I was up late on Friday night – I couldn’t sleep. I therefore logged on to twitter  -just to see what was going on.  I noticed that Stan Collymore was trending together with someone named Tom Adeyemi (who I hadn’t previously heard of).  Bored and with “nothing better to do” I clicked on each name to find out why they were trending.

First I clicked on Stan Collymore’s name.  I discovered that with no apparent reason, someone had decided to rein racial abuse on him via twitter. Stan had got fed up with it and reported it to the police. As a result, the man in question had deleted his twitter account. Stan had, however, had the foresight to take photos of the abusive messages, which he posted on twitter. After a visit from the police, he also posted part of his police statement – I guess to make it clear that he would not tolerate such behaviour.

Reading the commentary on this case, a number of people expressed shock at the language and behaviour of the perpetuator who was described as a 21-year-old law student. Others commended Stan for dealing decisively with this case. I was, however, somewhat befuddled to find that there were a number expressing the view that Stan should not have dealt with the situation in public and posted the comments and/or he should have said nothing in public until the matter was resolved.  I was befuddled because I wondered what made people think that how he dealt with the matter even required commentary. Was it not more pertinent that such abuse had taken place than how he decided to report the situation?  Furthermore, I believe it’s important that we are made aware of what is really going on.

Before I talk about the case of Tom Adeyemi, I’ll explain why.

Back in November 2011, a woman was recorded swearing abusively on a tram in Croydon.  Punctuating every other sentence with the F word, she was addressing the passengers that she saw as foreigners and not English, telling them to go back to their own countries.  I don’t know what set her off, but she was later arrested.

Shortly afterwards I posted a thought on twitter, pondering “I’ve been reflecting on the racist ranting of the woman on the Croydon tram – I wonder what % of the British population share her views”

Someone responded saying “Very few I think (and hope)”

I was a bit surprised by what I will describe as his innocence and went on to say “I suspect there are many that share the concerns of the Croydon tram woman. Difference is it’s not publically expressed”

Separate from this, the recent trials and convictions in the Stephen Lawrence case have brought the issue of race to the forefront. The challenge of this is that it’s possible for people to conclude that this was a negative era in our past for which justice has now been done allowing us to close the chapter and move on.

The truth, however, is that although fortunately we have most definitely come along way, we still have a long way to go.  This is not only illustrated by the Stan Collymore case and the Croydon tram incident, but also the case of Tom Adeyemi.

So back to my Twitter explorations… I clicked on Tom Adeyemi’s name and discovered that he is young football player who it seems was racially abused during a football matched. As illustrated by the photographs taken of him immediately after the incident, he appears to be so distressed by the incident that he is virtually in tears. I don’t know what exactly it is that was said to him, but it seems that as result of the incident the game was actually paused for a few minutes.  As you’ll probably be aware there have also been other cases in football as of later, with some interesting responses from some people in positions of authority who have at times belittled the situations or who have without question tried to protect the player against whom allegations have been made.

There is no question, we have come along way, but I believe we need to be honest and recognise that we still have a long way to go.  I’m particular concerned that the alleged abusers of both Stan Collymore and Tom Adeyemi are both very young i.e. 21 and 20 respectively.  I mention age, because at that age they are more than likely to have grown up and schooled with people of colour.  The 21 year old is said to be a law student. It’s early days yet and this is yet to be the confirmed, but assuming he is a law student how well is our education system working in enabling young people to have a more positive view about race or are other influences just too strong? Before you say anything, I’ll reiterate – yes, I know its early days and I recognise that some may say that these are isolated incidents.  I will, however, respond and say that I don’t believe I would have to look too far to find similar incidents (unreported and/or with less public figures) across the country.

The tram case still weighs heavily on my mind as whilst regardless of what set her off, there was no excuse for that ladies language or behaviour, there are concerns that she expressed in relation to foreigners, jobs and immigration that are shared by a number of people in this country.

#Selah

Copyright 2012. This document is the specific intellectual property of Susan Popoola. Content may not be reused or reproduced without the specific permission of the owner or a reference to the source. Opinions may be generated

It’s difficult for me to keep count of how many films I watched over the last Christmas period. So I’m sorry to tell you that I can’t tell you what film I was watching when a man told a young lady struggling to find her way in life that “We learn by doing”

To some extent, it doesn’t really mater what film it was anymore.  The important thing is that it resonates with real life – most especially as we’ve come to a new year.  The beginning of a new year which if we are to be honest, just like others we see as a special breakthrough year.  We make new years resolutions, we make lists targets. We have all sorts of aims, process – you name it, in  order to make this a better, more successful year.  We wish each other all the very best; hoping and praying that dreams will come true.

Don’t get the wrong impression, in many ways I’m in the same boat.  I do believe luck changes, breakthroughs come, dreams come true and God answers prayers.  The only thing is I also believe that more often than not there is a requirement for us to do something extra, different or differently to get that result.

I don’t know about you, but I know that sometimes I’m held back by the fear of making mistakes and getting things wrong – what if I fail? Or for some there’s the concern that others may not see our genius and believe in us.  But going back to the film that I mentioned, the truth is we learn by doing, I’m also becoming increasingly aware that if our intentions are right and we are not reckless, we’ll find that the right people will support us along the way.  I therefore intend to just put myself out there more and learn as I go along.

Critically though, I intend to do so using three key sights as I go along i.e. Hindsight, Insight and Foresight.

You see, whilst I watched a fair number of films over the Christmas period, I also did quite a bit of reading on British Social and Economic history in preparation for a new book that I am working on.   From doing so the criticality of the sights became apparent to me.

A common response to actions of leaders that didn’t quite workout the way they were planned was “with hindsight” he or should might have..   i.e. reviewed retrospectively – understanding the nature of an event after it has happened.  Or a fuller dictionary definition that I believe makes it even clearer is: recognition of the realities, possibilities or requirements of a situation, event, decision etc after its occurrence.

The truth is we don’t have the benefit of hindsight for past decisions.  However, whilst we should never dwell on it, we should reference past occurrences as part of our learning for the future. The saying that “history repeats itself” is frustratingly true when it refers to things that we’ve got wrong in the past.

Hindsight should become part of the basis of our insights and foresights to enable us to successfully move forward. In other words I believe that beyond the simple process of learning from our current actions we must learn from the past otherwise we do become reckless and  have a negative impact not only on ourselves, but also others who are affected by our actions.

I believe our insights or intuitive understanding provides us with a grasp of the inner nature of things comes partly from our inner being, but also from our understanding of past experiences.

If we take the above and marry it with a bit of foresight i.e. planning and mental preparedness though there is still a bit of a risk we have a good basis for pressing forward and for greater success.

Wishing you all the very best for 2012

Susan

Copyright 2012. This document is the specific intellectual property of Susan Popoola. Content may not be reused or reproduced without the specific permission of the owner or a reference to the source. Opinions may be generated

Did you know…
£5 provides water for a family for a week?
£10 pays for a rural health care worker for a week?
£25 feeds a family of six for a month?
£50 pays for a sewing machine?
£100 empowers a widow to set up in business?
The Akabusi Charitable Trust Literature

If for no other reason, if you watched the 4 by 400m relay at the 1991 World Championships at Tokyo you will have heard of Kriss Akabusi.  Since the end of his athletics career you may have seen him on television on programmes such as Record Breakers, heard him on the radio or had the privilege to hear him give a motivational talk at an event.  Even if you do know all of this, you may not be aware that he additionally Chair’s a Charity, “The Akabusi Charitable Trust”, that works to promote the social and economic development of communities in poverty in Nigeria.

I say he Chair’s the Charity, but he’s role doesn’t stop there – amongst other things he is actively involved in fundraising for the Charity and in 2010 he led on a Charity Bike Ride from Edinburgh to London aimed at raising funds for the Charity.  Having done what I could to support Kriss on the Bike Ride, a few months later, I received some information which outlined the difference that various amounts of money could make, starting from £5 to the impact that a £100 could have on the life of a widow.

£100 could enable a widow to set up a business I read. I’d like to do that I thought i.e. have the privilege of helping to transform someone’s life. It was just another one of the many ideas that I develop.  More often than not, I think of things that I could do that might be great ideas, but just put them aside. I don’t know if you’re anything like that too?  The only thing is that with this particular idea, the next time I went into the office of the Charity I took my cheque book with me.

“I’d like to sponsor a widow”, I announced. Everyone looked at me. “Your literature mentions that £100 can transform the life of a widow” I stated.  “Find me a widow to support” I went on to demand as I wrote out a cheque for £100. Obediently the next time Kriss and another trustee went to Nigeria to monitor the work of the Charity, they identified a struggling widow and through one of the Charity’s partner organisations supported her in setting up a small business which enabled her to support her family and ensure that her children went to school.  Her life, her prospects and that of her children were transformed.

As a result, the Charity decided to set up a project  – Woman2Woman; to enable women in the UK to support women in rural Nigerian communities.  It’s early days yet, but already there are a growing number of women whose lives are being transformed through this project. I’m humbled by the knowledge that this project developed because I did something with a simple idea that I had.

I’m therefore writing this for two reasons. In the first instance you may have one or two ‘simple’ ideas of you’re own that you’re sitting on. I would like to encourage you to go for it, put yourself out there – you just don’t know what will happen.

Secondly, a seed has been planted, i.e the idea of transforming lives of Nigerian widows and those of their families through donations of £100. In my head, the idea is beginning to develop that this could actually become something phenomenal that transforms whole villages and I was just wondering if you would be interested in being a part of this?

#Selah

© Susan Popoola MA CIPD FRSA
Conning Towers Ltd
Leveraging the Power of People

Managing Staff Through The Tough Times

While there are businesses that may be thriving, the recent recession and its aftermath mean that it’s been a tough few years for a lot of businesses.  If we are to be honest things are likely to remain tough for the next few years as we contend with Government cuts, problems with Europe and what have you. The natural instinct under these circumstances is therefore to knuckle down and focus – expecting those that work for us to do the same thing – grateful that unlike so many others they have work.

The tendency is to put structures and processes in place to ensure that we things work both effectively and efficiently – this is something I highly recommend. I also advice on the need to become more stringent about absences and what staff do within work time – this is something else that most businesses will probably be doing now. Additionally most businesses will also be becoming more focused on targets and expect staff to have the same focus.  All of this is perfectly understandable and logical – after all unless a business is run on volunteers and unpaid interns, the people working with you are being paid to get a job done in what is now a very competitive market.

I do believe, that it is, however, important to remember that just as businesses are going through a tough time, so are a lot of people that work with us.  What with the increased costs of living and the possible unemployment of a partner; close family members and/or friends,  this can all very easily serve to put pressure on those fortunate enough to have a job.  This type of pressure on staff may also be enhanced if you have already had to implement reduced hours or a pay freeze for a few years.

So yes, do expect the best from your people, but also please be a bit sensitive too.  Where possible take the time to understand their circumstances. Allow for a little flexibility within your structures and processes if it will help them without being detrimental to the business.

Fundamentally communicate with them on the position of the business, the plans that you have for the business i.e. the strategy and the logic behind it. Be open to their input and ideas – they may actually be the source of input that makes all the difference to your business.

In balancing the requirements of your business with the needs of your staff, I believe you will attain their crucial support and their vey best through the on going tough times that we are all faced with.

Copyright 2011. This document is the specific intellectual property of Susan Popoola. Content may not be reused or reproduced without the specific permission of the owner or a reference to the source. Opinions may be generated

Many moons ago, in the year 1983 during the era of apartheid South Africa, a young South African girl moved to England, claiming British citizenship so that she could run internationally as South Africa was excluded from international events due to it’s apartheid policy.  When she ran at Crystal Palace the following year it was controversial, but she had ever right to do so as the fact that her grandfather was British gave her the right to British citizenship.

Over the years that have followed there have been numerous different athletes originating from or born in different countries who have represented Britain in International athletics. It’s therefore quite bemusing for people to speak of ‘plastic Brits’.

I must say I am, however, somewhat fascinated by Tiffany Ofili-Porter who says “I could have run for America, I could have run for Nigeria but I choose to run for Britain because I appreciate the support they show for athletics”

The truth is that the diversity of her background and options is very representative of modern day Britain.

Ref: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8680043/London-2012-Olympics-US-born-Tiffany-Ofili-Porter-seeks-to-dispel-myths-after-switching-allegiance-to-GB.html

Copyright 2011. This document is the specific intellectual property of Susan Popoola. Content may not be reused or reproduced without the specific permission of the owner or a reference to the source. Opinions may be generated

If you’re a real jazz enthusiast you will probably know that New Orleans and Jazz are synonymous as New Orleans is the birth place of Jazz. That being the case, even if you’ve never paid a visit during the Annual Jazz Festival or indeed at any other time of the year, you will probably think of New Orleans from the perspective of it’s music – even if this image is now somewhat marred by the images of Katrina.

The images of Katrina may conjure up thoughts of poverty, social injustice or what have you in your mind.

If you are an American Football fan you may probably think of New Orleans and think – “Who Dat” following New Orleans Saints win of the 2009 League Championship with national support and Saints fans shouting or chanting – “Who Dat say they gonna beat the Saints”

If on the other hand your knowledge is based on travel documentaries there is a possibility that you think of the likes of Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street. Although this is a very narrow window, this may lead you to think of New Orleans from the perspective of the Four Ds – Dance, Dining, Drink and Debauchery

For a place know for its music (not just jazz); festivals and parades it’s no surprise that New Orleans is known for Dance.

New Orleans is a place with a very rich mixed culture with influences from across many different parts of the world. Previously a Spanish territory and then French – enhanced culturally by the fact that New Orleans is a major Port city.   A people that take great pride in hospitality – it’s no surprise that New Orleans is known for Dinning and drink is a natural follow on.

I haven’t done any research on debauchery (or the other Ds) it’s all based on my basic logic and observations from my visits. What I will, however, say about the debauchery is that whilst I’m not going to call the people of New Orleans  ‘innocent’: the bad behaviour that I see in New Orleans is largely from people that have come from outside that seem to take the lyrics of the popular New Orleans song, “Do Watcha Wanna” literally.

Do Whatcha Wanna – Rebirth Brass Band

Copyright 2011. This document is the specific intellectual property of Susan Popoola. Content may not be reused or reproduced without the specific permission of the owner or a reference to the source. Opinions may be generated

Does HR have an image problem? This is something of a frequently asked question (FAQ) as regards HR, which suggests that it is a concern that refuses to go away.

In a guest blog post today, Susan Popoola describes how she became aware of HR’s apparent image problem, and prescribes what she thinks the profession can do to tackle this problem.

Ref: XpertHR

I take it that by now you will have of the Bribery Act that came into force on the 1st July?  The Bribery Act 2010 makes it a criminal offence for an individual or commercial organisation to offer or receive a bribe to bring about or reward the improper performance of a function or activity

My concern is that if you work with or run a small organisation, most especially a charity, you may have the force sense of security that it does not apply to you.  Unfortunately, however this would not be true as the legislation applies to all organisations.

It would be easy to assume that the legislation targets the prevention of the cases of large scale corruption and bribery, involving large multinational organisations that occasionally appear in newspaper headlines and at times lead to custodian sentences for it’s top executives.  It does have a focus on this, but goes further as it also aims to stamp out facilitation payments that are often paid to low ranking officers (particularly in developing countries) to facilitate the smooth and expedient processing of a service.  This is something that most definitely has implications for any organisation that operates overseas – something that is becoming increasingly commonplace with the increased globalisation.

The challenged of this is enhanced by the fact that an organisation is now
liable for bribes paid by its agents and joint venture partners, even if made without the company’s knowledge, unless it can demonstrate that it has taken all reasonable steps to prevent such illicit payments.

The truth is even if your business is entirely focused within the UK you still need to be cautious. The legislation goes on to specify that  Corporate hospitably that is given with the intention of winning a financial advantage would become illegal.  This led to concerns that business lunches and days out with clients would become illegal.  It has, however, been clarified that Corporate hospitality is not affected by the Act as long as it is proportionate and reasonable.

It is however important to be aware of the Principals of the Act which are as follows:
*  Proportionality – their procedures are in proportion to the bribery risk the organisation faces)
* Top-level commitment from the organisation to a zero-tolerance on bribery -  and communication of this to staff, customers, suppliers etc. plus appointing a senior executive of the firm to have responsibility for bribery prevention.
* Regular risk-assessment of the nature and extent of exposure to potential external and internal bribery risks
* Due Diligence – a thorough examination of those 3rd parties acting on the organisations behalf and their trading partners
* Communication of these measures – including training so that bribery prevention policies and procedures are understood throughout the organisation, and the likelihood that all types of employment contracts will need amending to refer to bribery in the context of gross misconduct/termination.
* Monitoring and review all of the above principles regularly

In order to minimise the risk of falling foul of the Act, companies should put in place:

*  Whistle-blowing procedures (setting out how staff raise concerns about bribery and request advice and support)
* Prevention policies to cover financial and commercial controls (invoices, remuneration)
* Prevention policies to cover rules on gifts, hospitality (a reasonable amount of corporate hospitality is still permitted), promotional spend/sponsorship (including charitable donations)
* Procedures on recruitment (including work experience) and discipline/grievance that include anti-bribery measures
* Details of how anti-bribery measures will be enforced.

Top Tips to Avoid Bribery
How to Reduce the Probability
-    Have a clear framework for tenders and negotiations, ensuring these include anti-bribery clauses
-    Make sure your negotiation team has a clear mandate and the customer knows that the team won’t exceed it
-    Identify decision-makers in the procurement organisation to determine where a solicitation could come from.
-    Involve banks and export credit agencies in anti-bribery initiatives.
How to react if a demand is made
-    Inform your management and define an appropriate strategy (for example, changing the negotiation team)
-    Go back to the soliciting person with a witness and reaffirm your willing to proceed as normal, ignoring the solicitation.  If the solicitation is reiterated.
o    Inform the person that it is not acceptable
o    Threaten to back off from the bid and go public
o    Set a deadline for proceeding in a normal manner
-    Tell a senior person in the customer organisation that you believe that you have been asked for a bribe
-    If sufficient evidence is available, go to the national-anti-bribery body.

Source: Resisting extortion and solicitation in international transactions. www.iccwbo.org. October 2010

Copyright 2011. This document is the specific intellectual property of Susan Popoola. Content may not be reused or reproduced without the specific permission of the owner or a reference to the source. Opinions may be generated

You may remember in the days immediately after Hurricane Katrina – a lot of questions were raised as to why people did not leave New Orleans before the hurricane set in.

Different reasons were given for people not leaving; such as people not wanting to leave their pets behind; the lateness of the evacuation notice; evacuating in the past only for nothing to happen; and not having cars.  Above and beyond everything else was the issue of poverty that inhibited people from acting.

Sadly there are those that concluded that the people were poor for the simple fact that they were lazy and refused to work.  The reality that I have since discovered is that although there will be people that fit this definition.  The vast majority are, however, what is classified as the working poor i.e. people who work (possibly even multiple jobs) whose income does not, however, cover their costs of living.

The fact that New Orleans economy is primarily based on Services Industry with a lot of low-income jobs makes the presence of the working poor more prevalent in New Orleans.

I could try and explain the implications of poverty in a developed country such as America, but I’ve come across a report from the Center for American Progress entitled, “What You Need When You’re Poor” which does a much better job that I could do.

Copyright 2011. This document is the specific intellectual property of Susan Popoola. Content may not be reused or reproduced without the specific permission of the owner or a reference to the source. Opinions may be generated

I’ve always felt a connection to New Orleans as my all time favourite group – Maze featuring Frankie Beverley, recorded their popular album “live in New Orleans there.

Subsequently, when I sat glued to the television watching the events that followed Hurricane Katrina unfold, I felt the need to do something – the need to physically go their and to help to make a difference.

It took me a couple of years to make my first visit, but I clearly remember that when I mentioned my plans to friends who lived in Houston they told me that it wasn’t a good time to visit New Orleans as the place had not yet recovered from Katrina. I was, however, convinced that this was the exact reason why it was an important to visit.

You see when any place faces a disaster – our natural inclination is to stay away. However, whilst donations in cash and kind unquestionably go a long way to make a difference – the presence of people coming back to visit the area really. Lets the local people know that we care. I’m not talking about immediately after the disaster as this could be in the way if we do not have a specific role to play in the clean up process. (For this reason it is best to check first before visiting immediately after a disaster)

However, visiting after the immediate clean up process not only says that you care, but it helps the economy of the area to come back as regardless of what they have been through, the shops, the hotels, the entertainment centres and tourist activities need our custom more so than ever before.

It’s even better if you have the opportunity to volunteer. For a long time I had the impression that in order to volunteer to work on a house-rebuilding programme you had to be available for weeks or months on end – frustratingly, this is not a practical option for me.

Over recent years, I’ve got into the habit of going to New Orleans for the annual Jazz and Heritage festival, which spreads over two weekends. This leaves me with a few days in between the weekends to do tourist things and catch up with friends.

I was therefore delighted when I came across an advert from a volunteers’ organisation named Project 195 earlier this year. They were looking for people to help with reconstruction over the Jazzfest period for anything from a day upwards. They also made it clear that no prior experience was required. I therefore signed up and spent three of days in between the Jazzfest weekend laying floor boards, fitting and painting doors and skirting boards for the house of an extremely grateful and excited man who was going to be able to finally move back to his home after over five years.

During this process I learnt that while it is common for people to volunteer for weeks or months, there is also a place for people who can only help for a day or two or even half a day. During this process I also learnt about the diversity of people that volunteer, from school children, to numerous young adults; to professionals inclusive of a group that had come to play golf in the morning and then volunteered in the afternoon. I was also told about a group of nuns that came in their habits to work for a day. Of further fascination was the number of young American who decide to permanently relocate to New Orleans following on from a volunteering experience.

I’ve also had the opportunity to become an advisor for a small non-profit organisation and with modern technology I don’t have to physically be there to be of help. Ultimately, what I have learnt from my visits to New Orleans is that there is always a way to help even from a distance or whilst having fun.

Copyright 2011. This document is the specific intellectual property of Susan Popoola. Content may not be reused or reproduced without the specific permission of the owner or a reference to the source. Opinions may be generated