Refocus Insights
When to Take a Sabbatical
When Should You Take A Sabbatical? One of the questions you might consider at some stage in your career is whether it is a good idea to take a sabbatical or not. The answer to this question, like many other big decisions in life is “it depends”. Let me tell you a...
Passed Over For Promotion
Getting Passed Over For Promotion Being passed over for promotion isn’t a good feeling, especially when the evidence doesn’t align with what is happening. I had been working for Sasol for a few years and had been in an on-going discussion with my supervisor about a...
Industry Pivot
Changing Industries Industry Pivot - How I Switched from One Industry to Another I’ve made a few changes from one industry to the next and the most challenging and courageous one was leaving the Oil & Gas industry to start working in the Renewable Energy industry....
Why Values Are Important in Your Career Choices
Why Are Values Important in Your Career? I was standing in front of a group of about 300 people and trying my best to explain why the South African government was going to place a lot of focus on landfill gas harvesting and burning the methane to convert it to carbon...
The Art of reFOCUS
The Art of reFOCUS To refocus is to adjust the focus, or to focus on something new or different. reFOCUS is my technique of going back to re-exam something in more detail - to look further or deeper than what we initially see. It's a way of understanding the root...
From Kat Walk to Coaching
From Kat Walk to Coaching [Video here] When I was about 5 years into my career I was working in a good job that paid relatively well but I felt unhappy and unfulfilled. I had been passed over for promotion twice after being told that I was eligible for promotion and...
Change Within An Organisation
Changing a Career Within an Organisation If changing your role and direction within your organisation is something that is on your mind then I have a quick story for you about how I did this when I was working at Sasol. In this video I describe why and how I made this...
Leaving to Join a Competitor
At the end of 2001 I left Sasol to join Shell, even though I had managed to ‘escape Secunda’ and work my way into a very promising and exciting business development role in Sasol’s head-office in Rosebank. There were four drivers at the time. The first two were based...
Essential training for environmentally conscious professionals
Books & Publications
These are the most influential books that I have read and use to inform my techniques.
Productivity
Getting Things Done
I have tried many time and task management techniques over the years and this approach solved a few fundamental problems I had that I didn't quite figure out on my own. Now I have a customised system and the only challenge is the ongoing practice of consistently applying and mastering the techniques.
Productivity
Drive
This book discusses intrinsic motivation and how it differs from the way managers used to motivate employees in a Taylorism production era. The world and the nature of work has changed and this book explains how to get the best out of your employees.
Productivity
The Checklist Manifesto
In this groundbreaking book, Atul Gawande makes a compelling argument for the checklist, which he believes to be the most promising method available in surmounting failure. Whether you're following a recipe, investing millions of dollars in a company or building a skyscraper, the checklist is an essential tool in virtually every area of our lives, and Gawande explains how breaking down complex, high pressure tasks into small steps can radically improve everything from airline safety to heart surgery survival rates..
Productivity
Designing Your Life
This book is aimed at individuals who want to figure out what to do in their career but the principles also apply to organisations who want to expand into new markets or add new products to their portfolio.
Productivity
Free To Focus
This book is aimed at individuals who want to become more productive and is Michael Hyatt's take on the GTD productivity principles of David Allen. I have converted some of these ideas into useful practical tools that any organisation can use to get better productivity and quality work from their employees.
Productivity
Essentialism
This book explains why it is so important to work on the right things and to minimise what you are trying to achieve and what you are focusing on. I tend to take on to much and I have been too ambitious in the past and paid the price - not getting things completed. This is how you really get things done.