Electricity + Control August 2017

COMMENT

ON THE COVER

A positive attitude will take you far!

W hat a noisy, muddy and messy time we’re living in! I am a firm believer in the view that an at- titude (and I mean a positive one) can take you far. There is, for instance, the oft-quot- ed comment of ‘hire for attitude; train for competence’. And there is little doubt this has merit. I have engaged with quite a number of my colleagues from industry of late – many in the manufacturing sector, quite a few from the organised professions, some from State Owned Companies, and some from the education and training sectors. What strikes me is how genuinely diffi- cult things are right now – and the less said about that the better. The interesting issue for me, however, is the vastly differ- ing views that people take regarding the way things are and how to react. And they intrigue me. At one end of the scale are those who see opportunity in calamity – and who are of the view that this too will pass (it will, of course – I just find myself wondering when), but that this too is the time to wade in where giants fear to tread, capture mar- kets, enter new markets, promote your goods and services and find new business. What characterises this end of the scale is the sense of being able to change the way things pan out … perhaps take ownership of one’s own organisation and move it forward, largely unhampered by the noise around one.

grabbing the limelight while others with- draw and reflect.

At the other end of the scale are those who feel trapped by the depth of the mud about them, despondent and tired − their ears blocked against all the noise. I fully understand that view. What one does see emerging from this perspective is a perva- sive sense within an organisation that there is not much that can be done, and more specifically that the fault lies elsewhere. This may well be the case, but the trick is to separate out the things that one can influence and trade those off against the things that one cannot change. I realise how simplistic this may sound to those immersed in the mud and the noise – but the simple act of changing a mindset can have a remarkable impact. One area that I have seen develop is the way that the attitude, demeanour and be- haviour of those at the very top – can pro- foundly redevelop that sense of self-belief within an organisation. When I think of attitude in this context, this is what I see playing a really signifi- cant role in dealing with the changed reali- ty in which we operate – at the same time seeing and seeking out opportunities that have simply been invisible until now.

FEATURES: · Control systems+ automation · Electrical protection+ safety · Temperaturemeasurement · Transformers+ substations · Standby+ back-up

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Wendy Izgorsek Adél JvR Bothma Helen Couvaras Heidi Jandrell Karen Smith Karen Grant Wilhelm du Plessis Ian Jandrell

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In my limited career I have seen small or- ganisations begin to dominate markets by

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