IT WAS THE CONFERENCE OF 2008
Sue Milne

It was the year of good celebration for, undoubtedly, this Conference was a real winner having a record breaking turnout of some 135 delegates, this when we had originally only aimed for a breakeven at 70! How sad we were to have turned away many, eager “wanna-be” participants - on the other hand how thrilled we were to advertise in the media “Conference Fully Booked” in large capital letters.  Most of our members took advantage of the very reasonable early bird pricing which meant we were practically sold out one month in advance.  Oh joy of joys!

As the saying goes, it would be wise to cross off your diary for 22 and 23 May 2009 as we have already booked the Auditorium at Spier which will take up to 240 to accommodate a larger attendance and to include those who could not make it this time.

The Spier Wine Estate was a huge draw card. It was delightfully different in a luxurious, country setting and a mere half hour from home (outside of peak traffic).  If you were to book your accommodation the night before, you could sample their delicious menu and enjoy the modern ambience of the hotel itself and so avoid wrestling with your alarm clock in the early hours of the morning.

We were once again privileged to secure John Lloyd as Master of Ceremonies.  He is familiar with the recruitment industry and he knows many of the delegates.  This is the reason why he puts so much energy into his role, even if it is sometimes at the expense of others, but his desire is to break the ice in a fun, friendly, humorous manner to create a relaxed and participative audience. 

The Speakers were core to the success of the Conference and one obviously gets those who are more popular than others.  Their attraction in most cases is dependent purely on the subject matter, or, sometimes, where they are placed in the programme and after whom and they lose votes through no real fault of their own.  Your hard working Committee tried to bring an all round balance covering training, political influences on the industry, labour law legislation, disability and motivation.  We cannot just focus on motivation alone.

Each speaker gets a mention later on, but had the writer known that she would have to give feedback, she would have taken copious notes!

Drinks in the Rose Garden:
As coal fires burned and flares flamed, we were bongo drummed to the beat of Africa, as we wound our way over cobbled paving, past the sound of falling water via bamboo furrows onto tin artworks and rounded pebbles, to the charming Rose Garden where colourful drinks were served in muted light. Delegates, after an inspiring, possibly tiring day, stood around in their casuals chatting, networking and hoping against hope that they would be the recipients of the wonderful gifts from the exhibitors who did us proud.  One prize alone was enough as a crowd puller let alone the variety we had on offer:

Prizes:
INKOGNITO
-   A free hand writing analysis 
GLOBAL BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
-   Free training of your choice from their calendar
-   A book written by CEO, Jonathan Goldberg “Broad-Based Black Economic  
Empowerment – Final Codes and Scorecard 
PARALLEL SOFTWARE
-   Six months subscription to Placement Partner and free user training
SILVERSKY
-   Rocket Recruitment Software package to the value of R20 000 including installation, training and one year’s free subscription for 5 users
APSO
Two coffee table nature books:
-   Photographic Wild Life book
-   Endangered Wild Life Trust Annual
JOBSTATION
-   Two years free service on their web site
-   iPod Nano

Happy recipients:
Prizes were won by Star Personnel, Source Recruitment, Contact Personnel and most of the rest, if my memory serves me correctly, were won by Contract Accountants.  The lesson to be learned is that the more staff you send the more prizes you will win.  It’s all about a numbers game!  Wouldn’t all this entice you to attend next year?

Moyo Restaurant:
Moyo, I am sure known to most of you, proved yet again to provide the vibey, African/Moroccan atmosphere where the shows are lively, the mood is intoxicatingly exciting and the rhythmic beat encourages even those not prone to exhibitionism to let their hair down and dance with passionate abandon. If you enjoy food, covered stalls extend from one side of the Moroccan tent to another. Taste buds were tempted by braais, stews and potjiekos with mountainous varieties of meats being game, beef, chicken, kebabs as well as fish, shell fish, salads, vegetable dishes, puddings, cheese cakes and sweet koeksisters.  The smell of garlic, chilli, coriander and wood smoke wafted through the air - all adding to the ambience and camaraderie that was easily evolving.   
Rumour has it that after Moyo closed, networking was so good that a number of delegates squeezed into a certain black Hummer to discover the student haunts of Stellenbosch.  The partying continued into the early hours of the morn.

Feedback on the Speakers:
Please note that these are mere snippets from well prepared speeches and the writer does not do justice to the tremendous preparation that went into them.

Awareness of Disability was created through a play.  The Conference kicked off with the very polished and brilliant acting as well as singing by Pedro Kruger in “Normality” written by Hennie van Greunen - both Directors of Wordsmith’s Theatre Factory. Incidentally, his sister Karen Smit, a person with disability, runs the disability programme at Vodacom.  The play made us laugh and it made us cry, yet it highlighted in harsh terms the tragedy and the difficulties experienced by anyone with a disability.  Pedro cleverly presented a hard hitting and powerful message that “normality” is actually in the eye of the beholder.  This was a wakeup call for many even though rather harsh first thing in the morning.

Elias Monage, President of APSO, had to present a difficult, but much needed topic on the Political Landscapes and its effects on the Recruitment Industry.

Natalie Leonard was a new face on the block.  This was of a training nature focusing on Customer Service to a large extent sadly lacking in our industry.

Going for Customer Devotion was her motto.

• Remain humble
• Think of every customer as a long term relationship
• Service is in the detail – spell check, re-read emails, send birthday cards and generally show them that you care
• Great service organisations really know their customers – research is vital
• See customer complaints as a great opportunity to wow them
• Remember that your employees are just as important as your customers
• Follow up and follow through
• Never underestimate a sincere thank you
• Always watch your appearance

Professor Tim Noakes presented “Lessons from the 2007 Rugby World Cup: The role of self belief in elite sporting performance”.  Tim was clearly one of the most outstanding and inspirational motivational speakers who created a WOW experience through his passionate interest and sincere rendering of his subject.  Even though most of the audience was predominantly female and the game rugby, he had our 200% attention throughout. His slides and quotes by famous sports men and women were beautifully presented.

Very briefly his message as follows:

• What you really believe will happen, will happen
• You have to believe that it is your destiny
• If you have the chance and you don’t take it you may regret it for the rest of your life
• You have to see the future and see it as the past
• You have to believe - you cannot have doubt
• Thoughts do not have to be true
• The mental barrier is the hardest thing to overcome
• You must believe that your going to win even before you start
• Attitude determines preparation
• Preparation determines performance

To summarise the above:

• Set goals
• See the future as the past
• Prepare
• The mental hurdle is the main barrier
• Self belief

For those of you who have time on your hands, Professor Tim Noakes recommended the book “Conquering the Impossible” by Mike Horn who recently walked and paddled around the Antarctic. 

John Botha: “The Future of the TES Industry”
John Botha brought with him a wealth of knowledge and presented a well researched and a very informative topic
interspersed with a dry sense of humour.  John Botha remains a true professional and will be invited again.

Current challenges were highlighted in what he claims is an R18 billion industry:

• Calls from the Unions to close TES (as has been done in Namibia)
• Call for 3 months/3 roll-on contracts
• Definition of the workplace
• Bargaining Council’s curtailment of TES Industry. He is litigating against the Bargaining Council as they are abusing bargaining process
• Poor DOL enforcement
• Calls to increase benefits being Provident Fund and Pension

Opportunities:

• War for talent (not being managed effectively between assignments)
• Job and skills creation through Learner- ships/Apprenticeships/Academy
• Economic instability
• Modern labour market
• Good industry growth and diversification opportunities
• Representation on Forums (NEDLAC,BUSA, NSA, CCMA)

The future:

• Either Government or Tripartite Regulation
• Octopus Mentality (Must be represented at other organisations)
• Increased collective bargaining efforts to restrict industry
• Focus on social security, retirement benefits and equal pay
• Diversification – high growth positions/ outsourcing/skills development core to staffing value proposition

Mark Coetzee: “Courting our clients or not”
Mark in his usual style was upbeat and in your face but remained entertaining and energetic. For some reason he cut short his presentation and delegates were left feeling that they wanted more. His excuse – he was making up for lost speaker time!
Mark posed the question: In which category do you belong?
1)    Agency - where we hatch, match and despatch behaving more like a Pimp, or
2)    Consultancy - where we listen, understand, research and visit the client

He stressed that:

• We should be in the client’s business
• We need to understand the client’s business
• Do we really know what our clients want?

Bodily action needs to sell. A super biller interviews, gets face to face with the client and is on the phone continuously. 
Consultants must move away from the practice of just e-mailing a CV.

We are judged by the people we keep and by the service we deliver
Mark questioned our Reasons for Leaving on CVs

• Better prospects
• To be discussed at the interview
• Nowhere to move around
• No opportunity for growth

Consultants must rather zone in on key areas where skill set fits the job description and where the candidate can fit in
Consultants must have clarity and consistency with a super biller mentality
Consultants need to have Category A and Category B clients
Consultants should not be afraid to ask 20% as a fee. 
An Agency will struggle to ask for that fee because of their business methods. 
An Agency is not consulting if merely e-mailing CVs which has no human touch.

Mark’s challenge to us:
Get up and engage with the client

Ernst van Dyk, Para Olympic Cyclist
“Overcoming Adversity through Sport”
Ernst van Dyk came across as a true hero and delegates were humbled yet totally inspired with his motivational speech.  He was certainly one of the best as he spoke with the utmost sincerity and from his very heart about his passion and determination, despite all odds, to become a Para Olympic cyclist.

Ernst was born with a congenital defect.  This resulted in the incomplete development of his legs and right arm.  At the age of 33, he is already a veteran of four Para Olympic Games and a multiple medallist in arguably the most competitive event in disabled sport - wheelchair racing.  In 2005/6 Ernst received the coveted Laureus Award for the world’s best disabled athlete.
Ernst talked about his life and the road he took to get to the top – overcoming adversity, setting goals and making sense out of severe setbacks in life and living the dream.  It’s about finding meaning in life and making the best of the cards you are dealt.

Regardless of his 13 years as an elite competitor, Ernst said his biggest personal accomplishment was earning his University
Degree, making him the first ever disabled person to graduate with a Degree in Sport Science from the University of Stellenbosch. 

From the doctor who said “he would lack quality in life”, Ernst now uses these words to fuel the flame of victory inside him.

His parting words to succeed were:

• One needs to have a goal and a purpose in life
• Bounce is essential – when life knocks you down you have to get up and bounce back
• It is very important to spread your energy and lead a balanced life

Councillor Belinda Walker
“Recruiting in a Skills Short Environment”
Human Capital Strategy for City of Cape Town
Belinda Walker was a very erudite and professional speaker having very definite ideas on the way forward. Supposedly this comes from being surrounded by politicians.

While the City of Cape Town is focusing on a skills retention strategy, she highlighted the scarce skills within the engineering field. 

Currently there were 240 engineers, 226 technologists and 253 technicians.  Almost 1200 civil engineering professionals are required to fill vacant posts in Local Government.  SAICE has estimated that an additional 6000 civil engineering professionals will be needed to meet the demands of the Public and Private Sector. She also expressed concerns about whether the Green Point Stadium would be completed in time for 2010.

The City of Cape Town had installed a SAP System in 2002 to streamline processes with the merging of municipalities.

There was so much more but Belinda believed strongly that there was a need to move to an investment based economy and to try and move away from just a tourism based economy.

John Lloyd
“Essential Skills for a Street Smart Negotiator”

Conference MC, John Lloyd, doubled as a speaker at the APSO conference and spent an hour on the Saturday morning sharing valuable skills, tools and techniques on the most important of all business skills, negotiation.

What is effective negotiation? Negotiation is the art of letting them have your way.

For many people, the mere fact that the transaction they are about to undertake is named ‘negotiation’ causes them to feel uncomfortable and creates stress, but ‘negotiation’ isn’t just a business concept for managers and salespeople – negotiation skills can be applied very effectively in all areas of your life. In life, as in business, you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you plan, prepare for, and negotiate. We negotiate every day - with our colleagues, family members and friends. People fail to realise that many of the interactions we engage in are a form of negotiation. Many of us dislike negotiating because we are afraid of being taken advantage of. The outcomes are not always what we expect and we don’t always win.

Effective negotiation can be fun and rewarding if you know what you are doing, and the ability to negotiate effectively is crucial in today’s challenging business world and in your private life.  Here are a few tips you can use to improve your negotiation ability.

• Develop “negotiation awareness”.  Be aware that most things are negotiable. You have the right to question the asking price for most things. Don’t necessarily just accept the recommended or list price. I don’t mean that you must aggressively challenge everything, but develop an assertive or enquiring approach. You will be surprised how this will get you more of what you want for less. Practise expressing your feelings without fear or anxiety. Be assertive, but always remain respectful. I find that most of my negotiation successes are achieved with firmness, charm, and a friendly smile. Anyone can do this!
• Prepare. Gather as much relevant information as possible prior to the negotiation. It helps if you have the ability to think on your feet, but I always feel more comfortable if I have researched the questions regarding price, needs, options and any possible conflict.
• Know the bargaining arena. You and the other person both have ideal, realistic and fallback positions. The bargaining arena is where your positions and their positions overlap. Having a clear understanding of the bargaining arena will keep you focused and realistic about what you and the other person can bargain.
• Know your desired outcome. Your outcomes need to be specific. If you are not clear about what you desire then it is likely that you will get something else. Clarity and focus is the key.
• Aim high. People who aim higher do better. A successful negotiator must be an optimist. Expect more and you will get more. Sellers should ask for more than they expect to receive, and buyers should offer less than they expect to pay.
• Listening skills. A big contributor towards success in negotiations is to listen. Listen carefully and let the other person talk. Encourage the other negotiator to talk by asking open-ended questions. These are questions that can’t be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Active listening will help you to understand the facts and implications of the other person’s proposal. You will also understand some of the feelings and motives of the other negotiator.
• Ask questions. Asking the right questions is a powerful negotiation tool. When you need information or clarity - ask a question. If someone is angry or emotional - ask a question. Make sure that your questions are conversational, and not an interrogation. Effective questions give you time, direction and a subtle sense of control.
• Always aim for win – win. Negotiation is not a contest. Most people look at negotiation the wrong way. The principle of win – win negotiating is that there is always a bigger and better deal for both parties if they are willing to search for it. Create a collaborative and not a competitive environment at the start of every negotiation process.

Other important highlights from his presentation included:

• The Universal Law of Negotiation - Everything is negotiable!
• What makes a good negotiator? – Preparation, creativity, flexibility, calmness, patience and firmness (not aggression).

• Always negotiate the agenda before talks begin. The negotiator who controls the agenda controls what will be said and perhaps more importantly, what will not be said.
• In all your negotiations use the powerful word FAIR as often as possible.            

How can you double your SALES? - Immediately!

1. In selling, no matter what the product or service, the only 3 activities that will pay you your desired hourly rate are PROSPECTING, PRESENTING and CLOSING. Only when you are engaged in these three core activities are you actually working.
2. Top salespeople think about their income in terms of their hourly rate, and they are determined to make each hour pay for itself.
3. Double your quality time on prospecting, presenting and closing and you are guaranteed to double your sales.

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” – Michelangelo

Subscribe to John Lloyd’s FREE weekly E-zine - Smart Thinking for Crazy Times at                    www.brandstorm.co.za For a copy of John’s presentation slides - john@brandstorm.co.za

Please see full transcript of presentation on page 9.

Dr Michael Mol
“Energy Management”
Michael came out tops as the best speaker and ended the Conference on a complete high.  Feedback was in the superlative with descriptive words being brilliant, entertaining, awesome, fantastic, outstanding, inspirational, humorous, sexy, gorgeous, WOW and many more being bandied about.

Was it his low key voice, his looks, the content of his talk, his intelligence, his high profile? May be all of the above. In short, Michael Mol is a true professional and we definitely want him back.

In the past we have always been told to work smart which definition is the ability to keep performing at your best and maintaining performance.

The new paradigm is to manage energy as life is a series of sprints and one needs downtime to recover or rejuvenate the system

Interesting statistics:
39 years is the average life span in SA
66 years is the average life span globally

5 minutes of stress knocks out your immune system for 6 hours
Stress is a big factor and it does not matter whether stress is real or imagined. 
Time is our biggest stress.

Principals:
Draw energy from all four reservoirs (Body, Emotions, Mind and Spirit)
Balance energy expenditure with energy renewal
Increase your energy capacity by pushing beyond your normal limit and then recover

Michael ended his talk showing a video clip of a father and son team who could not have performed without each other.  The son had cerebral palsy and could not walk or speak but through a computer which read his thoughts the father established that he wished to run marathons.  The only way they could do it was for the father to train to push his son who was strapped into a wheelchair and together they ran marathons around the world raising funds for charity. 
The inspiration was that the father was the body and the mind and the son was the heart.  Neither one could do without the other.  
Despite floods of tears from the audience, this video clip of a true life challenge left delegates inspired and grateful for what they had.