Umbusi Ziqalo Blog

Blog 2/2019 PERSONAL MASTERY TUESDAY: The Power of Feedback Balanced feedback gives others information on what they are doing effectively (performance and behaviors) and on what they could do differently to better meet expectations, to be more effective, or to improve future performance results. There are several benefits to providing feedback in a balanced way. 1) A focus on one or two important issues 2) A balance of praise and constructive criticism 3) Addressing issues within the recipient’s control (something they can do something about) 4) Interactive (done in a way that encourages two-way communication focused on problem solving). #UmbusiGlobalLeadershipSpeakerCo is a division of Resilience Group cc Follow My BLOG: umbusi.blogspot.com

Written by: Umbusi Ziqalo an Author and Thought Leader in Transformational Leadership.  Follow at: https://www.instagram.com/umbusiziqalo I have never met a person who courted defeat. Victory at all cost, victory no matter the opposition. But in recent days, we saw for example an exodus of leadership from the official opposition in South Africa. What is going on. We saw leaders whi did not want to stand and fight. What would they fight for? Purpose: the very purpose for which they joined their party Vision: the very project they envisioned for South Africa Conviction: now we know that they were not willing to stand and fight against their opponents Passion: they had not believe in the project enough to stand and fight,  even if it means personal risk Character: history will judge them as men who resigned from the project they loved Influence: for now,  they have lost the influence, they have a long way to go in fixing it Legacy: for now, they have ...

"We are all human" The saying that awaits, ready at the lips of excuse, "i am only, but human" ... Self Control is an inherent human construct, built into our constitution. "When life demands nobility from humans, it is because, its built within our constitution (human capacity)" - Umbusi Ziqalo | Author| Speaker| We are self-regulating beings, capable of unlearning old habits and learn new ones, whether by force or by choice. The willingness to master-self is the beginning of the transformation. Self-Mastery is a daily chore that must enslave its student, before the student becomes the master of self. A true noble is at pain daily, conquering self, galvanizing the mind, subduing the senses and passions. Humilty and Self-Sacrifice will never take root, unless given free reign, daily. The impetus and the very impulse to shout, to demean, to hurt and to ridicule, must be kept in check, starved and eventually disempowered. All the riches of this world...

One of the Cardinal Pillars of a Leader, in leveraging influence for the (vision's) course, is receiving and dispensing trust. This applies from the team, to the eco-system, to family and other close constituencies. Measured Trust? Yes. Because the nature of leadership is magnetic. In any magnetic field, there is a charge, an electrical current emanating from the magnets. Because some magnetic poles are positive and some are negative, repulsion and attraction takes place. You may therefore be a positively charged leader, but without the right materials that respond to your magnetic vector, you will never achieve.  You are your team. Your progress is your inner core of trusted people.  Hence leadership trust, both received and dispensed, must be mearsured. As Nations of the world and teams in organisations, we must mearsure the trust we afford leaders, and as leaders, we must mearsure the trust we afford the core teams we allow to the inner core. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speak...

You are what you settle for. It is not an accident where you find yourself in life. You are where you settled to be, consciously or otherwise. Settlement is a destination chosen and settled for in the mind. Settlement in simple terms means arrival, and deciding to stay. It means making a decision. It is not true therefore, that circumstances have brought you to where you are, it is you who decided to stay where you are. Your level of growth and progress, both personally and professionally, is a construct of your settlement, a function entirely of your choice. It will take honest personal reflection on your part, to move from where you are. Stop the blame-game, stop the blame-shifting, stop the blame-economy, stop the blame-currency, and stop associating yourself with the blame eco-systems. These few blame-proxies are weighing you down and not designed for your support and growth. Get up, with a radical mindset, and move. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speaker and Thought Leader in Transforma...

We have often heard that the key to working in your Iceberg, is to lower the waterline. It is probably true. However, a more disruptive way is to invert the Iceberg, turning it up side down.  Do not think out of the box, but throw away the box.  We are called upon to be fantastic and genius, not to be at the top. Our icebergs therefore need to be inverted. The icebergs of education before work, need to change to work becoming our university, and formal university becoming our promotion. We need to invert our icebergs as well, by getting our thinking to look way differently than how it looks now.  We need to believe the opposite of what we believe now,  that it is possible to be good, without expecting anything back. Inverting our icebergs means commitment to a new way of eating and maybe a new routine for sleep time. It means new revolutionary friends. Invert your Iceberg. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speaker and a Thought Leader in Transformational Leadership.

Why we need to move from an “either/or” to a “both/and” view of priorities. While corporations face constantly competing demands for resources, we still talk about moonshot long-term strategy. How can we sync ambitious aspirations with maintaining our business-as-usual which funds these innovative and profitable visions of the future? In today’s uncertain world, employees need a way to make sense of competing demands that create tension. Such conflicting demands include planning for the long term and operating in the short term; acting globally while dealing with local needs; collaborating and competing with other companies. An important tension for firms at the moment is the need to be profitable but also to be socially and environmentally oriented. As everything shifts (such as managing other cultures in an accepting way instead of expecting them to fit into one-size-fits-all roles), our “either/or” ideals around leadership are oft...

You have probably heard the over-used and probably least understood term "the pain of the past", or simply the past. Winners see the pain of the past as a necessary evil.  They consort with it, they court it from time to time as they navigate towards leadership leverage. We have been taught many incorrect, yet sounding great, half truths by both school and society. The biggest lie for me is that frogs are amphibians because "they can live in both land and water". Sounds just about right, doesn't it? Well, if frogs can live in water, why do they drown during heavy rains and storms? Its the same with the pain of the past, we are told it belongs in the past, really? As winners , we should consult the very alive and fully electric library of the pain of "our" past. We are losing out on so much that our past pain could teach us, because we are not willing to see it differently. Winners are not normal, hence they do not see things Umbusi Ziqalo is a S...

Ever heard of the phrase "its your fault" ? Well, it would seem that after all, it is your fault. Your life is your fault. Commit yourself this week, this month or year, this decade, to take full responsibility for what happens in your life. Especially how you respond,  or worse still, how you react to situations. Your life is your fault. It was you who decided to choose this or that, that course, that promotion, that province and that country. Its all your fault, why? You ask, because the full might and power, will and determination lies within you, to change it, if you do not like it. So stop complaining about how your life is not moving, or how people are treating you, or how unfair the world is. Inside you, is an Awesome Warrior, a Titan of a Spartan, a Gladiator, a Queen and a King. Your life is your fault. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speaker and Thought Leader in Transformational Leadership and Personal Mastery.

We hear from polititians, from the left and the right. Aparently there is a far left and a far right. Where is the Centre? Does it exist? Where are the African Academics? The true proponents of Ubuntu, the Philosophy that says i am because we are? The true African Academics, not the Academics who live in Africa. Where are they? Where is the effort and philosophy of reconnecting with the soil? What are we eating? Where does it come from? Where is the land and way of our Fore Fathers? Where is true Ubuntu Ideology, not the ideas of those who live in Africa? We dress up like the west, we eat, drink and sleep like the west. I suppose there's nothing wrong with it, but where is the African Way? Where is Our Regalia, Our Dress Code and Symbols? Where is our diet and Foods? Where are the African Men, the Warriors and Gentlemen alike, who never dared to touch, destroy nor hurt any daughter, wife or queen, where? Where are the men of wisdom? The men of faith, the African Men? Where ar...

The Proverbial "blood is thicker than water", has it lost its lustre? In a world of many voices, and many choices, are we still tied and bound by blood? It seems the line is blurred, and the landmark faded. We are a people dictated to, not by the drought of the bygone era, forcing us to migrate, but by a drought of a different type, a lost love among family members. Who is my family? Who is my neighbour? Who is my relative and who is my connection? Well, nowadays my family are those who impact my banking account, the ones who soothe my ego and make me feel important. Yes, there can be no relationship without reciprocity. My brother is unfortunately, the one who cares for me, the one who calls from time to time, to check on me. We belong to new tribes, we belong to new families, with invisible but strong ties, not made of blood. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speaker and Thought Leader in Transformational Leadership.

The Leadership Journal For Reflection by Umbusi Ziqalo A group or formation of individuals with a multiplicity of purposes is a sign of a weak and un-inspiring leadership.   The greatest need today in our homes and societies is authentic and strong influential leadership. Generally there are three important personal faculties you should manage.  Your Mindset, Your Talents, and Your Values.  Many tribes out there recruit you for your skill or talent. What they should be recruiting for is actually a mixture of all these faculties.  Even the people part of the business is called Talent Management or HR Management, it is not called Mindset Management nor Values Management. The core business of the leader therefore is the balancing and equal mixing of these three faculties.  People join organisations, and they resign from people and tribes.  Perhaps we must mention that leadership is the glue that should make everything stick together, despite the ...

The Leadership Journal For Reflection by Umbusi Ziqalo “A family without a leader,  is a community without Leaders and eventually a country without leadership ” - The Leadership Journal For Reflection. (Ziqalo, 2019), P.260. Everything hangs on the balance of Leadership.   Take a good look at families, organizations and governments where there is a lack of leadership and no one directing for results, it is chaotic to say the least. Eco-Systems In the systems theory, there are two cardinal pillars that support and define the thinking behind systems, which are, inter-relatedness and interdependence.  We are because of individuals, and individuals are, because of groups. Groups and Individuals Groups are not therefore healthy and successful, in and of themselves as groups.  It is healthy, coherent, progressive and successful individuals, who make groups work.  Needless to say, that individuals also derive a sense of belonging, recognitio...

Leadership is not part of Management, but management is part of leadership. We must move away from the term management, because if you are a manager, you are presumed to also being a leader. Actually, Management is a subset of leadership. Management is a room within a leadership house, where non living items or "things" are planned, counted and controlled. Management has nothing to do with people. We must join our ranks, and call leadership by its right name, Leadership. When we give a leader their responsibility list, they may or may not include, managing. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speaker and Thought Leader in Transformational Leadership and Personal Mastery.

Yesterday's sunshine is no guarantee that today it won't rain. The successes of yesterday, can be an enemy of tomorrow's progress. I am in awe of such terms, such as "Good is the enemy of great" "God hates your last success" "Celebrate briefly, and move on" It is as if life knows and is in fact acutely aware of the curse of past successes.  Imagine, just imagine. Imagine a world where there was no competition, but cooperation. A world full of 7,7 billion geniuses, who are individually competing against "yesterday", and not against other geniuses. In reality, how in the first place, do you even begin to compete with genius? We need a world where men and women are striving to become better than yesterday, achieving constantly a version of themselves that surpasses their individual yesterday, true to principle, fairness and equity. Your greatest enemy is your last success. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speaker and Thought Leader in Transfo...

Professionalism is about building and preserving your Personal Brand within the professional space. The question we need to ask is, to be or not to be, emotional and cry victim in the professional space? I guess the those who have the authority and financial muscle could allowed to cry victim and from time to time, become emotional at work. They can, because of the Orwellian observation, that some are more equal than others. The victim mentality? Well to some in the professional space, it is one of those things, because of power distance. For you and me, only show your passion and emotion for your work, and leave everything else at home. From victim ... run from it as it were leprosy. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speaker and Thought Leader in Transformational Leadership and Personal Mastery in South Africa.

Adaptation, reflection and stewardship are forward-looking life lessons. Jean-Claude Biver, a man who has faced many challenges, encountered his biggest personal hurdle in the midst of one of his biggest successes. He fell ill while working on the TAG Heuer Connected watch – a transformative partnership between Swiss luxury and Silicon Valley. After 45 years at the top of watchmaking, rather than discarding the mantle of leadership, he has embraced a new form of it, understanding that we are not limited by age. Although Biver has stepped away from the day-to-day business, he insists on giving back. Not only by supporting his corporate successors and his mentees, but also by sharing his enthusiasm for lifelong learning with younger people. He recently sat down with me to discuss his life change and adaptation, reflection and stewardship. Adaptation As a veteran of both large and small luxury brands, Biver spent the past few years before his retirement reaching out ...

The Homosapien (Latin for Wise-Man) , has been known like this for more than 250 years. Humans are often asked what they are, in the final analysis, what is their core? You are not your biological fuculties. Let's look at what i call the five levels of humanity. Leve1 - The Emotional Faculty (World of Simulus, Sense Receptors, and Reactions) a) Humans possess five senses These are triggers of your emotional faculty (touch, taste, sight, smell, hearing). The senses basically receive stimuli from your environment, and generally followed by a reaction.  You are not your emotions. Meaning, Don't do things based on the force of emotion, the force of habit. b) Humans possess a higher order sense You are defined therefore, by your choices, your higher order faculties of judgement and discretion.  The greater sense called discernment, being able to not react, and do wrong, but to stop yourself and do right. After some time, this quality decision, repeated again and again, be...

TECHNOLOGY MONDAY: How companies can use five levers to regulate online user engagement over time. In June 2018, the World Health Organisation added gaming addiction to its International Classification of Diseases. That the WHO would place video games alongside alcohol, gambling and illegal drugs reflects a rising social concern over their impact, specifically as regards boys and young men (the majority of so-called “core gamers” – those for whom gaming is more than a casual pastime – are males under 35). Why now? Video games have been around for decades, but experts say the new breed is precision-tooled (often with the help of psychology experts) to encourage compulsive use. Social media operates in much the same dopamine-driven fashion, drip-feeding enthralled users doses of digital happiness in the form of likes and retweets. Today’s games are also much more technologically sophisticated than their 20th-century forebears, offering an entryway into ...

Belief is not an emotion, but a Universal Law. Regardless what you believe, the universe has the resources for you, the raw material for your belief, exists in abundance. This is not some voodoo magic or some transient spiritual thing. It is what the universe offers. Someone needed warmth and to cook, fire was discovered. Take note, fire did not get invented at that point, it was always there, the oxygen, the air and a spark (ignition). What your soul yearns for, and you believe in it, will happen. The raw materiel exists. Disregard therefore, your doubt and emotions of helplessness, and start doing three things. One, feed your belief by doing exactly what is resonates within you. Secondly, try new things, the universe has the material. Thirdly, accept failure as part of the journey. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speaker, Author and Thought Leader in Transformational Leadership and Personal Mastery in SA.

It is a calling, you are the solution the world needs, you are Relevant and Required. However as beautiful as it may sound, understand that it is a crucible, this leadership "thing". Many occupy high and comfy positions, driving and flying in opulence. But do not be deceived, they have, and continue to, pay the price that is Leadership. I guess the idea of leading, without the willingness to make sacrifices, is a falacy, and true leadership has a tendency to demand, at times, even the life of its advocate. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speaker and Thought Leader in Transformational Leadership and Personal Mastery.

Whether you become a fan or a genius, is entirely up to you. You were designed with genius in mind, not to become a follower. You are called, designed for a calling, not for a qualification or promotion. These are man-made. In you, is an awesome beast, a freak of natural genius, waiting for release and service delivery. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speaker and Thought Leader in Transformational Leadership in South Africa.

The human mind exists in a limited skull physically, but has the unlimited capability to visit any place, idea or dimension. We have a responsibility to expand our thinking, our beliefs and our truth(s). Successful humans are those who can self-critic, self-correct and self-expand. All this happens within our ocean of thinking, an abyss of potential. We do so much to keep the waters of this deep abyss, and so less to dive deeper into the unfathomable and uncharted territories of the ocean of our thinking. Commit yourself to doing something new every week, meeting a new person every month, going to a new place every year and going to a new country every 5 years or so. The proverbial stepping out and away from the comfort zone is true. Step out of your comfort, into the vast and great deep sea of new thinking and exploration. Expand your thinking, expand your Universe. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speaker on Leadership and a Life Coach in South Africa

We see others through our bias, whether positive or negative bias, nevertheless, its still our bias. We never see others as they are, but we see them as we are. This phenomenon delivers a dilemma, because we then realise that, our bias colours everything. Our bias, is how we think we are, and how we think the world should be, and therefore, our potential. We can never become, until we unthink, unlearn, unbelieve, so that we can re-think, re-learn, believe anew. It is then that our potential has a chance. Umbusi Ziqalo| Author and Speaker on Leadership in South Africa

It seems that leadership has deteriorated to who has the money to secure support, secure in this case meaning "buy" support. I accept that leadership is a contested space, and it shouldn't be.  We have the systems such as voting and proportional representation, etc, simply for the sake of peace and fairness. In reality, no one can elect you to leadership. It is embedded already within you. Public elective systems as we know them, are then riddled with money and buying of support, precisely because, once you can elect someone to leadership, you can control them. How did you get your leadership position? How were you elected? Would you continue if you were not going to be paid? Why do you want more responsibility? It is impossible to lead, when you are elected/voted. Human beings were sent to planet earth to exercise their vision, purpose, conviction, passion and influence.  We were not designed to be elected. Umbusi Ziqalo| Author and Speaker on Leadership

Entitlement that is offered, is better than entitlement that is demanded. We call God by His name, whichever name suits our conversation, we even call Jesus by name, those who are Christians. Yet, we seem uncomfortable calling mere mortals by name, simply because of culture, power, age, gender, standing in society, academic accolades. I am distraught at men and women, who insist on being called by their titles, yet they have not "earned" their title in deeds. Entitlement, in its pure unadulterated form, is when people refuse to call you by name, in recognition of what you have done to improve their lives. Entitlement that is offered, is better than entitlement that is demanded. Have you earned your title? Umbusi Ziqalo| Author and Speaker on Leadership 

In a time of Ai and Big data, when we seem to be standing at the cusp of the 4th Industrial Revolution, we seem to be connected and online in most places. Wifi seems to be working just fine everywhere we go nowadays, in areas that do have wifi. I guess the question is, how connected are we to each other? The question asked differently, how connecting are we, with each other? We have never been more tech savvy, and internet connected as we are today, yet we are growing further apart, even though we are online. Are you connected? Or are your simply online?

Managers are not Leaders, and leaders are not managers. Definitions: 1) Managers by definition are concerned with maintenance of the status quo, x-amount of resources that are spent according to agreed budget . To A Manager, Profit comes before People. 2) Leaders are concerned with the development of people, with the sole purpose of creating a space or platform for those people to migrate from Victimhood to Victorhood. To a leader, profit comes because of people. 3) People who are managed are Victims Victims by their nature are: ✖they need instructions ✖they don't take Innitiative ✖they blame others ✖they are never wrong ✖they have haters ✖they are demotivated ✖they are proud ✖they have no energy ✖they are not ready for work ✖they are never punctual ✖they do not have journals for reflection ✖they have a negave attitude ✖they have self-entitlement ✖they hate the uniform ...

Nobody appreciates the Scaffolding After the building is completed, no one cares about the Scaffolding. The ugliness and the unsightly look of the Scaffolding produces the beauty of the building The power of any building, its beauty and aesthetic prowess, dependson the Scaffolding. What are the Scaffolds in your life, that you seem to have forgotten about. Those scaffolds are sometimes people, families, companies and communities... Appreciate the Scaffolds #UmbusiThoughtLeadershipCo #Speaker #CorporateSpeaker #Author of #TheArtandScienceOfLeadership and #TheLeadershipJournalForReflection

It is probably the most powerful force in your intangible constitution, your emotions. Wars are started by them, ego rides on the wave of emotion. Relationships are started and abruptly ended on their account. You are however not your emotion, you may be known through them, their highs and lows, but you are definately not them. The next time they kick in, do not allow them, if they will make you do something you will regret. Use your emotions, to transmit powerful information, but don't be used by them. You are not how you feel. You are HOW you use them. #UmbusiThoughtLeadershipCo #Speaker #CorporateSpeaker #Author of #TheArtandScienceOfLeadership and #TheLeadershipJournalForReflection

I guess if you have never been betrayed ... The very topic or title of this blog, is problematic to those, who have done nothing of significance, in this life, to warrant or qualify for BETRAYAL. Yes ofcourse, you have to be special to qualify for it, indeed, to even have a space in the "betrayed economy" How do you qualify? 1) Be Yourself, Ask no Favours 2) Be About You and Your Vision 3) Be Prepared to suffer for Your Vision 4) Be Prepared to die for Your Vision If they have not betrayed you YET... just be faithful and strive for excellence, it will come. UmbusiThoughtLeadershipCo #Speaker #CorporateSpeaker #Author of #TheArtandScienceOfLeadership and #TheLeadershipJournalForReflection

Common Management Mistakes to Avoid Like the Plague Sales managers bring together the skills and talents of sales reps and channel them to realize the company’s sales goals. As leaders, they sift through all sales activities, spot the gems and the kinks, and report their findings up the company totem. In the same vein, the sales manager is in charge of making sure the company’s vision is realized in practical action as they lead. It’s not uncommon that sales managers who don’t fit the job or don’t push for continuous development lag so severely that a big chunk of the sales organization suffers. If you’re a sales manager, you know that small mistakes add up. That said, it’s your task to ensure that you do what it takes to make your team better while making yourself better. Here are some common sales management mistakes you have to watch out for. Poor time management In sales, from reps to leaders, time management is a...

You’ve probably had (or you currently have) a bad manager. This is a person that falls into some of the classic “managerial traps:” Authoritarian, manages your every move. Stubborn, not willing to listen to suggestions, “my way or the highway”. Only provides negative feedback, ignores positive results (or takes credit for them)Never at fault, blames everyone else – or everything else. Good at the technical aspects of the job, terrible at the people-oriented aspects (or bad at both!) Whether because managers don’t want to be managers, they weren’t given enough training in being a manager, or they are simply losing a battle against their own inner demons, we – as employees – don’t care why our managers are bad, we just want them to get better. Better management is a perfectly reasonable expectation in today’s workplace. Based on the title of this article, however, you can probably guess at (and I’m willing ...

The Leadership Determinant:   Identity “We view ourselves, others, and the world at large, as we view ourselves” Identity is basically Your self-image and is the light through which you view yourself, others and the world at large.   Now imagine for a moment, if that light was dim, lacking enough strength and brilliance.   It would mean that the light you are using is dim and not effective in showing you everything you needed to see, discover and work-on in your life. When the light in a room or environment is not enough, it becomes difficult even to perform simple tasks and look for objects that are hidden. It is the same with self-image, if your self-identity is dim and not so important, that is how you will tend to see yourself, and your life-programme, as well as the significance of others will be greatly diminished in your considered or not so considered viewpoint. Here are some important points about Identity; Your potential is forev...

The Daily Chores of A Leader Keep doing it, keep at it. Keep doing the things that make you the leader, like coaching, motivation, mentoring, directing for results, being humble and being disciplined. What will produce the results is the daily consistency, the weekly monitoring and the monthly targets. Leadership happens over a course of time, not in a day. Umbusi Ziqalo is a Speaker and Life Coach on Leadership and Personal Mastery in South Africa. He is the Author of the personal mastery book called: The Leadership Journal For Reflection (2019)

Is your job going to be there 5 years from now? The proverbial "hunter vs hunted" stands out when i think about how cetain jobs were high up on the demand list, compared to today when actually rank lower in demand than an uber driver job. It seems to me that the technology aligned and dependent jobs are moving up the demand list. What will you do if your skills set, God forbid, becomes redundant. The degree or diploma you passed a decade ago, was simply a spring-board ... the best of challenges are simply ahead of you. At some point you were the hunted, you were on demand for your skills,  now it seems, all of a sudden, you are becoming the hunter. Umbusi Ziqalo| Author| Speaker| Thought-Leader|

UK data find the mental well-being of Uber and Deliveroo drivers to be surprisingly good. Around the world, Uber drivers encounter wage and security worries, Deliveroo workers have too much competition, Airbnb owners face problems in Paris and other cities. But rather than a dark cloud over the heads of those self- and/or temporarily employed in the gig economy, recent data unexpectedly show that they are about 33 percent more likely to self-report positive traits in terms of mental health. Given the many stories we have read, it seems like a counterintuitive result. But, in a working paper with Bénédicte Apouey (Paris School of Economics-CNRS), we found that the self-employed gig workers in the United Kingdom score higher across a range of psychological well-being measures than workers in the mainstream economy. Meanwhile, gig work in the UK is surging in an environment with low unemployment (under 4 percent in 2...