Its not what you say, but how you say it…

Its not what you say, but how you say it…

rochemamabolo

Consider these two statements:

‘Hey, dont you see the rubbish bin is full!’

Or

‘It would be really great if you could empty the rubbish bin, honey’

C’est le ton qui fait la musique: its not what you say, but how you say it. If a message is communicated in different ways, it will also be received in different ways. In psychologists’ jargon, this technique is called framing.

We react differently to identical situations, depending on how they are presented. In the 1980s Kahneman conducted as survey in which he put forward two options for an epidemic-control strategy. The lives of 600 people were at stake, they told participants to the survey:

– Option A: Saves 200 lives
– Option B: Offers 33% chance that all 600 people will survive and a 66% chance that no one will survive.

Although options A and B were the same (with…

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“You can buy this from anyone, and we are anyone”

That is not going to get you very far when you sell stuff, raise money, look for a job and your skills or services can be found from anyone. If your skills can be found anywhere, anytime and anyhow from anyone, you are fitting in and ultimately invisible. What if instead, you created a reputation…

Which comes first: The product or the marketing?

Well, if you define marketing as advertising, then it's clear you need the product first. But wait. Marketing is not the same as advertising. Advertising is a tiny slice of what marketing is today, and in fact, it's pretty clear that the marketing has to come before the product, not after. A lot of products…

This Might Not Work…

Change is powerful, but change always comes with the possibility of failure as its partner. 'This might not work' is not merely something to be tolerated; it's something you must seek out. If your new business plan disrupts an industry or pisses a lot of people off, there's a good chance you are on to…

The State of Entrepreneurship in South Africa: Solutions and Recommendations

The following are some of the recommendations now how to remedy and create a culture of thriving entrepreneurship in South Africa. This list is not exhaustive, there are other recommendation: Education: Entrepreneurial education – when offered – is unlikely to reduce/remove the deficit created by having a poor basic education. Entrepreneurship training and support should…

The State of Entrepreneurship in South Africa: Gauteng vis-à-vis Western Cape Entrepeneurs

The graph below analyses the entrepreneurial pipeline with respect to Gauteng, the rest of South Africa and the Western Cape. The pipeline begins with potential entrepreneurs: In this stage individuals have not embarked on any specific actions to start an enterprise, even though they believe they have the capacity and believe that there are plenty…

The State of Entrepreneurship in South Africa: Black vis-a-vis White Entrepreneurs

Early GEM research (GEM South African Report, 2005 and 2010) indicated that there is a strong relationship between population groups and entrepreneurial activity. Whites and Indians were more likely to start a business than were coloureds and black Africans. However, subsequent research (GEM South African Report, 2008) showed that this difference did not exist when…

The State of Entrepreneurship in South Africa: Women vis-a-vis Men Entrepreneurs

The ratio of male to female participation in early-stage entrepreneurial activity varies considerably across countries (GEM Global Report, 2013), possibly because of different cultural aspects and customs regarding women’s role in the family and their participation in the labour market. It should be recognised that women enter entrepreneurship for many of the same reasons as…

The State of Entrepreneurship in South Africa: Youth Entrepreneurship

Youth unemployment and under-employment have become key concerns for both the developed and developing world. The 2011 census puts the South African population at 51 770 560 million people. Of these, 19 466 346 million are currently between the age of 15 and 34 (37.6%) and a further 15 100 086 million are between the…

The State of Entrepreneurship in South Africa: The State We Are In

‘”Throughout the world, shifts in population demographics, technology changes, fluctuating economies and other dynamic forces have transformed societies as never before, bringing new challenges and opportunities to the forefront. Among the responses to these shifting forces is an increased emphasis on entrepreneurship by governments, organisations and the public.” - GEM Global Report, 2012 The most widely…

Mastery, Connection and then Grace

The compliant era of the factory encouraged us to be focused on following instructions and fitting in. Some used this as an opportunity to achieve mastery, to get good at our craft, to understand the nature of what we did. Now we have an opportunity to go beyond that. To connect with one another. To…

So It’s Your Birthday Today

So It’s Your Birthday Today

rochemamabolo

– If I was going to make you a cake for R20, using Joe Soap’s special recipe, I would go to the supermarket and get the ingredients and bake one slice of cake for you.

– I like you a little but I am in a hurry, so I’m going to buy cake mix and pay R30 for the mix that will give me a slice, plus I get to save time (of having not to measure and mix the ingredients)

– But if I am really in a hurry, I might as well just pay R40 of cake slice, no problem because it’s worth it to me. The experience not the cake.

– But you are my buddy and it’s your 45 birthday so I’m going to my faviourite bakery where I am liked and I’m going to pay R60 per slice and I am happy to pay it.

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