Electricity + Control August 2017

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What 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.
In my limited career I have seen small or-
ganisations begin to dominate markets by
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.
Ian Jandrell
Pr Eng, BSc (Eng) GDE PhD,
FSAIEE SMIEEE
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ECAUGUST2017 cover.indd 1 7/19/2017 3:52:43PM
www.electricityandcontrolmagazine.co.za
Wendy Izgorsek
Adél JvR Bothma
Helen Couvaras
Heidi Jandrell
Karen Smith
Karen Grant
Wilhelm du Plessis
Ian Jandrell
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A positive attitude will take you far!