BUSINESS UNUSUAL DURING THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS — #LIONESSBUSINESSUNUSUAL
LIONESSES OF AFRICA COMMUNITY PORTAL FOR SHARING, INSPIRING & CONNECTING
WELCOME
Dear Lionesses
The COVID-19 global pandemic has created a new and challenging reality for all of us, and many businesses in our Lionesses of Africa community are taking considerable strain. We understand and appreciate what everyone is going through, and we are committed to doing our very best to help during this tough time. So, we are launching this brand new Business Unusual portal where we will be sharing inspiration, articles, podcasts, information and resources on a wide range of issues that are important to you all just now. Be part of this initiative by sharing your expertise - write a blog article, or share your social media story on this portal. Your insights at this critical time could help so many other women entrepreneurs and it will keep you connected with our community. Let’s keep supporting one another so that we can all come through this.
Warmest regards — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo
RESOURCE HUB
Resources and advice to help you manage through and build resilience during the Coronavirus pandemic.
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Tell us how you are responding to the Coronavirus crisis
Share how your business has been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic and how you are managing through and building resilience. Share all your best advice, tips and strategies with our community.
EDITORIAL
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
This last week Melanie released our 10-year Impact Report (here).
To see published, what has been done quietly and with little fuss over the past 10 years brought home to us the incredible work by our founder and ceo along with a massive team of supporters, doers and Lionesses, day in day out, to bring business knowledge, training, mentorship and access to global supply chains and of course finance, to our fabulous community within which our inspirational membership can learn from each other, support one another, and collaborate and/or trade with one another.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Firstly, an apology. We had previously written that the amount of investment from the VC world that flows into all-women founded businesses each year was stuck firmly at 2%. There was nothing it seemed we or the world could do. No matter how large the amount of money that ticked the 2X Challenge boxes, no matter the amount of time spent on this iniquitous issue, and no matter the amount of times we highlighted this, 2% always seems to be the result. The other 98% consisted of a mixed founding teams (usually around 20% of total) or all male (making up the balance of 78-80%).
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
So 2025 has begun and as with all new years, we have our own resolutions. Although not technically a ‘resolution’ as by definition it is designed to only last one month, ‘Dry January’ does tend to outlast many of our well thought out self promises for the year, although as (occasional) wine drinkers, we of course don’t count as a failure the ‘White Wednesdays’ and ‘Thirsty Thursdays’ that tend to creep in towards the end of the month. We are after all, only human.
by Lionesses of Africa’s Operations Department
Lionesses of Africa is now ten years old. An incredible decade of serious work and deep-rooted support from so many inspirational leaders, not only across the continent, such as our 100 Lionesses and many, many others within our incredible community, but also the various Governments, banks, DFIs and corporates. All of them have tirelessly supported us and driven to the fore the need for African female founders to be taken seriously by all who profess to care about building our incredible continent from within, and with African businesswomen at the helm strengthening communities and delivering sustainable tax-paying businesses and of course, ‘good jobs’.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
We have long thought it was true, but last month it was finally confirmed. Ajay Banga, the World Bank President, not only reads our articles but also uses them as a blueprint for the World Bank (‘WB’), and most importantly, we have proof just in time for bonus season at Lionesses of Africa [Dream on - on all counts! — Ed.]. In our report on the WB’s Spring Meeting earlier this year (here) we wrote: “Could there be a realisation that to assist Africa, to properly assist Africa, this has to come from the bottom up, to build SME businesses, to build employment, to build communities, to ensure a future at home, all of which we have been pushing and saying since the day Melanie founded the Lionesses of Africa ten years ago.”
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
The Lionesses of Africa is and always will be a-political, and rightly so. This means this article is not about the pros and cons of one candidate over another in the recent US Election (we are also not US voters, so it would be arrogant of us to suggest we know one way or the other what is the right, or the best or correct route - the country has not only spoken, it has spoken loudly and clearly not only with the majority of the popular vote going to now President Elect Trump, but with majorities in the Senate and most likely in Congress, with increased number of Latino, African American, Hispanic, “[e]ven in demographics she won…women, Black men and young voters—Harris conceded [large numbers of] votes to Trump and won by a narrower margin than Hillary Clinton did in 2016 or President Joe Biden did in 2020.” Forbes here. Latino men and women also had a huge drop off of support for Harris, having come out in large numbers for President Biden and Hillary Clinton previously. Her only increase in support from that previously given to Biden was with Black Women and a slight improvement on college educated white voters. Women still voted for VP Harris “but she won less of the vote than both Clinton and Biden…while Trump won white women by 8 points.”
The voters sent her and her party a clear message.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Our title this week comes from the highly respected Trove Research that is now part of MSCI Carbon Markets. A long term study of the carbon credit usage based on a sample of 4,156 companies over 5 years within which they found that “‘Heavier’ users of credits are found, on average, to be decarbonizing more quickly than ‘lighter’ users of credits [and] [U]sers of higher integrity / higher priced credits are, on average, reducing their emissions more quickly than users of lower integrity / priced credits.” (here)
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Written on a Thursday when the weight of the week of putting out fires and being dragged into the weeds of a mass of issues, has built up on our shoulders (and neck, oh those tight neck muscles!), is not lessened by the realisation that the weekend that seems so close will just bring 48 hours of catch-up rather than deep and fulfilling sleep.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Our bedtime reading this week has been the UN’s school report on the SDGs 2024 (here). To call it a school report, of course, is a little generous, because the UN is reviewing its own efforts to galvanise the world behind the SDGs and deliver results, certainly not written by a stern third party.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
PwC brought out a report on five ‘Megatrends that would impact the world, in 2013, and then updated it in 2022, and all that they wrote about 10 years ago is not only relevant today but even more of a concern. These ‘Megatrends’ are “… characterized as deep and profound trends, global in scope and long-term in effect, touching everyone on the planet and shaping our world for many years to come.” (here). They go on to say and certainly show that not only have these Megatrends transformed the world faster than they had thought, but the interaction has in their words “…turbocharged both the speed and pervasiveness of change.”
Mozambique Green Businesses In Focus
Regular attendees at Lionesses of Africa’s Green Lioness Lean In events in Mozambique will know that as an impact-driven organisation we are committed to showcasing women eco-preneurs who are creating sustainable businesses, and importantly, much needed green jobs too. Each one is making their mark in their sector and community. But what they share in common is a passion for the eco-focused businesses they are creating, the desire to innovate in order to find solutions to real environmental challenges, and the motivation to create opportunities and jobs for local people. These Lionesses of Africa are not just showcasing their own unique green products and services to the world, but they are also making a real difference to their communities and their country as a whole.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Imposter Syndrome. Yes that’s right, it’s time to pull back the duvet and look this thing straight in the face and call it out for what it is. In the HBR article ‘Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome’ by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey (here) they say: “Imposter syndrome is loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. It disproportionately affects high-achieving people, who find it difficult to accept their accomplishments.” Note - ‘high-achieving people’, not high-achieving women, yet women seem to admit to it more or are allowed to own it more (‘allowed’ - you know what we’re talking about!). Yet over 70% of us have experienced this at one or more times, that’s both male and female.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
…And so the Olympics closed for another four years. Checking for the last time the brilliant coverage from Rebecca Eliot and her tireless team at ProTouch™️ Africa here, shows as she says, “The Paris 2024 Olympics marked a historic moment for Africa, as athletes from across the continent delivered their best performance yet on the global stage. With a total of 39 medals, Africa’s talent and determination shone brightly, leaving a lasting legacy and filling the continent with immense pride. The time is now to start investing in the continent’s top talent ahead of #LA2028 and beyond!”
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
As we write this the Olympics is moving into its second week, and African athletes are starting to lengthen their stride and impact more of the medal table. With such a fabulously varied and diversified continent, it is fascinating to note the way the medals flow from the south as we move from Swimming (Tatjana Smith setting the pool alight!) and 100 metres track (with both South Africa and Botswana in the final), up and into the Kenyan and Ethiopian dominance of middle and long distance running. Dominance it is too as Kenya took Gold and Silver in the 5000 metres (take a massive bow Beatrice Chebet - Gold, and Faith Kipyegon - Silver) and in the Men’s 10,000 track Uganda took an incredible Gold with a new World Record through the power that is Joshua Cheptegei, with Eithopia’s Berihu Aregawi just behind.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
The self made billionaire J.D.Rockefeller, who some consider the richest man ever (we don’t, for us Mansa Musa, Mali’s ancient ruler covers that accolade and ticks our ‘Africa is best’ box - just saying!), was obsessed with rules and habits that drove his own demeanour (always punctual, always well dressed, even in the early days when he was starting out with nothing), that drove how he ran his huge company, and also drove his dealings with others.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Having watched in awe the truly inspirational Lionesses pitching at our Start-Up Night Africa event in The Hague last month (see here the event page with all their brilliant pitches), we recognised that here was a group of businesswomen all seriously engaged, knowing how to take their companies to the next level. They were all in growth or high growth mode and were obviously loving the journey.
Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa
This year, Lionesses of Africa marks another important milestone on our journey as social impact innovators. It is 10 years since we launched on the first Women’s Entrepreneurship Day in 2014 with a mission to empower Africa’s women entrepreneurs to fulfill their potential and drive economic growth on the continent. So much has happened since that launch, and our mission and vision has grown, as has the size of our Lionesses of Africa community - now 1.8 million women entrepreneurs strong, and still growing! We have much to reflect on and celebrate as we plan the next exciting phase of our entrepreneurial journey.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
It has taken us almost two weeks to come down from the high and to make sense in our minds of what happened on June 11th 2024, but what we do know for sure is that before, during, and after our Start-Up Night Africa event where we showcased and celebrated ten truly inspirational Lionesses of (and into) Africa in our own particular way (more of that later!), lives were changed and people were impacted, links made and partnerships cemented on this memorable day.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
“Those with the least resources have the least capacity to adapt and are the most vulnerable.”
“Almost 80% of the respondents…foresee at least 2.5C of global heating, while almost half anticipate at least 3C (5.4F). Only 6% thought the internationally agreed 1.5C (2.7F) limit would be met. Many of the scientists envisage a “semi-dystopian” future, with famines, conflicts and mass migration, driven by heatwaves, wildfires, floods and storms of an intensity and frequency far beyond those that have already struck.” - according to a large survey done of hundreds of the world’s leading climate scientists (see here) who make up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
“You don't want the institutions incentivized to go big and expensive when you could maybe have more impact, smaller and less expensive”, so said Margaret Kuhlow of the US Dept of Treasury at one of the side meetings at the recent World Bank Spring Conference (see here 1:30:05).
Anna Bjerde, the World Bank Managing Director of Operations confirmed the key message of the meetings (here): “A key component…is measuring outcomes rather than inputs and focusing on results that further our aim to improve people's lives and livelihoods.”
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
As American Presidential hopefuls will tell you, life begins at 80 and so given the World Bank turned 80 this year, would there be a new lease of life, a new energy to tackle the world’s greatest problems?
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
There have been many times over the past few years when we have looked at a country’s foreign exchange rate, have watched in horror as it has collapsed, had sleepless nights over the inflation that is sure to come given the needs of the country for US$ based imports (or is already building due to the mismatch between the ‘official’ rate and the parallel black market rate), and wondered how our Lionesses in that country will survive the long nights ahead.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Three core things get investors up in the morning.
- The Problem.
- The Solution.
- The Team that is going to deliver.
The ‘Problem’ is the starting point that drags investors in. As Maxime Bayen, the Operating Partner, of the Catalyst Fund says "I am often sold on the problem. If I see the problem is big, if I see that it is well articulated, is data backed, then I am really eager to see the solution..." (here).
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
The UK’s BII recently released their Emerging Economies Climate Report 2023, and the results from the 2023 survey of senior executives working across their large and impressive portfolio of companies and funds, were not good, although did confirm what we are seeing across and hearing from our membership at the coal face (a decent metaphor, we think) of climate change.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General says (here): “Better data is the indispensable scaffolding that supports progress across all the SDGs,” and the UN and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data have checked this and tell us (here) that there is “an average return of $32 for every $1 invested in strengthening data systems in low and middle income countries.”
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
As we reach the end of our four-parter look at the investing and funding world and how we can gain more of it, here, here, and here, so this weekend we dive into why collecting data on the jobs we have created, the wages we pay, the lives we have changed is so important, and why now is the best time to start.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
It is one thing to complain and be grumpy about the rounding error that is the amount of funding that goes into women’s businesses in Africa, but as we stated last week (here) we believe the answer may lie instead in highlighting the benefits to the investors, and their own investor base in having a more diverse team and with that a stronger portfolio made up of more female-founded companies.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
The VC numbers for Africa in 2023 were released a few weeks ago and, as usual, the dial for women just doesn’t seem to be moving. As the brilliant data crunchers at ‘Africa: The Big Deal’ show (here), male and all male funding teams in 2023 as with other years, continued to raise around 85% of the entire funding, that’s not only equity but also debt and grants. Women and all women founding teams raised a rounding error, 2.3% to be exact, with only 13% going to gender diverse ones. Their article is headed: “2023 Deep-rooted gender imbalance” and deep-rooted it is. We just can’t seem to shake off these 2% levels.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
Marie Curie, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and then Chemistry in 1911, (see here for information on this incredible Scientist) is said to have once remarked: “Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood…”, and we have to admit that try as we might, we cannot understand the reasons for, let alone fathom the pain and suffering that 2023 brought to many millions across the globe. If Diplomacy really is the art of restraining power, as Henry Kissinger, the 56th U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. National Security Advisor and winner of the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize said, then we have to suggest that in 2023, ‘diplomacy’ failed.
ADVICE & OPINION
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
Negotiation, a word that brings fear into many, not least because it usually involves two or more parties that are not close, don’t know much about each other, and are not sure as yet if their counterpart can be trusted to ‘negotiate in good faith’. Easy to be overwhelmed.
by Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
Without doubt the above is a beautiful picture from the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s recent publication entitled: “Increasing women’s access to capital critical in Africa’s fight against poverty.” Sub-titled: “Women entrepreneurs continue to face greater barriers to accessing financing for their businesses”, see here.
By Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
“You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” So wrote Marcus Aurelius (seen above in a statue in Rome fittingly with a beautiful Blue Sky above him) in his book Meditations (here), which without doubt would have been a global best-seller at the time had he actually published it, given he was the last of the ‘Five Good Emperors of Rome’ at the end the era ‘Pax Romana’, controlling most of the known world at the time. However it was not published, they were writings only for him and him alone, which in a way adds great strength - they were not written to impress or to dictate or even to guide others, but more of a personal daily exercise, a mantra.
By Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
Every so often we come across real life practical issues amongst our Lionesses and even from outside of our inspirational membership as we talk, mentor and occasionally consult to these companies. Sharing the issues and the practical solutions we find, helps others who are in the same position. Obviously no names will be mentioned, but these are all generic problems that can potentially hit us all and from the experiences of others, we all can learn.
By Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
Last weekend we showed that one of the best ways to keep good employees and to encourage them to invest their lives into your dream, was through training. We quoted the great Ben Horowitz, (in his book here) who found out that one reason employees left was “The company wasn’t investing resources in helping employees develop new skills.”
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
We were shocked to hear of the passing of Model and Singer Nick Kamen this week at the tender age of 59. The Levi Jeans model and singer shot to fame in the iconic ‘Laundrette’ ad (here).
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
What is it that really creates a loyal customer base? This is the constant question that has hung over entrepreneurs for centuries, even Charles Dickens realized that if he was to successfully write in magazines (how his books first appeared, chapter by chapter), he’d better have a shock or WOW! moment at the end of each chapter to encourage the sales of the next magazine.
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
Marc Andreessen, cofounder of a16z with Ben Horowitz, likes to joke “…the best thing about startups is that you only ever experience two emotions: euphoria and terror. And I find that lack of sleep enhances them both.”
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
‘Doing right’ means different things to different people, but in business it is absolutely essential and represents your core values. The above photo showing the impact that UZURI K&Y, the Rwandan business founded by entrepreneurs Kevine Kagirimpundu and Ysolde Shimwe, has had on so many lives as a perfect example of this. So, “What are the core values of your business?” could have been the title this week…
By Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
Since our previous letter in March on the EU’s move to legislate ESG to all via the financial world (here), where financial companies marketing their products within the EU now have to prove if they are ESG compliant (or not, they do have the choice). To take this seriously at a high level and to show this is not just a tick-box exercise, there is no doubt now (as we foretold) that this will filter quickly through to corporations and their supply chains. The finance world (if it wants the ESG tick) must pay attention, research, investigate and invest with ESG in mind.
By The Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
Easter is for many across the world a time of hope and new beginnings, but what if the world is in a dark place at the time? There have been times when something small but positive has ballooned into something huge and the globe has grabbed this light and given itself a new energy. Sometimes it can even be something daft, but the smiles and humour generated can do wonders for our mental well-being, that over the previous years had been sorely tested. We are herding animals, we are drawn to each other, we gain energy from each other and together (as we all know) we are stronger. How can this be harnessed for our businesses?
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
The world famous free solo (alone and with no rope!) climber Alex Honnold as pictured above (whilst climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock, the 3,200ft El Capitan in Yosemite National Park) yes, we’ll just say that again - with no rope, says that often his most dangerous moment on any climb is just before the end when the climb starts to level off towards the top of the mountain and he starts to relax. That is when he is far more likely to slip and fall than when he is vertical, clinging to a crack a thousand metres above the ground. See the terrifying trailer from National Geographic here of the film by Jimmy Chin of this amazing assent. The film, "Free Solo" even won an Oscar for best documentary.
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
March 10th was a big day in Europe. On that day the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulations came into force, requiring “…investment funds to show how sustainability risks are incorporated into their investment decisions. This applies not only to fund managers, financial advisers and many other regulated firms in the EU, but also to non-EU [finance] managers marketing into the EU.”
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
“If knowledge is power, knowing what you don't know is wisdom.”, so wrote Adam Grant, the renowned professor of psychology at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in his new book, “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know,”. One of the basic frustrations he has is that: Too many people in the world listen to opinions that make them feel good, instead of ideas that make them think harder.
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
“No one can label you a failure when what you are trying to do is audacious. Botching something easy is a failure. Failing in an attempt to achieve something huge is just courageous.”
…as stated by the fabulous Anne Boden, who against all the odds founded Starling Bank in the UK. Read Melanie’s review of her book here and indeed we too wrote around her book in our Blog entitled ‘Dreaming with Ambition’ here, (so clearly we are fans!). But that one message above from her book ‘Banking On It: How I Disrupted an Industry’, is interesting because great leaders do not worry so much about being labelled (Elon Musk, for example, would stay under the duvet if labels concerned him!). What is noticeable is that they encourage their employees, their teams to reach for the sky, to go for the huge, not because they are relaxed about risk, (in fact they respect risk, never fear it), but exactly because this encourages far greater results for their employees and for their businesses.
“Choosing the WTO Director-General should be on merit. If that person happens to be a woman, then great. If that person happens to be an African, then great. I hope it is a sign not only to women and girls of my country, but to women and girls worldwide, that the world is ready and women can do it.”
…and so said our very own Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria who on Monday became the first African and the first women to take the reins of this massive global organisation at a time at which world trade is at its most polarized and highly politicized position for decades. Talk about a hospital pass!
by the Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
We have to immediately state (for those of a fearful nature) that the Lioness cub in the above incredible picture by Sarah Skinner that won the Comedy Wildlife Photograph of the Year 2019, did survive unhurt (somehow!). But it shows clearly that for all of us there are differing levels of understanding and appreciation of risk, in this case both for the cub and for the unsuspecting male who would assume that no one is that daft. As Einstein would agree, Risk is Relative! (Feeling brave? Zoom in and see those claws!)
by the Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
We have discussed the issues with male dominated finance previously (here) and how imbalances built into applications affect women (as Ai is sadly beginning to show us). Although it is great news that more women are being invited onto bank’s boards, until the Credit and Risk committees and their ‘tick boxes’ are redesigned to remove this strange but deep held belief that women’s businesses are more risky, we shall continue to hear the complaints from many who have raised funding ‘to invest in women’s businesses’ that they have searched high and low, yet been unable to find enough women in which to invest. As the AfDB’s Dr Jennifer Blanke said at the The Global Gender Summit 2019, Kigali: “We know that women are a good bet. We know they pay back. We know they run excellent businesses – and yet they are not getting financed” (here).
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
According to the FT (here), there is “a new corporate currency, and it is a composite of three factors: purpose, why [the company] does what it does; culture, what staff experience; and brand, its reputation. The era of non-financial data transparency and advanced stakeholder capitalism is upon us. Corporate stakeholders, from employees and customers to board members, investors, partners and regulators, are calling for greater disclosure of information related to the “four P’s”: people, profit, planet and purpose. All corporations must prepare for a future in which details of their work in these areas are open to all.”
by the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
Kaizen is Japanese for ‘continuous improvement’, literally Kai (change) Zen (good) and has a great following amongst the business community in Japan for whom large scale, sudden and ‘disruptive’ moves are not often encouraged. Kaizen allows them to adapt and grow their businesses over time to keep ahead of the competition. It should be pointed out that ‘Over time’ is a little different in Japan where nine of the oldest companies in the world sit.
by Manini Mbongwa
The year 2020 brought about a lot of changes worldwide. Not only did we have to be cooped up in our homes and separated from our loved ones, but some people also lost their love in the fight against COVID-19. People also lost their jobs which meant that they also had to lose their assets like houses and cars, even worse kids had to be taken out of schools not only because of COVID-19 but because parents could not afford to pay school fees anymore.
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
We were shocked to read this week (here) that plastic, or to be more correct, plastic microfibers, have not only been found at the lowest depths of the ocean in the Mariana Trench, at the highest points of our Mountains on the top of Everest, but now even across the Arctic. We as humans have now polluted the entire planet with plastic!
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
One of the things we all learnt in 2020 was what was meant by the ‘R’ number - the rate at which a sick person will pass on (in this case) COVID-19 to others. According to ISGlobal the average ‘R’ for an infected person with CV19 is around 2.5 in each 5 day period of incubation. An ‘R’ of less than 1 is good because it means that the number being infected is growing smaller, but over 30 days will still infect others, and thanks to the brilliant Visual Capitalist looks something like this…
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
January, just the mention of that month brings high hopes and expectations of greater things. Given the low base that was 2020 (although as we pointed out in our last Blog, 2020 was a year of such incredible opposites, not only of terrifying lows but also for many Lionesses, incredible highs), 2021 for the entire world from a health perspective has to be better!
by Marjon Meyer
The future is not what we used to think it would be…our world is literally infected with new ways of thinking and working. With so many staff members working remotely, the way organisations manage performance has to be adjusted. There should also be a bigger focus on re-skilling and constructive feedback to build confidence amongst staff. Problems and challenges need to be solved differently and creatively.
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
The year 2020 was the 250th anniversary of the world’s greatest composer, Beethoven. Many consider Mozart to be the greatest, but his abilities came too easily, he never had to struggle, his music flowed as if from the heavens. Beethoven was mortal, he was human, he struggled. Mozart found composing easy, as if he had a ‘hot line’ to the angels, and indeed if you see his original manuscripts, there are no corrections, he wrote everything down once (when was the last time you wrote an email with no corrections?) - this was an orchestral work with 20 different parts! Beethoven, however, struggled and with errors, scribbles, corrections, angry lines crossing out, starting afresh many times, he forced incredible music out, finally accepting (begrudgingly) that he had gained immortality on paper.
by Suret Alive, founder of Alive Wellness Company
Here are the top 5 things that I’ve been doing for myself during the pandemic that will make my business thrive.
By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept
“…a company cannot achieve long-term profits without embracing purpose and considering the needs of a broad range of stakeholders. A pharmaceutical company that hikes prices ruthlessly, a mining company that shortchanges safety, a bank that fails to respect its clients – these companies may maximize returns in the short term. But, as we have seen again and again, these actions that damage society will catch up with a company and destroy shareholder value.”
MEDIA
Last weekend we highlighted that William Warshauer of Technoserve wrote (here): “Since 1960, the world has spent roughly $5.7 trillion on foreign aid…Of that enormous sum, how much has been effective in fighting poverty? The shocking truth is that we don’t really know.” “…we don’t really know.” - How is that possible?