Tag: De Wet Bisschoff

To expediently adapt a famous observation, we do not only live interesting times but challenging ones as well and the only way we are going to navigate through our myriad problems is for a new type of leadership philosophy to emerge. It means CEO’s need to radically rethink their entire purpose and the way in which they plan operate and execute and to become more tuned into the zeitgeist. It is time to leave the ivory tower and take a reality check.

In 1970, Nobel Prize-winning American Economist Milton Friedman argued the following: “There is one and only one social responsibility of business – to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud.”

In businesses the world over, phrases like 'time is of the essence' and 'time is money' are well-worn clichés. So why is it that some South African corporate decisions are unnecessarily delayed?

After the shocking riots that engulfed South Africa last month, all of us in this beautiful country have cause for deep reflection, regardless of our race, religion, age or political views. Was this a singular event, why did it happen? Few would deny that the inequality in our society, poverty and unemployment of so many are among the root causes.