Quinton Douman Strong leadership skills are widely acknowledged as vital tools in providing companies with a competitive edge in today’s business environment. Quinton Douman, MD of 212 Business Consulting; personal development coach and a professional speaker, elaborates that if you are a leader – be it of a franchised business, a global corporation, a family or a country - it’s always decision time. The role of leadership, by definition, means that the weight of decisions falls onto your shoulders. Should your business purchase more stock despite a downturn in demand? Can you really afford to send your daughter on that school trip? Should you be making that particular amendment to this specific charter? The art of decision-making doesn’t have to be a continuous cycle of “what ifs”; when it comes down to the core of any matter, there are three questions that need to be answered before you can identify the wisest course of action: What should start? What should continue? W...

Leadership Lessons in Franchising  Things to start doing in 2015 Morne Cronje “Employees perform at their best when they are set up to succeed,” explains Morne Cronje, Head of FNB Franchise. Today, we find that more and more successful leaders are surrounding themselves with people who are better than themselves. Success in business means looking further than just your basic business model and strategy. Successful leaders are those who have invested in the right talent, built and developed meaningful relationships over time, lived the company culture, vision and mission. “Leaders today need to look at opportunities that were previously unseen or unheard off. It is this mindset that encourages employees to think differently, innovate and disrupt the current status quo,” explains Cronje.  Leadership lessons can be seen with the success of  Sorbet the chain of beauty salons which has seen the business grow to over 117 outlets. Ian Fuhr, CEO Sorbet explains that, “...