THE WAY companies do business has changed and that determines who gets rewarded or gets forgotten in the market place. There is great need for charm and savvy when conducting business.
Jonah Nyoni
Today we engage Tafadzwa Matsika (TM) the chief executive officer of Megafest Holdings. Recently Megafest held business awards and 135 companies where awarded in Bulawayo and 40 more companies are yet to be honoured in Harare on 22 November 2013.
Matsika has trained most blue chip companies on topics such as customer care, branding and management development. Today he explains the significance of grooming and etiquette in the excepts below:
JN: Does every company need grooming and etiquette? If it’s yes, Why? TM: Grooming and etiquette is all about image. For every organisation whether you like it or not, your image is the one that will sell and grooming from a grassroot level is very important. It is the outward look that will determine how you are going to make your profit and if you lose it out in terms of appearance, your image and branding concepts, you might lose into the bigger picture. Remember, you are no longer grooming yourself for the local market; it has become a global village. Most people may not know you, but when they Google search and probably fumble upon your website; it must be able to clearly reflect who you are. You need to be at your level best on how you behave in public, it has a ripple effect as far as your business is concerned.
JN: Tides are changing and the way we do business and sales marketing is no longer the traditional one. This has seen some businesses who do not want to change getting obsolete. Where do such companies start if they want to get upbeat again?
TM: You will realise that innovation is now the in thing. If you don’t innovate you are more likely to be docile and die. Bulawayo was once known as the industrial hub; have we brought in a little of innovation to our industries? Are we up and about and upbeat in terms of what the global world needs? Or are we still singing the old chorus that we were once the industrial hub? So, a bit of innovation says let’s transform some of our organisations to be able to adapt to what the world market is dictating. For example, any company without a website is a recipe for disaster. There is then a lot of mindset shifting within the context of how we act then approach issues to do with IT.
JN: Your other area of specialty is personal branding — what does it entail in a snapshot?
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
TM: Basically there are two brands; the corporate brand and the personal brand. Many people before looking in terms of corporate brand want to find out; who is this person? So when you brand yourself you are saying ‘I’m going to be acceptable within the business context. I’m going to be trustworthy, genuine and professional’. So, your image should sell on its own before they buy into an organisation. Remember it’s a competitive world — let the best man win.
JN: There are scholarly debates on the difference between management and a leadership. What does it take for one to be a true leader who leaves a legacy?
TM: One can simply go to any university and acquire a degree in management. The mistake we then make is to fast track them into a management position. What Zimbabwe needs now is not managers but leaders, people that are not working primarily for the money, but that are working primarily to leave a legacy for the next generation. I am of the opinion that the next best Zimbabwe is not now, but the next best Zimbabwe is what our children will make of what we initially started. So as leader, you are saying I am doing a sacrificial process not only for myself but for the next generation. So, Zimbabwe needs to be fixed and it does not need managers now, but leaders that are simply saying we need to go back to the roots in terms of how we do business professionally. I have said about leaders; people that they know are fewer than people that know them. So they need to always be in the right standing.
JN: What’s your final statement of success to anyone who wants to be successful?
TM: Have the real character. Character will determine where you will be tomorrow. Character is who you are when no one is watching. Avoid being cosmetic, be the real you.
