Business Link

The response from many, to high-profile BEE deals has been to mutter about further abuse of position by those who exploit these opportunities.

The frustration is based on the feeling that these individuals have no experience in the role they will fill and that they are taking undue advantage of high profile public roles.

The first thing we need to acknowledge is that these companies are not bringing these people on board for their experience but for their network of contacts.

They are not selling ‘what’ they know – like most people – but ‘who’ they know. Over years they have built up relationships as their primary value proposition to any business that engages with them. We consequently need to realise that most of these people
were in government because it too needed their networks to be successful.

The black elite are enjoying the fruit of empowerment because they are connected with the global elite and bring these connections to whomever they work for. It makes no sense from a business perspective to recruit someone who is not connected – ultimately the choice of BEE partner for business is a strategic decision.

There are lessons in this for small business.

Lesson 1 – In business there is always method in perceived madness. As small business we need to look beyond the obvious for the hidden drivers.

Lesson 2 – When considering a possible BEE partner ‘who’ they know is more important than ‘what’ they know. You can teach skills, but you cannot manufacture relationships.

Lesson 3 – We need to foster our networks too. A small business will be sustained and established by the knowledge its owner carries. If however it is to grow and thrive we need to meet new people and expand our network of influence – thereby unlocking
potential new areas for the business.

Sit down with a piece of paper and map out your network of personal and professional relationships. Look at the ones that are tenuous, informal, and far from the centre. These distant relationships are where to focus. They have low relational risk, but high untapped resource potential.

At the end of it all….He who has the most friends wins.