Management

I was promoted three times before I ever asked for a promotion. Each time, it happened because the person above me left. Someone needed to hold the work together. I stepped up, and I didn't campaign or pitch myself for the role. I just did the job that needed doing. Eventually, the title caught up with the work.

The South African administrative state has acquired yet another hammer - digital traveller technology. Government departments appear now to assume that because something can be digitised, it should be digitised. Worse still, because information can be collected, it ought to be collected. SARS's compulsory new online “Traveller Declaration” system exemplifies this increasingly pervasive mindset.

For boards of listed companies, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) succession is often framed as a debate about background. Finance or operations, commercial flair or financial discipline? The tendency is to treat the top job as the natural culmination of a particular functional path. The evidence suggests that this thinking is increasingly outdated.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer something financial institutions are preparing for. It is already embedded in how decisions are made, how products are designed and how risk is managed. Whether through fraud detection, algorithmic trading, customer engagement or compliance monitoring, AI is steadily reshaping the financial services sector.

Access to finance remains one of the most significant barriers facing South Africa's Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). While many entrepreneurs need additional capital to grow, securing funding can be challenging, particularly for businesses operating outside major economic centres.

When a senior advisor or executive walks out the door, especially to join a competitor, your restraint of trade clause is often the only thing standing between you and serious commercial damage. Here is what recent South African case law tells us about what works, what does not and what you need to do now.

The Golden Thirteen were the first African American men commissioned as officers in the United States Navy. Their story is more than a historical milestone. It is a powerful example of how teams can perform under pressure, overcome systemic barriers and create lasting change.

In June, Meta experienced a global outage that disrupted Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp services for users worldwide. The outage left many businesses temporarily unable to connect with customers through some of their most important digital channels. While the disruption was temporary, it highlighted the risks associated with relying too heavily on a single digital platform.

For years, one question has dominated the conversation around women ascending into leadership positions - how do we enable more women to reach the top?

If there is one compliment South Africans hear more than any other, it is this: "South Africans are so resilient". We wear it almost as a badge of honour. We have endured economic uncertainty, political shifts, load shedding, global disruption and constant change. Furthermore, we adapt because we have to. But I often wonder whether we've misunderstood resilience.