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In search of mediocrity

WHAT keeps South African business leaders awake at night is probably the most visceral indicator of what challenges face denizens of the tip of Africa.

Few leaders will obsess over issues like the rand-dollar exchange rate or metals basket prices, since there is scant that can be done on a firm level to affect these macroeconomic drivers - so why waste such productive nocturnal moments on these non-levers of performance.

This week I had the opportunity to catch up with water explorer and eco-ambassador Lewis Pugh to discuss his new book, bemusingly entitled 21 Yaks and a Speedo. For logistical reasons there were no yaks present during our discussion (nor Speedos for that matter).

Lewis as it happens is the perfect barometer for what keeps CEOs awake at night, since he interacts with over 100 companies a year as part of his motivational talk series and - more pertinent to this article - over 50 South African executives in any given year.

Lewis and I drilled down into the challenges facing South African business and it was populated by the usual suspects, such as educational and infrastructural shortfalls – no need to belabour these issues as they are well known; instead I would like to focus on an anomaly and a keen observation.

An anomaly and an observation

The anomaly is South Africa’s ability to deliver excellence in small pockets.

Lewis described how sporting superstar colleagues of his rate their South African cricket, rugby and soccer World Cup experiences as the finest sporting events of their careers - and how South Africa was able to host such events not only on a globally comparable level, but at a level par excellence.

It would be too easy to dismiss this anomaly with a hand palm and attribute sporting events success to their short duration and international hand holding, since we have a pristine example of similar excellence in the belly of the beast, the South African Revenue Service (Sars).

No one likes paying tax, but it is impossible to deny that Sars is one of the finest institutions of its ilk in the world in efficiency, effectiveness, its embrace of technology and responsiveness to changes in its operating environment.

I would posit that if every government department and parastatal could reach half the performance level of Sars, South Africa would function like a Nordic state - albeit with significantly lower levels of herring consumption.

This anomaly requires further study, for now I will proceed to unwrapping a keen observation.

In search of South Africa’s Mittelstand

The gold standard of manufacturing is set by German manufacturers; the Mittelstand factories occupying Germany’s hinterland are renowned for their fastidiousness and pursuit of excellence. As customers we have grown accustomed to expecting such excellence in industrial and consumer goods from the European Union’s lone, star state.

Developed countries the world over are trying to imitate the success of the manufacturing sector in Germany and South Africa is no different in this regard.

It is therefore telling to note what is the most offensive factor to German execs operating in South Africa. There are no doubt many candidates, but if I were asked to speculate I would guess the chief annoyance would be labour relations, rising input costs or a shortage of skilled labour.

So what bothers executives of German manufacturers operating in South Africa, what is their major pain point?

Excellence in absentia

Lewis identifies a single word to describe their pain: excellence.

Or, in the South African context, the absence thereof. The most frustrating factor to deal with for perfectionist manufacturers is the South African work ethic, and the reality that the quest for local workers is not zero defect but good is good enough - and anything more is above comprehension.

This embrace of mediocrity is an area where South Africa’s political leaders truly lead by example.

If ever there existed exemplary role models and paragons of mediocrity in the workforce, the nation’s leaders are steadfast pillars - worthy of their state-sponsored pedestals.

Crossing the invisible divide

The good news is that excellence is highly contagious.

As a nation we are witness to fierce competition in the theatre of mineworker unions.

We are, I believe on the verge of such brinkmanship crossing an invisible divide, not the divide of majority membership, but the divide between promising promises versus delivering on promises.

The nation’s most vulnerable and near-redundant operators of rockdrills have taught the country a lesson in governance, and that is failure to deliver has a finite tolerance threshold, and that threshold has been breached.

The challenge to the new strongmen, and they are overwhelmingly men, is not to repeat the fatal errors of the incumbents which they displace: not to replace hollow promises with equally void promises, but rather to fulfil them with tangible positive results.

The same lesson is relevant to national leadership.

Fortunately a philosophy of excellence is a viral catalyst.

And it begins with the obstruction-less task of holding oneself accountable to none other than oneself.

Joining the dots

Joining the dots of this anomaly and keen observation, we are able to distil the task ahead.

Excellence exists in South Africa, albeit in pockets; broad-based mediocrity also exists. By leveraging existing excellence through personal accountability, the stale work ethic which clogs the wheels of productivity can be combated.

Taking a pearl from yak number three, it is poignant to conclude “if you get the basics right, then everything else falls into place”.

 - Fin24

*Jarred Myers is a resources strategist and can be followed on Twitter on @JarredMyers. Opinions expressed are his own.



 
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