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Mark's Blog

All articles are protected by copyright and may not be duplicated or republished in full or in part, without the express written permission of Mark Deavall.  Mark is contactable on markd@markdeavall.com or +27 82 465 5481.

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So Who Do I Marry?
So Who Do I Marry?   In the article "Getting the best out of your staff", we discussed how to get the best out of your staff. In that article, we came to a few conclusions, namely: 1) If you employ a problem person, you have very little chance of changing that person, 2) If you get your recruiting...
Getting the Best out of My Staff
Getting the Best out of My Staff:   For many years businesses and consultants have been espousing the value of having a good performance management strategy operating in a company. And they are right. If you want to get performance out of your staff, you have to manage their performance. No argume...
Selling in Tough Times
Selling in Tough Times:   I received a phone call yesterday that made me smile with pleasure. Earlier this year, my wife Hilda and I had occasion to buy some household furniture. After shopping around for a few weeks we finally found what we were looking for at House and Home in Eastgate shopping ...
When Tabasco did it, it was clever
When Tabasco did it, it was clever:   It is said that when Tabasco was looking to increase their sales, they approached their staff for ideas. One of the senior members of staff then approached the board and told them that he had an idea, but before disclosing it, he would like a written agreement...
Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman:   In 1949, Arthur Miller wrote the stage play “Death of a Salesman”. The play is about the Loman family whose father, Willy, is an unsuccessful salesman. The play chronicles the events of the Loman family, to the point where Willy, the salesman, commits suicide. A very sad and...
Vital Strategy oft' ignored
Vital Strategy oft' ignored:   A short while ago I addressed a conference where there were about 1500 managers and owners of businesses present. I was just on time, and therefore did not have the opportunity to listen to the speakers before me, so I wasn’t able to dovetail to my talk into theirs. ...
What Do You Expect of Me?
What Do You Expect of Me? :   Over the years that I have been talking to managers, I have never failed to be surprised at the lack of understanding of a manager’s job. The Wikipedia definition of management is that “Management in all business areas and organizational activities are the acts of get...
Look After My Business!
Look After My Business!    So there I was having this chat with a friend of mine over the weekend. He is the group HR executive for a large IT company, and he drew me into conversation about a particular challenge that his company now faces – they have to cultivate effective future management. His...
Results Maketh the Manager
Results Maketh the Manager:   There is a saying that Manners Maketh the Man. So very true. Just as true is this one – Results Maketh a Manager.   I’ve been in the training business for over 30 years, and in that time, I have noticed a trend, that I think every training practitioner is aware of. ...