Sometimes we gotta do things that we wish we didn’t – such as waking up at 5am on a Saturday (EMPHASISE SATURDAY) to drive to Hartebeesport to run in a 4km relay race for a client. The funny thing was that although we didn’t get our much needed “Saturday sleep”- we had a fantastic day and felt great about it. We all finished the race (it was rather difficult, except for LJ who ran ahead and made it look so easy). We were kitted out in our Kezi gear and although our entire team wasn’t there– we still represented everyone. Kezi is a team and we stand by each other and our clients. If you need runners give us a shout, it’s our new favourite thing to do

We We love good stories at Kezi. One story that caught our attention was about an amazing initiative by a young boy called Max King (note surname... Gary King from Picture Tree’s son).

We felt we had to share this story with others. Max, a St Stithians College student started a “gogo’s” soccer team in his local park. All the domestic workers in his street had seen the Herbalife soccer grannies (one of Kezi’s clients hence our enthusiasm) and asked Max to be their coach and that’s what got them motivated.

They practice every Sunday from 3-5pm and Saturday afternoons are for fitness training. Some practices have up to 20 woman and kids often join them too.

“The women love it, the people in the park cheer and clap and love it too,” comments Gary. “Max sends them SMS’s to remind them of practice and has created a sense of community amongst them.”

We are busy trying to organise a fixture between Max’s “gogo’s” team and the Herbalife soccer grannies team.

The grannies in South Africa are really getting into the soccer mood after the World Cup and are surprising the country in many ways- keep a look out for the possible match between to the two teams.

It’s amazing what a big difference someone can make in a community.

Going to a workshop is always fun (especially when it’s what you do for your company). I was going to a workshop on Social Media (women only... I thought it wouldn’t be that bad...)After spending two hours in traffic, getting lost, fighting with taxi drivers because they wouldn’t let me in their lane... and having near heart failure because I was late for the registration, I finally arrived and took a deep breath of relief.

I walked through the door into a beautifully decorated room and because I was late all the tables were mostly full (apart from one). I approached the table and politely asked if I could join their table...and much to my disbelief they blatantly ignored me and to make matters  worse they pulled off some of the best ‘death stares’ known to mankind (OR womankind).

Before I sat down I put my hand out and introduced myself and Kezi , but yet again I was left hanging- no voices- only evil stares. I proceeded to sit down feeling horribly uncomfortable, and even contemplated moving tables. 3 hours later- not one of them had said a word to me. The workshop was great but the environment was horrible.

Situations like that make me wonder if some people in this world even know what manners are- I cannot understand how a table of ten adult women can be so impolite and still be content with their lives. Being polite does not cost anything and being friendly doesn’t either.

Keri-Ann kindly gifted Mbali, Ceri and I a session with Cathy Lubbe- a life coaching expert.

We all entered the board-room, not knowing what to expect and were all pleasantly surprised by what a warm and inviting person Cathy was. We sat around the table, expecting to have an open discussion about areas in our lives that we didn’t want to talk about.

That wasn’t the case though- Cathy gave us our privacy. We (with Cathy’s help) discovered areas in or lives that were troubling us, essentially taking them out for a while. We then examined our lives and set goals for the next 3 months to fix any problems we may have had.

I felt that this life coaching session was very beneficial- and it opened up my eyes to things I usually didn’t think about. Cathy showed me how to incorporate these things into my life and it is definitely making a difference.

I recommend that everyone has at least one session with Cathy, and find out what it can do for you. If you would like to find out more, you can email me on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or you can contact Cathy direct on 083-967-6840 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

An article in the UK’s “Easy Living” magazine was based on ‘describing yourself in one word’ which inspired this thought process. We decided to ask the team to describe themselves in one word, as well as to provide one word that they think describes everyone else in the team. It was very interesting to discover what the team thought.

An excerpt from the article stated “we’re fairly accurate in our perception of others, but see ourselves through permanently rose-tinted glass”. This indicates that people usually do think differently of themselves than they do others, usually having a negative perception of others as opposed to themselves.  A mention of a book titled The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt has some interesting topics, one in particular discusses the ‘selfish gene’- meaning that “we have the ability to judge others by their behaviour, whereas we think we have special information about ourselves- we know what we are ‘really like’ inside, so we can find easy ways to explain our selfish acts and cling to the illusion that we are better than others”.

Let’s see if this is the case with us Kezians?

What words the team used to describe themselves:

Keri-Ann- Interested

Aurelle-Secretive

Margie- Calm

Ceri- Kind

Maryke- Alternative

Jess- Curious    

Jacqui- Open

LJ- Persistent

Mbali- Observant

What words the team use to describe each other?

Keri-Ann thinks LJ is amusing, Aurelle whacky, Jacqui loveable, Margie careful, Jess optimistic, Ceri mysterious, Mbali smart and Maryke dark (but in a good way).

Aurelle thinks Margie is humble, Ceri warm-hearted, Mbali hidden, Maryke mindful, Jess independent, LJ demanding, Jacqui friendly and Keri mentoring.

Jacqui thinks that Aurelle is cool (in a Jane Austin heroine kinda way), Mbali wise, Ceri helpful, Margie kind, LJ determined, Jess sussed and Keri focused.

Maryke thinks that Keri-Ann is knowledgeable, Aurelle distracted, Ceri independent, Mbali knowing, Lj bold, Jess generous, Jacqui vulnerable, Margie careful.

Mbali thinks that Ceri is considerate, Aurelle kind, Margie docile, Maryke cautious, Jacqui witty, Jessica intelligent, Keri-Ann perfectionist and Lj persuasive.

Margie thinks that Aurelle is cute, Jacqui genuine, Jessica confident, LJ straightforward, Ceri reliable, Keri authoritative, Mbali quiet, and Maryke original.

Ceri thinks that Keri-Ann is busy, Aurelle an angel, Mbali sweetness, Jacqui fun, Margie focused, Jessica crazy, LJ funny, and Maryke loved.

There were a few similarities in the words people used to describe each other, and this proves that there is a general consensus between us at Kezi (in terms of our opinions of each other). The strange thing (as mentioned above) is that the majority of words that people used to describe themselves were very different to how everyone else perceived them. However in the case of the Kezian clan- no-one said anything negative about anyone. (We’re quite a kind bunch or else we’re just pretending to be).

It is very interesting to find out what others think of us and sometimes it is good to hear the truth as we are then able to work on a negative area of our lives. It also allows us to discover the good qualities about ourselves that we may have not known. One single word can say a million things.

SA’s blogger Seth Rotherham is living his dream... and writing about it. Seth states that one of the keys to his successful blogging is that he lets people plug into his life. He also writes about things that catch his eye. One of the secrets to his success is to “drop (brand) names on his web and get paid up to R150 000 a year for each brand”.

We have been doing some research on blogging and have found out that anyone can be a good blogger, and it’s all got to do with what you say and how you say it. It is said that a new blog is started every seven seconds throughout the world. People are also finding out that blogs can be great PR tools. The only trick with using it as a PR tool is that, it must not be used as a sales pitch, advertisement or a press release, but rather a story.

Many people are afraid to develop a blog site, or even to create one blog, but Seth has provided us with some blogging tips (to help you get over the fear of the blog)

• Stop talking, sit down and write
• Download Blog desk (www.blogdesk.org)
• It must be fun
• Be original
• Choose a topic and stick to it
• Look for a bigger blog with lots of traffic

And advice from us Kezians, don’t be afraid to blog, there is no right or wrong in the world of blogging and remember that practice makes perfect. So stop talking, sit down and write!

Keri-Ann cut out a little snippet from a page in the Saturday Star a few weeks ago titled- “Rea Vaya tours” and said that I should enquire about them and plan a trip for the team. I called them and found out the details.

To be honest- I had little enthusiasm to go on a bus tour through the Johannesburg CBD (especially on a Saturday morning... my ONLY day to sleep) and especially the fact that it was just after the bus strikes had taken place. The only involvement I ever wanted with town was to shop (you can find awesome things to buy). So I waited for Jo – the very organised tour-guide, to set a date for our team to go in about June or so.

However a couple of days later at the end of April- I received an update newsletter with a list of  upcoming tours in the next few months- but there was one in particular that caught my eye- “I love shopping”. I knew that the notice was far too short for the team to go, but I thought I would enquire anyway. It sounded great so I booked it- an old school friend and I were going on the coming Saturday.

So... the Saturday morning arrived sooner than expected and  it was miserable, cold, pouring with rain and downright depressing and I asked myself “what on earth am I doing?” . I however got up, dressed and we headed for town (a place where my sense of direction wanes). I had no idea where I was going and got hopelessly lost- almost to an extent of tears. Eventually, after half an hour, we arrived at the meeting point and the tour began.

We were given the history of many of the places in town which we passed- it was very interesting, and it opened my eyes to a lot of what happened in our past. We visited a traditional ‘muti’ shop, Sotho blanket makers, and various Indian shops that have been in existence for over 100 years and passed down through the various generations (even through Apartheid). It was amazing and that was only the first hour.

We caught a ‘Rea Vaya’ bus down Market Street and began with the ‘real’ shopping. The bus trip was a great experience- the Rea Vaya bus system is wonderful: the busses are neat and I think everyone should test them.

So the shopping began (3 hours of it) and I would usually say that my money burns a hole in my pocket but the things were so cheap, that, that would have been impossible. We the ended off our day with a delicious Portuguese lunch at the Guildhall (the oldest pub in Jo’burg).

This was an absolutely amazing experience and I am glad that I became ‘a part’ of MY CITY- a place where every ‘Jo’burger'  should take some time to visit. (You’ll have a ball). Our team will be going on the tour with me soon- I can’t wait for them to experience it!

Seth Godin has been intriguing us and capturing our attention with his blogs. A recent blog written by Godin was about “hunters and farmers”. The blog speaks about civilisation 10 000 years ago, in other words – when people spent their days hunting and farming. A differentiation between the two was highlighted, indicating that farmers spend their time “sweating the details, worrying about the weather, making smart choices about seeds and breeding and working hard to avoid bad crop”. Hunters on the other hand “have long periods of distracted noticing interrupted by brief moments of frenzied panic”.

To read this blog- please visit:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/02/hunters-and-farmers.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29

These descriptions of hunters and farmers have been compared to human behaviour today, by Godin. We did an exercise whereby every Kezi team member had to read the blog and answer a series of questions that followed. The first question asked: ‘Which description are you and why?”

LJ responded to this question by stating, “I am a hunter. I scan and pounce, and want to win the big prize. I do not always keep the risks (and admin in mind). Ceri indicated “I’m a farmer because I work hard”. Margie stated “I’m a farmer. I like to nurture, prepare and smooth out the earth. I am not panicky and I am very patient and calm (and besides, I could never kill any animal).

Jacqui believes “I am part hunter, part farmer- I am drawn to the excitement, energy and risk but also want the regularity, security and comfort of the in-depth analysis of a farmer”. Mbali mentions “I am a farmer because my biggest fear is failure”. Aurelle – “I believe that I have elements of a hunter and a farmer. I am a hunter because I love working under panic stricken terms and farmer because I like to be organised (in my head at least), before the panic turns into disaster.

Maryke states “I’m a hunter. I know what I want and go for it”. Jess “I’m a hunter- desk jobs freak me out, I love Google and I love the frenzied panic”.

The second question focused on the Kezi clients. “In your opinion, which of your clients are hunters and which are farmers?” All the relevant Account Managers answered this question in relation to their clients. The third question delved a little deeper and brought colleague’s into the scenario. “Which description do you think your colleagues are most suited to?”

The majority of the Kezi team think Jess is a hunter which is what she thinks too. Most of the Kezi team think LJ is a hunter. Margie is considered a farmer by most of the team. The team considers Maryke to be a farmer; however Jacqui stated “Maryke is a hunter, disguised as a farmer”. Aurelle is referred to as a farmer- with two colleagues stating she is a hunter (she believes she has elements of both). Ceri is a farmer (this is seen through her need for perfectionism). Keri-Ann is considered to be both by most of the team. Mbali is considered a farmer by most of the team. Last but not least- Jacqui is considered a farmer by 50% of the staff and a hunter by the other 50%.

The final question was quite fun. Finding out people’s views was interesting. The question was “Can you think of another comparison like hunters and farmers, to which we can compare ourselves?”
Maryke suggested “Old-school vs. New-school”- motivating it by saying that some people like conventional methods and ways, while others are always open for suggestions and alternatives. LJ said we could compare ourselves to the Great White Shark and a Clown fish. Ceri suggested the comparison- proactive and reactive. Jess had a great one – cats and dogs. Dogs being energetic, hyper, love the thrill of the chase, wear their heart on their sleeve and tell it like it is. Cats, on the other hand, are diplomatic, chilled, conscious of others and will get the job done- but at their pace.

The feedback from such a survey yields interesting results- especially through finding out people’s opinions of everyone else. This was a great exercise. Please feel free to give your feedback or even answer the questions yourself.

The Word

In the ‘olden days’- the word kindle meant to “catch fire”, “cause to start burning” or to “arouse”. This word was not commonly used and I am quite sure a large part of the world’s population did not even know what this word meant- or maybe they did?

Either way- all I know is that the word kindle means uber cool, super funky, very clever, practical, amazing, fantastic, a joy come true, a necessity to us all at Kezi. I bet not many people know what this super duper item is that I am describing- but here goes….

The Technical Description

Kindle is a software and hardware platform developed by Amazon.com subsidiary Lab126 for rendering and displaying e-books and other digital media. Three hardware devices, known as “Kindle,” “Kindle 2,” and “Kindle DX” support this platform. Kindle software applications exist for Windows, iPhone OS, and BlackBerry, with a Mac OS X version in development. The first hardware device was released in the United States.

A Fun Description

An extra funky electronic device which you can store books onto- without having to purchase/ carry the book around with you? This just may be the coolest thing ever made. Rumor tells me that this device can even read the book to you, either the height of laziness or an awesome tool?

I would never want the ‘world of books’ to disappear forever, I am fanatical about libraries and books. This is however, a very handy gadget for travelling and for overcoming space boundaries.