Say the word 'negotiation' and the images that pop up in our minds might be that of a beefy trade unionist, or a confident male executive, or even a slick car salesman.

What is less likely to come to mind, apparently, is the image of a confident woman twisting her adversaries into knots and emerging triumphant with a done deal. In her book on gender and negotiation, "Women Don't Ask", Linda Babcock, an Economics professor at the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon, says that most women, on hearing the word 'negotiation', want to cringe.

In her research, Babcok noted that when men were asked to pick a metaphor to describe the negotiating process, they tended towards activities such as "winning a ballgame" or a "wrestling match". Women, on the other hand, tended to lump negotiating in the same category as, say, "going to the dentist."

Now, while most women negotiate successfully countless times every day (it's no easy matter persuading a teenager not to wear clothes that will shame you in public or returning an expensive outfit to a shop that has no desire to take it back!) there is something about the idea of negotiating in our working environment that seems to have many women looking longingly for the exit.

The evidence of this gender divide, says Babcock, starts early, citing her time as director of the Ph.D. program at Carnegie Mellon when she noticed women students were less inclined to ask for things.

"Male graduate students asked for all sorts of things — travel money to go to conferences, exemptions from course requirements, opportunities to teach courses of their own — that the female students rarely asked for," Babcock says. "Looking at the repercussions down the road, it became clear that, as a result, the female students were missing out on a lot of resources and opportunities from which the men were benefiting."

It might spur us on to become better at this if we really appreciated how much it costs us as women to be poor negotiators in the workplace.

According to a Harvard study, "When Does Gender Matter in Negotiation?" by professors Hannah Riley and Kathleen L. McGinn, their research showed that "women tend to enter salary negotiations with lower pay expectations, which are then ultimately fulfilled." In their field study of MBA salary negotiations, they found that "males negotiated significantly higher increases on initial salary offers than did female peers."

In fact, according to Babcock, "Women are more pessimistic about how much is available when they do negotiate and so they typically ask for and get less when they do negotiate—on average, 30% less than men."

It is crucial that women negotiate from the very start of their careers, she says. "We calculated that just by not negotiating her first job offer — simply accepting what she's offered rather than negotiating for more — a woman sacrifices more half a million dollars over the course of her career. This is a massive loss for a one-time negotiation; for avoiding what is usually no more than five minutes of discomfort."

So, if by avoiding or dreading negotiating – in surveys, 2.5 times more women than men say they feel "a great deal of apprehension" about negotiating and women will pay as much as $1,353 to avoid negotiating the price of a car – women are selling themselves short, what’s the solution?

Traits such as empathy and caring are usually more closely associated with women than men and some studies suggest that women, having built relationships with colleagues, often regard their fellow employees as family and take their personal needs into account. This can sometimes lead to situations where women can find themselves being taken advantage of or taken for granted.

But, while satisfying, blaming Mother Nature for our predisposition to caring rather than competing, still doesn't solve the problem.

The answer may lie in women learning to adapt their mindsets and by expecting more, empathizing less and taking a more assertive view of their self-worth. Because, according to Babcock's study, women are more pessimistic about how much is available when they do negotiate and so they typically ask for and get less when they do negotiate — on average, 30% less than men.

Through training, mentoring and modeling successful negotiators, women can successfully learn techniques and adopt strategies that will break them out of their caring comfort zone and enable them to recognize and demand what they are due.

Whether it's to get a discount on a car or a seat on the Board, negotiation is the name of the game. Failing to do so, as these studies show, can prove to be extremely costly.

New Year, New You?

As we start a new year armed with good intentions and unshakeable (at least for a week) resolutions, what's going to make this year any different to the last?

'Be the change you want to see', said Mahatma Gandhi. But how does this square with what so many of us want i.e. change that we didn't have to sacrifice to achieve.

Because much as we say we want change, how many of us are really prepared to change what we do in order to get the change we say we are seeking?

Successful people are the ones who actually DO what other people only think about, as one motivational author once said. If we really want to change the output, we have to change the input. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is, at best, wildly optimistic and, at worst, the path to madness.

Whether it's about losing weight or gaining skills, we pretty much all know what we need to do. Even those that spend a fortune on diet books will, when pushed, admit that dropping pounds involves a combination of eating less and moving more. And there's no getting away from the fact that learning a new language is going to involve studying grammar and learning vocabulary. So where's the problem?

Well, much as we know what it takes to make change happen successfully and indeed make an eloquent and persuasive case for it (the climate change conference held last month is a case in point), something gets in the way of putting this knowledge into practice. As human beings in an age of quick fixes and instant gratification, we want the results of change to appear now and not as the result of painstaking hard work. We disregard our own wisdom; perhaps because we hold some sort of limitation in our mind about what we can achieve, or perhaps because we blame pressures such as time, money or others.

So the problem is how to deal with the big gap between what we know and what we actually do to make change happen.

When we set out to make a change, finding a way to think about change that works for us will be most likely to lead to success. We are probably best placed to succeed if we apply the same principles as we would to a change project at work: making a case for change, creating a shared vision, having the capacity for change and taking action.

Applying these principles to ourselves would entail understanding the real pressure and motivation for change is it something we want for ourselves or is it being imposed/suggested/demanded of us? If we accept that we want this change for ourselves, we have to have a clear vision of what we are seeking as a realistic outcome and then convey that vision to those around us to gain their support, or indeed forestall their sabotage for, as Woodrow Wilson pointed out, "If you want to make enemies, try to change something."

We need to make sure that we have the capacity to change, that we have identified what we need, be it time, money or people, and are committed to finding these. Finally, it's all in the doing taking action.

If you really want this New Year to lead to a new you, it will take work. Change that lasts is one where people's expectations are realistic and progress is gradual rather than radical. The process may raise dormant fears and could even feel like loss as the old familiar routine gradually transforms into a new pattern of action or behaviour.

A new you could be yours for the asking, if you are ready to do what it takes. And when the going gets tough, take heart from the saying "If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies."

Happy New Year!

Calling Time on 'African Time'

'Africa Time', 'Black Man's Time', 'GMT=Ghana Maybe Time', etc. etc. The concept of punctuality and timekeeping is so poorly regarded in much of Africa that we have all manner of names for it across the continent.

We've also managed to export our attitudes to timekeeping so successfully that whether we are in London, New York or Toronto, we KNOW that our people are never going to be on time.

Well, it's time to call time on this appalling practice and to start treating each other with the respect that we would want for ourselves.

'Time is Money ....'

Many businessmen and sadly, potential investors, can attest to sitting for hours outside the offices of an African official or Minister, waiting for them to appear for a meeting that had been scheduled weeks ahead. The matter is usually not helped by the attitude of lackadaisical support staff who not only have no clue about where their boss is, but clearly care even less. What does this say about us and our seriousness about seeking investment from people who understand the adage that 'time is money'?

Well, if time is money, no wonder we’re poor. When an African president (no names mentioned) can keep an entire press corps waiting for hours to open an investment conference overseas, what does it say to foreigners about the nature of doing business with that country? With the best will in the world, how can the international media be expected to produce good news stories about that country and its prospects?

Planning for Lateness

The underlying message when you keep someone waiting is that their time is not as important as yours. Yes, emergencies arise and people are sometimes late through no fault of their own. But what we are seeing in our communities is a systematic and practically institutionalized approach to timekeeping that does not serve us well.

And the attitude is contagious. A friend who normally makes every effort to be on time for appointments with Europeans shrugs off the idea of turning up on time to an African function.

"What's the point," she reasons. "I'll just be sitting there for hours before anyone shows up."

Thus, planning ahead to be late becomes the absurd reality we are increasingly faced with. Another friend takes a book along with her when she has a function to attend because she would rather spend the time sitting in her car reading than sitting in a half-empty hall waiting. An approach which brings to mind the observation by author Franklin Jones that "the trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it."

Talking about timekeeping, been to any African conferences lately? If I had one pound for every 'important' speaker who, over the years, has failed to show up or arrived late, throwing the programme into chaos, I would feature in the Fortune 100 wealth list today. And, if that's not enough, when they do finally arrive, they take twice as long as scheduled to deliver a speech that they clearly have not seen before. I still have painful memories of a keynote speaker at a conference who calmly announced that as she had not prepared a presentation for the topic given to her, she proposed to deliver one that she had given several months earlier on a different subject. I left.

Beware the Invitation

Invitations in our communities now need to come with a health warning, because our people are building in 'African time' when planning events. I recall years ago being advised to print an earlier time on my wedding invitation cards as people would be bound to be late. I didn’t follow the advice. I walked down the aisle in a half-empty chapel and, at the end of the service, turned to face a packed congregation.

"If you're there before it's over, you're on time", said James J. Walker – a view which seems to capture the attitude of many of us towards punctuality.

But, if people don't bother to turn up on time, what does it say about the importance we attach to invitations and the privilege of witnessing someone's celebration of a key milestone? I was the punctual bride, but what does it say when a bride keeps her guests waiting for 2 hours or a host arrives at his own party 3 hours late in order to 'make an entrance'? What does it say when punctuality, as someone once said, becomes 'the art of guessing how late the other fellow is going to be'?

We need to stop this. We cannot ask to be taken seriously if we lack the basic courtesy to value other people's time as much as we value our own. We cannot ask to be given a place at the international business table if we fail to observe the basic courtesies of the other diners. "Punctuality is the politeness of kings" as Louis XVIII is renowned to have said. We cannot avoid exasperation, irritation and condemnation if we don't learn now to say no to 'Ghana Man's Time' and say yes to 'Get Manners Time'!

So let's call time on this practice by not tolerating it any further. Being late isn’t cute; it isn't courteous and it isn't acceptable. We need to protest this attitude and take action now, before we pass this legacy on to coming generations. Next time you are kept waiting, leave the venue, walk out of the function, and protest by taking your time back into your own hands. Because, as George Bernard Shaw once said, "Better never than late."

In This Issue

In Stating the Case for Investing in Nigeria , we report on a recent conference in London that highlighted the case for investing in this national market of 150 million people with access to a regional market of 300 million people.

Aureos Capital has launched a new private equity fund in Africa to support small and medium enterprises and growth across the continent and, in Capitalising on Africa's Development we report on how the Aureos Africa Fund will help to build pan-African businesses.

In this month's Careers section, Lin Sagovsky returns with more tongue-in-cheek advice on meetings in 10 Great Ways to Turn Running a Meeting into Ruining a Meeting , while our Career Coach answers the question of How do I Stay Relevant during my Maternity Leave?

Businesses owned by Black, Latina and Asian American women are growing at a faster rate than all U.S. firms, and we look at a recent report on America's Black Women Entrepreneurs .

Our favourite hairdresser and trichologist, Noon Etienne, is back and this month she tackles the subject of the myths surrounding keeping your hair natural in Busting the Black Hair Myths- 5 Myths about Natural Afro Hair .

My good friend and currently Project Manager of the aptly-named SCORE4Africa initiative, Onyekachi Wambu , is our guest interviewee in this month's ' 5 Minute Interview ' and shares some of the life lessons he has learned along the way.

We go back into the ReConnect Africa Archives and give you another chance to read our interview with Zoe Huskisson, 'the ultimate personal shopper' in Woman of Style . Zoe talks about the challenges and joys of life as a professional stylist.

In the lead-up to Christmas, December sees an exciting line up of events in the UK and overseas and our Events listing gives you details of what's on this month .

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent .

Share your comments about our articles or write into our Letters page and let us know what you think about ReConnect Africa.

ReConnect Africa Members' Forum

What’s making you angry/thoughtful/happy? What would you like to share with other readers of ReConnect Africa? Post your comments or give some advice to other members on our free ReConnect Africa Forum.

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the Forum and posted your comments; if you haven’t yet joined, why don’t you do so today?

Seasons Greetings

Finally, let me take this opportunity to wish all our readers, visitors and subscribers our warmest greetings for the festive Season and I hope you all enjoy a happy and restful break. Thank you all for your e-mails, comments, contributions and for spreading the word about ReConnect Africa to your friends, colleagues and contacts. A big thank you also to our clients and partners for working with us and we hope that you will all continue to support us in 2010!

January will bring a new look ReConnect Africa website – let us know what you think.

In the meantime, enjoy this issue - and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

When is free speech not quite so free? Ask Heather Armstrong who lost her job after posting information about her former employer on her blog. Her advice to others using social networking to talk about their company? Don't be stupid – or expect consequences if you anger your employer with the contents of your blog.

But where should the line be drawn between sharing what's on your mind with your online pals on Twitter and feeling the wrath of your bosses if they don't like what you are saying?

According to the third annual Deloitte LLP Ethics & Workplace survey, 60% of business executives believe they have a right to know how employees portray themselves and their organisations on online social networks. Unsurprisingly, employees disagree, with more than half (53%) saying that their social networking pages are none of their employer’s concern. Again, no surprises that this finding is especially true among younger workers, with 63% of 18-34 year old respondents stating that employers have no business monitoring their online activity.

Risky Business

But the fact is employers have every business wanting to safeguard the reputation of their companies. One could argue that killing the golden goose that provides the pay cheques isn't a particularly smart move on the part of an employee either.

But is this behaviour willful or just thoughtless? On one hand, says the survey, one-third of employees surveyed never consider what their boss or customers might think before posting material online. Yet most of those who responded were pretty clear about the risks involved in using online social networks, as 74% of respondents believe they make it easier to damage a company's reputation – a fact not lost on Sharon Allen, Chairman of the Board of Deloitte.

"With the explosive growth of online social networks such as Facebook and Twitter rapidly blurring the lines between professional and private lives," she says, "these virtual communities have increased the potential of reputational risk for many organisations and their brands."

The explosion in social networking and the speed with which information is shared and transmitted globally leaves brands vulnerable. While posting videos or observations on a social networking site is a personal decision, it can create far reaching and damning consequences for both individuals and their employers.

Let's take blogging. Once a blog (or online journal for the un-initiated) has been posted, friends and strangers alike can read it, comment on it and send on the link to others. What might have been an impulsive angry comment or a disgruntled rant about an irritating manager is now circulated globally and accessible forever. Information that could be negative about a particular company policy or even an individual is now out there and shaping the opinion of potential recruits about the company or the target of the blogger's wrath.

Back to the Future

Online postings can come back to haunt you – as a number of politicians have discovered to their cost. Pictures taken after a few pints during your student days suddenly look a lot less funny splashed across national newspapers when you are trying to be taken seriously. Those out job hunting or pushing for a promotion should also take note that it is getting quite common for supervisors and employers to use search engines to look up existing and prospective employees.

If employers are – rightly – worried about the negative impact of denigrating tweets and scornful blogs on carefully crafted corporate images and multi-million dollar branding and advertising campaigns, what can or should they be doing about it?

Many firms are still struggling with the problem of how to wrest staff away from their Facebook, My Space or LinkedIn accounts while on company time without having to block access to half the internet. When trying to curb the need for your employees to send and follow multiple tweets during the day is already a problem, what price actually monitoring what the people are saying to the hundreds and thousands of individuals they are connected to?

Astonishingly, the survey reports that only a mere 17% of the executives surveyed said they have programmes in place to monitor and mitigate the possible reputational risks related to the use of social networks. In the absence of high profile cases like Heather Armstrong, the effectiveness of the policies that do exist is questionable - nearly half (49%) of employees indicate that defined guidelines will not change their online behaviour.

Policies and Policing

But doing nothing is not an option if employers want to avoid litigation resulting from comments posted online by their employees. Rather than having to write the rules after the deed has been done, employers need to be clear with their staff about what is and is not acceptable - whether or not it is done in office time.

Companies should have policies in place that fit their needs. These should include how to regulate what an employee writes about your company on their social networking profile page or blog. A clear policy on internet use that addresses all media, whether social networking sites, e-mail or SMS and whether staff members are on or off-duty, will make the company’s position clear and help protect it from liability for employees' postings.

While some companies have policies that require employees to identify themselves when discussing the company in any public forum (including online forums) and to notify readers that they are speaking in an individual capacity, not as a company representative, others come down heavily on employees who post anything about their company or colleagues.

Virtually Friends

So bloggers, beware. Anything your employer deems to be slanderous, confidential, a trade secret or intellectual property will likely land you in hot water. Blogs or tweets that can be seen as disparaging or harassing managers or colleagues could also rebound fast on the author.

And what about your friends? While being known for the company you keep matters less in your private life, your choice of virtual friends can be your career undoing, as some have found to their cost.

Pity poor Nathan Singh, a UK prison warden who was sacked after he was suspected of supplying inmates with mobile phones and other banned items. While the disciplinary hearing heard there was no evidence of Singh smuggling anything into the prison, he was found to be friends with 13 criminals through Facebook. After being dismissed for gross misconduct, Singh said he knew the criminals from school or playing football.

"Sometimes when I logged on to my Facebook site there would be 20-odd friend requests and I just accepted them," he said. "Sometimes I didn't even check them. I realise now it might have been naïve."

In This Issue

What exactly is going on in Burundi? As the country emerges from over a decade of conflict, Rachel Keeler investigates in Burundi: The Fifth East African Looking for Investors what interests investors in this East African Community's fifth member.

In Taking the Lead on Africa, we find out more about the exciting and innovative British Council Strategic Leaders Programme now open to applications and which offers a unique opportunity to join African and British leaders in addressing Africa's pressing challenges.

When it comes to business qualifications that offer both quality and an affordable price, ABE is hard to beat. In In the Business of Quality we speak to Christine Gill of ABE about the company's latest developments.

In this month's Careers section, Nigerian networking guru, Kamil Olufowobi, shares strategies and tactics to network your way to finding a job in ' Networking for a Job?', while our Career Coach answers the question of ' Why do I Need a Mentor?'.

ReConnect Africa's former Career Coach, Helen Tucker (ex Dupigny), recently re-launched her book 'Vicissitude' and career development programme. In ' Vicissitude', we talk to Helen about her personal journey and overcoming vicissitudes.

The Sierra Leonean writer and broadcaster Ade Daramy is our guest interviewee in this month's ' 5 Minute Interview' and Ade shares some of the wisdom he has picked up along the way.

We go back into the ReConnect Africa Archives and give you another chance to read Vincent Owen's tips on interviewing job candidates. If you are new to interviewing or just want to check you are doing the right thing, read Managing the Interview.

November sees an exciting line up of events in the UK and overseas and   our Events listing gives you details of what's on this month.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent.

Share your comments about our articles or write into our Letters page and let us know what you think about ReConnect Africa.

ReConnect Africa Members' Forum

What's making you angry/thoughtful/happy? What would you like to share with other readers of ReConnect Africa? Post your comments or give some advice to other members on our free ReConnect Africa Forum.

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the Forum and posted your comments; if you haven't yet joined, why don't you do so today?

Enjoy this issue - and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

When Susie Orbach wrote her pioneering book 'Fat is a Feminist Issue' in 1978, she successfully highlighted the links between sexual politics and female dieting.

Recent research from Michigan State University, however, is the first to focus on the link between weight and career advancement at the highest levels of management. But fat still remains a feminist issue, says the study, because the research found that while being fat is no barrier for men, it can harm a woman's career prospects.

Fat Chance of Succeeding

Women who are overweight have much less chance of being promoted at work than plump male colleagues, was one of the findings of the study. The study also showed that while a high proportion of men in top jobs were fat, overweight or obese women were significantly under-represented among their bosses.

These findings add weight (no pun intended) to accusations of sexism in the workplace and stoke many women's suspicions that female employees are judged on appearance and not solely on their ability to do the job. The study, which was published in the British journal Equal Opportunities International, reviewed 29 previous research papers on hiring, firing and promotion practices. It found 61% of top male bosses were overweight compared with only 22% of female executives.

According to Mark Roehling, who led the study, the findings indicate that society has a "greater tolerance and possibly even a preference for a larger size among men but a small size among women."

This alarming conclusion would suggest, says Roehling, that "the glass ceiling effect on women's advancement may reflect not only negative stereotypes about the competencies of women, but also weight bias that results in stricter appearance standards for them."

What Price Culture?

But what do these findings suggest for your career if you happen to come from a culture that not only accepts but positively welcomes the larger framed woman? Precious Ramotswe, the African protagonist in Alexander McCall Smith's No 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels, proudly declares herself to be "traditionally built". From the sounds of these reports, this may go down well in Botswana, but perhaps less so in Birmingham.

But, talking of culture, the clash between size and cultures can happen even within Europe. Journalist John Lichfield, citing a French survey that has charted wide discrepancies in the average weight of men and women in different European countries, states that: "The typical French woman is slim and thinks that she is fat. The typical British woman is plump but is convinced that she is thin."

The author of the study in question, Thibaut de Saint Pol, says that his research suggests that average national weight is strongly influenced by cultural differences and national attitudes to what is seen as attractive. For example, he says, in some countries, such as Greece, male fatness is still regarded as a symbol of power or strength.

For many traditional Africans, a larger size denotes an abundance of food and, therefore, prosperity. Commenting on such an African's girth is, therefore, less likely to result in embarrassment than a proud rub of the stomach accompanied by the explanation, 'good living!'

The Cost of Fat

But, if size discrimination in the Western workplace isn't enough to drive one to the gym, a recent announcement by Ryanair that it was considering a 'fat tax' might just do it.

The low-cost airline – in a bid to attract more attention and custom – announced that it may impose a "fat tax" after more than 30,000 passengers voted to levy charges on overweight passengers. The airline made its controversial comments after a third of passengers on the Irish airline's website voted in favour of charging fees for obese passengers.

Recent research by First Choice, using a nationwide sizing survey, found that between 1951 and 2002, the average female in the UK has put on 1.5 inches around the hips. According to the holiday tour operator, British holidaymakers are becoming too fat to fit into conventional airline seats, with two-thirds of men now too broad-shouldered for their neighbours' comfort in 16-inch aircraft seats, the standard size in economy on many aircraft, while one woman in seven was too broad for a seat.

Jumping on the bandwagon, another airline, United Airlines, has admitted that it will start charging overweight passengers more, if they cannot fit into conventional economy seats. They insist that passengers must be able to put their arm rests down and fasten their seat belts or they will be asked to pay for an extra seat or be moved on to a later flight. The airline did not comment on whether it would reduce ticket costs for underweight passengers.

For larger women already struggling with a reduced pay packet compared to male colleagues and now restricted career opportunities, this latest news may come as one slight too many (again, no pun intended).

However, ladies, all may not be lost. 25% of those polled by Ryanair also recommended a charge of €1 for toilet paper – with Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary's face on it.

In This Issue

In this issue, Rachel Keeler reports on how Kenyan banks in Tanzania are finding a challenging business environment but with potential in very specific niches in 'Is Tanzania's Banking Sector Ready for a Nudge from Kenya?'

In 'Facing Up to Redundancy', leading coach Richard Yates offers advice on how adopting the right attitude can help you deal with this challenge, while our Career Coach provides advice on 'Getting a Great Guy to do a Great Job'.

In 'My Journey as a Writer', we speak to talented Ugandan author Goretti Kyomuhendo on the inspiration behind her writing and why Chinua Achebe was so influential in her decision to write.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation has launched a coffee-table book detailing the events that occurred at the first Promise of Leadership Dialogue, held in March this year. This inspiring book is now available and offers fascinating insights into leadership issues.

We report on a new US survey, The Business of Society, which shows that MBA students want changes in their curriculum to address the social impact of business.

This month's '5 Minute Interview' features Mavis Amankwah, Managing Director of Rich Visions who shares some of the life lessons she has learned along the way.

We go back into the ReConnect Africa Archives and highlight Africa Investment Horizons, a film by award winning producer Carol Pineau, which shows the enormous investment opportunities in Africa.

October offers a wide range of exciting events in the UK and overseas and our Events listing gives you details of what's on this month.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent.

Share your comments about our articles or write into our Letters page and let us know what you think about ReConnect Africa.

ReConnect Africa Members' Forum

What's making you angry/thoughtful/happy? What would you like to share with other readers of ReConnect Africa? Post your comments or give some advice to other members on our free ReConnect Africa Forum.

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the Forum and posted your comments; if you haven't yet joined, why don't you do so today?

Enjoy this issue - and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Generation Y and Cool Careers

When a friend of mine recently vented her fury and disappointment at the fact that her privately educated son had announced his plans to train as a plumber's apprentice, I listened sympathetically, silently praying that this wouldn't be my fate a few years hence.

Why, she railed, had she bothered to sacrifice for so many years to give him a good education if he was going to choose something he could have done after leaving school, and not the top university she had slaved to get him into.

"He's not interested in a professional career, because it's 'boring'," she snorted. "He says he wants something more hands-on" – a wish she was probably tempted to fulfil in quite another way.

Coincidentally, we recently came across a report of a study which polled school-going students across Australia, seeking to gauge their perceptions of different industry sectors and how they were going to decide on their eventual careers.

The results don't make happy reading for people like my friend. This comprehensive study of 16 to 18 year olds – or Generation Y in demographic speak (those born roughly between 1980 and 2003 and now aged 6 to 28) – showed that careers such as Medicine, Law and the Arts are now seen as decidedly 'uncool'.

The study showed that this generation has an affinity for both practical education and to pursue cool, 'sexy' careers, mostly within the creative industry. Of the students polled, careers in television (25%), the music industry (24%), film (23%) and digital media (22%) featured most frequently, while over 65% of respondents rating 'acting' as a job which 'attracts the sexiest people'. The survey also showed a marked shift towards practical education, with an astonishing 83% of those considering future education specifying that they would rather pursue studies that gave them practical skills which are 'useful in the real world'.

"We weren't actually surprised at the results," said Marco Bettelli, Managing Director of the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa regions for SAE Institute, the global college which commissioned the study, and which offers both short courses and full-time courses in Film, Audio, Animation and Interactive Media Design.

"We've seen a considerable increase in interest from students wishing to pursue non-traditional areas of study, as students choose to take advantage of the opportunities available in the new creative industries."

Industries about which, many parents, who are still struggling to come to grips with the concept of new media, have only the haziest notions.

So when did being a lawyer, a doctor or a teacher come to be seen as 'uncool'? And does this mean that the hopes of many parents to be able to talk about 'my son, the doctor' or 'my daughter, the lawyer' are doomed to remain just that?

Interestingly, this generation appears to have embraced what many older people struggle with – the idea of finding a job that takes into account your skills and interests, rather than doing the job expected of you and looking for another outlet for your talents and interests.

The respondents to the survey felt no inclination to follow traditional career paths but did feel strongly about aligning their personal proficiencies with their chosen career path, with 67% actively searching for careers that 'fit their interests and talents', allowing them creativity and the opportunity to be innovative in the workplace.

Are these young people wrong to want to spend the bulk of their week doing a job that makes use of their interests and talents? Indeed, is it their responsibility to fulfil their parents' ambitions, irrespective of their own?

As I consider the significant number of frustrated clients I have coached, many of whom have followed what our parents considered careers of choice, it's hard to disagree with the logic of Generation Y.

Think for a moment of the legions of people – you might even be one of them - who dread the thought of Monday mornings. Consider also the increasing number of mid-career professionals now seeking a career change and the chance to do something they consider more meaningful with their lives.

Maybe it's time for us to learn from Generation Y and to start realizing that it's never too late to become cool.

As more African professionals head home, in the article 'Managing Africa with AMSCO', we talk to AMSCO about how their organisation is providing experienced African professionals with career opportunities in Africa.

For those contemplating a gap year in the face of a tight job market, we share how one gap year student’s stay in Ghana helped to spread the message of health and safety and changed her life in 'A Gap Year with a Difference'

Also in this month's Careers section, our Careers Coach offers some advice for a reader facing a choice of voluntary redundancy.

Leading trichologist Noon Etienne busts some further Black Hair Myths and, in '5 Myths about Colouring Afro Hair', Noon offers advice for those wanting a change in hair colour.

We preview the upcoming 2nd Annual Ghana Business and Investment Exhibition 2009and look at how the Ghana Black Stars Network is preparing for this event.

In 'Designing Cultures', we speak to Hazel and Kweku Aggrey-Orleans about the role their African heritage has played in the unique range of scarves created by their design company, Orleans Designs.

Award winning Editor, Anver Versi, is our guest interviewee in this month's '5 Minute Interview' and shares some of the sources of his inspiration and success.

We go back into the ReConnect Africa Archives and bring you another chance to read the interview with Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth inWomen, Leadership and a Changing Africa.

September brings a wide range of exciting events to the UK and overseas and  our Events listing gives you details of what's on this month.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent.

Share your comments about our articles or write into our Letters page and let us know what you think about ReConnect Africa.

What's making you angry/thoughtful/happy? What would you like to share with other readers of ReConnect Africa? Post your comments or give some advice to other members on our free ReConnect Africa Forum.

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the Forum and posted your comments; if you haven't yet joined, why don't you do so today?

Enjoy this issue - and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

That's What Friends are For

Before you delete yet another e-mail reminding you of National Friendship Week (which, judging from my inbox, must take place at least twice a month), bear in mind that your friends may hold the key to how long you live.

A recent study found that many people overlook a powerful weapon in the quest for better health: their friends. A 10-year Australian study has shown that friends can help us fight depression, speed up our recovery times from illness, slow down our aging and prolong our life.

Already starting to think differently about those e-mails?

The study, conducted by Flinders University, set out to examine if social networks with children, relatives, friends and confidants predict survival in older Australians, taking account of a range of demographic, health, and lifestyle variables.

While most people appreciate their circle of friends, the importance of these relationships takes on a whole new meaning as a result of this study. Some of the key findings from the research showed that older people with a large circle of friends were 22% less likely to die during the study period than those with fewer friends.

Adding more e-mail addresses to your contacts list yet?

Well, before you do, consider your body size and that of your friends. Another study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, examined the factors that cause a spread in obesity and concluded that a person's chances of becoming obese increased by 57% if he or she had a friend who became obese in a given interval.

Our friends sustain us, inspire us, encourage us and, yes, send us e-mails that we can often do without. But, they also help us heal.

While you pause to consider your options of either a longer life or obesity, you may be swayed by a third study by Harvard researchers that found evidence that social integration (read friendship) delays memory loss among elderly Americans and promotes brain health.

We can, and do, take our friends for granted as we get caught up with heavy workloads and hectic lives, and the lesson from some of these remarkable studies is that our friends are a resource we should nurture and hold onto, no matter what.

According to Rebecca Adams, a professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina, friendship has a bigger impact on our psychological well-being than family relationships. In some cases, really good friends become our family, even though no blood ties may exist.

Our friends sustain us, inspire us, encourage us and, yes, send us e-mails that we can often do without. But, they also help us heal. A 2006 study of around 3,000 nurses with breast cancer found that women without close friends were four times as likely to die from the disease as women with 10 or more friends. Remarkably, it didn't appear to matter how much contact a nurse had with her friends – just the fact of having those friends was protective.

Friendship works for men too, as a study of 736 middle-aged Swedish men revealed. The findings from this research showed that, rather than their relationship status, it was their friendships that affected their risk of heart attack and fatal coronary heart disease. Only smoking was shown to be as significant a risk factor as a lack of social support.

Despite all the evidence, it still isn't entirely clear why friendship has such a big effect on our lives and well-being. But the facts certainly show that friendship has a deep and powerful psychological effect on our health and our confidence, reduces our stress, and offers us people that we can turn to for both practical help and emotional support.

In 2008, researchers studied 34 students at the University of Virginia, taking them to the base of a steep hill and fitting them with a weighted backpack. The students were asked to estimate the steepness of the hill. During the exercise, some of the participants stood next to friends, while others stood alone.

The students who stood with friends gave lower estimates of the steepness of the hill. And the longer the friends had known each other, the less steep the hill appeared.

"Friendship is an undervalued resource," says Karen A. Roberto, Director of the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech., "and the consistent message of these studies is that friends make your life better."

One of my favourite quotes is "best friends are the siblings God forgot to give us". So make every week National Friendship Week, and keep circulating those e-mails – it's for your own good!

As the world continues to struggle with the economic downturn, we publish the comments made by South African ANC Treasurer-General Mathews Phosa on Africa's economic prospects. In An African Response to the Global Economic Crisis Dr. Phosa explains why he thinks this is a period that can fundamentally redefine Africa's position in the global economy.

They may have to implement redundancies, but Human Resources personnel are not exempt from the economic downturn and, arguably, the toughest job market for two decades. In How to Find a Job in a Downturn Owen Morgan offers advice for HR professionals searching for their next job.

Also in this month's Careers section, our Careers Coach offers some tips on working in consultancy.

We speak to Susan Adwoa Mensah in The Art of Justice about how she is using her remarkable artistic talent and forthcoming exhibition to shine a spotlight on the plight of women and children caught up in war and violence.

The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is building a new online social action community to generate ideas, suggestions and data that will be used to inform development for the poorest populations in Africa – and they need the help of the African Diaspora. Go to Africa Rural Connect to learn more about a new project that aims to support connections among Africa's Diaspora to improve agriculture in Africa.

Employment Lawyer, Landé Belo is our guest interviewee in this month's '5 Minute Interview' and shares some of the sources of her inspiration and success.

On 18 July, the legend that is Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela celebrates his 91st birthday. To celebrate the life of this inspirational leader, we go back into the ReConnect Africa Archives and bring you another chance to read the remarkable interview by John Battersby in Mandela.

July sees a wide range of exciting events taking place in the UK and overseas and our Events listing gives you details of what's on this month.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent.

Share your comments about our articles or write into our Letters page – where you can read the thought-provoking response by Dr. Sharon Minor to my previous Editorial – and let us know what you think about ReConnect Africa.

ReConnect Africa Members' Forum

What's making you angry/thoughtful/happy? What would you like to share with other readers of ReConnect Africa? Post your comments or give some advice to other members on our free ReConnect Africa Forum.

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the Forum and posted your comments; if you haven't yet joined, why don't you do so today?

Enjoy this issue - and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Where Have All the Role Models Gone?
If we were to take an informal poll of the responses to our monthly '5 Minute Interview' feature, my bet is that the vast majority of people, in reply to the question 'My greatest influence has been....', have cited their mother or father.

Whether it's public figures or sporting heroes, academicians or business leaders, mums and dads loom large as the first and most lasting influences on most of our lives and the ones who set down the values by which we live.

So I was surprised when I read the results of a recent poll taken of teenagers in the USA by Deloitte*. The poll covered a national sample of 750 teens aged from 12 to 17 years and, according to the findings, only about half cite their parents as role models.

So, if today's generation of adults consider their own parents as their primary role models, what's gone wrong with the next generation? If parents can't be trusted as a symbol of what can be achieved, who is guiding the aspirations of our children?

Among the key findings of the survey was the fact that more than one in four teens thinks that behaving violently is sometimes, often or always acceptable, while 20% of the respondents said they had personally behaved violently toward another person in the past year, and 41% reported a friend had done so.

Not only attitudes to violence come into question, but the perception of what makes for ethical behaviour. 49% - nearly half - of those who said they are ethically prepared, believe that lying to parents and guardians is acceptable, and 61% admit to having done so in the past year.

While there is nothing new about the creative genius of a young mind when faced with a barrage of questions from an angry parent and a looming punishment, there was at least an underlying acceptance in the minds of most of today's adults that lying as a child – while maybe necessary at the time – was not a good thing to do. And as adults, we have seen high profile examples of people facing retribution, less for what they’ve done, than for lying about it afterwards.

The good news is that slightly more than half of the teens interviewed (54%) did consider their parents as role models. But before we all quickly reassure ourselves that we are part of that 54%, it wouldn’t hurt to evaluate how well we are really doing in living the ethics we so readily preach to our offspring.

Most of those who don't cite their parents as role models are turning to their friends or said they didn't have a role model. Which begs the question: What could we be doing to inspire our younger generations rather then having them reach for the nearest set of headphones or log onto their online chat rooms when they see us coming?

The survey found that teenagers feel more accountable to themselves (86%) than they do to their parents or guardians (52%), their friends (41 %) or society (33 %).

As parents, guardians and mentors, how are we contributing to the raising of a 'me-centred' and 'me-first' generation? What examples are we offering of service, support and accountability to our wider community? An absence of adult role models can leave a vacuum of ethical guidance as young people enter adulthood. If adults are not viewed as role models, others will be filling the gap.

Today's teens are tomorrow's leaders - so what do these findings mean for employers?

Teens' feelings about accountability, coupled with self-reported unethical behavior, raise a potential concern among employers, say the pollsters, because ties within a community, school, work environment or social network often guide behavior. If teens lack accountability to others, the data suggests that their choices may be driven purely by self-interest and not by interest in the greater good. As we struggle to emerge from a global economic crisis generated by a lack of ethics and accountability, what does this tell us about the chances for the next generation?

In a few years these young individuals will be managing businesses, investing money and teaching children and the survey results raise concerns for employers about how ethically prepared their future workforce will be.

The solutions to these challenges, say the pollsters, lie in tools to help teens become better ethically prepared. Ainar D. Aijala, global consulting leader, Deloitte, and Chairman of JA Worldwide, an organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy, aptly sums up the challenge. "Teens need training in ethical decision making, practical tools and role models that help them understand not only how to make the right choices, but how those choices will impact their personal success and the success of the organizations they join."

In this piece, I've posed more questions than answers because it is not a simple issue. Whether by choice, necessity or history, many of us live outside our countries of origin. While some traditions may be forgotten or overlaid by host country cultures, retaining the old values of responsibility, sharing and truth may be the best way we have to help our children navigate the new world.

In African culture, it is commonly said that it takes a village to raise a child. But when we are no longer living in our villages, how do we ensure that our children feel part of a community, understand its shared values and goals and – yes- its rules?

Because whatever it is that our parents did to become our role models has to be a guide to us in what we do for the younger generations. For, as Jomo Kenyatta put it, "our children may learn about the heroes of the past. Our task is to make ourselves the architects of the future."

In this issue, we bring you a report from Andrea Bohnstedt, publisher of Ratio Magazine, on the exciting new business developments in the fiercely competitive Kenyan telecoms sector.

We also look ahead to this month's 'must attend' event in London for South Africans looking for an opportunity to set up a new venture. Entrepreneurship – The Way Forward in South Africa is a one day seminar that will give South Africans with international experience practical advice on returning home to set up a business.

April 15th was voting day for South Africans living abroad and, to the delight and gratitude of the South African government, over 16,000 worldwide cast their vote.

In this month's Careers section, Richard Cook points out some of the pitfalls when negotiating with someone from another culture in "Negotiating Across Cultures".

Also in Careers, staying with the theme of entrepreneurship, our careers coach offers some advice on how to make the first move into self-employment.

First appearances can make all the difference and your image and personal brand can be enhanced or destroyed by a bad hair day. Leading trichologist Noon Etienne points out some of the biggest myths about black hair care, starting with the truth about relaxing hair.

Television presenter, Rhoda Wilson, is our guest interviewee in this month's '5 Minute Interview' and shares some of the sources of his inspiration and success.

We go back into the ReConnect Africa Archives and bring you another chance to read the article 'Rebranding Sierra Leone'. As the country struggles to rebuild its image and institutions, Georgina Awoonor-Gordon explains how the Sierra Leone Diaspora Network is promoting investment for the country’s development.

May sees a wide range of exciting events taking place in the UK and overseas and our Events listing give you details of what's on this month.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent.

Share your comments about our articles or write into our Letters page to let us know what you think about ReConnect Africa.

What's making you angry/thoughtful/happy? What would you like to share with other readers of ReConnect Africa? Post your comments or give some advice to other members on our free ReConnect Africa Forum.

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the Forum and posted your comments; if you haven't yet joined, why don't you do so today?

Enjoy this issue - and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

* National poll from Junior Achievement and Deloitte. The findings of a telephone survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation.

Women, Work and Revolution

8th March is International Women's Day and it's always a good time to evaluate how women are getting on in the world.

A recent report from the US has suggested that as job cuts surge in America, the number of women in work is on the brink of surpassing the number of men on payroll. But those encouraged at this apparent tilt towards gender equality will be disappointed to note that this situation has arisen, not because very much has changed for women in the workplace, but because of where the job cutting axe has been falling during this global recession.

In her report for The New York Times, Catherine Rampell points out that the proportion of women who are working has changed very little since the recession started. But a full 82% of the job losses have affected distressed industries like manufacturing and construction where men are heavily represented. Women tend to be employed in areas like education and health care, which are less sensitive to economic ups and downs, and in jobs that allow more time for child care and other domestic work.

Women may be safer in their jobs, says Rampell, but, in fact, their jobs are not necessarily as good and make it harder for them to support a family. For one thing, they work fewer overall hours than men. For another, women are far more likely to be in part-time jobs that come without either health or unemployment insurance. Even for women in full-time jobs, US government data shows that women earn 80 cents for each dollar of their male counterparts' income.

In fact, says Heather Boushey, a senior economist at the Center for American Progress, "given how stark and concentrated the job losses are among men, women are now bearing the burden — or the opportunity, one could say — of being breadwinners."

Women may be safer in their jobs but, in fact, their jobs are not necessarily as good and make it harder for them to support a family.

A perennial issue for women, though, is not just that the concept of equality seems pretty shaky in the workplace, but why it seems to totally fall apart in the home.

A survey by the University of Wisconsin's National Survey of Families and Households show that the average wife does 31 hours of housework a week while the average husband does 14 — a ratio of slightly more than two to one. Where wives stay at home and husbands are the sole earners, the number of hours goes up for women, to 38 hours of housework a week, and down a bit for men, to 12, a ratio of more than three to one.

All well and good, you may think. After all, if one partner is bringing home the bacon, the other should contribute to making that home look good. Sadly – but of no surprise to most women – when both partners work, the odds are even worse.

The survey also found that when both husband and wife have full-time paying jobs, the wife does 28 hours of housework and the husband, 16. A ratio just shy of two to one. Even sadder is the research by Sampson Lee Blair of the University of Buffalo which looked at married couples and found that "even where she has a job and he doesn't, even then you find the wife doing the majority of the housework."

A perennial issue for women, though, is not just that the concept of equality seems pretty shaky in the workplace, but why it seems to totally fall apart in the home.

But if the housework ratio of wife-to-husband in America is two to one, the ratio for child care is close to five to one. In a family where Mom stays home and Dad goes to work, she spends 15 hours a week caring for children and he spends 2. In families in which both parents are wage earners, Mom's average drops to 11 and Dad's goes up – all the way to 3.

According to recent data from the government's American Time Use Survey analyzed by two economists, Alan B. Krueger and Andreas Mueller, when women are unemployed and looking for a job, the time they spend daily taking care of children nearly doubles. Unemployed men's child care duties, by contrast, are virtually identical to those of their working counterparts, and they instead spend more time sleeping, watching TV and looking for a job, along with other domestic activities.

Many of the unemployed men they interviewed said they have tried to help out with cooking and other chores, but they have not had time to do more because job-hunting consumes their days.

"The survey also found that when both husband and wife have full-time paying jobs, the wife does 28 hours of housework and the husband, 16."

Well, for those who think women were created with an inbuilt gene for cleaning, cooking and clearing up, here's some news.

When evolution takes too long, the alternative is revolution. And there's a revolution on the way. It may be coming in bursts and without some of the drama of political revolutions, but change for women in the workplace and in the home will surely come about. In politics, the landscape for women in recent times has been transformed. New leaders such as Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson in Liberia and Angela Merkel in Germany have taken the tops spots in their respective countries, while the recent US elections turned the spotlight onto contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sarah Palin.

In the USA, the 'racial revolution' that brought Michelle Obama to the White House is one that is also allowing her to evolve the role of the professional working wife and mother beyond the narrow confines of the traditional White House spouse. Mrs. Obama has made it clear that she intends to serve as one of President Obama's chief surrogates on critical policy matters and to raise awareness of the barriers and constraints faced by the country's army of working mothers.

For those who think women were created with an inbuilt gene for cleaning, cooking and clearing up, here's some news.

This rather feisty behaviour has caused some grumbling and rumblings among those who feel that the inbuilt gene is alive and well and that talent that comes in the shape of a woman can afford to be ignored (except, of course, when displayed in the kitchen).

Luckily, those who see things this way are slowly but surely being eclipsed. Most people seem to have the good sense to acknowledge that a smart Princeton and Harvard educated lawyer like Mrs. Obama should not only be put to good use in these troubled times (when, let’s face it, we could do with all the smartness we can get) but will also prove a powerful and highly visible example and role model for other talented women.

As I wish women everywhere a happy International Women’s Day, I will continue to look forward to the day when, to paraphrase Dr. King, women will be defined, not by their gender, but by the content of their character. True equality will arrive when women feel comfortable and validated whether they opt to use their talents in the workplace or at home; when women can celebrate their choices and really share, not carry, domestic responsibilities; and when, painful though it may be, women can also lose jobs that are as well paid as the men.

Vive la révolution!

In this issue, we recognize International Women's Day by looking at some of the issues faced by women and shine the torch on our many women of talent.

In Finding the Keys to the Executive Suitewe take a closer look at a new study that reveals why Black Women in America are struggling to break into the executive suite of the nation's corporations.

Staying on the subject of inequality in the USA, we turn our attention to the advertising industry where rampant levels of racial discrimination are holding back Black professionals. Advertising Bias looks at the efforts of top civil rights lawyer, Cyrus Mehri, to change the racial profile of Madison Avenue's top executives.

In our Careers section this month, executive trainer Veronica Broome offers Seven Steps to Retaining and Attracting Customers in a Recession and suggests how, even during an economic downturn, organisations can keep good clients and attract new ones.

What impact does your hair have on your career prospects? Our career coach tackles this question in response to a reader's query 'Is Natural Hair Holding me Back?'

Alice Gbelia, the enterprising Founder and Editor of Catch A Vibe is our guest in this month's 5 Minute Interview and Alice shares some of the lessons she has learned along the way.

Speaking of inspirational entrepreneurs, we go back into the ReConnect Africa Archives and publish again our interview with Pauline Brobbey. In A Fabulous Alternative, Pauline talks about how she tapped into her Ghanaian heritage to create a range of African inspired designs that give everything from key rings to T-shirts an alternative and unique style.

Not entirely forgetting the men, we look at the issue of leadership and bring you our exclusive interview with Mbhazima Shilowa. As the co-founder of the Congress of the People (COPE), the former Premier of South Africa's Gauteng Province has shaken the political status quo in his country and electrified the forthcoming elections. In Coping with Leadership, Mr. Shilowa opens up about leadership, Africa - and the importance of mothers.

March sees a number of events taking place in the UK and overseas and our Events listing give you details of what's on this month.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent.

Share your comments about our articles or write into our Letters page to let us know what you think about ReConnect Africa.

What’s making you angry/thoughtful/happy? What would you like to share with other readers of ReConnect Africa? Post your comments or give some advice to other members on our free ReConnect Africa Forum.

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the Forum and posted your comments; if you haven’t yet joined, why don’t you do so today?

Enjoy this issue - and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Survivor’s Guilt

Alexia, one of my coaching clients, was recently promoted to manage her sales unit. Good news, you might think, until she realized that she was now expected to take on responsibility for not only her unit but also that of another manager who had been summarily fired to cut costs.

"Not only am I now expected to do two people's jobs," she says in despair, "I'm getting paid less than my ex-boss, the other unit isn't happy about how their manager was let go and I'm supposed to be grateful that I've still got a job!"

Despite the blessing of avoiding the unemployment queues, not being laid off does not automatically create joy in the hearts of those surviving the massive job cuts taking place in some organizations. Nor is it, according to a recent survey in the USA, going to result in an increase in productivity.

The findings of the new study* showed that 74% of employees who kept their job amidst a corporate layoff say their own productivity has declined since the layoff. And 69% say the quality of their company's product or service has declined since the layoffs.

Despite the blessing of avoiding the unemployment queues, not being laid off does not automatically create joy in the hearts of those surviving the massive job cuts.

The survey covered 4,172 workers who remain employed following a corporate layoff. Drawn from 318 companies that have undertaken layoffs in the past 6 months, these employees were asked questions about productivity, product quality, workforce issues and management effectiveness. Some of the key findings included the fact that 87% of surviving workers say they are less likely to recommend their organization as a good place to work, while 64% of the surviving workers felt the productivity of their colleagues had also declined. The overwhelming majority felt that the service that customers receive had declined, with 61% of those questioned saying they believe their company's future prospects are worse.

When asked how they felt personally about the layoffs, the three most common words used by the survivors were 'guilt', 'anxiety' and 'anger'. Mark Murphy, Chairman of Leadership IQ, who conducted the study, named this phenomenon "Survivor Stress".

So, why is there so much stress involved in surviving a job cull?

In Alexia's case, although she understands the need for the business to review its cost base, the pleasure she would normally have gained from her promotion has been swamped by her frustration at being seen by the company as 'the cheaper option' (her words).

So, while on the one hand, she is thankful that she still has a job and glad that she was promoted; on the other hand, she feels guilty about how her extended job role was achieved, angry about having to take on more work for less money than her predecessors earned, anxious about looking incompetent if she asks for support, and guilty about complaining about her situation when she, at least, has a job.

In my experience of managing corporate restructuring projects and resultant job losses, the issue of survivor's guilt is a very real one. The way in which redundancies are carried out will have a huge impact on those who remain. When employees are fired without notice or any attempts to redeploy their skills, those left behind frequently feel vulnerable and anxious - as well as stressed by the sudden increases in workload.

When asked how they felt personally about the layoffs, the three most common words used by the survivors were 'guilt', 'anxiety' and 'anger'.

On the other hand, organisations that are open in their communications, that make their redundancy selections fairly and transparently and that assist outgoing staff with financial or career support packages are much more likely to keep their remaining staff engaged and hopeful about their future.

It is not enough for companies to assume that all will be well for those who remain employed. The survey suggests that companies that provide training for their managers in how to manage the redundancy process and to deal with what can be a traumatic aftermath are less likely to see a breakdown in service quality, productivity and morale.

But, whatever the response of their company, how can an individual manage their sense of guilt, frustration and anxiety?

The study organisers recommend that survivors should focus only on what they can personally control. By engaging colleagues in conversations about positive strategies for their current situation, people can talk themselves ‘up’ rather than ‘down’. They also recommend keeping the focus on the activities that add real value to customers and the organization and differentiating between 'important and unimportant activities'.

Taking one day at a time is not only a helpful approach for recovering alcoholics, but for everyone going through periods of stress and trauma. Identifying at the start of each day what needs to be accomplished for that day to be successful will help one stay focused on the present and on achieving a continuous sense of positive outcomes.

Taking one day at a time is not only a helpful approach for recovering alcoholics, but for everyone going through periods of stress and trauma.

Alexia's company may think it has found a more cost-effective solution by promoting Alexia and doubling her workload. But their approach, to my mind, is one that will cost them dearly in the long-term. Because my bet is that as soon as the economy picks up, my client will be off to find another employer who values her and lets her feel good about herself.

In this issue we publish Selorm Adadevoh's analysis of Kenya and Africa's dream of becoming the outsourcing destination of choice. Selorm assesses whether African countries should follow India’s model or create a new position in the global outsourcing space.

A host of changes in UK Immigration law over the last two years has placed greater emphasis on UK employers' responsibilities if they need to recruit overseas talent. We look at some of the implications of what has been described as the biggest shake-up of the UK immigration system for 45 years.

Are you a budding entrepreneur? In our Careers section, business coach Steve poses some 'sneaky questions' and offers some tips to help you talk about your business without losing clients.

With redundancies taking place around us, our Careers Coach offers some advice on how to reduce your chances of being tapped on the shoulder for that dreaded meeting with HR and your boss.

It's not all doom and gloom, however, as Reggie Tagoe reports, and in the article 'Walking with Success', Reggie reports on how a Ghanaian Association in Italy has been transformed into a successful business entity.

In our '5 Minute Interview' this month, we hear from Mame Gyang, Special Projects Manager at Enfield Council, who shares the advice that has helped her progress through her professional career.

Nigerian-born Simi Belo is the subject of our look back into the ReConnect Africa Archives. Proving that America can be the land of opportunity, not just for the Obamas but also for other Africans, Simi talks about her decision to expand her business and relocate to the United States.

February sees a number of events taking place in the UK and overseas and our Events listing give you details of what's on this month.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent.

ReConnect Africa Members’ Forum

What’s making you angry/thoughtful/happy? What would you like to share with other readers of ReConnect Africa? Post your comments or give some advice to other members on our free ReConnect Africa Forum.

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the Forum and posted your comments; if you haven’t yet joined, why don’t you do so today?

Enjoy this issue - and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

* Conducted by Leadership IQ, a US research and training company

What I'll be Teaching my Kids about Barack Obama

All the talk in the world about financial crises will not take away from the main event of January 2009 – the inauguration as President of the United States of a man born to an African father. Yet, for me, the key issue is what lessons this historic achievement offers us as Africans living as minorities within our host countries around the world.

My younger daughter (after trying in vain to switch the channel to one of her TV programmes while we watched an Obama special) asked me impatiently, 'Why is everybody talking about Obama?'

I wondered how to reply. Should I simply say ‘he is the first Black man to be elected President in America?' – an easy enough reply, but not one that I think will teach her anything. Now I’ve given it more thought, what I really need my daughter to understand is that his achievement is about more than his colour. So here’s what I'll be teaching her:

Call it a catchy slogan or call it smart, 'Hope We can Believe In' came to epitomise the direction of Obama’s presidential campaign. People can be frightened into behaving in a particular way, but how much more inspirational can a leader be than to appeal to the possibility of a better time and a better way?

Having the audacity to aim high brings a visibility that tempts some to aim low. By daring to challenge an established order, Obama had to reckon with the kind of flack that few of us would relish. By refusing to succumb to the 'angry black man' stereotype, he demonstrated how maturity and grace can withstand the most testing of times.

Perhaps inspired by his own diverse heritage, Obama has shown the importance of inclusion as a leadership trait. While staying true to the race with which he identifies himself, he has worked closely with people from different backgrounds, gender and ethnicities and it is this diverse support that helped propel him towards achieving his goal.

During his early years as a campaign organiser, Obama’s work with grass roots organisations meant that he got to know people, to understand the issues they struggle with and what matters to them. He also understood the importance of working with those with power and influence and assiduously built networks among those he had met through his privileged education and thereafter. Obama’s alliances offered him a means to get the chance to be part of the decision making process and to shape policies for those whose problems he now understood better.

By remaining true to his vision of who he is and not appearing unduly worried or affected by the need of others to pigeonhole or define him, Obama defied expectations, ignored predictions and, in the process, created a unique style of political leadership.

When you make a mistake, the best thing is to own up and say sorry. An off-hand and careless remark about Nancy Reagan led Obama to pick up the phone and apologise personally to the former First Lady. The word 'sorry' has a remarkable ability to heal – a lesson that many in public life have sadly failed to learn.

Who told you it couldn't be done? Tell them right back, "Yes, it can!" My kids are fortunate enough to have a father who has always told them there's nothing you can't do.' For children from minority communities who aren't lucky enough to have this positive affirmation in-house – well, luckily, now they can just look over at the White House.

Although, at 8 years old, she may not understand all of this yet, I want my daughter to learn that, amazing though it is to see a Black man in charge of the White House, these are the real lessons about leadership.

A Happy New Year to all our readers and subscribers. Thank you for continuing to support ReConnect Africa and please share your newsletters with friends and colleagues!

In this issue we direct our focus onto South Africa and look at how a global network of South Africans and 'friends of South Africa' have come together to promote the country. We bring you a report on the work of the NICRO Trust in the UK to support the extraordinary programmes that are steering young South Africans away from a life of crime. In the business section, you can find our report on the recent briefing by Lesetja Kganyago, the Director-General of the South African Treasury on the country's plans to weather the global economic crisis.

If you need some inspiration, you can do no better than to turn to the Careers section for our interview with the beautiful and talented Julia Doe. Julia shares her story about how she is making the transition to a career in music.

Also in this section, we bring you the first of a number of reports on the inaugural Future Talent Summit that brought together senior industry leaders to discuss the talent crisis facing the oil, gas and power sectors.

Life now begins at 50 and if you need some advice on how to take the next stage of your career forward, our Career Coach offers some useful advice.

This month our '5 Minute Interview' is with Abu Bundu-Kamara who works tirelessly to promote diversity- in all its forms - within the publishing sector.

In 'Leading the Continent', we return to South Africa and look back at our interview with Ghanaian Fred Swaniker and his African Leadership Academy, the first secondary school focused on developing and supporting the next generation of African leaders.

The New Year is bringing its share of events and our Events listing give you details of what's on this month in the UK and overseas.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent.

What’s making you angry/thoughtful/happy? What would you like to share with other readers of ReConnect Africa? Post your comments or give some advice to other members on our free ReConnect Africa Forum.

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the Forum and posted your comments; if you haven’t yet joined, why don’t you do so today?

Enjoy this issue - and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Miracle of Mandela

In a recent opinion piece, David Brooks of the ‘New York Times’ noted that “(political) candidates get elected by telling people what they want to hear, leading them by using the sugar of their own fantasies.”

How much better would it be, he suggests, to have a leader who focused less on their triumphs than on their failures. “Somehow a leader conversant with his own failings…would be detached from his most fervid followers and merciful and understanding toward foes,” he said. “He’d have a sense of his own smallness in the sweep of events … and grow sadder and wiser with more power.”

A President, he said, who was “emotionally gripped by his own failings” would be nice, adding that “it would be comforting to see a president who’d looked into the abyss, or suffered some sort of ordeal that put him on a first-name basis with his own gravest weaknesses, and who had found ways to combat them.”

Enter Nelson Mandela. For every writer, reporter or commentator who seeks to elevate him, Madiba is at pains to point out that he is the symbol of a movement and not a sainted individual. Despite his uncontested place in both the history of world revolutions and the story of modern Africa, Mandela rejects the label of saint, preferring to present instead the picture of a man who strived to acknowledge and address his weaknesses. The tag of sainthood is not only untrue, Mandela says, but is also unhelpful when it comes to leadership; creating a barrier between people and discouraging those who would wish to follow you.

Focusing on a Higher Goal

When people marvel at his ability to pardon his enemies despite 27 years of imprisonment, Mandela points out that forgiveness is natural if your focus rests on objectives higher than your personal injury.

“While the message of some of today’s leaders can be clouded by expediency or shrouded in eloquence, Madiba’s message of tolerance, reconciliation and focusing on the higher objective needs no second guessing.”

With a goal that sought not only his individual freedom but the total transformation of his society, Mandela had no time to succumb to the luxury of anger and personal bitterness. In striving to bring together all the forces in his divided country and to achieve the high ambitions he had set for his life and the movement to which he belonged, Mandela had to challenge his personal failings in order to demonstrate the moral authority, integrity and compassion needed to forge a new and democratic South Africa.

In Mandela’s opinion, the tag of sainthood was better placed on the shoulders of Walter Sisulu, the man he regarded as his political mentor. “He led from behind and put others in front, but he reversed the position in situations of danger. Then he chose to be in the front line."

90 Years and Counting

27 years of imprisonment would place anyone on a first-name basis with their gravest weaknesses. But not everyone would respond to this enforced opportunity for reflection and soul-searching as Nelson Mandela did.

Today’s multi-media channels bring us an endless feed of sound bites from political candidates and national figures near and far. But, while the sugar-laden message of some of today’s leaders can be clouded by expediency or shrouded in eloquence, Madiba’s message of tolerance, reconciliation and focusing on the higher objective needs no second guessing.

He may be no saint, but he’s definitely a modern miracle. Happy birthday, Madiba, and may you see many more!

In this Issue

In this issue of ReConnect Africa, we take an in-depth look at the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET) and the exciting opportunities it offers for African professionals in the Diaspora to assist in transforming the continent.

In a tribute to his 90th birthday, we share John Battersby’s remarkable interview with Nelson Mandela, in which he reflects on his life and legacy. Following his selection for the 2007 Odgers Prize, we speak to MBA graduate Charles Ifedi about his career success and plans for the future.

Set against the backdrop of the global credit crunch, the benefits of investing in Africa are becoming increasingly visible and we showcase a new documentary ‘Africa Investment Horizons’ by award-winning Carol Pineau which premiered at the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year.

If networking strikes you as a minefield that is best avoided, Jane Adshead-Grant offers some insights on how to make it work for you and offers some tips on making the most of your contacts. Our Career Coach sheds some light on how to make yourself relevant in the workplace while in this month’s ‘5 Minute Interview’, Yvette Ankrah shares her story and talks about her work with Africa Beyond.

We stay with South Africa in our selection this month from the ReConnect Africa Archives.Securing Unity and Investment in South Africa reports on how the country is gearing up its efforts to deal with crime and to create a safe environment for citizens and investors alike.

July sees a wide range of events taking place in the UK and overseas and our Events listing give you details of what’s on this month.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent.

ReConnect Africa Members’ Forum

What’s making you angry/thoughtful/happy? What would you like to share with other readers of ReConnect Africa? Post your comments or give some advice to other members on our free ReConnect Africa Forum.

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the Forum and posted your comments; if you haven’t yet joined, why don’t you do so today?

Enjoy this issue - and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The recent elections in Liberia established Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as Africa’s first female head of state of modern times.  This historic event, following on from the appointment of women as Deputy Prime Minister of South Africa and Minister of Finance for Nigeria as well as the choice of Professor Wangari Maathai for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, highlights the enormous potential of women in contributing to Africa’s political and economic development.

While the term ‘gender’ still triggers negativity in some quarters, it is important that women in Africa remember what Archbishop Desmond Tutu once quoted his father as saying; ‘Don’t raise your voice; improve your argument.” 

The argument is clear.  African employers that tolerate gender bias also restrict opportunities to bring the talent and experience of a significant proportion of their workforce to bear on their business and to create a positive reputation as a fair employer.  Investing in gender equity and gender balance will create organisations with a diverse workforce which are better positioned to hire the best talent, understand and reflect the diversity of their customer base, improve staff morale and bring new ideas and innovation to maintain their competitive edge.

Share you

When Alexander the Great visited Diogenes and asked whether he could do anything for the famed teacher, Diogenes replied: 'Only stand out of my light.'

Without doubt, Africa’s most important and sustainable competitive advantage is its people.  Enterprising, resourceful and resilient in the face of natural and man-made disasters, the potential of Africa’s human resources is boundless.

Developing the potential and the capacity of our human capital is the most important priority to creating sustainable long-term growth within Africa.  By harnessing the energy and commitment of our African youth– both within and outside the continent – all the sectors involved in rebuilding Africa can benefit from the wealth of talent on offer. 

To grow our future talent requires challenging and well rewarded job and entrepreneurial opportunities.  To create the leaders that Africa needs to face the challenges of the coming decades, we must support the development of our young people and stand out of their light. 

“This year is of great significance for Africa.” So starts the 453-page report of the Commission for Africa entitled ‘Our Common Interest’.  Reactions to the report since its launch in London have been divided, with numerous debates taking place to assess its findings (see p. 7).

The 17 Commissioners set themselves the task of defining Africa’s challenges and providing recommendations on how to support the changes necessary to reduce poverty on the continent.  The report’s title unequivocally links a secure and prosperous Africa to the best interests of the global community while the report’s recommendations number over a hundred.  The Commission, established by UK Premier Tony Blair, was set up to report in 2005 - a year in which progress made towards the UN Millennium Development Goals is under scrutiny and in which the UK heads both the G8 and, in the second half of the year, the European Union.

The success of the Commission will be rated by its ability to deliver impetus to action rather than words.  Nevertheless, while the emphasis on 2005 does place Africa prominently on the world’s agenda this year, it is the actions taken in 2005, 2006, and 2007 and beyond by Africans inside and outside Africa that will really determine how quickly the fortunes of Africa can be transformed.  Achieving positive and sustained change in Africa requires a focus on governance and capacity, on ‘doing the right thing and doing the thing right’.

‘The business of business is business’, said Milton Friedman, who advocated the notion that the role of corporations is solely for the purpose of creating wealth and maximising shareholder profit.  Recent corporate scandals, however, have led to an increase in shareholder pressure, deeper scrutiny of corporate governance and ethics as well as a wider recognition of the impact businesses have on a community.  All of which has increasingly focused attention on the practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

For Africa’s developing economies, irresponsible business practices and policies can have devastating social and environmental effects.  Many corporations operating in Africa now take proactive steps to mitigate the potential risks posed by their products. The development of CSR benchmarks and socially responsible investment indices demonstrate how the issue of responsibility has now become a critical factor in investment decisions.

Realising that CSR makes for good business relations and, therefore, makes business sense, many multinationals in Africa recognise that the pursuit of profit alone is not enough and have moved well beyond the sphere of business to tackle a number of social challenges including health, education and the environment.  As Africans rebuild their economies and institutions, the active participation of local and international business – whether for genuine reasons of partnership, enlightened self-interest, or both – is vital in providing opportunities and resources. 

‘..Dark Continent, failed states, corrupt, famine-ridden, war-torn, politically unstable, high investment risk, scar on the conscience of the world…’ the litany of negative labels ascribed to Africa seems never-ending.  As a brand, Africa’s position in the global market could hardly be poorer.  The continent receives only 1% of the world’s foreign direct investment and has the unenviable ranking as the only continent whose citizens have grown poorer over the last generation. 

Africa’s branding in the global market place causes many of its own citizens to consider it a poor risk, evidenced by capital flight from Africa estimated at over US$148 billion since the end of colonisation.  The large number of Africans in the Diaspora is testimony that, for many, Brand Africa today does not encourage the investment of their businesses, their funds, their children or their futures.

Re-branding Africa is a challenge that must be met if the continent is to attract the level of investment it needs to repair its damaged economies and reduce poverty among its people.  Despite abundant natural resources that should offer Africa a natural competitive advantage, poor governance, disease and intellectual and capital flight have all raised the bar.  Transforming Brand Africa demands the efforts of all its citizens – both within and outside the continent – to provide structures, opportunities and safeguards to investment, to aid the process of good governance and the rule of law, to foster a change in attitude towards corruption so as to build on Africa’s enormous potential to position itself as a destination of choice for investment and business – both African and international. 

For many African countries it has been several decades since the attainment of what Jean-Jacques Dessalines termed, on declaring independence in Haiti in 1804, ‘the first of all blessings’.  However, since achieving its political freedom, the debate rages on about who is responsible for Africa’s unique position as the only continent to have grown poorer in the last two decades. 

Irrespective of who is to blame and who should therefore now sort things out, one thing remains clear.  Africa is everybody’s business.  Those in the West who may want to leave Africa alone are witnessing the continued and steady migration of that continent’s citizens into their own towns and cities.  What happens in Africa will continue to have a visible and direct impact on the rest of the world and, therefore, Africa matters.

To reverse the current flow of professional skills and expertise out of the continent, our mission is to work with those who understand that Africa matters and who stand ready to share their skills, experience and energy to make Africa a place that attracts business and generates a return on investment. Our focus is on skills development, capacity building and best practice in management because we recognise that Africa will only truly be everyone’s business when it is seen as the place to do business. 

At the heart of every business are its people.  In this issue we investigate recent activities in training and development on the continent and highlight some of the work Interims for Development is doing to build the skills and capacity of Africa’s professional base.  Putting people first is critical, for where people lead, business follows.

Since the launch of ReConnect Africa in May 2006, we have been touched and gratified by the many messages of support and congratulations, both from individual readers as well as from representatives of private and public sector organisations.

Through ReConnect Africa we will continue to bring you positive news of developments in Africa and in the Diaspora; to share the successes of Africans and to highlight the advances and growing opportunities that Africa offers for both careers and enterprise.  Look out for new features to the site in the coming months, offering major benefits to recruiters and job seekers.

It’s award season again and time to recognise those whose achievements should serve as an example and inspiration.  Ghana’s recent football success has boosted the country’s recognition factor in the West and gained her some new fans around Africa.  Ghana continued to celebrate after the match and we report on the Ghana Professional Awards in London that brought together many of Ghana’s sons and daughters living in the Diaspora.

Re-branding Africa is a challenge that we have embraced with ReConnect Africa.  If we don’t take the initiative to speak about Africa, we leave it to others to speak for us.  Recognising those who present a balanced picture of Africa is important and the third Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards offered such an opportunity (see “Change the perception of Africa for Business”).  The role the media plays in Africa is crucial and never more so than when elections take place.  Avoiding the pitfalls of biased and inaccurate reporting is key to strengthening our continent’s democracies and assuring continued investment.  In this issue, we report on the recent training programme held in Uganda to strengthen media reporting skills during elections in Africa (“Honing the Skills of Africa’s 4th Estate”).

ReConnect Africa continues to attract media attention and recent articles about us have appeared in News Africa, a widely circulated European publication for the Diaspora, The Zimbabwean and The Trumpet, Britain’s largest distributed Black publication.

Keep your comments coming and thank you to all our readers and contributors.  Support us by e-mailing a link to ReConnect Africa to your friends and contacts.

Thanks!

The New York Times recently quoted Joe Gregory, the president of Lehman Brothers, who once said that 'you can't build a great company without great people - and great people are not just white, straight men aged 25 to 40'.

Diversity has become the watchword of companies claiming the desire to see the full spectrum of their customer base reflected in their employees.  But how much of this goes beyond lip service and, in terms of gender and cultural diversity, how much opportunity is really being made available to women and those of African and other minority ethnicities in the West?  Are companies really prepared to change their outlook and culture and offer an inclusive workplace for all their staff?

According to a study by Columbia University’s Center for Work-Life Balance, white males represent just 17% of the global talent pool of individuals with graduate education.  Yet, it is interesting to note that a study sponsored by investment banks Goldman Sachs and Lehman in the USA in 2004, revealed that of 2,443 'highly qualified' women questioned, only 5% of the 2,271 who wanted to return to work, were looking to return to the places they had left.

To brand themselves effectively to candidates today, companies need to bear in mind that today’s new talent, Generation Y, also dubbed the “Millennials,” say they value balance more than financial security.  When employers are prepared to put both the will and a budget to addressing issues of work/life balance, inclusion and diversity, in all its senses, the use of the ‘D’ word might finally appear to have some substance.

In this issue we look at a recent report by the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development on Diversity and ask Fitzroy Andrew, a leading expert on the subject of diversity, for his assessment of what the findings mean for UK plc.

ReConnect Africa is all about people and management and we speak to Lyndon Jones of Association of Business Executives  about their work in developing management talent in Africa.  As continuing news of conflict, terror and crisis hits our TV screens, it is an opportune time to address how companies are preparing their staff for working in conflict zones and, in this issue, we ask Jeff Toms of Farnham Castle  about their new programme to help employers keep their staff safe.

Ghana continues to make the news (in a good way!) and we highlight the recent visit to London by President Kufuor and his briefing to African media on the newly signed Millennium Challenge Account.
Please keep your comments coming and thank you to all our readers and contributors. 

Support us by e-mailing a link to ReConnect Africa to your friends and contacts.

Thanks!

A recent survey by Reed Consulting revealed that 30% of recent job candidates have changed brands as a result of a bad recruitment experience, with nearly 60% of those questioned saying that their experience of a firm had affected their perception of its brand.

Employers who forget that potential employees are also customers stand to lose more than the opportunity to hire good talent.  As the saying goes, ‘it takes a lifetime to build a reputation, and a single moment to lose it.’  Of those respondents who boycotted the brands, 66% did so because they never received a response to their application.  A simple response would have shown them the courtesy of recognising the enormous effort many candidates put into applying for a job.

I have been, in turn, overwhelmed by the hospitality and respect given by some organisations and shockingly disappointed by discourtesy from organisations with brands from which one would have expected better – and switched brands as a result!  Those who talk about people being their most important asset should remember that the place to prove this is in the office and not in the corporate brochure.  A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and it takes every member of a company to sustain a brand.  Because, ultimately, no matter what the hype, any brand is only as strong as an individual’s most recent experience of it.

In this month’s issue of ReConnect Africa, we look at the impact of flowers on Kenya’s economy and hear about an innovative approach to team building in the Kenyan Rift Valley.  A new study that sets out to track the successful experiences of Black women in the European corporate workplace offers food for thought about how success can be shared and used to inspire others.  Africans in the Diaspora are always looking homeward and we hear from Sylvia Arthur about her experiences in Ghana and how London Business School’s students learned from their visits to Nigeria and Ghana.  Finally, we turn for some inspiration to Everest Ekong, publisher of the award-winning publication, Business in Africa.

Send us your comments and support ReConnect Africa by forwarding the website link to your friends and contacts!

Thanks!

A land of contrasts, a place of opportunity, a country with a unique story to tell.  12 years on from its transition to democracy, South Africa today is a beacon of enterprise, a hub of energy and a power house of influence across the African continent.

While there is no doubting South Africa’s considerable challenges - from tackling its skills crisis, its crime figures and the scourge of HIV/AIDS - the talent, drive and leadership that it offers to Africa should not be underestimated.  During my recent return to the country what struck me, above everything, is the boundless potential South Africa offers. Archbishop Tutu’s rainbow nation is indeed alive with possibility.

In this special issue of ReConnect Africa, we turn the spotlight onto South Africa and the opportunities it offers for Africa’s business and professional community.  We report on the recent 50th Anniversary Convention of the South Africa Institute of People Management and, in this and future issues, we will be bringing you a flavour of some of the inspirational and thought-provoking presentations made during the event.  Our own presentation on the issue of retaining professional talent in Africa raised some pertinent questions on how companies in Africa can stem the exodus of skilled staff and attract African talent from around the globe

The role of entrepreneurs in building the new South Africa was nowhere more evident to me than in my meeting with Stephen Larkin of Acqumine, whose incredible energy and intellect is an inspiration to anyone who believes in making things happen.  We also bring you contributions from two eminent South Africans, the IMC’s John Battersbyand Human Resources expert Elijah Litheko of the IPM.

As the country gears itself up to make (yet) more history by hosting the Fifa World Cup in 2010, we share the speech given by President Thabo Mbeki and his call to South Africans everywhere for support. Finally we report on the Homecoming Revolution’s Woza Ekhaya! careers event in London, which we were proud to participate in, and which showcased the rich South African talent in the UK.

The final word goes to Ms. Patti Boulaye, the charismatic and tireless entertainer and artist, who shares the life lessons she has learned along the way.

Send us your comments and support ReConnect Africa by forwarding the website link to your friends and contacts!

Thanks!

Arecent survey* of more than 2,000 MBA students suggests that the overwhelming majority of today's MBA students believe that businesses should work toward the betterment of society, that managers should take into account social and environmental impacts when making business decisions, and that corporate social responsibility should be integrated into core curricula in MBA programs.

Proving that business school graduates are not simply focused on finding highly paid jobs to repay hefty student loans and to accumulate personal fortunes, a startling 81% of those polled agreed with a statement that businesses should work toward the betterment of society, although only 18% believed most corporations are currently working toward that goal.

Most importantly, for companies seeking to recruit from this new generation of top talent, 79% indicated they would seek employment that is socially responsible in the course of their careers, and 59% said they would do so immediately following business school.

Thinking – and acting! – as a socially responsible business must be seen as a critical component of any company’s employer brand.  Those who don’t heed the demands for corporate social leadership and accountability by today’s burgeoning leaders may be missing out on the chance to attract and to retain the best in class. 

Leadership is a key theme in this, our last issue of 2006.  In his final address to the United Nations, one of Africa’s most high-profile leaders of the last decade, Kofi Annan, speaks of the challenges he has faced during his tenure as Secretary-General.  Brand Pretorius, a giant of corporate leadership in Africa, sets out his views on the criteria and responsibilities of effective leaders.  Proving that women can lead with the best of them, we bring you an exclusive interview with Mrs. Florence Mugasha, Deputy-Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Creating wealth is what companies seek to do but not too many can claim to be creating millionaires in Africa!  We speak to the Premier Group who sees their goal as empowering and generating wealth for their people.  Our own Vince Owen shares some pointers on reducing risks when recruiting and, for those in the Diaspora going home to Africa for Christmas, Effie Cooke’s story of her return to Ghana should inspire you to look for opportunities of your own.

Finish off the year with a look at why sharks will keep you fresh and the last word goes to Nigerian inventor and entrepreneur, Simi Belo, who shares her philosophy of why there is no such thing as failure.

Our warmest thanks go to all our contributors for their support and to all of you for taking the time to read ReConnect Africa - and to forward it to your friends.

With our best wishes to you all for a blessed and peaceful festive season and a happy and prosperous New Year!

Thanks!

* Net Impact Survey conducted online from September 25 to October 15, 2006 at 110 MBA programs in the US and Canada.

January is the month where we traditionally make – and break – New Year’s resolutions. But when it comes to deciding how we want to spend 40 plus hours a week, can we really afford another broken promise?

A recent survey by Kingston Business School and Ipsos MORI of employee attitudes and levels of engagement of 2,000 employees in Great Britain, revealed that almost half of all those questioned are either looking for another job or in the process of leaving.*

Only 3 in 10 Employees are Engaged with their Work

The survey, which was commissioned by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), measured how much ‘passion’ employees feel about their work and their performance. Only 3 in 10 employees are engaged with their work, with a significantly higher percentage of disengagement among the under 35’s, and more than a quarter of employees saying that they rarely or never look forward to coming to work.

People need to feel that their work matters in order to stay with an organisation and while not everyone is fortunate enough to get paid for doing what they love, employers can improve employee engagement though better internal communications, implementing fair and equitable practices and offering employees a better work/life balance. Without this, too many employers may find that the one New Year resolution their employees keep this year is to find a new job.

New Look ReConnect Africa

Welcome to our new look ReConnect Africa. In this issue, we report on the business process outsourcing and offshoring sector and how South Africa is leveraging the advantages of its infrastructure and growing economy to attract significant investment in this sector.

While Ghana will shortly celebrate the 50th anniversary of its independence, some of its institutions are in desperate need of a facelift. We speak to an alumnus of Achimota School about a new campaign that aims to restore the school to its previous glory. ReConnect Africa’s resident career coach, Helen Dupigny, recently celebrated 10 years of business success and we report on the Awards Tribute evening held to recognize those who are striving towards their career goals.

Echoing the theme of employee engagement, leadership expert Paul Bridle reflects on how companies need to adapt to the changes that technology is bringing to the workplace. If you are a recruiter, Vince Owen’s tips on reducing the risks in hiring should offer some useful advice, while Margaret White shares some insights on how graphology can assist the recruitment process.

My interview with the delightful Patti Boulaye is proof that some successful Africans choose not to forget their roots and also equate their success with a responsibility to give something back. We hope our readers will lend their support to Patti’s Support for Africa programme.

Finally, we speak to another inspiring celebrity, Tessa Sanderson, about the influences and motivation that led her to win an Olympic Gold Medal.

I hope you enjoy the new look ReConnect Africa – write back and let us know what you think!.

* ‘How Engaged are British Employees?’ Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (www.cipd.co.uk)

The furore over recent weeks about the building of a $40 million leadership academy in South Africa for disadvantaged girls by US talk show host and philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey, has been an interesting lesson in the ‘what I would do with $40 million dollars’ exercise.

Oprah has been castigated by some for creating an elitist institution where girls will enjoy the privileges of a 2-bedroom suite and bed sheets of the finest cotton.  Others argue that the money would have been better spent in educating many more girls in surroundings of a lesser standard.  While it begs the question of why those who were not involved in the rigours of producing a demanding daily television talk show, managing a globally circulated magazine and developing national literacy and charitable programmes, feel entitled to determine the distribution of Oprah’s profits; the bigger issue seems to have been overlooked by the proponents of the ‘less is more’ school of thought.

Oprah has not set out to take over the obligations of a national government to provide affordable and accessible education to its citizens.  She has made a gesture – if $40 million can be rightly described as a gesture – of recognition that absorbing the best quality of education within the best surroundings will produce a cadre of highly educated, self-confident young women who can rightfully aspire to leadership in whichever field of endeavour they choose.

Inspired by a great leader – Nelson Mandela – Oprah’s gift of a world-class training institution will give its pupils the confidence to envision and achieve a world-class future for themselves and, thus, be in a position to give back to their people, their country and their continent. 

In this Issue

In this month’s ReConnect Africa, we talk to Diageo Africa’s John Patterson about the remarkable transition of its management team from one dominated by Western expatriates to a truly multinational African team.  We highlight the success of Forever Living Products in creating opportunities for wealth in Africa.  Journalism is a career that many aspire to and former BBC journalist Tim Fenton shares some tips on getting into the sector while magazine editor Sherry Dixon gives an insight into what she has learned in her media career.

As Ghana prepares for its 50th anniversary celebrations in March, we profile the upcoming Career Destinations job fair taking place this month in Accra.  The war for talent has seen the UK Government adopt a new approach to its immigration policies in a bid to attract highly-skilled migrants, while the efforts of Africans living in the UK and Europe to support development in Africa are showcased in the valuable work being undertaken by Africa Foundation Stone in Cameroon.

Enjoy this issue of ReConnect Africa - and don’t forget to write in and share your comments on these stories.

On March 6th 2007, the first sub-Saharan African country to gain its independence from colonial rule celebrates a momentous milestone.

Ghana’s story over the last half century has been one of both despair and tremendous hope. From its earliest days of independence, through the charismatic leadership of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, the country led the struggle for a unified Africa and for the economic independence that would make a reality of Africa’s political independence. Over the last 50 years, Ghana has faced her own problems; successive military coups, leaders of questionable integrity, economic catastrophes and civilian unrest. Yet, the country has weathered these obstacles and is taking positive strides forward.

Today Ghana’s economic policies have seen a reduction of over 40% in its debt stock; Ghana’s economy continues to experience macro economic stability with rising GDP growth, diminishing inflationary expectations and a stable currency. The 25 African states that have signed up to the Africa Peer Review Mechanism have commended Ghana’s efforts as one that reflects a success story from Africa. In the World Bank Study, Doing Business in 2006, Ghana was the 9th easiest place to do business in Africa and in West Africa, Ghana ranks number 1 as the easiest place to do business. In its 50th year of nationhood, as the new Chair of the Africa Union, Ghana is once again taking the lead to forge a united Africa. May she continue to prosper.

In this issue of ReConnect Africa, we focus on Ghana and highlight the achievements of Ghanaians at home and around the world. My father, personal mentor and lifelong inspiration, H.E. Judge Thomas Mensah, Ghana’s foremost maritime and environmental law expert, shares his life lessons in the ‘5 Minute Interview’. Tina Boadi highlights the events taking place to celebrate Ghana’s 50th independence anniversary and we speak to Ghanaian Fred Swaniker about his mission to develop Africa’s future leaders. The Ghanaian Diaspora is a powerful economic force for Ghana’s development and we look at a new website launched to assist the inflow of remittances into Ghana. The social contribution made by Ghanaians outside the country is highlighted by the work of the Star 100 network group and the Centre for Community Development Initiatives, while playwright and essayist Paul Boakye shares his memories of his return trip to Ghana. Helen Dupigny offers some advice on careers in Senegal and for those of you considering a career change, Beth Harvey has some useful tips. March is a busy month and our ‘Dates for your Diary’ will give you information about some of the events taking place.

Enjoy this issue of ReConnect Africa - and don’t forget to write in and share your comments on these articles.

A recent study* has highlighted the link between an employee’s trust in their employer and their loyalty to their organisation. The results of this study suggest that approximately 32% of a worker’s desire to stay or go is the result of feeling or not feeling trust towards their boss and showed that the more an employee trusts his or her direct boss, the more likely he or she will remain in an organisation.

The report, based on a survey of 7,209 executives, managers and employees, suggested that five particular dimensions of trust or creating trust were the best at predicting that a worker would remain. Having a boss who listens constructively to a worker’s on-the-job problems was found to be the strongest predictor of loyalty to an organisation, accounting for fully 26% of their wanting to stay or go. Additionally, perceiving that their boss makes good decisions and is honest with them, contribute incrementally an additional 3% and 2%. Perceiving that their boss is helping with professional growth added 1% to their decision.

The message to organisations seeking to improve the retention of their talent is clear from the key findings from this study.  Trust drives results; the issue of trust is much more than a nice buzzword but actually significantly predicts employee loyalty.  Equally clear from the study is that there is not enough trust in today’s organisations; only 20% of the people surveyed strongly trust the top management of their organisation, while 44% ranged from not trusting to strongly distrusting their top management.  Employers who want to build a trusting workplace should assess how they rate against the factors that build trust; constructive responses from managers, managers who make smart decisions, honest and truthful bosses, bosses who help employees grow and develop professionally and bosses who provide consistent direction, and take active steps to create a positive change.

In this month’s ReConnect Africa, we speak to Adelaide Matlejoane and Kevin D’Allende of Matlejoane Staffing Services, a successful Black Empowered recruitment agency at the forefront of recruiting South African talent back into the country.  With the launch of the African Finance Corporation, we share journalist Carol Pineau’s observations on Africa’s little-publicised but thriving private sector.  The Africa Club at the London Business School sets the scene for lively debate and action during its forthcoming Africa Day and we bring you some insights on team leadership from actor, playwright and business coach, Lin Sagovsky.  Following advice from our careers coach, the final word comes from former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who shares his views in this month’s ‘5 Minute Interview’

Enjoy this issue of ReConnect Africa - and don’t forget to write in and share your comments on these articles.

* Leadership IQ, ‘Building Trust in the Workplace’ www.leadershipiq.com

Why ReConnect Africa? From our work with companies and individuals, it was increasingly clear that there were few platforms that enabled progressive organisations to engage with African talent within Africa and around the world. When we asked the question ‘Instead of navigating numerous websites, is there one place African professionals can go when they are looking for information about employment, enterprise and business opportunities?’ we found no answer. When we researched how businesses operating in Africa aim to attract skilled professionals from the African Diaspora, we recognised that distance and diversity has created a disconnect between African communities, both within national borders and between continents, making the need for a common and accessible platform of communication critical.

What was also clear to us was that marketing opportunities in Africa meant re-branding perceptions; taking the focus from the negative media and demeaning labels often ascribed to Africans and presenting the other face of Africa; a continent that has produced an enormous pool of talented, successful and inspiring leaders and role models, wherever they may live.

One year after the launch of ReConnect Africa, we are proud to say that we have started to make a difference in our mission to bring together opportunity and talent.

Bringing together Opportunity and Talent

Over the past year

Thank you to all our clients, contributors, subscribers and friends. Please continue to support us by forwarding ReConnect Africa to your friends and contacts and spreading the word!

In this Issue

For this month’s anniversary issue, we asked some of our clients and subscribers for their feedback on ReConnect Africa and we publish their replies in ‘Letters to the Editor’. We speak to Professor Franklyn Manu of the African Association of Business Schools about his organisation’s mission to raise the standards of the continent’s business schools. A new documentary, ‘A Homecoming for Jobs in Africa’, offers a powerful testimony of how Africans in the Diaspora are working in partnership with entrepreneurs in Africa to tackle poverty and to create jobs in Sierra Leone. Job fairs are becoming an increasingly popular way to connect people to potential employers and leading coach Peter Cobbe shares some helpful tips on making the most of them.

Catherine Carthy explores the concept of emotional intelligence and the critical part it plays in effective leadership while Vince Owen reflects on the transition of the Human Resources function in organisations. If you have difficulty negotiating a pay rise, Helen Dupigny has some words of advice on how to approach this thorny subject. The inspirational Ola Fagbohun shares her lessons learned in this month’s ‘5 Minute Interview’ and look out for the many events and activities taking place in May

Enjoy this anniversary issue of ReConnect Africa - and don’t forget to write in and share your comments on these articles.

A recent survey in the UK has highlighted epidemic levels of stress in the country. 50% of the respondents said they are more stressed than five years ago, with one in five saying they are under strain every day.

Another recent study* commissioned by the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) and the Health and Safety Executive revealed that Human Resources and line managers can reduce stress at work by taking simple steps to improve management practice. The study identified 19 competencies that emerged from nearly 400 interviews with employees and their managers. According to the staff who responded, the most important actions that their managers could take to reduce stress were monitoring and managing workloads (77%), listening to and consulting their team (68%), keeping staff informed about what was happening (63%) and showing consideration for individuals and their personal lives (61%).

The effects of stress has been estimated to cost the UK economy £10 billion a year, a cost few businesses can afford. To prevent stress from killing your business, the report recommends extra training for managers in the areas outlined above. Other key behaviours for managers identified by the report include being accessible, giving feedback, managing conflict and keeping emotions in check.

Line managers with the people management skills outlined above are more likely to lead teams that perform well and that operate under less stress. Healthy employees are far more prone to be happy employees and, as a result, productive employees.

In this Issue

In this issue of ReConnect Africa, Health Psychologist Dr. Rosemary Anderson explores the subject of stress and examines how negative stress can affect business performance. We speak exclusively to Kekeli Gadzekpo, Executive Vice-Chairman of Databank Group, about the phenomenal success of Databank and opportunities in Ghana. Wendy Luhabe states the case for propaganda in portraying Africa and Charles Nqakula outlines the steps the South African Government is taking to secure investment and reduce crime in the country. The changing role of Human Resources management is the subject of a forthcoming conference and Janine Nieuwoudt looks ahead to the issues facing the HR function as it moves towards a strategic role within business. Preparations are underway for the fourth Lake of Stars Festival and we bring details of a trip of a lifetime. The last word goes to the indefatigable Bola Olabisi, founder of the Global Women Inventors and Innovators Awards and champion of enterprising women everywhere.

We hope you enjoy this issue of ReConnect Africa - and don’t forget to write in and share your comments on these articles.

* Management Competencies for Preventing and Reducing Stress at Work

A recent report by consultancy firm Deloitte provides guidance to organizations on how they can significantly improve bottom-line results by fostering and promoting connections in the workplace. According to the report, "Connecting People to What Matters," creating effective workforce connections to people, purpose, and resources may increase competitive advantage by helping to improve an organization’s productivity, innovation, and growth.

When it comes to retaining your talent, how people connect, and the quality of those connections, can mean the difference between a loyal and engaged workforce and a costly outflow of human resources.  The Deloitte Research/Deloitte Consulting report notes that people's jobs and technology have become more complex, while workforces are increasingly more diverse in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and generational differences. It is these changes, says the report, which make it very difficult for today's workforce to make quality, value-driven connections. Disconnected employers fail to understand what their employees need and want to perform effectively and to stay engaged. Employers need to become connected to their employees to deliver on what they need and want in the workplace; interesting work, career development, and flexibility in exchange for their highly sought after capabilities.

Connections for Retention

The report urges Employees and employers to foster three primary types of connections: connecting people to people to help promote personal and professional growth, connecting people to a sense of purpose to help build and sustain a sense of organizational and individual mission, and connecting people to the resources they need to work effectively, such as managing knowledge, technology, tools, capital, time and physical space.  Employers who cannot connect with their talent will sadly discover that clever recruitment tactics and rich pay packages will not, in the long term, retain their talent.

In this Issue

In this issue, we turn the spotlight onto Zambia and report on the recent Forum held in London to highlight investment opportunities in Zambia. The role of art in the healing of a nation is showcased in our report on the UK launch of the Ifa Lethu Foundation of South Africa. Cultural management expert Richard Cook explores the role of culture and competence in management success and Vincent Owen offers some tips on how to make PowerPoint an effective tool in delivering presentations. ReConnect Africa is all about the positive things that Africa and its Diaspora offers and we catch up with Greg Obong-Oshotse, the Editor of the new publication ‘Positive People’ to find out more about his magazine. Our resident Career Coach, Helen Dupigny, offers some useful advice for job hunters and we bring you the best of this month’s events in Dates for your Diary.

As ever, we bring you the latest round-up of business developments around the continent and other news from Africa and the rest of the world. The last word goes to our 5 Minute Interviewee, Chukwu-Emeka Chikezie, Executive Director and co-founder of AFFORD and a leader and champion of Africans in the Diaspora working to benefit Africa.

This issue of ReConnect Africa is dedicated to my brother, the late Thomas Mensah Jr., a source of inspiration, learning and wisdom for many people around the world.

We hope you enjoy this issue of ReConnect Africa - and don’t forget to write in and share your comments on these articles.

* Management Competencies for Preventing and Reducing Stress at Work

Is this your Best Life?

When you look back at your career choices, have they led you to where you want to be today? If not, what are you doing to ensure that you get a chance to live your best life?

Sometimes it takes a traumatic event to force you to reconsider where you are. Sometimes it just takes a few wrong words from your manager or spotting the perfect job advert to make you realise that you are in the wrong place and pursuing the wrong dreams.

As we go through life, our priorities and values continuously undergo a shift and when these become unaligned to what we are doing, we feel bored, unstimulated and without direction. That is when it is time to focus anew on identifying your changed priorities and developing new goals. The starting point to finding your way to your best life is to take stock of where you are, what you have achieved, what matters to you and, perhaps most crucially, what is no longer important to you. Being able to ask – and answer – these tough questions will help you sift out what matters and to make a plan that works for you. There is no guarantee that you’ll get it right first time and you may have to keep researching and re-writing your life plan until it feels right to you.

The only certainty is that if you are not living the life you want and you choose not to act, you will simply continue to dream about what your best life could have been while it passes you by. To paraphrase the late John Lennon, ‘life is what happens while you are busy making no plans.’

In this Issue – Editor’s Pick

In this issue, I have selected some of my favourite articles from previous issues of ReConnect Africa. I hope our newer readers enjoy them and that our long-time readers will have fun reading them again!

First, however, we bring you the latest round-up of business developments around the continent and other news from Africa and the rest of the world. We also look ahead to the forthcoming Africa Business Leaders Forum taking place in Ghana in October and share David Christianson’s report from the 2006 Leadership for Growth conference.

Leading the Editor’s Pick is Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s take on leadership in Africa today and what the continent needs from its leaders in order to flourish. The role of the media in safeguarding Africa’s democracy is critical and we review the training workshop held in Kampala to strengthen ethical reporting during elections. One of the most inspiring entrepreneurs I have ever encountered is South African Stephen Larkin and in this interview, he shares his vision for leveraging South Africa’s potential. For entrepreneurs living in the West who want to do business in Africa, a change of mindset is crucial. We report on the advice given by some of Africa’s leading business people at the London Business School Africa Day.

The role of Human Resources professionals in Africa is key to the success of any business and we report on the training by Interims for Development in Nigeria to assist the transition of the HR function to that of a strategic business partner. HR practitioners need to look to future trends when planning for future business success and we revisit Paul Bridle’s look at the Employee in the New World.

The critical role played by Africa’s Diaspora is highlighted in the article on the African Foundation Stone in Cameroon and in the sterling efforts of the alumni of Ghana’s Achimota School and their Capital Campaign to restore their alma mater to her former glory. My personal role model, Dr. Thomas Mensah, shares his life lessons in the ‘5 Minute Interview’ and, finally, we bring you the best of this month’s events in Dates for your Diary.

We hope you enjoy this issue of ReConnect Africa - and don’t forget to write in and share your comments on these articles.