Are we "There" yet? - BMS C 2010

WELL DONE...

...on finishing this programme on such a high. Friendships were formed, attitudes adjusted, jokes made, emotions flared and competition was ever present.

But from here on I'll leave it up to the pictures to say what wasn't said already. Enjoy!

Memories from our early morning Conflict Resolution session...

Judging by the last photo it is clear that some of us handle conflict in a slightly calmer way than others...

Having a go at Recruitment - This is Dream Destination looking for a candidate.

And the opposition - Travel Bug

Some of the presentations that caused a bit of emotion...

And of course we have to have a laugh at these Amigdala moments again!

Celeste going at the Traffic Officer...

Who can forget the Microwave Inident!

And then Mark - who didn't disappoint us - with a workshop outburst...

PF intervening - probably too late though :-)

And to the winning team of Phase 2 - Congratulations!

6 LUV

André, Celeste, Susan, Lyndsay, Theuns and Yusuf

Also, special mention needs to be made of the two delegates that were voted by their fellow learners as:

Most Improved: Mark Camden (Mayfair Gearbox)

Best Leader: Yusuf Miajee (Plascon)

All the best on the road, getting from "Here" to "There"! Make it count!

From "Here" to "There" - BMS C 2010

The theme of this BMS - How do you lead a team from "Here" to "There"? (Or rather, that's what I thought the theme was... Amongst the learners it seemed there were a bunch of other themes floating around the dinner table which I'd rather not comment on...)

We had a number of memorable moments - one which I tried desperately to capture on film. Peveril swinging a flipchart stand around in a moment of wild rage - dealing with (as Jade referred to them) the useless Monkeys! (No delegates were hurt in the making of this!)

One of the more "Controlled" role plays...

The food and snacks at Devon Valley were also (as always) a big highlight with everyone. (Except for Mark refusing to eat a small calf - no matter how nicely it's prepared)

Some of my personal highlights (apart from the food of course) were the way the group embraced a lot of the new concepts and how they put their best efforts in to act out the role plays in as life like a way as possible - making for some good entertainment. Also, the attitude towards coaching and truly empowering the people that work with you was inspiring. I trust that the coaching projects will soon produce the desired fruit - and I look forward to hearing about this.

One of my favourite topics on Phase 1 - Performance Discussions - always leads to some lifelike scenarios and photo opportunities...

And here they are - the last highlight on Phase 1 would undoubtedly be the Top Team Award.

FAB 5!

Congratulations Susan, Yusuf, Pieter, Theuns & Nicolette!

Whether you were a sceptic on day one, or psyched up to get away from the workplace for a couple of days, I trust that you left with something more than what you came with (not only to be measured in kg's!). Thank you for opening your hearts and minds to change.

See you on the 15th of November!

One Rose amongst the Thorns - CORE D Phase 1

Never before have I come across such a chatty bunch of guys. Melanie (our only lady amongst a room full of men) coped pretty well with this roudy, competitive bunch of guys. We were never short of opinions, stories, debates and laughs - which kicked the programme off on a high note from day one.

As you can see from the Role Play photos below, everyone was very eager to get into playing their characters with as much Charisma as Soap Opera stars!!! Well done Boys - you did it!

And of course - no one ever wondered whether there was a competition happening. The atmosphere was as tense as a Currie Cup Final, but in the end - as always - there can be only one winner!

Congratulations Best 6ix

Take this "Gees" back to the workplace now and be the difference you'd all like to see! See you at the Site Visits!

CORE C 2010 - The End...

Or is it only the beginning...

Congratulations to all the learners for successfully completing CORE.

CORE isn't only about growing individuals but also about Return on Investment. Pieter from AFP and Jerome from Penbev are two of the learners who, in their planning projects, calculated savings in excess of R250 000.00 if implemented properly. Remember, for all of your planning projects to achieve their goals, it's going to depend on you to see it through.

Congratulations to Karen Pullen (BSN Medical) and Pieter Schneider (Associated Fruit Processors) who were voted Most Improved Learner and Best Leader respectively.

The TOP TEAM for this Phase:

The Rainbow Nation - Well done guys!

Remember, CORE was simply the start of your journey. Don't feel demotivated or even surprised when you encounter some "Roadblocks" - they are inevitable, but not insurmountable. Just re-evaluate your route and keep going! Enjoy the journey!

CORE C 2010 - Phase 2 update

CORE C was once again filled with variety. Variety in personalities, in projects, in teams, in lunches and in facilitators... Thank you David for stepping in at short notice!

Everyone survived the marathon three and a half hour project with flying colours and are hopefully already making work of the planning project for phase 3 back at their work places. We've had some really exciting planning projects in the past, and are looking forward to this group surpassing the last in their efforts. Enjoy the project guys!

Congratulations to the Top Team - Magnificent 7 - with your convincing win! Don't spend it all at once :-)

See you at the site visit!

BMS B 2010 DEVON VALLEY

The first BMS 200 Programme at the Devon Valley Hotel came to a very successful conclusion on Wednesday 18th August. Looking at the pics, it is "clear" that even the weather played along!

Here we have our "Most Improved" delegate, Evelyn, explaining exactly how conflict should be handled!

"Guys, what do we do when one of our facilitators gets a little sick? No problem bud, these Dyna guys have got plenty of excellent facilitators on stand-by!"


"Welcome folks, to our project room. Let us show you why we are such a great team and why you should work for our Company" ( this being the project on Attracting and Retaining Talent)

What a treat to have our last dinner together at the House of JC le Roux!

This is the size of the changes that I am trying to make back at work!

Here is the Top Team for Phase 2, The Green Doors, and in the middle of the picture in the blue jersey is Desmond ( who was voted Best Leader). Congratulations !

This photo shows a little of the energy and enthusiasm that this group displayed throughout the Programme. Thanks to Charné for stepping in to facilitate at such short notice! We all know that a great deal of the energy shown by this group was as result of her infectious enthusiasm! We can't wait to hear about the changes that you have made back in the workplace. Good Luck to all. Remember, Language Dictates Reality!!!

Associated Fruit Processors "CONCENTRATES" on Customer Service

"Let's close the plant for a day and get everyone on the Customer Sense Programme"

That statement will make you sit up straight and realise that these guys are serious about Customer Service, and serious about training. Which Manufacturing plant will let all their production staff attend a training programme in the middle of the week? Well - AFP (Associated Fruit Processors) in Grabouw did just that!

What a great day with a bunch of friendly people! Apart from the production and admin teams attending the programme, just about all of management peeped in (or just stayed around) to show their support and join in the fun.

Teams brainstorming against the clock...

Coming up with some ideas on improving service internally, to ultimately benefit the external customer.

"I'm all out of ideas guys!"


What would a day of training be without a meal in the sun?
(Check out the amazing setting in the background)




Back to work (or is that play?)


"Don't drop the ball guys!"





All together!



To balance or not to balance... that is the question


As always - there can be only one winner! Congratulations to the Top Team!

Team Associated Fruit Juices
(Philani, Jeremy, Gregory, Jerry, Jacques and Alfredo)

To everyone at AFP who made the day a success - THANK YOU! I'm sure your customers (both internal and external) will see the difference.