Well the elections have come and gone and in my mind not very much has changed. All the provinces are still governed by the same parties as before and the same president is still president, but it will cost us R150m to get him inaugurated into the same position he currently holds.
The value of money
Someone once said that it seems politicians do not know the value of money and many do not quite understand the difference between a million and a billion.
He explained that if you spend R10 000 per day it will take you a hundred days (± 3 months and a week) to exhaust the R1m, but to spend a billion rand will take almost 274 years.
There is thus a vast difference between R1m and R1Bn.
One way to really know where money comes from is to start your own business. It is not that easy to generate enough money to grow and sustain a business. Once you’ve established a successful business, you’ll know that money doesn’t come easy. And the reason; it takes hard work and careful planning to build a successful business.
Whose money is it anyway?
Politicians on the other hand, do not spend their own money. It is our hard earned money entrusted to the government in the form of taxes that they spend, whether millions or billions, and it seems that they are not really concerned about where it comes from.
I see that the president indicated that he now wants to clean up all corruption. I hope that it will be to such an extent that the politicians will work with taxpayers’ money the same way that an entrepreneur works with the money they need to generate themselves.
# Good stewardship
In reality anyone responsible for managing public funds should be extremely cautious about how they spend the money entrusted to them, even more than with their own money. A person should be held accountable for every Rand spent on behalf of others.
Warren Buffett, certainly the biggest investor and one of the wealthiest people in the world, has given his CEO’s only two rules.
Rule number 1: Do not lose any of your shareholder’s money. Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.
Fanatic discipline
Jim Collins in his book Great by Choice, says that for leaders to be successful they need fanatic discipline for a cause beyond themselves. We need leaders who do not define themselves by money, fame or power, but by the purpose they work for and the contribution and impact they can make; people who are outstanding in their field of expertise with consistent values and goals.
In Luk 12:42-44 Jesus said: “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.”
And the Apostle Paul in 1Cor 4:2 says “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”
- You are cordially invited to the Business by the Book course that I present on 23-24 August 2019 at the Val de Vie Estate in Paarl. See display advert for more information or click here to Register:
- If you feel your job leads nowhere, perhaps you need to consider a Career Direct Assessment. For many a Career Direct assessment marks a defining moment in their lives.
- Also tune in to my radio program “Jy die Entrepreneur” Monday evenings at 20:00 and Saturdays 12:30 on Radio Namakwaland www.934fm.co.za
