Keep perspective: A time delay for every decision – longer for presidents 

Some things just stick. Like a presentation two decades ago during my brief spell as a banking executive. To help better understand our four-into-one merged banking group, a global expert was brought over to teach us about time consequences of decision making. It put a lot into perspective back then. And helps me better understand my country right now.

He explained there is a direct correlation between seniority of the decision-maker and time for it to impact. For instance, consequences of decisions facing bank clerks are usually immediate. But the higher up the pay grade one moves, the longer the time delay. For CEOs the impact can take months – for presidents of large countries, many years.

Such consequences are like smoking cigarettes. Inhaling smoke is guaranteed to contaminate your lungs and will eventually kill you. But because smokers feel no immediate pain, they often continue dragging away for years without considering the long-term but inevitable consequences of their actions.

For me, this helps to explain what is happening right now in South Africa. The dark mood is because the nation is experiencing consequences of destructive decisions taken during the Zuma era, some enacted years ago. The constructive decisions being taken by the new Administration will, equally, only be felt in the future. Perspective helps us retain sanity.

*I'm hosting Cape property development icon Johnny Rabie and business partner Malcolm Lobban in an interactive webinar over lunch on Thursday (starts 12:30). They will be discussing offshore investment in the context of their Neworld's LX Living development in Lisbon, Rabie's first foray abroad. The webinar is free but pre-registration is required. Sign up by clicking here.