves says “"Character is a word that seems to define almost all human activity and then some...Power is what you do and character is what you are...All leaders must face some crisis where their own strength of character is the enemy." So I say embrace the curve balls, look past the challenges and see the potential that they posses and the glory that lives on the other side.

  

Can integrity & honesty in business exist?

Honesty and Integrity is something you hear a lot about in business...Its either something that organisations are aspiring to or something that is lacking. My question is this, in a world where each is trying to protect their own best interest is it possible to act with complete honesty and integrity without fear that someone/a business partner/business associate, whoever really ...in their attempt to act in their own best interest may sabotage your interest. 

John Nash’s theory of equilibrium suggests that if each player has chosen a strategy and no player can benefit by changing his or her strategy while the other players keep theirs unchanged, then the current set of strategy choices and the corresponding payoffs constituted reach equilibrium.

If this is true then, surely if everyone lay’s their plans out on the table honestly in the effort of integrity, with the interests of trying to achieve what is best for the collective rather than the individual then surely business would thrive and flourish.  So then, why would it seem that in business the individual acts only for himself at the expense of the collective and should someone be interested in acting for collective in the hopes that the best efforts for the collective will result in the best efforts for himself, would succeed! 

I am in business for the love of what I do, yes naive but ultimately very true...by virtue of having to make a living and needing the business to grow I have to make some kind of profit. If the opportunity to achieve something of significance for the industry, the music industry to be specific, by working with others in that industry for the greater good, am all for it. However it would seem and the music industry does not stand in isolation...I think it’s with all business, it is each man for himself and that cats are among the wolves and may the strongest survive.

Is it even possible to contemplate the romantic notion that I as a business person can approach someone else in a similar business, lay my plans on the table with honesty and hope that the other person will act with integrity and not use the information I have provided as a way to further their own interest? Dare I dream that I can collaborate with like minded people who want nothing more than to do the work for the love of it, for wanting to be part of something, for believing in the cause or is this just a fictitious fantasy that exists only in movies???

I live in hope that the cause will outweigh the commercial benefits that can be achieved, that love and not greed will ultimately be our driving force...I'm a romantic!

Thuli signing out...

Finding the illusive Titanic

In starting up I’ve read quite a few books on how to start and run a business. All of these books with fountains of knowledge and information, that on paper make perfect sense...have a plan; define how it will be executed and then execute it! It all seems very logical only for one thing, life doesn’t go according to any script, planned or otherwise! 

A well thought out idea is a good plan...no one ever went into battle without at least considering whether they might win or lose, but in the same breath we can plan our lives away, putting together business plans, marketing strategies and communication plans, etc, etc... In the end creativity and brilliant ideas are seldom ever laid out on paper beforehand. They are often situations that arise in the spur of the moment, the challenge lies in being able to determine whether or not that situation will benefit or hinder your business.  There is never a guarantee that even the most well thought out plans or the best executed plans will work. It is all about taking a risk, throwing caution to the wind and working really hard to make it succeed. 

For me, business is risky stuff, not for the faint hearted, you have to be open to ideas, shift gears when you need to and if an opportunity that you hadn’t considered comes your way that has the potential for success, take it. No one ever became good at what they did by doing the smart thing all the time.  If Steve Jobs had listened to all his critics, would we have the Ipod, Itunes, the Ipad or Iphone. The greatest business leaders of our time Jeff Bezos ,  Richard Branson or Sergey Brin & Larry Page, Li Ka Shing, in some way or another have broken the rules and taken a risk that at the time may not have been the wisest option, but has paid them dividend in the end. 

So what risks have I taken you ask ... well I’m only getting started at this point so for now my biggest risk, spending my life savings on this little venture of mine, it’s a well thought idea, with some planning involved but I certainly haven’t got it all figured out!

So I say have an idea think it through carefully and then go out there and make it work best for you! Take a risk, jump at the opportunity and swim in the deepest part of the ocean...you never know, you may just discover the Titanic while you’re out there.

And that’s just how Thuli sees it!

Thuli signing out...