Dear {{FirstName}}

1. Current Seminar Events.

Mindset Shift breakfast seminar Gauteng Tuesday 31 July 2007

Initially, I though that this would be a kind of niche seminar, something that may appeal to "the few". Seems I was wrong. After selling out in Durban and Windhoek, and due to a number of requests, I'll be doing another Gauteng Mindset Shift breakfast seminar on Tuesday 31 July at Avianto, Muldersdrift - making it particularly accessible from Krugersdorp, Roodepoort and Pretoria, and in the opposite direction of most rush hour traffic if you're coming from Jo'burg or the East Rand.

The Mindset Shift seminar addresses the extraordinary human ability to change our results by changing our mind, our direction or our strategy - or sometimes all of them at once. The seminar is founded upon a conviction that your past has put you where you are, but your future will be the product of your resolve. Learn how to change self, teams, organisations and even entire nations by understanding the concepts of the key card and the scapegoat.

Breakfast is from 07h30, the seminar starts at 08h15 and will be over by 11h15. There will be one tea/coffee/networking break in the middle. Investment R597 per person.

For information go here, for more detail here.

Bookings are now open, and the online booking form can be accessed here or simply phone Sinead (pronounced Shinaid) on share call 0860 503 191.

You may access the current seminar schedule by going here to see what the next event is near you. The Mindset Shift seminar will be coming to Limpopo and the Eastern Cape later this year, and the Southern Cape early in 2008. Enquire about in-house presentations on 0860 503 191.

2. Consequences: Why they play second fiddle to genuine needs.

*feature article early July 2007 - longer than usual, but guaranteed worth the read!*

Having put the finishing touches to this article last night, it was interesting to have the latest crime stats dominate the press today. I realised that absolutely nothing in the paper today changes what I wrote the night before. The reality is that we shouldn't be measuring crime stats against last year - we were already in a mess last year. We should be measuring trends over the last 10-15 years. Or are we simply comparing the difference in messes? Murder up 2.4%, and hijackings up 6% is meaningless. Down 70% may impress me. What is even more meaningless is the weak whimpering of those whose mandate it is to reduce this carnage and protect us, who languish in expensive houses in front of widescreen TV's with their own personal security guards - all at taxpayer's expense. Read on and hear how you and I and our leaders can really impact the crime epidemic we live with daily, and create a better future for all.

I can not imagine spending even half an hour in prison, let alone ten years. Why is it then, that first time prisoners more often than not find themselves back behind bars a second, third and fourth time, sometimes within weeks after their release? It is now widely acknowledged, not only in our country, that many prisons do not succeed in rehabilitating criminals, but instead achieve exactly the opposite. They encourage first time offenders - those who can still be saved from lives of desperation, to become serial offenders by creating a environment where prisoners have no choice but to join gangs to ensure their protection and survival.

This is a dreadful shame, especially when one objectively considers the desperation that leads people to crime in the first place. If we envisage the number of people in our country from dysfunctional homes with absent or no parental role models, some in desperate poverty, some the victims of substance abuse or neglect, is it not to be expected that youths will grow up seeking other roles models, the kinds you find in gangs?

Our prisons are bursting at the seams. The police are finally starting to dramatically increase arrest statistics, but there's nowhere to put the detainees anymore. The courts can't cope as awaiting trial prisoners become lost in the system, sometimes for months on end - at taxpayer's expense. Long term prisoners are released, reconditioned to commit even more spectacular and violent crimes. Meanwhile, the new crop of detainees languish, awaiting trial while their dependants suffer the consequences. It's a crazy roundabout, and will do very little to change the crime situation South Africans are faced with daily unless our collective thinking changes radically.

The reality is that the same response is likely to get the same result. You give a bad guy a smack or a sentance, it hurts for ten minutes, days or months. He emerges punished and humiliated, often angry, but unreformed. And he still has the very same problems he went in with. How do I feed my family without a job in a society that doesn't care about me? Well that's easy. I can either work for R120 per day as someone's gardener, back-breaking work at the best of times, or I can join a hijacking gang and get paid R3,500 for 2-hour's work and put my kids into private schools hoping I won't get caught or shot. What would you do?

It's now two double 07. The big stick finally got the boot in Y2K. They don't even use it in schools anymore. So why are most of the world's correctional services still stuck in the dark ages? A good question.

It's a question of deterrence. It is believed that if the punishment is harsh enough people will be discouraged from doing it. But this principle has never worked over the centuries, why should it work now? The only way it works is if we go to extremes, bring back the death penalty and start hacking off people's limbs for theft - that may well work, but is it civilized? It can be safely argued that crime is uncivilized, but that's the point. What are we trying to do - repair behaviour or encourage ongoing retribution?

Retribution is the flip side of the coin. If you've ever had a loved one murdered or raped, or yourself survived an attempt on your life, you would want to see justice done, although in reality, how can it ever be?

Crime is fuelled by two primary triggers, poverty and greed on the one hand (which are inextricably linked) and addiction (usually substance, but sometimes gambling too, linking it to greed) on the other. Mastermind criminals are well versed in creating and identifying soft targets, honing in on the greatest need of all, acceptance, (the need to belong). Many gang members attribute their membership of a gang almost soley on it being "the only place where I felt recognised, acknowledged and wanted."

As a nation, we will only permanently reverse the crime trend in South Africa by doing at very least the following simultaneaously:

• All prisons should operate as rehabilitation centres. Even maximum security centres should have this as their stated long-term goal for every prisoner.
• First time offenders should be kept well away from repeat offenders and special efforts should be made to integrate them back into society upon release.
• The community should use anonymous lines to report criminals or suspected criminal activity. These initiatives are already in place. If you sms a crime tip-off to 32211 it will be channelled to the police and dealt with swiftly, and no one will know it's from you.
• The war on drugs must be intensified through targeted campaigns in schools, on television, in print, and more resources allocated to the police to target this evil in society. If reporters can easily buy drugs on main arterials, what is stopping plain clothes policement from being proactive and doing the same?
• Police officials should be rewarded based on how effectively they perform their jobs, not simply because they hold a certain rank. New York and most major cities in the world are now doing this, why not us?
• Police departments should be trained to effectively use tried and tested systems like compstat to record crime statistics daily and create effective hot spot maps in order to effectively police crime. A three year old is reported missing in Alexandra 3 weeks ago. When the mother arrives at the police station to enquire about progress, it emerges that they haven't even started looking yet...
• The private sector, which effectively produces the revenue that drives the economy, should be incentivised to create meaningful employment opportunities. Jobs put food on the table, poverty seeks alternatives.
• Government should identify areas where rehabilitated first-time offenders can be reintegrated into society via meaningful education, service and/or employment, thus creating identity, hope and resolve.

In an increasingly regulated society, you can only survive if you have an identity, which requires certain prerequisites like an identity document, a means to secure an education, provide an income (and feed oneself) and secure a place to live. Those with these basic prerequisites reside in the mainstream. Everyone else is outside the mainstream. A case in point is the millions of refugees throughout the world. All they want is a place to live and belong and a means to eke out an existance, but despite their most innovative efforts they are denied even this.

Consider this: Unless people with means unite to find a solution to uplift those without means, the ones without means will forever be looking for ways to forcibly gain access to that which they are currently being denied. The ones with means therefore have much to lose, those without have nothing, so their risk profile is substantially better.

We need to shift our mindsets from prisons to effective rehabilitation centres, from retribution to upliftment, from cure to prevention, and from fear to love.

The time for quick fixes is over. In our new world of instant gratification only a long term strategy of determined and selfless engagement will turn us in to a truly successful nation. Those of us in the mainstream need to all collectively think differently, or face the consequences.

Paul du Toit

Professional Speaker, Mindset Shifter, Presentation Skills Expert, Facilitator, Coach, Long Distance Runner-in-Hybernation... and Dad.

3. Congruence Newsletter 75-second Subscriber Survey 2007

Thank you to all those who completed the Congruence Survey emailed out yesterday. However, most have yet to do so. If you still have not completed this easy 75 second survey, please go to the Congruence 75 second survey here. Because your input will put you in line to win one of 3 Winning Attitude double DVD sets. And because I will hugely appreciate your 75 second commitment to this easy task.

Congruence Training (Pty) Ltd has 15 programmes accredited with the Services Seta

4. Thinking of writing a book?

Dan Poynter, known internationally as "The Book Guy" returns to South Africa soon to conduct a seminar for those people interested in learning how to write, publish and market the "book within you" successfully.

The date is Saturday 1 September 2007 at the FNB Conference Centre, 114 Grayston Drive, Sandown, Sandton. The times - 08h00 to 13h00. The investment is only R500 per person (R425 if you book and pay by 31 July 2007). Book now - mailto:vwaldeck@telkomsa.net with your contact details, or drop us a line on 0860 503 191.

Do I recommend this workshop? Well, I'll be there as a paying delegate. If you're an aspirant author, I hope that answers your question?

5. Paul in the USA July 2007

As you read this, I'm packing to leave for the NSA Convention in San Diego, USA today for two weeks, where I will be joining over 2,000 professional speakers from around the world at the biggest speaker event of its kind on the planet.

I will be receiving email and hopefully sending too, but due to the time difference and my meetings schedule, there may be a delay in responding. I will also be picking up sms messages but my cell phone will be mostly switched off. However Sinead will be in the office to answer telephonic queries and the Congruence wheels will be kept well oiled and turning.

Henry returns from two weeks leave on 9 July and will be here to expertly facilitate our July customer service, conflict resolution and time management programmes.

The Congruence current public course schedule is available here. The next public presentation skills programme in Gauteng: 23-24 July 2007, The Conference Park, 43 Homestead Road, Rivonia. You can enquire here or book here.