Lost... But Won

We all have battles in life and we will win some and lose some. Picking yourself up when you lose makes you a WINNER, even though you have lost.

[freddymahhumane]

We can never change any culture without changing the environment. #culture #leadership #character #reading #intellectualCurrency https://www.instagram.com/p/B2KEmRmFdRI/?igshid=761efxpgdemx

[freddymahhumane]

Take a chance on yourself and be great. #Leadership #character #liftasyourise #change #entrepreneurship https://www.instagram.com/p/B1l7tlqFqrT/?igshid=17cl70c43cn97

[freddymahhumane]

Technology is supposed to make things easier with less human interaction in the process of production. Is our leadership letting us down in creating pure automated processes? Is South Africa ready for 4IR? #leadership #4ir #technology #ai #IoT #devops https://www.instagram.com/p/B1WaPDoFIE1/?igshid=1qdcqpx801evy

[freddymahhumane]

Every leader needs to find the “N’golo Kante” in them.

When asked about how he’s feeling after winning another award as a member of the world eleven he replied and I quote… “…’ I’m happy to have Eden by my side in this team and I’m happy to share this time with him…”

N’golo Kante showed humility by thanking those around him even in times of celebration. A sign of a true leader, it is always good for leaders to recognize those around them.

N’golo grew up in France and when he was 11 his father died. Being the oldest even at that age he knew he had to step up and help his mother who was a domestic worker to support his brothers and sisters. He then became a refuse collector around his neighborhood. In 1998 during the world cup in France he knew he had to work harder and he did that by going to the parks near the stadiums to collect more refuse because a lot of the soccer fans left the parks dirty.

Even when under pressure N’golo displayed a character of calmness, just like many leaders when under pressure, they always perform better. N’golo is known to be shy and never says anything unless he has to. When those around him were asked what kind of person he is, everyone said: “he’s always smiling.” There was no reference of him saying anything and yet everyone knew he was around. Good leaders say less and do more. Another character of a great leader.

Improvise, adapt and overcome… N’golo knew immediately that he had to overcome and improve the underprivileged state of his family in order to be financially free. In 1998 after the world cup (aged 8) he decided to start playing football and he joined JS Suresness in the western suburbs of Paris and they immediately started winning trophies. A great leader makes a difference everywhere he goes. Every team that N’golo played for won a trophy during his tenure, even teams that had huge odds against them, he made sure that he improves, Adapts and Overcomes.  

Every leader needs a “Kante” in them. The strength to always stay humble, work hard, smile and never complain. During his time at Leister City he ran to training, when he joined ChelseaFC in London he bought a mini-cooper, we talking about a leader who earned £110,000-per-week. Humility is really key.

What is it about him that makes every team that he joins to be so successful? Even with the best leaders they sometimes fail, but Kante has won the world cup and many other trophies. Well, that’s one question that will be difficult to answer with a leader who lets his work do the talk.

Find your “Kante” and start winning in everything you do.  

[freddymahhumane]

Every leader needs to find the “N’golo Kante” in them.

When asked about how he’s feeling after winning another award as a member of the world eleven he replied and I quote… “…' I'm happy to have Eden by my side in this team and I'm happy to share this time with him…”

N’golo Kante showed humility by thanking those around him even in times of celebration. A sign of a true leader, it is always good for leaders to recognize those around them.

N’golo grew up in France and when he was 11 his father died. Being the oldest even at that age he knew he had to step up and help his mother who was a domestic worker to support his brothers and sisters. He then became a refuse collector around his neighborhood. In 1998 during the world cup in France he knew he had to work harder and he did that by going to the parks near the stadiums to collect more refuse because a lot of the soccer fans left the parks dirty.

Even when under pressure N’golo displayed a character of calmness, just like many leaders when under pressure, they always perform better. N’golo is known to be shy and never says anything unless he has to. When those around him were asked what kind of person he is, everyone said: “he’s always smiling.” There was no reference of him saying anything and yet everyone knew he was around. Good leaders say less and do more. Another character of a great leader.

Improvise, adapt and overcome… N’golo knew immediately that he had to overcome and improve the underprivileged state of his family in order to be financially free. In 1998 after the world cup (aged 8) he decided to start playing football and he joined JS Suresness in the western suburbs of Paris and they immediately started winning trophies. A great leader makes a difference everywhere he goes. Every team that N’golo played for won a trophy during his tenure, even teams that had huge odds against them, he made sure that he improves, Adapts and Overcomes.  

Every leader needs a “Kante” in them. The strength to always stay humble, work hard, smile and never complain. During his time at Leister City he ran to training, when he joined ChelseaFC in London he bought a mini-cooper, we talking about a leader who earned £110,000-per-week. Humility is really key.

What is it about him that makes every team that he joins to be so successful? Even with the best leaders they sometimes fail, but Kante has won the world cup and many other trophies. Well, that’s one question that will be difficult to answer with a leader who lets his work do the talk.

Find your “Kante” and start winning in everything you do.  

[freddymahhumane]

LEADERSHIP: Leading from your character

Great leadership is a process that can only be judged by the end result. Because leadership is a journey of creation, innovation, motivation, and character it can only be recognized over time. The position doesn't create a leader or leaders are not created through positions.

The current Leadership in South Africa is in dire, and this is because former leaders or current leaders are not breading enough young leaders to soon takeover. I want to discuss the four principles of Leadership that can make you a better Leader.

Create - A great leader must  create an opportunity of growth. Every challenge faced is an opportunity to grow yourself and those around you. It matters not how you got there in the first place, but looking for excuses or blaming others for your failures or lack of success will increase the level of failure. You can create opportunities in your team by having a culture of:

Mentorship. It is one way of growing your Leadership skills and those around you.

An attitude for continuous learning must be the order of the day for your team.

Positive energy by showing gratitude to your team whenever an opportunity to do so arise. 

Innovate - Most companies link innovation to technology and not to processes of production, and that's a big mistake a leader can make. Yes; technology and automation play a big role, but the focus should be on the process of production or in the way we do things. Innovation should be the driver in doing things quicker and better every day. Instead of having team meetings every day to get updates and feedback on what your team is busy with, create a culture of continuous open communication or open-door policy, so you will always be informed on what’s happening around you. Allow for a central point of communication, don’t use social media i.e. WhatsApp to communicate policies or send out an update.

Motivate - One way of motivating individuals is recognizing them and make them know they exist, and not only when you have to assign a task to them. A great leader can do that by:

Showing that you trust them, by listening to their ideas and by helping them implement new ways of doing things.

Give them an opportunity to lead no matter how small it is. When possible ask them to chair a meeting, to set the agenda and tone for the meeting.

Say Thank you. Show appreciation by recognizing and celebrating every success no matter how small. Say thank you for the time they took to attend a meeting and for giving feedback. Say thank you for completing a task, let every member hear you saying it. If it is in an email, then reply to all.

Communicate your plans to every team member let them know what you have a plan for them. Tell them what you see and be clear and straight whether it be good or bad. Don't shy away from giving your team members advice on how they can improve, share your experience and challenges with them so they know you also went through the same challenges.

The I in the team. Well, most will tell you there's no "I" in the team and that's true. But in every team, there are those that will always raise their hand to take up a challenge, those that are always positive, those that teach, motivate, hungry for more success, always on time, and finally, those that can Lead. These individuals are the "I's" in the team. Identify them and try your best to retain them in your team and if possible build a team around them.

Character -  The most important principle is the character of the Leader. As a leader, you must not only know and understand your role, but you must know and understand yourself, your weaknesses and strengths. You cannot lead if you don't understand that leadership starts with you; self-leadership. A character of a great leader will include:

Strong will. Be sure to stand up for your beliefs.

Know when to flight or fight, especially in an argument. It's OK to lose the fight to win the battle. If you feel you cannot win the argument don't engage, it's OK to  agree to disagree.

Consistency. Make sure you have the right habits and keep them. Your neuroplasticity for your leadership habits should grow wider every day.

Don't gossip. If you have  something to say to someone say it, only cowards will gossip about their teams or anyone for that matter. 

Have a succession plan. If you don't have a succession plan, you not a Leader. Great leaders always have someone to take over, they train them, encourage them and make sure they know it.

Read. Make sure you always improving yourself, and reading a book is one way you can always know what's happening in the industry and what great leaders are doing to keep up with the change of times.

What got you here, will not get you there. remind yourself as a leader that you always need to adapt and welcome change. I strive to be different and learn from other leaders as much as possible. Innovate and Innovate and Innovate in every way possible. Try and build from the bottom, include and encourage the people you lead to talk to you, so you can always have an opportunity to learn from them as well. 

[freddymahhumane]

Leadership: WHAT GOT YOU HERE WON’T GET YOU THERE

Innovation is one of the world’s most spoken word in business. That’s because every business leader knows that in order to stay ahead one needs to think ahead. Leaders still think clients are the most important, but Richard Branson once said - “take care of the employee and they will take care of the client.” Powerful game changing statement and that is an example of a leader who thinks about the future all the time.

There are leadership seminars, sales indaba’, business speakers and more who all have one thing in common – they teach you how to lead for today and not tomorrow by using ideas and mistakes they made in the past. People change - they learn, models change, products change, ideas change and the way we do business changes as well. So why not the way we think about leadership? Because leaders adjust when they face challenges, but good leaders prepare for the challenges and better leaders see the obstacles before they even occur.

Great Leaders must let go of the past and focus on the future. The past got them here, but it won’t take them where they need to be. We need to change our way of thinking: we need to think about the future, but not to predict the future using the past, and we can firstly achieve that by simplifying our business processes, our business language, our products, our sales speech and our goals.

Chika Onyeani once said – “you are what you answer to.”  This statement suggests that one cannot assume a position of leadership without recognition. In order for anyone to call you a leader you must lead. There are Leaders and there are those who lead. There’s a very thin line between the two. Leaders assume a position of power and those who lead inspire us. Those who lead inspire action from their employees, they motivate them. And we follow those that lead not for them but for us. What got you here won’t  get you there, because we hold on to the past. We let the past dictate the future.

I always say - “Uniqueness is the art of true leadership.” I dare to be different, to challenge my way of thinking. To do the impossible. To set goals that are impossible to achieve because I believe I can achieve them. Remember it is all impossible until you do it.

[bonerfart]

make sure your wife is plugged into a charger every night or bring a portable wife charger with you on long trips

[bonerfart]

make sure your wife is plugged into a charger every night or bring a portable wife charger with you on long trips

[freddymahhumane]

Success is an orgasm to a life well lived. - Freddy Mahhumane

[freddymahhumane]

Africa and her Xenophobic slaves.

Xenophobia can never be linked to racism in the true sense of the word. The fundamental definition leans more on “hatred” than “prejudice”. But it is of note that only the black African foreigners are in majority when it comes to xenophobic attacks. The lack of employment in our black community seems to be the blame because foreigners are taking the scarcely available jobs in South Africa.

To elaborate on this; my thoughts to the matter are that intellectuality is to blame for the current xenophobic attacks. Black South Africans seems to think that foreigners are only black people. During this phase of attacks reports of white foreigners being attacked were none existent. That might be because white foreigners harbor intellectual jobs, which are irrelevant to none intellectual South Africans or the lack of intellectual capacity for the black man to reason beyond the business borderline. It is of note that even though there are black foreign professors at varsity level none were attacked. The legality of foreigners was irrelevant during these attacks.

With such thinking mentality can we therefore comfortably pronounce our intellectual freedom? I think black South Africans are still intellectual slaves, who will not adopt intellectual reasoning capacity. We have not moved away from the 1976 stigma of violent negotiations. I know I used blanket statements to make my point, but it is the majority who are not economically comfortable and who are still subject to lower income because they are working for an Italian who can only be recognized and referred to as “Boss” and not foreign.

The Somali business model might be corrupt for some but they came to South Africa and adopted a culture we specialized in for more than 100 years i.e. Tuck Shops. The only thing they introduced to the model is the way they stock their products and the working hours. They came to the locations and rented rooms for business while the black owner sits there and later accuse the Somali of taking business from them.

Articulation of proper business behavior and the spirit of Ubuntu no longer exist in most of our South African pundits. We are the children of Africa and unfortunately we are xenophobic slaves. It is now up to the few intellectuals to change Africa and make it what it used to be.

“To fully realize our true potential we must love like we were to live forever” – Freddy Mahhumane

[freddymahhumane]

Racism; nothing personal, it’s business.

“In a classic study on race, psychologists staged an experiment with two photographs that produced a surprising result. They showed people a photograph of two white men fighting, one unarmed and another holding a knife. Then they showed another photograph, this one of a white man with a knife fighting an unarmed African-American man.

When they asked people to identify the man who was armed in the first picture, most people picked the right one. Yet when they were asked the same question about the second photo, most people -- black and white -- incorrectly said the black man had the knife…” - CNN

The language of Racism has evolved, but unfortunately most people, both black and white have not evolved with it.

Some Caucasians confine racism to intentional displays of racial hostility, which shows the vast language gap between the Caucasian and the Black community. Black people are no longer worried about the Ku Klux Klan because no one wants to see themselves as racists apart from the few minorities; that feel no need to hide their racial behaviour, hence the “racism without ‘Racists’.

 It is now the man in a suit that people should be worried about, because the world is built around them. I sat in a meeting with a very wealthy black businessman; I asked him when am I receiving my next payment and he quickly assumed I was asking because I have cash flow problems, yet earlier when my white counterpart asked the very same question he was asked to send through a quote and upon agreement payments will be made. The new language of racism comes through racial biasness. Being racial bias knows no colour, and yet more racial and damaging than the Ku Klux Klan.

Unfortunately in the business world it is never personal, but business as usual. A lot of people will invoke the phrase “I don’t see colour” when a conversation about race surface. Unfortunately that is utter nonsense and scientifically impossible, even colourblind people see black and white.

Until such a point we are ready to engage in a conversation of racism without feeling the pressure of being racial bias people will still experience racism.

A study done by a Brigham Young University economics professor showed that white NBA referees call more fouls on black players, and black referees call more fouls on white players. This is my point, the referees clearly shows signs of being racial bias, towards both the white and black man respectively.

The experiment of the black man with a knife shows that human beings are consistently biased and more open to the thought of a black man holding a knife.

it is not what you call me, but what I answer to that matter most. - African Proverb.

follow me on twitter: @freddymahhumane 

[freddymahhumane]

The roof of my car... Bliss weather. #rain #life #a5 #audia5 #4ringsOfLife (at Engen1stop R21)

[freddymahhumane]

#beastmode #life #courage #consistency #hardwork #opentechnik #hunger #hustle #entrepreneur #noShortcuts #noDrama #positive

[freddymahhumane]

The average mindset – Stuck on stupid

The average mindset is the worst thing that ever happened to humanity, it is a calamity, a tragedy and slavery. A basic mindset will never get you anywhere; with that kind of mindset you will never be great.

Entrepreneurs can never afford to have an average mind, and that’s because of one simple rule: “Always Be Closing”. Entrepreneurs are all about closing deals; it’s always about the sales. If you have an average mindset you should be disappointed in yourself.

 Average people believe money is the root of all evil, but Rich people believe POVERTY is the root of all Evil.  As long as you average you will attract average people, attract poor people. The average mindset is crowded; there are a lot of people down there. Average people don’t do average things, they wake up at three in the morning and start planning for their day, they always on beast-mode.

 Average people have a lottery mentality and rich people have an action mentality. Such are Entrepreneurs; they set goals and put action to it. I sat in a meeting with Vusi Thembekwayo and he was emphasising... “FOCUS”. He said choose your goal and focus on it, because when the mind is focused on something nothing can stop it from success.

Average people think the road to riches is paved by formal education and rich people believe in acquiring specific knowledge.  A lot of average people acquire information and not knowledge, information is never used and knowledge is always useful. Success is not greatness and one needs to put an effort in what they do. Effort is the key.

 Entrepreneurs are all about changing the world, but in order to change the world they must not think like people who live in this world. Average people are of this world and they think like people who live in this world and therefore change is impossible. Entrepreneurs are a rare bread of people who sacrifices everything they have to be successful. 

[freddymahhumane]

Who do you see when you look at the mirror!?! #positive #beastmode #hunger #success #hustle #hardwork #prayer #business #knowledge #leadership #opentechnik #noShortcuts #noRegrets #motivate #wisdom #technology #TIPSA_2014

[freddymahhumane]

#opentechnik #best #beastmode #business #courage #consistency #motivate. If you can't be the BEST then please don't even try.