About Harry

Helping you think, keeping you to account to act, helping you succeed – that is my focus.

I am a Leadership and Management expert who focuses on coaching business owners and managers to develop effective strategies, focus on results, take action and persist until they succeed.

I have been working alongside business owners and managers, to improve their business, since 1997. I am good at listening, crystalizing ideas and helping people get focused and take action on what is most important.

I also lecture in Applied Management, Leadership, Organisation and Management, Organisational Behavior, Marketing, and Consumer Behavior. My main interests are Leadership, Management and Marketing.

Prior to 1997 I was an economist at the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Here I researched housing finance, affordability and policy issues, as well as presented papers and local and international conferences.

Quialifications: MBL degree (Masters in Business Leadership), BAdmin, Diploma in Datametrics.

Apart from that I am happily married, have two daughters – now grown up and studying. And whenever I can I get away fishing, playing guitar, and travelling.

Specific skills

Some spedific information on the type of skills I have. I strongly believe that the only thing that matters is whether you are obtaining value, regardless of someone’s experience and qualifications. In short does the person deliver. I believe I deliver. Nevertheless the following is a reflection of my skills, based on demonstrated experience. Maybe just e-mail me and set up a meeting?

Skills

How demonstrated and applied

Leadership and management

  • Leads and manages clients to translate strategic level discussions and insights into implementation plans relating to staff management, motivation, sales skills, training, etc.
  • Managed and led a large UN-led project (Habitat II) in South Africa from tender to a successful conclusion. Led a team of consultants,
    conference organizers, and trained facilitators of a national and four regional workshops. Organised the
    attendance of key role players and stakeholders across the political spectrum.

Relationship management and team building

  • Able to maintain good relationships with business people at different levels and over a variety of organisation types.
  • Built and maintained relationships with key role-players in the building and construction industry – business, as well as local, regional and
    central government.
  • Played a key role to introduce colleagues to key clients and contacts, to facilitate networking and potential future contracts.

Project Management

  • Uses project and time management skills to manage
    clients’     business improvement (results, milestones and regular feedback).
  • Project managed small to large contracts and research projects.

Facilitation

  • Has facilitated small meetings (e.g. two owners, husband & wife team, owner & manager) to larger workshops and meetings (most notably the UN led Habitat II project and the Southern African Construction Industry Initiative).

Coaching and Mentoring

  • Uses coaching, teaching and training skills to guide clients to gain fresh insights into their business and in their life.
  • Coaches business owners and managers to systematically improve their business, through better management, planning, focusing on key results, setting budgets and following through on action plans.

Writing

  • Wrote text-book and action sheets for theBusiness Development Programme used to coach Maxtron clients, as well as promotional booklets, and
    the web-site content.
  • Authored, co-authored and compiled many research reports, for internal CSIR research and CSIR clients, and prepared contract proposals.
  • Compiled South African country position paper – South African Construction Industry Initiative.
  • Compiled the South African Country report – UN led Habitat II project.

Speaking, presentation, verbal

  • Lectures (part-time) in Applied Management and
    Leadership, for the New Zealand Diploma in Business.
  • Conducted a training workshop/annual conference for a New Zealand franchise group (2003 and 2004).
  • Toastmasters International member and achieved the Advanced Toastmaster (Bronze) award, participated and won selected club and area speech contests.
  • Delivered a paper at the International Housing conference, Singapore 1995, as well as at various national workshops, forums and conferences.


Information analysis

  • Economic analysis including annual report on household affordability and housing need using a variety of information sources, and using spreadsheet modelling to indicate different future
    scenarios.
  • Worked with a team designing the South African Housing and Urbanisation Information System, using understanding of housing economics and high-level policy makers’ need to help devise a front-end user system.

Communication and negotiation skills

  • The UN-led Habitat II project required significant communication and negotiation skills. Firstly
    to elicit the requirements of the clients to submit a successful tender. Secondly to invite and
    convince key stakeholders to attend four regional and one national workshop.
  • Lastly communication skills were required to facilitate/chair the workshops, as well as to train and brief session leaders.
  • lecturing and public speaking.