There is a tsunami of information on the subject of human emotion circulating at this moment. Before I venture into the topic, I would like to bring your attention to a key distinction between other previously experienced global pandemics, and COVID-19 (“Covid”).

These pandemics have mostly resulted in isolation, to varying degrees, and all with the similar human emotions of anxiety and uncertainty. During other pandemics, there was apparently little, if any, open acknowledgement of the concept of Mental Wellness. It certainly has been a focal discussion point this time around – and what a necessary development, albeit a small celebration in a time of extreme confusion.

People are now able to express levels of anxiety and confusion without fear of judgement or marginalisation and can seek help should they need to. In these times of ‘not knowing’, our emotions are like yo-yos, and from moment to moment we may find ourselves moving from some semblance of centredness to high anxiety and vulnerability. To understand this challenge from a perspective of Neuroscience, I would like to apply Dr David Rock’s SCARF Model to explain the basics of how our brains function.

Our brain will tag every experience or piece of information (at both a conscious and unconscious level) in one third of a second, as either a Threat or a Reward. Any perceived Threat triggers an Away response and a perceived Reward, a Toward response. The Threat perception being far more prevalent than the Reward perception. Both responses will link to relevant neurotransmitters with subsequent effects on both neurology and physiology. Any perceived threat results in the production of cortisol with degrees of ‘shut down’ in the Pre-Frontal Cortex, which is responsible for, amongst other functions, our higher-level thinking, clear planning and emotional regulation. When a Toward response occurs, we produce greater levels of dopamine and experience an increased sense of purpose and meaning with feelings of reward i.e. the Pre- Frontal Cortex functions efficiently. We experience increased well-being, creativity and higher energy. A sense of being ‘on our game’.

The SCARF model identifies five critical domains of human experience that drive our behaviour.

Status:

A perception of where I am in the ‘pecking order’ – what is my relative credibility as a human being and how acknowledged am I in my world?

The threat of one’s status activates the same brain circuitry as the experience of physical pain. For example, being dismissed in a meeting will be experienced in the same area of the brain as physical pain of root canal treatment! Many of us are feeling that our own status may have shifted over the last few weeks or months. As professionals in our work environments, we are in a space of redefining and exploring ‘where we are’ and for some, ‘who we are’. The new normal of work-related roles could potentially be very different.

Within family structures too, during lockdown, roles have shifted. And perhaps under the confines of the present way of living, we are not receiving the usual personal affirmation and acknowledgement from people around us. All so integral to our perception of individual status and sense of self-worth.

What can we consider doing?

There is great value in affirming and acknowledging the people with whom we are engaging and expressing their value in our own lives. Look for opportunities to do this as often as possible. Not only will your own dopamine levels go up, but theirs will too. Be kind and compassionate towards yourself. Revisit your values. If you are unsure of them, start exploring what they might be.

One of the most effective ways to maintain self-worth is by trying to do what is of personal value, on a regular basis. This could be as simple as getting up and making your bed, exercising, journaling daily etc. If you ignore or don’t action these values where you can, you might experience a sense of personal disappointment and a decrease in levels of self-worth.

Certainty:

The brain operates as a prediction machine and will attach to all the patterns and previously experienced information in order to simplify the energy required to make sense of the future.

The only certainty right now is that nothing is certain. Any guesses as to what the main causes of stress are? Not knowing, feeling uncertain, and an attack on personal self-esteem. This virus has resulted in feelings of anxiety in not knowing how long, how severe, and even who will arrive alive, in a multitude of contexts. There is limited global certainty. It is no wonder we are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress, and as a result extreme fear and vulnerability.

What can we consider doing?

Start by trying to create as much certainty as possible. Continue routine activities in daily life from work to exercise to housebound chores. The more certainty the brain has, the more the Pre- Frontal Cortex is freed up to think clearly and creatively rather than be reduced to levels of panic and confusion. Continue to do the little you can, to create a sense of purpose and routine, no matter how small. We produce higher levels of Dopamine when we create a sense of having meaning and purpose in our lives, whatever that may be.

Perhaps take assurance from a small certainty in Rumi’s phrase, ‘This too shall pass’.

Autonomy:

The brain responds positively to a perception of having choice – a sense of control over one’s own destiny.

COVID-19 has taken this away from us. We no longer have a sense of control over how we might choose to live, where we can go, and the freedom of options previously experienced. In fact, we have minimal individual autonomy.

What can we consider doing?

Perhaps the question to ask ourselves is ‘what might I have autonomy over?’ It may be who you are choosing to speak to on social media platforms, where you are choosing to focus your attention in your work, what you are choosing to flag as important and relevant and what not. All these small choices will create a heightened sense of more autonomous control for your brain. Look for any opportunity to do this.

Relatedness:

We are constantly seeking social connection. We need to find our tribe and be reassured that we belong. How safe are we with others – are they friend or foe?

COVID-19 has placed us in isolation – perhaps from both loved ones and colleagues. From cradle to grave, we look for a place of belonging and social connection. Isolation can trigger feelings of anxiety, despair, depression and a sense of being overwhelmed.

What can we consider doing?

Try as best as you can to stay connected – even when you would rather not. When we feel connected with others, we produce the neurotransmitter Oxytocin, creating greater feelings of trust. High levels of trust lead to higher levels of empathy and an awareness of how others might be experiencing this time of change. We have the benefit of connection though social media platforms, which were previously unavailable. Choose what works best for you and make a regular practice of keeping connected.

Consider relationships which have been neglected and need revisiting. Now is a great opportunity to re-connect. Tell people what they mean to you and express gratitude for the role they play in your life.

When connecting with colleagues and employees make this connection sincere and meaningful. Remember that everyone is needing reassurance and no matter how small the gesture, it will have a profound impact on the person receiving it.

Fairness:

A perception of fair exchange.

The brain is highly tuned to interpreting information as either fair or unfair. A sense of unfairness can produce high levels of cortisol and stress. Any parent will know how quickly children pick up on perceived unfairness. Any workplace manager will know the importance of reducing any perception of unfair leadership. Research has shown that we would rather go without, than accept what we perceive to be an unfair offer.

What can we consider doing?

As best you can, focus on gratitude for what you have. The unfairness is global – we are all in this ‘unfairness’ together. When you start the process of itemising how much you can be grateful for, feelings of unfairness will be reduced.

Try to be less judgmental and more curious. This encourages us to ask questions; “why are the decision makers doing what they are doing?”, rather than “This is not going to work for me. I think it is a stupid decision”. Curiosity opens up possibility.

In summary – the more mindful we are in noticing “what and how” we are experiencing during this period in our lives, the better able we are to cope. Consider the above 5 brain domains and perhaps introduce the following simple actions into your day:

• Speak to people who acknowledge you and affirm you own personal sense of self-worth – your status
• Label what you are feeling. Be it uncertainty, despair, optimism or hope, identify it, and the brain will settle, merely as a result of the certainty of a label.
• Actively find your daily autonomy.  Where do you have the independence to make decisions for yourself?
• Remain close to your tribe, whoever they may be. Relate to them every day in one way or another.
• Acknowledging that unfairness is part of the experience of life.

Much of life is indeed fair, but right now a bigger consideration is perhaps the issue of rampant unfairness, and rampant inequality throughout the world, which now has the potential to be put firmly under the spotlight. And the potential too, to create a connection as one global tribe of Humanity by being kind to ourselves and to each other.

About the Author:

Lindsay Braithwaite is a Lead with Humanity Associate.  She is a specialist in people development, having worked for 30 years as a facilitator, and more recently in the past 12 years, as a Life and Business coach. Her focus is on emotional intelligence (EQ) and Coaching, using the latest advancements in Applied Neuroscience. She uses the practice of Mindfulness in all areas of her work.

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Why entrepreneurship is not merely an option

Many people believe that everyone is born a politician; and it is presumed this assertion emanates from the fact that most people would hardly miss a comment on political matters – even if they barely know anything. In comparison, rarely do you hear that everyone is born an entrepreneur, let alone finding random people talking about business ideas or entrepreneurial ventures. It just feels like a no-go-zone and many people start to shudder if asked whether they have ever considered becoming multi-millionaires through the entrepreneurial journey. The first thought is about the scarcity of capital, and then the dangers of living without a monthly paycheck. However, it is only when entrepreneurship is understood from the vantage point that its depth and ability to revolutionize our lives and the entire economy can be comprehended.

Why it matters

I would like to discuss a few points in support of entrepreneurship and why it has a pivotal role in the economic development of a country. Entrepreneurship is the act and art of being an entrepreneur or one who undertakes innovations or introducing new things, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods. It is simply the beginning of great dreams and the realization of the same. It is the nucleus of growth and the framework that supports personal and national development.

In support of their entrepreneurship program, the New York University President, John Sexton, said “the most complex problems will yield only to a combination of the deepest insights and the boldest willingness to act. So entrepreneurship occupies a special place at Universities; the span of higher education’s research enterprise and the interests of its scholars to advance human knowledge not only through enquiry into the fundamental nature of things, but also through a desire to apply knowledge to solve the problems of the societies in which we live”. And this is why it matters.

Everything in this world needs money, except for the free gifts from God such as the air we breathe and life itself. I nearly said water, but these days even water is being packaged in all forms and sizes to attract fat pockets. Utility water is even being rationed despite inviting mammoth monthly invoices. It is quite ironic for governments to be encouraging the citizenry to ‘go green’ whilst at the same time cautioning them to use water sparingly. You can only wonder when did water cease to be the main catalyst for green growth? I hope you captured my hidden lengthy oxymoron – read again!

That said, the money that develops families, institutions, religious establishments, and nations is not the monthly perks that employees eagerly get. That money can be called the pioneer fund or initial catalyst, since this is the money that brings ideas, demands savings, promises investments, and above all, inspires innovation through employer-employee frustrations. Entrepreneurship only comes into play after this “pioneer money” is transformed into seed money in order to bring forth more “monily colleagues” (more money). As Richard Branson puts it, there is no better way of making money than using money itself. However, with the passage of time, significant investment capital comes from external financiers such as angel investors and banks. 

If someone doesn’t get rich through traditional business or advanced entrepreneurship, then they would have either won a rotary or they are performing some larceny from a hot pot. The only disadvantage of such wealth is that it rarely lasts, and it has a tendency of destroying the life of the owner. It is bad news.

The place of entrepreneurship in economic growth

 In its simplest sense, the term entrepreneurship simply means money-making. All over the world, the big business brands such as Apple, Facebook, Walmart, McDonalds, are owned by people who are busy making money perpetually. Even when they choose to sleep, their brands are busy attracting more money for them. Ultimately the governments are quiet happy to be increasing their tax portions by the minute. Every cash-in by these businesses means a good “aha! Moment” for the government.  This is what we are talking about!

Apart from taxation, governments that are able to attract good multi-nationals, apart from boosting local enterprises, get to enjoy ancillary investments by the business owners, including business infrastructure (modern buildings, etc), corporate social responsibility initiatives, and creation of touristic hubs. It is an issue of “attract them and be known”.

One thing I have discovered through the years is that expectation is always a perfect breeding ground of miracles, and I am mostly interested in the manner this principle works in the investment world. It is utterly true that some miracles happen on dry ground; and it is even truer that some would only happen where there is tangible faith (that’s the expectation). At a national level, this faith occurs by initiating local investments progress before you can attract the global giants like some of those mentioned above. You firstly have to prove to the world that businesses can blossom in your environment, and that move acts as a natural due diligence for the foreign investors. For example, in the simplest sense, let locals produce fresh fruit juice using local resources, package it and place it on the shelves of local super & hyper-markets, plus some regional superstores and hotel tables; promote the products and make organic money. On a higher level, grow the economy by covering our backs through owning local fertilizer companies, cement producers, steel plants, glass manufacturers, ceramic producers, cereal processors, adequate energy drivers and provision of consistent clean water across the country; then we can comfortably shout on TV that our country is a top 100 investments destination in the world….aha, that’s how it works.

Entrepreneurship creates learning and employment opportunities and promotes competition, which is a perfect catalyst for quality and branding. A nation is only as developed as the brains of its people. More businesses would entail a demand for unique skills and specializations such as accounting, marketing, economics, information systems and IT. The existing ‘mini-universities’ would be encouraged to rise above the waves and prove that they can train a brilliant local resource ‘recruitable’ by international solid brands. Such resources would nevertheless require initial local training through local enterprises because ultimately these are the people who will be business champions in the coming decades. 

A nation’s progress is further notable through the ‘liquidity’ of its people and availability of basic necessities for life. There are some life essentials that are not debatable such health, food and education. These things need not fall within the category of luxuries, except in times when one needs to treat themselves to a higher standard of the same. But on the level plain, the consumption of proteins, rehabilitation equipment and learning materials should not only be provided to those with more per capita incomes (the elite few). If that happens then just know that the nation’s economic strata is questionable. So, of course we already have too many questions, but the climate appears to be alright. We are getting there limp by limp. An entrepreneurial culture changes all this as money gets trickled down to the average citizen, either through their own investment initiatives or through the help of some people who got tired at some point, and started working for themselves. I hope this sounds okay and resonates with ‘the tired-selected-few’

Encourage budding entrepreneurs   

It is very crucial to encourage young and zealous entrepreneurs and give them a place of productivity in the economy. Nations are built on the foundation of small and medium enterprises; they are the vault of progress and the assurance of the better world to come.

Budding entrepreneurs can be promoted through many ways; just to mention a few:

• Provision of revolving business loans;
• Incentivizing their type of raw materials;
• Provision of pro-bono expert training;
• Allocation of business or industrial zones or specialized plots;
• Provision of tax incentives;
• Promotion of local businesses and access to angel investors (locally and internationally);
• Policy-based promotions of local products and services;
• Creation or promotion of well-funded idea & business incubation centres;
• Among many others.

If you desire entrepreneurship, you desire a noble calling

Most people would agree that it appears a waste of time to devote 8 to 9 hours of work every day, striving to make profits for others to get a pie of their surplus cash only after 30 days. However, work is a higher calling in all forms, whether working for someone or for yourself. At least, you should not be a busy-body. Be able to thank God for your current position or circumstances and do everything as a service unto your God and not only for your earthly masters.

That said, employment denies you the optimization of your free-will, no matter how innovative you are. Every organization will have its own policies and procedures within which everyone must ‘robotically’ operate. A daily routine will be work for 5-6 hours, go eat for an hour, come back and work another 4-5 hours, go home. Your innovation gets restricted within the routine and it is always hard to get brilliant ideas on behalf of someone. This is the reason most innovators today have a history of quitting campuses, employment, partnerships, or they were indeed fired because of ‘professional disobedience’. Take the examples of Mr. Zuckerberg, Mr. Gates, the late Mr. Jobs. I know it is better to provide local examples than these American multi-billionaires (who obviously possess some form of formal education and some deep practical experience – do not be deceived), but I am also of the view that dreaming big breaks all boundaries!

Imagine waking up in the morning and all you are thinking about is investing your 9 hours into a personal project that will bring you lots of money plus generous opportunities to serve your country, mankind, and your maker. It may not be as simple as I am trying to put it in this publication, but believe me, this is what is called life. Abundant life. You learn to allocate productive actions to your schedule and decide when to have your lunch and coffee. You start to hire people that do things for you, and at the same time make positive impact in their lives, and their extended families.

As I alluded somewhere in this article, ‘everything’ demands money. I am not sure if you’ve ever seen this ancient saying: “People enjoy eating, and wine makes life happier. But money solves a lot of problems.” (Ecclesiastes 10:19).

When you become an entrepreneur, apart from the dream of having a lot of money for yourself and your family, the noblest duty is the impact that you will have on the society and the country at large. Your social contributions will become remarkable, and earth-shaking through job creation, help offered to the underprivileged including widows and orphans.

About the Author: Moses is a Partner in Provalue Risk Advisory Firm, a Malawian Risk & Internal Audit Consulting Practice, and he is an Accounting Fellow, Internal Audit Thought-Leader, Author, and Corporate Cultural Change Advocate.

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So, let’s talk about “a perfect storm”. This was the title of a great movie from 2000. In its time the special effects were good enough to get an academy nomination. The movie is about a fishing trawler which ignores from the weather office who had observed the mounting conditions for a massive storm. The crew ignored Hurricane warning and sailed into the teeth of a perfect storm.

For Leaders, COVID-19 has created the conditions for a perfect stress storm.

Does this mean that we will experience the perfect storm, no, but it could! Such a stress storm could creep up on us and our teams while we are busy trying to keep our worlds afloat.

What am I talking about? We can cope with stress right? Let’s be honest, in any leadership position there are “stressors” that is part of the deal. There are targets, KPI’s or performance standards, project deadlines, and a host of other challenges, which we and our teams are responsible for. We have bosses or shareholders who we account to. They rightly take their pound of Flesh! As leaders we need to demonstrate the ability to cope with these stresses. Our followers also need us to cope with this stress and lead with cool heads. This is part of what makes us good at our jobs!

So, what is this perfect stress storm stuff?

I have recently been asked to present a stress management program for a National Organisation whose leadership are working with clients who have experienced crises and grief as a consequence of COVID-19. While preparing workshop I went back through all the stress stuff I had been taught, and while doing so I began to see the potential for a perfect stress storm.

Like the weatherman in the movie, when we look at the different elements of what we know about stress we can see how a perfect storm could evolve for our teams and for our leaders.

1. We all know that when we experience protracted stress, our bodies experience abnormal levels of Adrenalin and Cortisol which over time can impact on our health and ultimately on life expectancy.

As far back as 1968 psychologists have identified that different stressful experiences can have a direct impact upon our health. *

• We need some levels of stress to function optimally. But there is a threshold. Once this threshold is passed – more stress will negatively impact upon our performance and ultimately cause significant performance failure. **

• We also know that when it comes to stress, we are we all different. Some of us can manage significant stress levels and others not so much. *** There is no crime in this and your ability to cope with stress does not define your abilities. However, we ignore our abilities to cope with stress at our peril.

What I am describing could be illustrated as a Threshold. A Personal Stress Threshold. When we go past this threshold, we increasingly lose the ability to cope. We battle to perform as we expect. We struggle make good decisions and we lose the ability to provide clear leadership. We overreact and we become fatigued. If this continues, we are at further risk.

What makes up this Threshold?

Firstly, part of what determines our personal stress threshold is our makeup or personality. How you are wired, to a large extent, will determine how you cope with stress. The same stressor will completely destroy one person, while another looks less affected. A very negative personality is less likely to bounce back from something that stresses them, than the optimist.

Secondly, each work function or role has some level of inherent stress. We probably have coped with our job’s inherent stress level for some time and under normal circumstances, we should be able to expect to continue to cope with, what we have managed before. So where is this perfect storm?

I would propose that as leaders, we need to be extra vigilant about our stress levels at the moment. COVID has introduced dynamics into our stress quota which we have not encountered before. These stressors will push us closer to our threshold. COVID has introduced a whole new range of new Stressors.

Consider the following:

1. Loss of someone close or the fear for the health and safety of those we love, adds a whole new list of stressors which will bring us closer to being exposed to our stress threshold.
2. Our own personal fears about COVID and our exposure. We have become very attuned to the Pandemic. Any sign of a sneeze and we immediately worry.
3. New financial reality’s and concerns have emerged, and while financials are a known stressor, COVID has now significantly exposed most of us.
4. Leaders are exposed to their team’s stressors. While good leaders are able to be truly empathetic and supportive, this takes a toll on the same leader’s personal stress levels. In the current environment, the more empathetic you are, the greater leader you are, but also the greater risk to your stress threshold.
5. Going to work has become a personal risk. A visit to the shops, has lost its appeal even for the most committed shopper. If you must see the doctor, or a client, this comes with a whole new set of challenges. I am sure that every time I put on a face mask; I can feel my blood pressure rise.
6. Being disconnected and distanced from our social network. This ultimately means that one of the core stress reduction mechanisms for most of us, our support systems, our friends and in many cases family, are not as available.
7. It is now well documented that remote or Socially distant working is stressful. The endless Zoom or whatever platform meetings, the never switch off. The tightrope of the retaining work-life balance while integrating home and office, is all adding to our stress levels.

The bottom line is that pre-COVID we were probably coping with the stressors of our positions and were, in most cases, safely within our stress threshold levels. In the current world, our stress threshold will be under pressure.

The stress weather forecaster could reasonably be sending out a weather warning. A perfect storm is gathering.

As leaders we have a responsibility to respond to our Stress storm. Our people depend on us. To serve them well we need to be able to protect ourselves first. How are we doing? Are the waves around us mounting and getting nasty? Are we reading the dark clouds on the horizon well? How close are you to your stress threshold? If COVID has done anything, it has taught us as leaders to take warning signs seriously.

Our teams equally are under pressure and each individual has their own stress thresholds and personal challenges. Keeping an eye on how our people are doing is our responsibility. Now is time for truly authentic empathetic Leaders.

If you think your stress threshold is at risk, you owe it to yourself as well as the people you lead to take it seriously. Leaders are at far greater risk if they fail to act now with a storm brewing, than if they admit that they might be at risk right now and begin to self-regulate their stress threshold.

There are many articles on the web about how to manage stress.

If you like we have an online stress management program you could register for. We also have a program on Empathy which could help a leader in the challenging world of showing Authentic Empathy, please see details below.

The post The Perfect Storm – Leadership, Stress and Empathy. appeared first on IEA.

In the world of taxation today, it is very important to realize or understand that satisfaction towards service quality provided to taxpayers by any revenue authority remain one of the criteria to influence taxpayers level of tax compliance.

This is in reference to a study made by Richardson (2000). In his study, he found out that if taxpayers are satisfied with the fairness of the tax law, the probability that they may engage in tax evasion is very negligible. This explains that taxpayers will be less involved in tax evasion if they believe the tax system is fair and equitable. This seems to be in line with what Beikaoui (2004) came up with by stating that effectiveness of the tax law has significant positive relationship with the level of tax compliance. This therefore supports the idea that taxpayers are more willing to comply with the tax laws when they are satisfied with the level of its effectiveness.

As an emphasis in matter on what has been said in the foregoing paragraph. Junainah (2002) in her study towards implementation of self-assessment system among taxpayers in Kola-Kinabalu-Malaysia, she found out that a greater percentage of taxpayers were unwilling to participate in the tax compliance survey because of the problems they found in filling tax returns and calculating income tax payable. This means that the respondents were not satisfied with the simplicity of the tax system.

In a different study on taxpayers satisfaction Talubi et al (2008) revealed that most respondents are not satisfied with the services provided by tax administration. Among the services provided are unavailability of servers for online transaction, lack of courtesy from staff members, problems to do with equipment breakdown and long queues she concludes.

Bagchi Bird and Dasgapta (1995) do observe that withholding tax at source has been universally found to increase tax compliance as long as the withholding tax agent is strictly monitored.

However Clotfeiter (1983) indicates that a higher tax rate leads to lower tax compliance. He finds that noncompliance increases significantly with magical tax rates.

Crave and Nouzad (1992) agree in total that tax evasion is positively affected by magical tax return.

The author who for a very long time worked for MRA does agree with the above observation that the higher the tax rates, the more likely are tax payers able to evade tax and indeed this syndrome exists in Malawi Revenue Authority.

According to Durbin and Wide (1988) there is strong evidence that quality audits are a tax compliance tool. This has been echoed by Dubin, Graetz and Wide (1990).

The author seems to agree with this observation on the understanding that in practice observation has it that where tax audits have been objectively conducted tax payers have never remained the same on tax compliance i.e. the levels of tax compliance have always increased with increased audits.

Pommerehie and Weck-Hamnemann (1989) think differently when he says that in most countries tax compliance may not be an issue of social service quality but rather social norms. What he means is that individual attitudes on government fairness with them may determine tax compliance.

The author seems to differ with this in that as far as tax compliance in MRA is concerned to a greater extent, it is influenced by service quality on tax products offered by MRA and very little or none at all on social norms.

Co-well and Gordon (1988) observed that individuals and corporations pay taxes because they value what they get in return for taxes.

The author seems to agree with this statement on the understanding that the more development projects government work on the higher the likelihood of people paying more taxes. They see the benefits of paying taxes.

The author agrees with the above observation with a practical example which happened between 1994 and 2004. The government of the day provided minimal development project, the consequence was a massive reduction on the tax compliance and this was the most difficult period ever experienced in the enforcement of tax.

Author: Donald M. Bondwe | Former Deputy Commissioner-MRA | Now-Tax Attorney and Advisor – Small Globe Consulting | E-mail: smallglobeconsulting | Contact: 0999950756

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A study done in America about people readiness to retire indicated that 90% of people prefer to work for life and never retire. A true story is told of a man in Blantyre who collapsed upon receiving a retirement letter and died, another man had his Blood pressure shot up and died later. Just recently one man received notice from the HR manager that he should get ready his retirement date is close, he didn’t take the message well, he left the office in anger  and never came back saying that people don’t want him. One man told me that by telling his colleagues to go on retirement when their days were due he has created a lot of enemies at his workplace. When he meets old colleagues in town they don’t talk to him seeing him as an evil person. I heard of a man who worked as the head of an academic institution but went back to ask for a job as a teacher just to get by.

What an irony when one should look at retirement as the time when one has labored for years should look forward to a time to rest and comfortably live on accumulated savings over the working life. Retirement should be a happy time, you don’t have to stress about going to work and yet you get an income.

But if this is the case then why would people be petrified of retiring? It’s because the majority of people are scared of going on retirement because they are not prepared financially, physiologically and even technically.

How great it would have been for people to remember that whether one has a full time or part time job or indeed managing their own personal or family business, all of us will retire at some point.

People are generally scared on retirement because it entails the end of regular inflow of funds into one’s bank account. Just the mere thought imminent dry spell scares most people like a monster, scaring most people to death. A lot of people get to retirement age when they have not yet set their house in order.

At this stage most of them still have debts, are still in the process of buying or building a house, have huge education bills to pay for our children and all this needs a steady source of income. As a result most people seek for opportunities to be given an employment extension for a few more years hoping that they will be able to achieve the financial security that they have failed to achieve in their entire working life. It’s very questionable that if one has failed to plan all these past years will an extra three years make up for what one should have done in the past 30 years? In the haste to catch up, most people make mistakes, some get to a point of getting into new debts hoping to establish their new life with this debt. Sometimes risking the little assets that they have acquired thus far and they end up worse off than before. There are some people who actually indulge in unethical behavior in an attempt to generate as much quick money as they can. All this comes because the majority of us have no retirement plan on how to generate income to sustain our lives during their retirement.

It’s so amazing that most of us know that we will retire by a certain date, but we do nothing at all to decide on what we will be doing after retirement, we wait until the retirement date comes and start wondering what we should be doing next. But planning for retirement activity should happen well before the dawn of the retirement date. 

Some people have no house of their own, they live in institutional houses and suddenly when their retirement age comes, they now start the process of building a house, this usually does not work very well most the people fail to complete such houses, the retirement package the money usually runs out before the project is completed. The best time to engage into such huge projects is when you are energetic and you have a sure steady source of funds. There is a lot of stress that retired people experience unfortunately it gets to a point of causing health problems to some people. The lack of money, loss of friends, idleness, loss of prestige, power and identity, disappear overnight when one losses their position are great ingredients to depression and the body easily gives in to stress.

It’s therefore extremely important that we should plan for retirement well in advance. The planning should be both psychologically, financially and physically.

A word to Employers

Beyond the mandatory minimum pension contribution of 10% organisations have a duty to help their employees to plan for retirement very well. The help should come from not only contributing for their pension but also by providing them with trainings opportunities for personal financial management skills and including retirement planning skills. Sadly few organizations and individuals prepare for this, leading to reduced productivity in the final years at work, lack of focus, poor health and early death in retirement. Retirement is one of the biggest lifestyle changes an employee will face. Due to rising longevity, it is becoming increasingly important that staff prepare effectively for retirement, both financially and in terms of lifestyle provision. Providing assistance to help employees plan for this transition is an important aspect of support staff during their time within an organization to help them make more informed decisions for a more secure and rewarding retirement. Since most employees including those in finance lack retirement planning skills it’s the duty of the employer to prepare their older staff for a happy life in retirement since retirees live miserably and pass on shortly after retirement from active work life. Research also shows that this happens simply because potential retirees are rarely prepared for their retirement. 

When to start planning

Planning for retirement is a combination of long term, medium term as well as short term initiatives. The longer one prepares for retirement the easier and less stressful it becomes. When you start planning early you don’t have to invest as much money at once as would be the case when you start your retirement investing late in life. When you start investing early you will accumulate more retirement funds than someone who started late in life.

Long term planning – On the day when one starts their working life, retirement planning should already kick in at this early point in life. The good news is that employers are legally bound to provide for pension contributions for all employees. Where an employer has more than five employees, the employer shall provide pension for those employees. The employee is also mandated to contribute. The minimum contribution is 10% of employee’s salary by the employer; and a minimum of 5% by the employee. In addition to these pension contributions one can elect to top up with and additional amount over the contributions mandatory contributions. This will help to increase the amount of money that one will receive during retirement. In addition, one can buy a separate insurance policy that will deduct a small amount of money every month but after a whole working life, it will be all smiles to cash this cheque upon reaching retirement age. Self-employed people can also contribute money every month towards retirement. At this point most people don’t have a lot of money, they are trying to establish themselves in life they spend a lot of money to procure basic capex necessities of life and they struggle to raise additional revenue that could be put into a wide range of investments. Sometimes people get some unplanned money, it could be a bonus or anything. It will be prudent to invest part of that money in one off investment products like shares and watch them grow. In addition some people have talents which could be used to generate money for retirement. Cultivate those talents and plan to turn them into retirement money.

Medium term planning – This is the stage between 40 to 55 years. This is the time when most people have settled down, basic needs have been provided for most people have advanced in their career life and disposable income is relatively higher. At this point one should plan to invest in different assets such as real estate, commercial papers, shares and more insurance policies those with a high pay out amount at the end. One should also start thinking of investing in some business enterprise. It’s possible to run a small business operation while still holding to a full time job. This would be a great fallback position not only for retirement but also in the event of a sudden loss of a job. In fact if the business is viable you can actually leave your employment and focus on running your business. This is the most important phase for one to plan for their retirement. Anyone who fails to invest for their retirement at this stage has completely failed to plan for their retirement. After this phase it’s not easy for someone who has never done anything for their retirement to do anything substantial. There are a few exceptions of course but overall don’t miss your best time to plan. Use this window to invest for your future as much as possible.

Short term planning – This is the sunset phase of life. Most people retire between 55 and 65. During this phase those who are still engaged in active business or employment can still invest for their retirement but should be very careful not to invest in risky assets. All efforts should be taken to guard against loss of anything that they have worked hard for in their active phase of life. Planning for retirement here should involve investing in short term assets like money market instruments such as treasury bills, clearing all debts, and changing lifestyle to reduce monthly overheads. It’s very dangerous to go on retirement while you still have debts. The likely consequence is that one will lose their hard earned assets owing to failure to service debts. Our lifestyles should be comfortably supported by our income. Retirement often means a significantly reduced inflow of income so it’s important that as one approached retirement there should be a deliberate attempt to trim down on outflows to avoid a system shock. At this age if one has been unable to build or buy a house of their dream it is a mistake to do so at this stage expect for the very few who may have very large savings. But generally this is a time to settle for just a basic accommodation something that one can buy in cash or build and complete in full. Many times people underestimate the full cost of construction they get excited with the lump sum money that one gets at retirement and they start building a mansion. Often times these mansions are never completed. The money runs out midway. Sadly a number of people leave uncompleted houses behind. If you need to build go for something small and basic, complete it and then live in peace.

Retirement Benefits

Pension funds can be accessed upon retirement i.e, when the member has reached retirement age or the member has retired on the basis of long years of service i.e. 20 years of continuous service under the same employer, or when one has ceased from their personal business activities, when one dies or when one has ill health. A member who is about to leave or has left Malawi permanently is also entitled to access their pension benefits

Upon retirement a lump sum about 40% of the value of their pension fund is received by the retired employee. This amount is exempted from tax. In addition the employee will receive annuities but it’s usually a small amount so if one wants to maintain their standard of living it’s important to have plans today on how supplement this money with other incomes sources.

If well planned retirement can be a happy time where one can rest and also volunteer to help in some activities just to keep the mind engaged not really for the sake of earning a living. So plan and retire happy.

Best time to retire

The best time to retire is as early as possible. Don’t wait to be chased away because of age. Take charge, be the one to say good bye. You can retire early when you have worked for more than 20 years at the same institution even when you have not reached retirement age.

It is more than money

Planning for a happy retirement goes beyond money. You need to plan for key essentials such as health, your working space, friends, family, a home, mobility, activity. Don’t be sacred of retirement look forward to retirement! For a full training about retirement planning contact Sycamore Consult Limited at +265991388779 or info@sycamoreconsult.org, www.sycamoreconsult.org

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Quality is more than just a statistical analysis tool for manufacturing lines. When done right, quality should encompass the entire enterprise. Some 50 years after the advent of the Total Quality Management (TQM) drive championed by W. Edwards Deming, manufacturers of all different sizes and stripes are still being dogged by high profile manufacturing quality defects. The list is long, and getting longer every week, and crosses every manufacturing vertically, but many are still at lip-service level agreement with the means required to reach the necessary ends. However, TALK is cheap-RECALLS are not.

Talk to the manufacturing community about quality’s place in today’s environment and a clear pattern emerge – companies are finally grasping the “shared responsibility” aspect of Deming’s teachings. If quality is truly everyone’s responsibility, then the idea goes beyond the shop floor and into the front office, the service department and everywhere else that provides value to customers and shareholders. Ron Atkinson, Chairman of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), has been watching this trend unfold. He describes the path that the idea of quality management in manufacturing has taken over the years. According to Atkinson, concepts crucial to establishing a top-quality manufacturing line have been driven upstream, and expanded to become part of an overall continuous improvement strategy. “Quality has become a systems approach, rather than focusing on one part at a time and whether it’s dimensionally correct. Quality is continuous improvement.”

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, skilled craftsmen performed all stages of production. Pride of workmanship and reputation often provided the motivation to see that the job was done right. One person or a small group of people were responsible for an entire product. A division of labor accompanied the Industrial Revolution; each worker was then responsible for only a small portion of each product. Pride of workmanship became less meaningful because workers could no longer identify readily with the final product. The responsibility for quality then shifted to the foremen. Inspection was either nonexistent or haphazard, although in some instances 100 percent inspection was used.

Frederick Winslow Taylor, the “Father of Scientific Management,” gave new emphasis to quality by including product inspection and gauging in his list of fundamental areas of manufacturing management. G.S. Radford improved Taylor’s methods. Two of his most significant contributions were the notions of involving quality considerations early in the product design stage and making connections among high quality, increased productivity, and lower costs. A core of quality pioneers has shaped current thinking and practice and their key contributions to the field are immensely being appreciated. Walter Shewhart was a genuine pioneer in the field of quality control, and he became known as the “Father of Statistical Quality Control.” He developed control charts for analyzing the output of processes to determine when corrective action was necessary. Shewhart had a strong influence on the thinking of two other gurus, W. Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran.

W. Edwards Deming. Deming, a statistics professor at New York University in the 1940s, went to Japan after World War II to assist the Japanese in improving quality and productivity. The Union of Japanese Scientists, who had invited Deming, were so impressed that in 1951, after a series of lectures presented by Deming, they established the Deming Prize, which is awarded annually to firms that distinguish themselves with quality management programs. Although the Japanese revered Deming, he was largely unknown to business leaders in the United States. In fact, he worked with the Japanese for almost 30 years before he gained recognition in his own country. Before his death in 1993, U.S. companies turned their attention to Deming, embraced his philosophy, and requested his assistance in setting up quality improvement programs.

Deming compiled a famous list of 14 points he believed were the prescription needed to achieve quality in any organization. His message was that the cause of inefficiency and poor quality is the SYSTEM, not the EMPLOYEES. Deming felt that it was management’s responsibility to correct the system to achieve the desired results. In addition to the 14 points, Deming stressed the need to reduce variation in output (deviation from a standard), which can be accomplished by distinguishing between special causes of variation (i.e., correctable) and common causes of variation (i.e., random). Deming’s concept of profound knowledge incorporates the beliefs and values about learning that guided Japan’s rise to a world economic power.

Don’t miss out and lose out as we discuss W. Edwards Deming’s 14 points DOSAGE in our next Publication.

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Very early in my career I was a consultant at a global strategy consulting firm. It was my first professional job and I had a lot to learn. I was justly excited when my first assignment saw me being allocated to a government case. I was the most junior person in a highly skilled team that had been drawn from all over the world and included subject matter experts, strategy experts and government stakeholders. It was 1998 and South Africa was doing exciting things.

I’m not sure if it is just the haze of nostalgic memory as I look back more than 20 years ago, but there was a sense of energy and possibility in the years following the 1994 elections. That same sense of collective excitement and dedication permeated this case; which gave everyone who was part of it, a chance to craft a 20 year strategy for a critical part of the economy. As a result, most of us felt very privileged to be part of such work.

After 18 months of rigorous and detailed analysis by all manner of experts and stakeholders, the final report was presented to Cabinet, headed, at the time, by President Nelson Mandela. I was too junior to be in the room during the presentation but I spoke afterwards to a senior member of the team. I asked him how it had gone and he thought rather well. This was not surprising, because the work we had done was exceptional.  It  was very clear what the “objectively correct” strategy was for government to follow if it was going to achieve what it had set out to for the country as a whole.

Given the positive reception to the recommendations, I was excited to see where this would lead us.  I said as much to my colleague, who took  a moment to respond to me. When he did, he said something that has stayed with me ever since: “You know of course that the gap between the ‘best’ and ‘most correct’ strategy, which is the one that we have just presented, and what is actually going to happen, is all about power and politics.”

He was absolutely right. The strategy that we presented was one thing, but what actually happened in the years that followed was very different in many fundamental ways to what we had put on the table.

This reality is one that most people find difficult, if not distasteful, to accept. The idea that behind the scenes, informal, unofficial conversations and decisions are what sway the day is one that most people – even very talented, senior and intelligent people – recoil against.

At its heart, politics is simply about influencing others to get things done and it is an organisational dynamic that is inescapable. When you have people, power, limited resources and competing agendas, you have politics. As Bolman and Deal’s research put it so well: “The question is not whether organisations will have politics, but what kind of politics they will have. Politics can be energising or debilitating, hostile or constructive, devastating or creative.”

In my experience of lecturing in office politics however, it is rare that delegates see the positive or ethical potential in politics. Instead, they have usually only heard (and told) a single story of politics: Politics is unfair, unpleasant and underhanded. Or in one word, unprincipled.

This single story can be extremely damaging, with all kinds of opportunity costs.  Why? Because it’s a story of bad politics only, ie the kind of “wrangling, maneuvering, sucking up, backstabbing, and rumor mongering people use to advance themselves at the expense of other people or the organization. Bad politics are, at the heart, about promoting oneself by any means necessary. And really bad politics are about being sneaky, perhaps even Machiavellian or immoral, to intentionally harm someone else for personal gain.”

Of course, these kinds of politics exist. We would be naïve to think otherwise. However there is an entirely different story that seldom gets discussed. As a result, it is poorly understood. This is the story of principled and necessary politics. These are the entirely acceptable and legitimate ways of being recognised, of influencing what happens and doesn’t and of guiding decision making.

The ultimate difference between the game of ‘good politics’ and ‘bad politics’ lies in the principles of the people playing them and the purposes for which they are playing them.

In my keynotes and lectures, and now in my book, I help people understand,  usually for the very first time,  this vital distinction. It is certainly something that I was oblivious to for much of my career. As a result, I was equally oblivious to the reality that I had, not only, an opportunity, but an obligation, to use politics ethically, to benefit not just my career but the success of my team and my organisation as a whole.

Getting people to this realisation is usually a defining point in their career. I can understand that – it was a defining moment in mine.

As such, when Gandhi identified politics without principle as one of his seven deadly sins for humanity he was entirely correct. In fact, I would say that not only is it a deadly sin but it is a failure too. A failure of imagination, of possibility, of connection, of morality and of meaningful professional and personal impact for our own sake and for the sake of others.

Why? Well, in the words of another eminent son of Indian soil: Jawaharlal Nehru. “Failure only comes when we forget our ideals and objectives and principles”.

About the Author:

Niven is an Associate of Lead with Humanity and Author. She is a visiting lecturer at Henley Business School where she offers a day long course on Navigting Office Politics and has recently published a book on the subject. She works at a senior and executive level in business, civil society and the public sector. She moves fluently between strategy development and executive, working with diverse people in diverse contexts.  Niven is driven by making meaningful contributions through creativity, collaboration and connections.

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End-of-year Reflections

In order to make the most of the year ahead, you need a map to guide you. I’ll tell you what I use to make a plan and see what you think.

You need 20/20 Vision for 2021

There is too much distraction with the news, personal issues, and resolutions. There is chaos in the world. If you trudge too far down the path into late January or February . . . you’ll never know where you want to go. Your aspirations will not materialise or come true.

Taking responsibility for ourselves and committing make a difference is the only way.

You think about what you love to do, writing, speaking, leading, starting a new business, whatever, and make sure it serves the customers. The same step to stopping chaos in the world. Create 10 big goals for all the roles you play. You make a one-page plan for 2021, write it up, and follow the priorities to make it come true.

You may be thinking, is it worth planning when so much is out of my and our control.

Do you feel like your goals for 2020 had to be suspended?

I know most of my goals were. Having said that, my highest guide in 2020 emerged through my paying attention to what was happening to me and around me. I observed, I had to let go of what I could not control, I let living in the moment guide me of how I stepped into each day of 2020 since March to date.

I have also accepted, and there has been a lot of accepting this year, to focus on the life as a teacher that have emerged in my life, asking myself, what am I supposed to learn?

My vision and goals for the year certainly did not include doing a course on death and dying, living with dignity. I am part of a trio that launched a chapter of the ‘Death Café’ offering people a space to engage with the curiosities about life and death. I lectured online to Masters Students studying coaching, I was a speaker at a virtual annual business school breakfast. Opening myself up to presented, taking me out of my comfort zone, has unfolded amazing gifts about myself which I would not have explored had it not been for 2020.

I have engaged in a reflective process annually for the past 15 years, the last 14 have pretty much followed the path I laid out ending a year and inviting the next.

This year is quite different in that my goals are materially different and I am thrilled with what had emerged.

Making My 2021 plan

My husband and I have been discussing what we think we might want to plan for the upcoming year, recognising that our conversations have shifted and taken on a different essence. Below are some of my goals.

Continuing my journey that started in 2020, living with COVID-19 and all that it has brought into my life and the world, these are some of my outcomes:

• A spiritual path that’s vibrant and alive, giving my life meaning and motivation
• A life in balance in the way I always hoped, taking green walks, stopping at looking at the birds, admiring a sunset, watching people with curiosity and kindness
• A husband who is fun, kind, bright, my biggest fan, and loves me just as I am
• Financial sufficiency that allows us to contribute to our family and to the causes we believe in
• Creative juices that are there when I need them
• A business that has reached people and organisations in many parts of the world. Helping them to transform their lives and achieve their most important goals, year after year, and It offers me the opportunity to live my passion and purpose, and
• To learn, grow and transform through every interaction. 

Let me describe how it went up until January 2020.

By the end of the two-and-a-half hours, we were transformed, we were enthusiastic and ready to tackle our plans. We each had 10 goals, which we were ready to “vigorously act” on. We were motivated! Sometimes this process offered a way to leave the problems behind. We would review these quarterly, since life is not lived only through a plan and a straight line to achieving its objectives. 

The goals were explicitly about doing, and on hindsight less balanced.

My intention for 2021 and beyond is devoted to discovering more of who I truly am, so I can tap into more of my wisdom to help make our world a happier place for everyone. A world where I can contribute to what is right and fair for all living and non-living that make up our world.

I have shared this process with my coaching clients, here is some feedback I am sharing on how it impacted some of their lives.

• What happened when I decided to stop being broke
• Ready to get the upper hand with your excuses
• The greatest challenge for most of us is that excuses rule the day, so we don’t get around to what matters most, the aspirations that are truly life-changing:

• Repurpose or cancel the meetings clogging my day
• Book a meeting with the boss to discuss a promotion
• Take control of my financial situation
• Make the connections that make the…a difference, which relationships I build, which I need to improve on and, which I need to let go of
• How to get past the mind in a muddle, lost in procrastination, The simple way to live with a clear mind

If you want your life to matter the way you think, you have to have a plan. If I don’t have a plan for the day, week, month, I wander around wherever my attention leads me. Sound familiar?

So how do I do it, want to make a plan?

First I suggest get yourself a journal

A regular exercise book, or Many moleskin varieties available. You could get yourself a guided journal, Michelle Obama as recently developed one called ‘Becoming.’ Inquire at your local bookstore. Find a quest place and work out what time of day is best to reflect, for you.

NB: you may be tempted to do this on your laptop, can I invite you to consider writing instead, the reason being, when we write, our thoughts are brought into the physical world directly by writing and we thereby embody what we are thinking. Brain scans while people were writing display a number of parts of the brain being lit up. This tells us the brain, whilst writing, is integrating different things. Our writing offers us the ability to observe and reflect what we though, consciously or unconsciously. Some say it is our highest form of self-guidance. 

Secondly, you can start answering the following questions in your journal.

Here are six questions I came across many years ago that I use to reflect. The questions are structured to guide you to review the year gone by and then to look forward

1. What did I accomplish in the last twelve months?
2. What did I learn about myself from my accomplishments?
3. What were my biggest disappointments?
4. What is it that I contributed to my disappointments?
5. What did I learn about myself from my disappointments?
6. What is a guideline I can write for myself when I reflect on what I have learnt from the last 12 months?

These questions leads you to a reflective practice which is a way of studying your experiences to improve the way you work. The purpose of reflection is to improve yourself, as well as understanding your leadership and management practice and behaviours better, this then improves the context that your leadership takes place in.

Being able to reflect is a valuable skill to have both during your

learning journey and for the workplace. It helps you to think

about your experiences, why things happened the way they

did and how you can improve on these experiences in future.

This article offers a high level process to guide you through the

basics of what reflective practice is, its benefits, how to integrate

it into your everyday life and the basics of reflective writing.

If you are not used to being reflective it can be hard to know where to start the process.

So, how do you start writing in a reflective way?

Writing reflectively involves critically analysing an experience, recording how it has impacted you and what you plan to do with your new knowledge. It can help you to reflect on a deeper level as the act of getting something down on paper often helps people to think an experience through.

The key to reflective writing is to be analytical rather than descriptive. Always ask why rather than describing what happened during an experience. 

How is it different from writing an essay, for example

1. Reflect on your experience. Think about what you did,

thought, and felt at the time.• … 

• Reflect on your learning. Analyze your experience and

compare to the models or principles that you want to follow.• … 

• Apply to your practice. Apply your learning to your practice.

As a leader, it is important to make sure you are maximizing the effect you can have in your organisation. The people you lead depend on you to help create data-driven changes so you want to make sure you are doing everything you can in that venture. One of the best ways to reflect back on your year is to get feedback from the people you work with the most, your stakeholders. A great way to get feedback is through conducting your own informal survey with them.

This process allows you to gain deeper understanding of yourself as a leader, as an individual team member because it allows you to clearly identify next steps in the work you need to do on self for better impact.

Self-reflection is what coaches do every day. It is not only important for coaches to self-reflect, but it would be meaningful too to have your clients do the same.

One important aspect of personalized learning is the reflection piece

Conclusion

This article guides you on just one of the reflective processes that are available. You may find one that works for you. My aim is to provide a useful guide or place to start but reflection is a very personal process and everyone will work towards it in a different way. Take some time to try different approaches until you find the one that works for you. You may find that as time goes on and you develop as a reflective practitioner that you try different methods which suit your current circumstances. The important part is that it works, if it doesn’t then you may need to move on and try something else.

Experimenting with this practice, at the very least will give you three insights:

1. Your greatest accomplishment (the area in which you grew the most)
2. Something that you are better at now than at the beginning of the year.
3. Something that is still challenging for you.

Khatija Saley

Khatija@Generativeconversations.co.za

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