Our Avo’s are famous!

This week, 5 of our home-grown employees have been featured in the Star Workplace’s new appointments section.  Daphney Shiba – Sales Support and PR, Daryl Williams – Durban Account Manager and Facilitator, Janine Millhouse – Footprint Logistics Manager, Pie-Pacifique Kabalira-Uwase – Account Manager and Papama Sobuza – Account Manager.

Check out the clipping here.

Meet Daphney Shiba…

It has been almost 7 months since I have joined the Avo space and the team but it feels like I am part of the furnature. WOW! what an amazing team to work with, a team that has a vision and uses their various strengths to make everything they touch possible. The culture of Avocado Vision is just something else that amazes me and everyone from outside - it blows me away.  Everything from the beautiful view, to the blue-prints of the company gives you a taste of what Avo is all about. It is such a great pleasure to work with everyone who is involved in this space.

I have joined the team as Sales Support Coordinator and PA to the Boss Chick which both gives me an insight to clients and a better understanding of what our sales team are up too. These are not my only focus areas though, when people ask me what I do, I normally say I am the cosmopolitan (everywhere) and a tenderpreneur.

I am a very passionate person who likes adding value to anything I find myself doing, so this has been a perfect fit for me. I have also attended one of our courses “On the Spot” and can’t stop bragging about and the brilliance our trainers bring in the training room. I am so excited to explore more within this space. Thank you to everyone who is an aid to my role and for making Avo such a lovable space to work in!!!

Transformation is about a lot more than just fat-cats getting huge hand-outs.

We’ve all heard of BEE and to most of you reading this, the subject might feel quite taboo.  But there’s more to this whole BEE thing than you think.

Jules’ latest article in the Star Workplace will give you the whole inside scoop as to how BEE can help you and how you can use it effectively within your organisation.

Check it out here.

“It is said that when people start a new job, they join a company. But when they leave, they usually leave a boss.”

Jules’ new article goes viral. HR Future has swept it away and has posted it in their Opinions section of their website. It’s a great article and I’d love to share it with all of you.

Check out the new ‘Bosses are a Major Retention Tool’ article here.

I’m just delighted to say we’ve achieved a level 2 BEE score for our assessment this year!

That means that for every R100 any client spends with us, they get BONUS BEE points to the tune of 125%!!

Just another way Avo is focusing on building South Africa, one person at a time!

Managers need to get involved in the training of their staff.

Sounds simple enough, right?

Well there are a few critical things that bosses must do in order to facilitate the post-training phase of any skills workshop.

To find out what these are, check out Grant’s new article in the Star Workplace here.

The long-awaited “Twostripes” Lowndes has finally made his entrance into the Avo family!

Congratulatons, Vanessa and Gareth on the birth of your beautiful new son! Thinking of you all, and feeling really jealous of aunty Claire and uncle Adam because I’m sure they’re already getting snuggle time with the new recruit!

Love from me and ALL the Avos!

Here’s wishing you all an amazing festive season and a safe and happy new year.

I thought I’d share a small poem that I found about the magic of Christmas…

Are we too grownup to feel a thrill
As we light the Christmas tree?
Are we immune to cookies,
Christmas cards and Christmas glee?

Are we too adult to “Ooh” and “Aah”
At the Christmas candle’s glow?
Are we blasé about our gifts;
Do we shun the mistletoe?

Are we too mature for carols,
For merry or for jolly?
Do the decorations leave us cold,
The ornaments and holly?

Fat chance! We’ll never grow too old
To love the Christmas magic.
A year without a Christmas
Would be boring, even tragic.

So bring it on! The candy canes,
The feasting and good cheer;
O Christmas, lovely Christmas,
You’re the highlight of the year

Thank you for all your support in 2010, we look forward to a great 2011 with you by our sides. Be safe and have a happy festive season. With love from Avo.

Our precious Clint is moving on to a new opportunity at our sister company, Ngikwazi. It’s the perfect move for him, and I know he’s going to be happy, stretched in all sorts of ways, and will thrive in that environment. So, as his friend, I’m standing on the sidelines, cheering him on at the top of my voice!

But I’m also feeling really sad at this parting of ways.

Clint was one of the first of our Avos: he was here near the beginning of our Avo journey, and has been such an important part of the growth of the company, and also my personal growth. I just did a quick sum of Clint’s sales contribution over the past 6 years or so, and its close to R15 million in revenue over that time! Thats an incredible contribution to feeding the families of a whole lot of Avos, and a crucial contributor to the sustainability of our company!

But Clint’s contribution has gone way beyond just the revenue. He has been such a significant part of the Avo family that I honestly can’t imagine how we’ll be without him. He’s been a loyal and committed man who has tended and protected his Avo community with heart, wisdom and integrity. He has used his voice and position to defend our values, and has pushed many of us to learn the courage of ‘having the conversation’.

I have watched Clint face many of his own dragons in this decade we have walked together, and I have always been inspired by the courage with which he tackles his own dark side. I have celebrated his triumphs and mourned his failures with him, ever mindful of the privilege we’ve had of being able to be friends like that.

He brought his precious soul mate, Carla Jo, into our world, married her, and is now raising a family with her, and I have loved watching first the husband, and then the father in him emerge. He is a beautiful family man!

I must confess, I am finding it really hard to find the words to do my friend justice here. So I’m simply setting this up as an opening blog, and leaving space for the rest of the Avos to say their bit.

Farewell, my friend. Thanks for sharing this part of the road with me. I know Andre has a sense of who you are in the world, and respects what you bring. I hope you guys will be able to do brilliant work together. I’ll be watching and celebrating your journey from just across the valley!

A mini history of Jules and Avo…

Jules’ new article, which appears in the Destiny magazine this month, highlights some of the ups and downs of her time since she planted the Avo Pip, so to speak.

Lovin’ the new look Jules!

To read Jules’ Destiny Profile, simply click here.