Grow People Grow Profit

0:00 The topics and opinions expressed on the following show are solely those of the hosts and their guests, and not those of W FOURWN Radio It's employees or affiliates. We make no recommendations or endorsements for radio show programs, services, or products mentioned on air or on our web. No liability, explicit or implied shall be extended to W four w N Radio It's employees or affiliates. Any questions or comments should be directed to those show hosts. Thank you for choosing w FOWN Radio. I got the time And did you know women represent just three percent of Fortune five hundred CEOs and less than fifteen percent of corporate executives at top companies worldwide. Have you wondered what the secrets are to getting into the top ranks, whether in the private or public sector. Do you want to figure out how to stop being held back in your career? Are passed over for promotion, then you're in the right place. Hi. I'm doctor Madelonian Lewis, President and CEO of the Executive Women's Success Institute. I have

1:30 decades of experience in the military, the federal government, and corporate America, and my mission is to help women succeed and tap into their full potential. I want to reach a million plus women around the world to become the leaders they are meant to be. So if you want to move into a management or executive level position, or maybe you're a female veteran transitioning out of the military into business entrepreneurship, then reach out to the Executive Women's Success Institute at three zero one six nine three three two eight four let us get you on the fast track to success. Well. Hello, and welcome to the Success for Women's Show, where you can view us on Talk for TV and listen to us on the Women for Women Network. I am doctor Madeline and lewis your host, and my mission is to help women accelerate the path to success.

2:44 Well today, I am very excited. My guest is coming to us all the way from South Africa and the topic today is going to be grow People, Grow Profit and my guest is Lisa. Let me just give you a little bit of background about Lisa. Lisa Cracy is the CEO of Ombulei Group. Lisa is a seasoned learning and development specialists with twenty years of expertise in effective people management. Her professional journey spans multiple continents including Europe, Africa, the United Arab Emirus and Kuwait. Lisa provides leaderships leadership to a team of fifty organizational development and learning and development specialists. She has in in depth understanding of the principles of talent management, organizational development and change management. Her coaching expertise is focused on senior level leaders in international organization, where she offers them guidance and support. I'd like to welcome to the Successful Women's Show, miss Lisa Crazy. Thank you very much. Sure that introduction, Doctor maddenine

4:15 it is so it's such a pleasure to have you on the show today. And I normally start by reading the standard bio on my guests, but I always like to ask the guests to just tell us what you want us to know about Lisa Crazy. So interesting. I am first and foremost businesswomen and started my business about twenty years ago, and I have a passion for people and creating a environment, a working environment where people can thrive. So that is the whole focus and that is my mission. So yes, that's who I am. So tell me about your journey, that what brought you into this industry. As I was reading your bio. It talked about you being a learning and development specialist. You have over twenty years in that industry.

5:17 What brought you to that particular area. So, I've always had a passion for education, and I started my career off as a teacher, but I always wanted to move from teaching into adult education, and that is where I started. I've focused very much on behavior science and the softer skills, which I think is as important as the technical skills for successful employees. That drives the success of businesses. So that is I've got into learning and development. Okay, now your business is twenty years old. Our a little bit twenty years old next year. Correct. Tell us about the Bully Group. Sure, we are South African based group that focus on people and organizations. We focus on talent management and training and development. In talent management, we focus very much on leadership development, supporting with executive coaching and leadership coaching. We also look at the different levels within organizations and we align interventions to assist in bringing everybody up to speed and performance. Then our training and development company is very strong. We've established it's an accredited organization that has got three academies that

6:53 serves different sectors in the business world. So we've got a Manufacturing and Production accu aademy that focuses on mining groups, because in South Africa that's quite a big sector, mining and manufacturing groups. Then we've got a retail academy that focuses very much on the different levels of within an organization and training people on those different levels in different disciplines. And then we've got a business and Leadership academy that really focuses on accredited leadership programs and business administration programs and so forth.

7:35 So that is the borclear group. We are passionate about people and we believe that if you develop your people, that will drive your profit. So absolutely so, do you find that you have more women that you train or that come to you or is it a mixture of both women and men. You know, men are equal numbers in equal numbers, So in South Africa were well equal in numbers, although we are trying to and I think it's also a drive from organizations to create opportunities for women, to give African women the opportunity to be trained up and empowered. So there is a system employment equity that we implement in our country that drives from a government perspective drives the certain targets that we have to train certain women in certain leadership positions to uptrain and empower them. So definitely we are seeing the changes there. Oh wow, that's fantastic. So what is your life purpose and your what is your leaderships now? Since you've been you know, in business, like I said, over twenty years, I know over the years it's probably change, but tell us about that. Yeah, it definitely changes. You know. I think humans, we as humans are not statement. We have a care of

9:09 the self that stays the same, but we are ever changing. So my leadership style is very much transitional. I like to bring inspire people to be self directed and have self leadership because I do think that with the right guidance and support and mentoring, the potential is in every person to really unfold and live it. Absolutely, you're absolutely right about that. So how do you manage your work life balance? I know it's it's it's probably a lie to have to train and develop, especially when you're dealing with big corporations. And from what I gather, you've you've done it around the world so to speak, you know, in different countries Europe out not only Africa, but in the United Arab Emirates. So how do you manage your work life balance?

10:20 Sure, when I started the business, doctor Madeleine, you know I've my children was small. I've got two grown up children now adult children, and it was difficult. It was more complex than it is now. So I had to ensure that I had a really good support system through family and friends that I was very pleased to be surrounded with. Now things have changed. My children have flown the nest. They all making their own lives and it's much better. So traveling to do work in different countries have been so much easier. Life balance. I do believe in a balanced life. I think as a leader, and I think sometimes when women enter the corporate life or business ownership life, they have the idea that you, you know, in order to be in competition with whoever at that level, you need to really just work work, work, work, work, and show that you are totally committed to being kind of a workaholic. I don't believe in that.

11:37 I think that you as a leader should set the example to work smart, to be healthy physically healthy and emotionally healthy, and if that means you need to take time out you do that, you look after your physical health because you are You are nothing to nobody if you are overworked and you are not healthy. So I fully believe in a life balance. I don't believe in working overtime. Our office hours are very much We also try and look after the wellness, the corporate wellness of our employees. Our office hours are from eight to four so that you still have time in the afternoon to stead with your family, and then on a Friday we close the office at one block.

12:35 We close it so that people can have a Friday afternoon to relax, to enjoy it with their children, or to just go to the beach or just be So I am propagating this because we still get the work done. Our organization is still very competitive and achieving the goals. I would imagine that helps uh that you know, doing things like that helps the morale too, which would make them want to do well at work. And even when they're there, they're probably much happier because they know, like you said, on a Friday, they can leave early and have time to spend with their families.

13:20 So that definitely, I think would have something to do with the morale too of the people that's working for the organization. Wow, So I'm sorry most definitely. I think you know what the purpose was when we started off. I said, we have to work together. We've got to be the change agents. We speak, we spend most of our waking hours in the workplace, and we've got to be the change agents that say, let's make this not a toxic environment. Let's make it a balanced of environment where people can thrive. Absolutely too bad. A lot of other businesses don't do the same thing. They just want, i mean, call people on holidays and expect them to work on holidays and different things like that, and people get burned out, you know, they get burnt out when they have to constantly be there around the clock twenty four seven their own call or something like that.

14:20 That tends to burn people out. So I think that's a good, you know, thing that you all have adopted in your organization. So, as a female, what were your biggest challenges for you as a CEO in the business world? So I think we've come along way, you know, but they were challenges. There's always that systemic societal perspectives of a woman should not be sitting around the corporate table. And then again, it's not only the ma that has that perspective. Sometimes we as women or our feel of women create that perspective. And I think the challenge was to to change that perspective without being trying to be aggressive, but to be confident enough to sit around that table and put up your hand. And to the challenge was that I had to work at times work much harder to gain the respect of my fellow male counterparts. Wow. Now we know, we all know that success means different things to different people, But what do you feel is the secret to your success? I think the secret to my success definitely is that I

15:54 don't always think of myself as the the most cleverest person in the room. I surround myself with people that have got huge abilities and are extremely clever, and that assists me to be successful. So I think I choose widely and I trust them to work with me to drive the success of the business. And then again, you know my family. I think my success is also that I've always had a vision that I've got to create wealth and wellness for my family, whether it's the work family or my own family. So that's a big driver for me. Wow. So how do you you know we are like is a big organization, big corporation would have you in, there's still the community out there. How do you give back to the communities that you do business with. So in South Africa, we have a very high unemployment rate amongst the youth and we as a book they are in a fortunate position that we can be the bridge between the corporate world and the unemployed rural

17:32 youth in South Africa in the sense that we would convince corporates to embark on a twelve month accredited program where they would then afford unemployed youth that is recruited and gone through the recruitment process the opportunity to come into the workplace. They pay for their studies and they afford them twelve month kind of internship where they also gained workplace experience. So through initiatives like that, I think our company as the bridge between corporate and unemployed youth. We are bringing opportunity and giving dignity to the young people and hope we give hope. That's through education.

18:26 There is if you are willing to self direct you yourself, then there is an opportunity for you to grow yourself and start a career. Definitely now a lot of your again I was reading in your buy or a lot of your coaching expertise, it says that you focus it on senior level leaders in international organization. Why why is that? Why do you feel that they're the you have more to offer that group as far as because of your skills and your abilities? Is that why you tend to focus on the senior levels and the organization. I think first and foremost my knowledge and support live with the more senior teams. I try not to be everything to everybody. I try to focus on certain areas. So and when I say I focus on senior executives, it doesn't say that I won't go you know that I can't goa to somebody on a lower level. I just think that my expertise and my focus lies exactly there. And also that is just also initiative to bring a change about in workplaces because it filters down from the top. So if you want

20:00 to influence, start with the top leaders. So yeah, yeah, do you find that in dealing with those at the top that it's hard sometime to change that mindset, you know, to get them to kind of pivot a little bit, you know, to maybe not be so strong on their big on their ideas, but look at it as though, Okay, maybe I do have to bend a little in order to make certain things work. Do you find that it's hard to get them to change their mindset? It's going to be difficult to qull to talk about a collective because we address them as individuals, and every individual is different. What I have found as a collective is that the leaders are much more perceptive and open to work with you because they do the work and we support, but to take a bit of guidance and to also be open to change and to implement change, because I think most of them that I've encountered are. And it also dependent on the different generations, because you'll get the older generation that might be a bit stuck in

21:32 certain thought patterns or my way or the highway, and you've got to work a little bit harder to gain their trust and to bring the change. But in the end, it is really about to land home. It is about the organization that they need and that a level of five leader would want to work for the organization for the benefit of that organization. And once that lands, they start opening up. So it takes work, and it's it's a different path for different individuals. I got you. Yeah, So how do you tend to persevere through the tough times? I mean, for example, how did you fare through the pandemic? I mean how did that affect your your organization, you know, making sure that it stayed on track because you know, I know here in the United States, a lot of businesses went out of They went out of business because they couldn't pivot or you know, didn't have something else another way to make profits once the pandemic hit. So how have you been able or were you able to persevere throing those tough times.

22:52 Yes, I think the pandemic has has had a severe effect worldwide on the businesses and organizations. From our side, and I've seen this, we were we were in a situation where the lockdown came very suddenly in South Africa. I think they announced it and within a week we had to lockdown everything and we are projects that we ran across the country was in jeopardy because of that. So the first thing that we and it was very worrisome. I would not take away the stress and the strain around that. I think what saved us was that we were extremely agile. I think organizations that was too slow in their decision making in their response to this were the ones that was hurt the most. We were extremely agile, very flexible. We immediately engaged on an online platform where we would be able to take all the projects, training projects and things, and we were day and night to get that live.

24:15 And yes, thanks to my team, we we got that life within most probably two weeks, and we were able to continue to put our clients at ease that this can still happen. And funny enough, and I'm sure you will know now that most of our business is now done online. You know, we really have face to face meetings with clients now, most of our meetings are online, so we are in a virtual world. But it was a lot of resilience. It was a lot of hard work, but we were agile, flexible, and I think that's our response was quick.

25:03 Yeah, definitely are you all still doing are there still is there still a lot of remote work going on? Or have most of the people returned back to the offices and you know and conducting business as usual. So in our and our officers, everybody has returned back to the officers. It's just for us. We found that for a interactive team to really work well together. That worked for us. I know that some of our clients have got a kind of a blended approach and they've allowed some of the employees to work maybe two days from home. We have one or two employees that we allow, which is more of the older aged employees that we're more at risk. During COVID. They have become so used and they still the lever on everything that they are allowed to work home. But most of our employees have returned home and I mean return to the office, and I think they preferred the human touch, the human interaction. You know, I still don't think that the virtual world. It's a great world, and it's I love technology, but it is it doesn't make up for the loss of human interaction. Yeah, absolutely absolutely So, if you had to give us some tips for growing a

26:33 business, what would a few tips be. That's a there's a lot of tips. So I think the first thing is that I would like to say is that you've got to be very very careful around your cash flow, and you've got to you've got to plan well, you've got to plan your resource as well. And the day that you start a business, I've seen this. It is a rather be conservative around the spending and conservative around the growth.

27:18 Work more towards sustainability rather than just growing for the sake of growing, trying to be the biggest and the strongest. We believe in growing sustainable and we are very conservative in the way that we manage our finances in our business, and I think that has been our success for the twenty years. We also would also because I've seen when people start business is the first thing they do is they have a bigger car. They want to show they are the boss they are. I've got the title, I've got to show it. You know what is that thing? I've got to be yet before it's even really there. And that is the first mistake. Be conservative, as Warren Buffett said, you know, be conservative around your finances. Be careful.

28:14 You need to be very it's got to be planned well, manage your expenses, and don't just drove for the sake of growing it. Wives mmmm, absolutely so tell us what would you like to achieve? What what's something that you'd like to achieve, Say maybe now or a couple of months from now, or maybe even within before the end of the year. What do you want to achieve. Well, this year, I've just turned sixty, So yeah, I think there's so much that I still need to do. I think we are so blessed that we live in a world where sixty is a wonderful, wise age, but it's not the end. I think it was Bismarck that started the whole concept around retirement, which was actually just a kind of a financial thing that he implemented. But in my mind, what do I still want to achieve. I've got another teen years that I really want to work and do my life's work, which is really empowering women. I've got a granddaughter she's three now, and I've got a daughter she is a

29:44 lawyer, and I have a responsibility to create a world which is free of bias. So what I want to achieve still is to make sure that we embrace diversity, that we we have a fair world where everybody has a fair chance to be successful. MM. So is there anything right now that your company has going on that may be coming up on the horizon that any type of training that you might want to let us know about, or you know that that's in the way, something maybe you're putting together that you'd like to to share with the audience. Well, we are always busy with projects, training projects and so on, but thank you for the opportunity. I think from our side, we are starting a woman empowering webinar serious. We will be working with giving business trips to young entrepreneurs that's starting arts in business and that would be a monthly thing and that would be advertised and there would be a pain around that on our website. Okay, So in hearing you say that if there was someone who wanted advice from you about getting into the same industry that you're in, what would you tell them? What do you think

31:18 the first thing they would need to do to prepare themselves to get into that industry. I think the first thing is that you need to understand the industry. So and for every country there's different rules that apply, you know in the countries, so so decide where you are going to focus. For me, my international work was very much on consulting two big corporates, so it wasn't as much on establishing a training intervention per se. Was more consulting side of talent managements and so forth. But if you are going to get into the learning and development space, familiarize yourself with the the what is needed for that specific country. And also I think if you are going to think about we've got a very strong accredited drive in our country for accredited programs, which does not play in the business school area. So because we know that if you want to come into a learning space in South Africa, you are going to be lost. If you are not accredited with programs, people will not utilize your services because that kind of gives credit to your institution as well.

32:53 So I think that's the first thing that I would advise people on is to make sure that you understand your markets that you are going to do business and and then for us as well, you don't have to be everything. I believe in networks. I believe in holding networks with other business people. You know, we might not have a program, but we can there's always a share of a project that we can share with somebody else by utilizing their expertise or their programs or whatever. Take hands. It's it's really benefited as without having to reinvent the wheel around things. Okay, okay, So if any of our viewers and listeners might want to reach out to you for some additional information or maybe like you said, just to find out maybe what they might need to do to understand how to do business in your country, some of the countries that you've done business in. How can they reach out to you?

34:06 So I think the best always is to go to our website that we've got all our email addresses of our senior teams on there as well, and also that's our contact details, so it's w w w ubukle hr dot coza, CEO dot z A and I can share that, but our website is where all the information is and the contact details and my personal email address is also available on the website. Okay, well, thank you so much. You've shared some breat nuggets with us. I appreciate you coming on. I think before we came on screen, you said that it was Women's month in South Africa, so it was great to have you here to be able to celebrate that and have you to come on and share some nuggets in regards to organizational development and leadership. And I mean it's we've just appreciated you being here.

35:15 And again I know the time difference, so we appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to come on and share with us. So thank you again if you'd like to put your information again, just let everybody know if they want to reach out, if you want to let them know one more time, that would be great. Can I tell this to do say thank you, doctor Medlin, thank you for inviting me on your program, and thank you for the work that you are doing to empower women across the world. It is greatly appreciated, and it's wonderful to know that we've got other warriors out there that is change in the world step by step in small little barts. We've all got daughters, we've all got granddaughters. So thank you for that. Absolutely, absolutely, again, thank you so much for being here with us. You've been listening to my guests, Miss Lisa crazy.

36:19 Did I get that right? Right? Right? So much? Now I'm going to do what I usually do around this time is share some upcoming events that I have that will be coming up that I have. And the first, of course, is that you can now again pre order your copies of the Own It anthology It's Your Life, Own It Unapologetically and the journal three hundred and sixty five days to transformation. To pre order the paperback book and the journal separately, each one by themselves is twenty four ninety nine. To order the complete set, which is both the book and the journal, that would be forty nine ninety nine. To order your copies, you can email me at info at EXWSI dot com or you can go to my website which is www dot EXWSI dot com. I'd like to also let you know to make sure to tune in to the Black Business Olympics this month. It's taking place this week August twenty feet through the twenty seventh, and as you know, the Black Business Olympics is a fundraiser to provide scholarships and laptops to high school seniors going to college and K through twelve entrepreneurs. The back Black Business

37:51 Olympics showcases black businesses, black business owners and corporations all around the world. And if you'd like to be a speaker to showcase your business on the Black Business Olympics, you can also email me for information on that and email me at info at e x WSI dot com. And just as a special note, I will be speaking tonight on the Black Business Olympics at seven pm Eastern Standard time. If you'd like to tune in, you can go on YouTube put in Black Business Olympics and then click on the live session. Also coming up on the right horizon in October is my Show Up to Rise Up Women's Summit. To find out more about the event or to be a speaker at the event, you can email me at info at ex WSI dot com.

38:51 And I've been also letting you know about the that you'll be able to join the Show Up to Rise Up Network work and the mission of course of the the women Show Up to Rise Up Network will be to empower and connect all women all around the world in their career, business, professional and personal lives by helping them gain resources, to gain buying power, to help increase their revenue, and to accelerate their personal business and career growth through different opportunities that may come about. As a member, you will have access to coaching, training, events, workshops, resources, networking opportunities and so much more.

39:42 And if you have not yet viewed my TEDx talk which I did in Vancouver, Canada, make sure to do so. The topic of course is show Up to Rise Up and you can watch the TEDx talk on YouTube. To do so, you can just go to you to put in my name doctor Madelin and Lewis in the search box, or if you'd like you and you want the direct link, you can email me at info at exwsi dot com and I'll email you the direct link. Make sure to check it out because again I am so excited. It's still rising, still getting lots of views on Right now the views are at one hundred seventy four thousand, seventy So thank you all the ones that have viewed it, have shared it, have commented on it, has supported it in different ways. Thank you so much.

40:40 Continue to push it out there. As I said, I want to reach a million plus women around the world, have them to see the video, and just be able to provide that outreach to them. I am also a contributing writer to the own It magazine where I share nuts and resources every month. Own It Magazine as a resource for personal, professional and business development, So make sure if you'd like to get a subscription. For an annual subscription to the magazine, you can go to my website which is uh www dot ex wsi dot com and you'll be able to get an annual subscription if you'd like. If you'd like for me to send you a sample copy of the magazine, email me at info at e x WSI dot com. So I want to I would like to thank my guests again, Miss Lisa Cracy, and my viewers and listeners for joining me today. Of course, you know this has been the successful women's show. I'm doctor Madelin Lewis and as you know, if you'd like to reach out to me, i am on all the social media sites. You can also email me at info at EXWSI dot com or go to my website which is www dot exwsi dot com.

42:15 And while you're there on the website, make sure you download my free three part video series on three things every woman should do to position herself for executive leadership. Also, make sure to sign up for my online course which is Cracked the Career Code how to Lead with Confidence, Charisma and Credibility. To sign up for the online course, you can go to www dot Crack the Careercode dot com. Again, I'm on all the social media sites. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel, which is my YouTube channel and talk for TV channel. Make sure you share this episode, like the episode and just send it out there to friends, family, and colleagues. We had some great information that was shared with us today by my guest, Miss Lisa crazy again. This is a success for women's show. We are here every week at two pm Eastern Standard time. I am your host, Doctor Madeline and lewis helping women to accelerate the path to success. Thank you again to my guests. Thank you all to my viewers and my listeners. I love you all to life, So be well and stay safe out there. Then have

44:05 and me H