- We are putting Fidelity under some huge pressure to show and prove their might and market position.
- There is a current program and drive in place to recruit at least 5 decent sales people just for Lonehill.
- New products are being made available at very decent pricing – to address the much changed Lonehill segment from 6 years ago.
- The crime stats are as low as they can be at present given the resource that we have at hand.
- The co-operation tactics with SAPS and Metro are streets ahead of anyone anywhere in SA, but we want it better still. That is a Fidelity plus.
- The new door to door campaign and the fund raising campaign along with the benefits module and the increased visibility will go a long way to re-energising and growth.
- The problem that we had was a lot larger than any of us thought, and the rectification process was/is a lot more difficult than you can imagine. But, we are getting there, albeit slowly.
Custom Search
Sunday, April 22, 2007
LRA Chairman Responds
Pertinent extracts from LRA Chairman Rob Gillespie's response to latest post:
The DANGER Of Divide & Rule Security Co. Tactics
First, hot off the press news link: See latest news item Sunday Times Metro - 29 April 2007 - The Battle of Lonehill Mall - 'A Joburg High Court judge has threatened to throw two wealthy property developers in jail if they continue to build on the Lonehill Shopping Mall without council permission'.
Now to this post:
Following highly visible promotions by security companies looking to break into the Lonehill area, George Joubert writes (extract):
To be fair, after just returning from my Sunday Morning jog/walk around Lonehill, my impression is that Lonehill is looking relatively neat (and I read that the dam is to be attended to - albeit an overly-delayed response to finding a solution). So I am pretty thankful for those responsible for the 'chalk & cheese' changes that have gone into stabilising our initiative from the 'disarray & mismanagement' debacles of last year. That said:
The danger of not having the LRA as the dominant decision-making body in the delivery of security and other initiatives in Lonehill will probably revert us back to the underlying conditions for urban TERRORISM (I remember the headlines well) that we we faced when six security providers were fighting over the divide-and-rule scraps of our disparate funds - costing us lives in the process, and a fortune in over-payment for piddle-poor service delivery.
If we have learnt anything over the period of this LRA initiative, it should be that MASS-CONSUMERISM (working together) can extract far more value for our collective rand than any individual spend can.
It may be that the 'competition' feels that the LRA Security Initiative is weak and devoid of strategy and therefore ready for the taking. This competition clearly employs traditional VISIBLE promotion techniques, and they seem to understand that VISUAL presence in the security game leads to market dominance in a dog-fight for territory.
Some questions to ask are:
1. Is the LRA/Fidelity service provider out COMPETING and 'baring their fangs' on the street corners to show that they really want our community's business?
2. Does the LRA/Fidelity demonstrate a willingness to display either the bark or the bite to SERIOUSLY capture the imagination of its publics?
I am afraid that I find it difficult to comment much further on current LRA strategy as there is little clear indication that one exists. This apart from my being at pains to COMPLIMENT the LRA's housekeeping stabilisation efforts which I feel have been commendable - given what had to be cleaned up.
Clearly, the Lonehill Community Initiative is dependent on the corporate governance - strategy, implementation, action/delivery, accountability & responsibility - of the people entrusted to manage those resources.
'Disarray & mismanagement' can cause almost irreparable long-lasting damage to the very foundations of such an initiative.
That's the challenge for the current LRA - to recapture the trust of its publics and to demonstrate that there is a credible strategy going forward (I believe it needs a BIG WOW statement to eradicate any negative feelings towards the LRA's impact in this community). The longer this doesn't happen, the more difficult it will be to launch any new community concept in the future.
I must say that I believe that the conditions and situation existing at the time that we launched this initiative back in 2000 are VERY DIFFERENT to the conditions and situation that present themselves today. This means that very different inputs will need to impact very different decisions needed to be taken for the future strategy roll-out of this initiative. Maybe the "siege" that G.J. warns of (and he is right to warn of it) can be avoided with some astute decisions taking into account today's situation in Lonehill.
This will take COLLECTIVE savvy, which clearly exists in this community. The danger, as has already been seen in our recent past, is when the 'few' take 'groupthink' decisions behind closed doors on the pretense of being 'open' and 'in the best interests of the community'. What bull..! It is ego and arrogance at its worst and leads to a collapse of confidence in leadership every time.
Certainly, I have proposed on this forum that the LRA call for all interested stakeholders to attend a strategy indaba meeting to ensure that the widest inputs are gained openly. I cannot see how it can be done with credibility in any other manner than an OPEN consultative process.
I repeat my comment made in the post dated Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - Re-Building Lonehill Community In The Streets :
Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 705-2790
Lonehill Resident
Now to this post:
Following highly visible promotions by security companies looking to break into the Lonehill area, George Joubert writes (extract):
Hi Trevor, Are we not back in a "siege" situation like LSAG were seven year's ago i.e. between the security companies and the robbers -- a rock and a hard place? I wondered what your comments are as the founder of the greatest security initiative this country has ever known?'
To be fair, after just returning from my Sunday Morning jog/walk around Lonehill, my impression is that Lonehill is looking relatively neat (and I read that the dam is to be attended to - albeit an overly-delayed response to finding a solution). So I am pretty thankful for those responsible for the 'chalk & cheese' changes that have gone into stabilising our initiative from the 'disarray & mismanagement' debacles of last year. That said:
The danger of not having the LRA as the dominant decision-making body in the delivery of security and other initiatives in Lonehill will probably revert us back to the underlying conditions for urban TERRORISM (I remember the headlines well) that we we faced when six security providers were fighting over the divide-and-rule scraps of our disparate funds - costing us lives in the process, and a fortune in over-payment for piddle-poor service delivery.
If we have learnt anything over the period of this LRA initiative, it should be that MASS-CONSUMERISM (working together) can extract far more value for our collective rand than any individual spend can.
It may be that the 'competition' feels that the LRA Security Initiative is weak and devoid of strategy and therefore ready for the taking. This competition clearly employs traditional VISIBLE promotion techniques, and they seem to understand that VISUAL presence in the security game leads to market dominance in a dog-fight for territory.
Some questions to ask are:
1. Is the LRA/Fidelity service provider out COMPETING and 'baring their fangs' on the street corners to show that they really want our community's business?
2. Does the LRA/Fidelity demonstrate a willingness to display either the bark or the bite to SERIOUSLY capture the imagination of its publics?
I am afraid that I find it difficult to comment much further on current LRA strategy as there is little clear indication that one exists. This apart from my being at pains to COMPLIMENT the LRA's housekeeping stabilisation efforts which I feel have been commendable - given what had to be cleaned up.
Clearly, the Lonehill Community Initiative is dependent on the corporate governance - strategy, implementation, action/delivery, accountability & responsibility - of the people entrusted to manage those resources.
'Disarray & mismanagement' can cause almost irreparable long-lasting damage to the very foundations of such an initiative.
That's the challenge for the current LRA - to recapture the trust of its publics and to demonstrate that there is a credible strategy going forward (I believe it needs a BIG WOW statement to eradicate any negative feelings towards the LRA's impact in this community). The longer this doesn't happen, the more difficult it will be to launch any new community concept in the future.
I must say that I believe that the conditions and situation existing at the time that we launched this initiative back in 2000 are VERY DIFFERENT to the conditions and situation that present themselves today. This means that very different inputs will need to impact very different decisions needed to be taken for the future strategy roll-out of this initiative. Maybe the "siege" that G.J. warns of (and he is right to warn of it) can be avoided with some astute decisions taking into account today's situation in Lonehill.
This will take COLLECTIVE savvy, which clearly exists in this community. The danger, as has already been seen in our recent past, is when the 'few' take 'groupthink' decisions behind closed doors on the pretense of being 'open' and 'in the best interests of the community'. What bull..! It is ego and arrogance at its worst and leads to a collapse of confidence in leadership every time.
Certainly, I have proposed on this forum that the LRA call for all interested stakeholders to attend a strategy indaba meeting to ensure that the widest inputs are gained openly. I cannot see how it can be done with credibility in any other manner than an OPEN consultative process.
I repeat my comment made in the post dated Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - Re-Building Lonehill Community In The Streets :
I'm looking for inspiring LRA leadership that includes an open understanding of questions like:
1. What is the LRA's proposed long-term strategy, objectives and time-related targets?
2. What do the individual LRA directors hold themselves accountable to (i.e. measurable performance targets)?
3. What are the personal feelings of the individual LRA directors towards this community's challenges?
4. Where is The BHAG - the BIG Hairy Audacious Goal for our community?
Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 705-2790
Lonehill Resident
Thursday, April 12, 2007
So Let's Get REAL, Dog! It's Just 'ight For Me
This discussion post is designed to focus on whether the Lonehill Community Initiative's future is to be delivered upon an underlying platter of mediocrity... or whether it will strive to move along the 'good to great' model researched by one of the world's leading business management gurus.
Many thanks to Lindy Boulanger for the delivery of the latest LRA hard-copy newsletter slipped under my door.
It arrived as I was watching a repeat of the latest American Idols. I just love the brutal honesty of the two male judges - Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell. One wonders what they would say about our community initiative (see below).
But first, if you are a local Business Owner, Director & Decision-Maker here's an invitation:
Now to get real and to be brutally honest, the latest hard-copy Lonehill newsletter, whilst at first glance looking attractive, was mostly uninspiring in content and lacking in much meaningful information of serious community value.
There was not a contact number or name in sight for anyone to follow up with the LRA or its service providers - apart from a web address. And no indication of where the crime incidents occurred to give us any idea of regularity of trouble spots to be avoided. It was more an advertising medium for the Lonehill Shopping Centre.
I am reminded of the constructive critique given by the three Idol's judges who constantly remind that the context of their critical analysis is made of the final 12 who have made it through to the final stage over 400,000 other hopeful applicants. The point being that the panel's critique cannot take away from the competitors achievements to date. It is how the competitors respond to the critique that is interesting to note. And so it is with my comments on this forum.
I can almost hear Randy Jackson saying: 'So let's get real, dog. This is not good. It's just 'ight' (alright) for me. Not great.'
And Simon Cowell saying: 'This might do for a little karaoke evening but it's not going to help you win Idols'.
So let's get real. As pleased as I am about the apparent stabilisation of the Lonehill Community Initiative that many of us worked so hard to establish, the discussion has to move on to one of how this initiative is to be positioned now and into the future.
That is, whether it is to be a project meandering from 'boom and/or bust' mediocrity so typical of a traditional residents association, to perhaps being recognised as a good project... or ideally to that of a GREAT project.
My purpose on this forum is to help this Lonehill Community Initiative to achieve GREATNESS.
So who wrote this?
His name: Jim Collins, regarded as one of the world's leading business management guru's and thinkers. And his information is widely available on the Internet. See http://www.jimcollins.com/ - includes free-to-use diagnostic tools.
Says Collins:
But by far the most important insight gained from his research is outlined here:
So, it's all got to do with the quality of people driving the project.
To paraphrase a Jim Collins diagnostic tool question, if your life were dependent upon it, who in Lonehill would you pack into a five- to seven-seater rocketship to re-establish the Lonehill Community Initiative on Mars? Who would be the best people for delivering on the ultimate strategy for the Lonehill Community Initiative? Are they currently on the bus?
Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 705-2790
Lonehill Resident
Many thanks to Lindy Boulanger for the delivery of the latest LRA hard-copy newsletter slipped under my door.
It arrived as I was watching a repeat of the latest American Idols. I just love the brutal honesty of the two male judges - Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell. One wonders what they would say about our community initiative (see below).
But first, if you are a local Business Owner, Director & Decision-Maker here's an invitation:
Invitation: My INNER Circle Business Forum is hosting the launch of INNER Circle at The PALAZZO Montecasino this coming Tuesday 17th April. I have set aside 10 seats (first-in, first-served - it's limited seating unfortunately) for local Business Owners, Directors & Decision-Makers on this database who would like to attend. RSVP on the link below or reply to me on this email:
· Tue. 17Apr - INNER Circle LAN 100 PALAZZO - Trevor Nel - (booking essential)
Now to get real and to be brutally honest, the latest hard-copy Lonehill newsletter, whilst at first glance looking attractive, was mostly uninspiring in content and lacking in much meaningful information of serious community value.
There was not a contact number or name in sight for anyone to follow up with the LRA or its service providers - apart from a web address. And no indication of where the crime incidents occurred to give us any idea of regularity of trouble spots to be avoided. It was more an advertising medium for the Lonehill Shopping Centre.
I am reminded of the constructive critique given by the three Idol's judges who constantly remind that the context of their critical analysis is made of the final 12 who have made it through to the final stage over 400,000 other hopeful applicants. The point being that the panel's critique cannot take away from the competitors achievements to date. It is how the competitors respond to the critique that is interesting to note. And so it is with my comments on this forum.
I can almost hear Randy Jackson saying: 'So let's get real, dog. This is not good. It's just 'ight' (alright) for me. Not great.'
And Simon Cowell saying: 'This might do for a little karaoke evening but it's not going to help you win Idols'.
So let's get real. As pleased as I am about the apparent stabilisation of the Lonehill Community Initiative that many of us worked so hard to establish, the discussion has to move on to one of how this initiative is to be positioned now and into the future.
That is, whether it is to be a project meandering from 'boom and/or bust' mediocrity so typical of a traditional residents association, to perhaps being recognised as a good project... or ideally to that of a GREAT project.
My purpose on this forum is to help this Lonehill Community Initiative to achieve GREATNESS.
So who wrote this?
It's written by the same author of this statement:'Why achieve greatness?
- if you're doing something you care deeply about and if you believe in it, it's impossible to imagine not trying to make it great.
- if you have to ask 'why should we try to make it great?' then you're probably in the wrong line of work.
- you will have the ultimate satisfaction knowing that your short time here on earth was well spent, and that it mattered.'
'A great organization is one that makes a distinctive impact and delivers superior performance over a long period of time. For a business, performance principally means financial results, specifically return on invested capital. For a social sector organization, on the other hand, performance must be assessed first and foremost relative to the organization’s mission, not its financial results. Notice that by this definition that you do not need to be big to be great. Your distinctive impact can be on a local or small community, and your performance can be superior and long-lasting without becoming large. You might choose to grow in order to have a wider impact and to better deliver on your mission, but it is important to understand that big does not equal great, and great does not equal big.'
His name: Jim Collins, regarded as one of the world's leading business management guru's and thinkers. And his information is widely available on the Internet. See http://www.jimcollins.com/ - includes free-to-use diagnostic tools.
Says Collins:
'Every institution has its unique set of irrational and difficult constraints, yet some make a leap while others facing the same environmental challenges do not. This is perhaps the single most important point in all of Good to Great. Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.'
But by far the most important insight gained from his research is outlined here:
'Business executives can more easily fire people and—equally important—they can use money to buy talent. Most social sector leaders, on the other hand, must rely on people underpaid relative to the private sector or, in the case of volunteers, paid not at all. Yet a finding from our research is instructive: the key variable is not how (or how much) you pay, but who you have on the bus.
The comparison companies in our research—those that failed to become great—placed greater emphasis on using incentives to “motivate” otherwise unmotivated or undisciplined people.
The great companies, in contrast, focused on getting and hanging on to the right people in the first place—those who are productively neurotic, those who are self-motivated and self-disciplined, those who wake up every day, compulsively driven to do the best they can because it is simply part of their DNA.
In the social sectors, when big incentives (or compensation at all, in the case of volunteers) are simply not possible, the First Who principle becomes even more important. Lack of resources is no excuse for lack of rigor—it makes selectivity all the more vital.'
So, it's all got to do with the quality of people driving the project.
To paraphrase a Jim Collins diagnostic tool question, if your life were dependent upon it, who in Lonehill would you pack into a five- to seven-seater rocketship to re-establish the Lonehill Community Initiative on Mars? Who would be the best people for delivering on the ultimate strategy for the Lonehill Community Initiative? Are they currently on the bus?
Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 705-2790
Lonehill Resident
Thursday, April 05, 2007
LRA Call For IDEAS - Here Are A Few
It's good to see another promising step forward emanating from this current LRA in their latest call: 'If funding was not a problem, what projects would you like to see in Lonehill? We want to hear any and every idea from you, no matter how big or how small'.
Now that is what many quality Lonehillers are not short of. There are some great ideas around amongst the positive community-oriented people I know. I'll share some of my own below.
The challenge of course is that ideas require strategic-thinking, decision, action and implentation.
I must admit that, on reading of this request for ideas, a biblical quote first crossed my mind - something about not casting 'pearls before swine' - but only because I have been totally unimpressed and wholly lacking in confidence in the ineptly named 'The Big Idea' administration function's ability to come up with any idea at all or to apply any useful action or implementation of any idea to benefit the Lonehill community in a big way.
I am one of those who is of the opinion that, for people who have been paid so well, 'The Big Idea' have no idea at all as to how to service the ongoing and future growth needs of this community adequately.
Case in point, to show that nothing much changes under their administration, is the latest email announcement regarding the hard-copy newsletter that again shows how little concern there is for service-delivery in this community. 'Distribution teams handed these out to every complex that has a Fidelity guard at the gate and dropped off copies at Engen Lonehill and the Lonehill Vet.' What about the single-dwelling households?
Now here's an idea. Surely, with a million rand supposedly spare in the kitty and proactive roving guards walking the streets who could drop off a hard-copy at each single-dwelling they walk past, or heaven-forbid, a positive relationship with some friendly community estate agents who'd love to have a reason to drop off info at our homes, a way could have been found to deliver the hard-copy letters direct to those +- 600 single-dwelling households that have been an important foundation of the initiative from the very beginning.
As a single-dwelling householder and committed contributor to this initiative from day one, I have never yet received a hard-copy newsletter delivered to me in any format by our admin service-provider... not since they took over this function. Does anyone think that something is wrong with that? No wonder people complain about a lack of communication in this project.
I also requested a copy of the LRA Sect. 21 Articles of Association recently and was told to go to the LRA office to get a copy. BULL DUST..! Here's another idea. An organisation with great service as a priority would have this on image file or pdf. and be able to forward it to the person requesting by simple email. Why is it that the paying consumer in this initiative has to chase the tail of the paid service provider to get some service? It's like paying our waste removal council dues and being told to take our bins to the rubbish dump. Just wrong.
There is just something wholly unsavoury about us paying this administration team all the money that we have in the past and still have to be doing the servicing of ourselves... when such simple service delivery solutions can be applied.
So with that off my chest, the request for ideas is a promising start... as is the latest announcement that discounts are being arranged for Lonehillers who connect via community Wi-Fi and who convert to a friendly short-term insurance company.
I smile wryly as I recall taking the LRA directors team to similar such financial service providers (some high-profile) almost three years ago who wanted to make major investments into this community. Then definitely it was a case of casting pearls before swine as very few of our then LRA could see how to apply the massive benefit that would come from these ideas. A simple lack of understanding of strategy, decision-making, action and implementation.
So here we are about to get back on that track of providing MASS-CONSUMER benefit to our stakeholders, a good few years later, and after silly ineffective decisions almost driving the LRA back onto the rocks. What a waste of time, effort and money..!
So... 'If funding was not a problem, what projects would you like to see in Lonehill? We want to hear any and every idea from you, no matter how big or how small'... here are a quick sample of many ideas that can be applied for brainstorming purposes.
IDEA 1. Bring in enthusiastic specialists who have proven their ability to excel. Get back to OPEN TENDERING of mutually-beneficial community/business related projects. Allow the tender winner to win as the community wins. Attract the finest quality entrepreneurial thinkers to conduct their presentations and allow all stakeholders to participate in the selection process... as we did when we launched this initiative.
IDEA 2. Modernise Lonehill's image and attraction - it is no longer a '20th century rural horsy bridle-path village' as it was originally developed (the shopping centre and Summercon developments have seen to that) - let's get real and refocus its future vision to fit the 21st century. Make it a WOW statement to stimulate national and international interest and recognition. If only to ramp up the desirability of living in this area (good for our property prices). There are many concepts that can be brainstormed here.
IDEA 3. Provide Lonehill stakeholder security services FREE..!
IDEA 4. Treble to quadruple the proactive guarding force and reaction vehicles, and their quality and standard of pay (for performance incentive) and marry that with quality PROACTIVE surveillance equipment..
IDEA 5. Treble to quadruple the Estate Management/Environment function to beautify every area of Lonehill.
IDEA 6. Re-assess the actual benefit of the current LRA offices... is it really needed in it's current format... ... is it needed at all (freeing up funds for other projects)... and/or perhaps get back to the original idea for a community centre that will be of benefit to every contributing stakeholder.
IDEA 7. Turn Lonehill Dam into a Bio-Diesel plant. This was almost my April 1 email subject-headline: 'Lonehill to build bio-diesel plant on local dam'. Purpose of this idea (and IDEA 3.) is to stimulate seemingly crazy ideas to approach solutions from a different perspective... no idea should be pooh-poohed. In all ideas lies the kernel of the next MASSIVE breakthrough.
Take a look at this blog link - GREAT Ideas - http://icgreatideas.blogspot.com/ - for more ideas on how to get get creative and manage ideas effectively.
See Ideas Are A Dime A Dozen... Or Are They? & Possibility Thinking - Managing IDEAS Effectively
IDEA 8. Share the ideas. Ideas can be expanded upon by the inputs of others. Ideas stimulate ideas. Provide a list of all the ideas submitted so that someone can get excited enough to take it to action and implementation stage.
IDEA 9. Bring important, enthusiastic, interested Lonehill stakeholders together in an eye-ball to eye-ball brainstorming indaba - already mentioned in previous post.
IDEA 10. Develop a competition to reward the very best ideas. Provide incentives. Give recognition. (Reminds me...as yet no follow through on the recognition program stated at the last open feedback meeting).
Having said that 'Ideas Are A Dime A Dozen', I myself am one of those local residents who make their entrepreneurial livings by acting on and implementing ideas (i.e. monetising ideas into sustainable business projects)... ideas such as being the initiator and an enthusiastic voluntary key driver of this very Lonehill community initiative under discussion (now well-over a R100 Million revenue-generating project).
There are other enthusiastic local community contributors just like myself who have put in a ton of personal, voluntary time and effort to make this initiative happen. So why is that we are last in line to be consulted as professionals, with the money that we have helped raise for this community being channelled to outsiders or to seemingly ineffective and/or unproven insiders (first-timers)?
It is highly disconcerting to see people now seemingly pulling off deals behind closed doors to offer discount products to the Lonehill community without an open tender process being conducted to allow fair opportunity for others to compete for the business (how do we know that they are the best deals we can have got as a community?)... especially when such concepts were raised before and effectively pooh-poohed by the then LRA directors (refer the flawed Marketing Tender process that signalled the beginning of the slide of a successful growing LRA operation to one of 'mis-management and disarray' as identifed by the current Chairman).
Here's a parting idea for our current LRA directors - restore and apply some simple integrity to appraising and working with local entrepreneurs who have proven themselves in this community. Do it openly. Allow them to compete by open tender. Allow stakeholders to have their public viewing of the presentations, have their say, and to vote on who or what they want. No one minds being beaten by a better operator who delivers on what they promise. Do what's right..!
Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 705-2790
Lonehill Resident
Now that is what many quality Lonehillers are not short of. There are some great ideas around amongst the positive community-oriented people I know. I'll share some of my own below.
The challenge of course is that ideas require strategic-thinking, decision, action and implentation.
I must admit that, on reading of this request for ideas, a biblical quote first crossed my mind - something about not casting 'pearls before swine' - but only because I have been totally unimpressed and wholly lacking in confidence in the ineptly named 'The Big Idea' administration function's ability to come up with any idea at all or to apply any useful action or implementation of any idea to benefit the Lonehill community in a big way.
I am one of those who is of the opinion that, for people who have been paid so well, 'The Big Idea' have no idea at all as to how to service the ongoing and future growth needs of this community adequately.
Case in point, to show that nothing much changes under their administration, is the latest email announcement regarding the hard-copy newsletter that again shows how little concern there is for service-delivery in this community. 'Distribution teams handed these out to every complex that has a Fidelity guard at the gate and dropped off copies at Engen Lonehill and the Lonehill Vet.' What about the single-dwelling households?
Now here's an idea. Surely, with a million rand supposedly spare in the kitty and proactive roving guards walking the streets who could drop off a hard-copy at each single-dwelling they walk past, or heaven-forbid, a positive relationship with some friendly community estate agents who'd love to have a reason to drop off info at our homes, a way could have been found to deliver the hard-copy letters direct to those +- 600 single-dwelling households that have been an important foundation of the initiative from the very beginning.
As a single-dwelling householder and committed contributor to this initiative from day one, I have never yet received a hard-copy newsletter delivered to me in any format by our admin service-provider... not since they took over this function. Does anyone think that something is wrong with that? No wonder people complain about a lack of communication in this project.
I also requested a copy of the LRA Sect. 21 Articles of Association recently and was told to go to the LRA office to get a copy. BULL DUST..! Here's another idea. An organisation with great service as a priority would have this on image file or pdf. and be able to forward it to the person requesting by simple email. Why is it that the paying consumer in this initiative has to chase the tail of the paid service provider to get some service? It's like paying our waste removal council dues and being told to take our bins to the rubbish dump. Just wrong.
There is just something wholly unsavoury about us paying this administration team all the money that we have in the past and still have to be doing the servicing of ourselves... when such simple service delivery solutions can be applied.
So with that off my chest, the request for ideas is a promising start... as is the latest announcement that discounts are being arranged for Lonehillers who connect via community Wi-Fi and who convert to a friendly short-term insurance company.
I smile wryly as I recall taking the LRA directors team to similar such financial service providers (some high-profile) almost three years ago who wanted to make major investments into this community. Then definitely it was a case of casting pearls before swine as very few of our then LRA could see how to apply the massive benefit that would come from these ideas. A simple lack of understanding of strategy, decision-making, action and implementation.
So here we are about to get back on that track of providing MASS-CONSUMER benefit to our stakeholders, a good few years later, and after silly ineffective decisions almost driving the LRA back onto the rocks. What a waste of time, effort and money..!
So... 'If funding was not a problem, what projects would you like to see in Lonehill? We want to hear any and every idea from you, no matter how big or how small'... here are a quick sample of many ideas that can be applied for brainstorming purposes.
IDEA 1. Bring in enthusiastic specialists who have proven their ability to excel. Get back to OPEN TENDERING of mutually-beneficial community/business related projects. Allow the tender winner to win as the community wins. Attract the finest quality entrepreneurial thinkers to conduct their presentations and allow all stakeholders to participate in the selection process... as we did when we launched this initiative.
IDEA 2. Modernise Lonehill's image and attraction - it is no longer a '20th century rural horsy bridle-path village' as it was originally developed (the shopping centre and Summercon developments have seen to that) - let's get real and refocus its future vision to fit the 21st century. Make it a WOW statement to stimulate national and international interest and recognition. If only to ramp up the desirability of living in this area (good for our property prices). There are many concepts that can be brainstormed here.
IDEA 3. Provide Lonehill stakeholder security services FREE..!
IDEA 4. Treble to quadruple the proactive guarding force and reaction vehicles, and their quality and standard of pay (for performance incentive) and marry that with quality PROACTIVE surveillance equipment..
IDEA 5. Treble to quadruple the Estate Management/Environment function to beautify every area of Lonehill.
IDEA 6. Re-assess the actual benefit of the current LRA offices... is it really needed in it's current format... ... is it needed at all (freeing up funds for other projects)... and/or perhaps get back to the original idea for a community centre that will be of benefit to every contributing stakeholder.
IDEA 7. Turn Lonehill Dam into a Bio-Diesel plant. This was almost my April 1 email subject-headline: 'Lonehill to build bio-diesel plant on local dam'. Purpose of this idea (and IDEA 3.) is to stimulate seemingly crazy ideas to approach solutions from a different perspective... no idea should be pooh-poohed. In all ideas lies the kernel of the next MASSIVE breakthrough.
Take a look at this blog link - GREAT Ideas - http://icgreatideas.blogspot.com/ - for more ideas on how to get get creative and manage ideas effectively.
See Ideas Are A Dime A Dozen... Or Are They? & Possibility Thinking - Managing IDEAS Effectively
IDEA 8. Share the ideas. Ideas can be expanded upon by the inputs of others. Ideas stimulate ideas. Provide a list of all the ideas submitted so that someone can get excited enough to take it to action and implementation stage.
IDEA 9. Bring important, enthusiastic, interested Lonehill stakeholders together in an eye-ball to eye-ball brainstorming indaba - already mentioned in previous post.
IDEA 10. Develop a competition to reward the very best ideas. Provide incentives. Give recognition. (Reminds me...as yet no follow through on the recognition program stated at the last open feedback meeting).
Having said that 'Ideas Are A Dime A Dozen', I myself am one of those local residents who make their entrepreneurial livings by acting on and implementing ideas (i.e. monetising ideas into sustainable business projects)... ideas such as being the initiator and an enthusiastic voluntary key driver of this very Lonehill community initiative under discussion (now well-over a R100 Million revenue-generating project).
There are other enthusiastic local community contributors just like myself who have put in a ton of personal, voluntary time and effort to make this initiative happen. So why is that we are last in line to be consulted as professionals, with the money that we have helped raise for this community being channelled to outsiders or to seemingly ineffective and/or unproven insiders (first-timers)?
It is highly disconcerting to see people now seemingly pulling off deals behind closed doors to offer discount products to the Lonehill community without an open tender process being conducted to allow fair opportunity for others to compete for the business (how do we know that they are the best deals we can have got as a community?)... especially when such concepts were raised before and effectively pooh-poohed by the then LRA directors (refer the flawed Marketing Tender process that signalled the beginning of the slide of a successful growing LRA operation to one of 'mis-management and disarray' as identifed by the current Chairman).
Here's a parting idea for our current LRA directors - restore and apply some simple integrity to appraising and working with local entrepreneurs who have proven themselves in this community. Do it openly. Allow them to compete by open tender. Allow stakeholders to have their public viewing of the presentations, have their say, and to vote on who or what they want. No one minds being beaten by a better operator who delivers on what they promise. Do what's right..!
Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 705-2790
Lonehill Resident
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