Striving for Precision and Perfection Letter from the CEO – Siza Mzimela

Today's society places a strong emphasis on precision and perfection. Everyone strives to be the best, and often we want to become the best in the quickest way possible.

In his poem, 'Precision German Craftsmanship', Matthew Rohrer writes: "The Germans are so pernickety and precise, they wash their driveways. Their mountains and streams dance around each other in a clockwork, courtly imitation of spring. They built the Panzer tank, out of rakes, hoses and garden gnomes; they built me."

Rohrer's poem is about German precision and perfectionism. After watching the Germans flawlessly stage the Soccer World Cup 2006, I can only wonder how they managed such high quality organizational ability.

Maybe it is their belief in the inflexible standard of quality, accuracy, urgency and attention in all kinds of work. Every day we witness the unique German characteristic of perfection and engineering in their luxury cars.

We all know that perfectionists can make priceless contributions to a business...or they can wreck it. That's why it's important to recognize perfectionist traits in yourself as well as in those who work for you and to channel these characteristics to their best use.

Perfectionists aren't the only people who set high standards for their own work; they compulsively demand a higher quality of performance from others too.

Although tasks vary in the precision and effort they require, perfectionists set a single, inflexible standard for all work. Large and small, requiring low or high accuracy, all jobs are considered equally urgent and given equal attention.

Those of us who work in the airline business can learn a lot from German perfection. We all share the same objective of providing the highest quality service to our passengers because we know that satisfied customers are the heart of our industry.

The public deserves convenient and reliable air service. They deserve to know how the aircraft is prepared for a flight, including what makes it early or late. We fully accept responsibility for quality service delivery and make every reasonable effort to plan for and manage any concerns outside of our control. We are committed to ensuring that the lifelines of our industry, our customers, are satisfied to the best of our abilities.

First, we recognize that employees who deal directly with our customers are the company in the customers' eyes. The customers judge us by these employees. If a customer prefers to work with us, it is because our people are better at the details. We strive to make every flying experience a personal one. We stress to our employees the importance of having a good time, enjoying what you do. A happy employee provides better customer service and in turn, we get positive feedback from customers about our employees.

We train our people in a variety of areas, such as customer service, how to treat their fellow workers, problem solving, managerial development and personal development, and continuing education.

Associated with perfection is sustainability, our theme for this month's Indwe. A growing body of research shows that corporate action on sustainability improves financial performance. Striving to be sustainable helps identify opportunities for businesses to reduce costs, increase sales, reduce risks, develop human capital, build reputation and enhance access to capital from better corporate governance, improved environmental practices, and investments in social and economic development.

Many companies have become involved in promoting sustainability, because at the end of the day, sustainability makes better business sense. For example, companies practice conservation because the cost of energy and resources has become too high. Others are involved in educational and charitable programmes because it improves their social image.

Business sustainability is about weighing with equal importance the environmental, social and economic impact of business operations, and considering the overall impact of these factors on an organization's ability to succeed long term.

On that note, SA Express is proud to announce the addition of a brand new route to our network. From October 2006, our airline will now be flying between Cape Town and Maputo! So when you travel to Mozambique for business or leisure, be sure to fly SA Express. Siza Mzimela

Sindi Khoza South African Express Key Accounts Manager Balancing the Firm with the Gentle

Sindi Khoza has a warm and friendly exterior. One can tell just by looking at her that she is a mother and someone who has mastered the art of being gentle, but firm.

Key accounts manager at South African Express Airlines (SAX), Sindi is the ideal person to look after clients and to ensure that everyone is satisfied. She is a congenial and kind person who takes an interest in her fellow human beings. Coming from a German background she is also determined and knows exactly how to get the job done in the best possible way.

Growing up in Soweto, Sindi had the fortunate experience of being one of three pupils in her school chosen to attend The German School for weekly German lessons. By the age of four she was so fluent that she switched from her school in Soweto to complete the last three years of high school at The German School.

From there she got a job at Lufthansa Airlines and was sent to Germany for three years. She returned as an independent young woman steeped in German culture.

"I have been around Germans for so many years that I have somewhat taken on their lifestyle and attitude. They are strict and want all their T's crossed in a certain way, which is the way I handle projects. I have very high standards and am determined to get things done. It can be a very militaristic way of doing things, so I am not always an easy mother," laughs Sindi.

Sindi has been working at SAX for just under two years and admits that the best part of her job is also the worst.

"It is never pleasant to receive complaints, but you get so much job satisfaction when you are able to turn the unhappy clients into happy clients. In my business, listening and being able to sympathise with people's problems is a very important skill. SAX is a great company to work for; everyone here is young and vibrant so we have the edge and are kept on our toes," says Sindi.

In between working for airline companies, Sindi owned a few businesses of her own and ideally, would like to go back to that eventually.

"I have very broad interests, so I really could end up doing anything, as long as it includes working with people. I really enjoy the interaction. Previously I dreamed of being a lecturer in foreign languages. I have a passion for languages and can speak French in addition to German, English, Afrikaans and several of South Africa's vernacular languages," says Sindi.

Although she would love to learn Spanish, her spare time is dedicated to studying a management advancement course at Wits. Her goal is to have an MBA before she is forty.

"It is my dream to be my own boss again and to be able to do things solely for myself and my family. My children are my motivation and it is because of them that I get out of bed in the mornings. I want them to have a good and comfortable life," she explains.

Despite living abroad for a few years, Sindi can't see herself living permanently in another country. She says she is too South African to emigrate, which is why she still lives in Soweto. Sindi does however plan on taking her three boys on regular trips through Africa so that they can broaden their horizons and experience the beauty of our continent.

Her children are also attending The German School in Johannesburg, and while Sindi believes that German is a great language to master, she will not force it upon her children.

"I was brought up by my father who was extremely supportive in everything I did. He never once put a limit on what I wanted to do and I want to be the same type of parent to my children. I have enormous respect for my dad as he gave up his entire life for me and my four brothers," says Sindi.

Sindi inherited her love of books from her father who always made sure that there was ample reading material in the house. She loves non-fiction books, but admits that Dan Brown has caught her attention with his controversial novel The Da Vinci Code.

"I enjoy learning something from what I read, so I go through a lot of history books, and although The Da Vinci Code is fiction, it does give one a lot of food for thought," she explains. Sindi is also reading Capitalist Nigger by Chika Oyeani.

Not easily thrown off balance, Sindi has used her knowledge of the German culture in a wise manner. She has effortlessly merged her African charm with a German iron fist to create a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it, while keeping everyone around her smiling.