The power of perception
There are many superpowers in your arsenal, but one of the most powerful is how people perceive you. When you enter a room. When you sit down….
Israeli-Gaza clashes: We are no closer to the truth
The appalling loss of life on the Israeli-Gaza border cannot be ignored. At the time of writing this column, more than 50 people have been killed and…
South Africa – No Friend of Israel
The South African Friends of Israel gathered at the Johannesburg City Hall Sunday to reaffirm their support and love for Israel. 1500 church leaders who openly stand…
Picking at the scab of the unhealed land wound
On Wednesday I received a distressed message from a friend. “I’m done!” he said. “I can’t anymore. I’m out!” He was referring to racist comments made on…
What Whites Didn’t Learn from Bantu Education
The death of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has exposed how dangerous a single narrative of the past can be. For me, it elucidated the damage and consequence of the…
Comrades Widows
The shift is tangible. With the Comrades Marathon less than two weeks away, running friends have begun to view everyone with suspicion. For them, the dangers now…
Remembering My Opa
My grandmother spoke German in secret. She also smoked behind an old fig tree in the garden and then sprayed her “4711” perfume all over herself so…
Embracing the fear of innovation
History is the story of bad choices, don’t let the business be one of them Decisions. We make them every day, from the moment we wake up…
Living in a Post Humour Society
Earlier in the week, when the news of President Jacob Zuma’s nuptials broke, I wrote a tongue in cheek column about the forthcoming wedding. I wondered out…
Practical Tips for Public Speaking
So you’ve written your speech, designed your presentation slides and practised saying it in front of the mirror a dozen times and you still don’t feel ready?…
5 Counter-Intuitive Lessons for Life
Buzzfeed is often credited for launching “The Twenty-Five things that All Successful People do Before Breakfast” lists. Number seven, incidentally, will shock you. Anyone born prior to…
The Power Pose: Using Body Language To Lead
In 2012, the power pose became a global sensation. A Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy hit a staggering 46 million views and became the second most popular…
About Atlassian in Africa
I will be speaking at the Atlassian in Africa conference on the 23rd of October! Read about the event in Obsidian’s press release below. ~ H Bookings…
Unlocking Optimism
South African entrepreneurs have one singular advantage that makes them stand out and succeed – optimism. Game drives. There is a remarkable similarity between the South African…
The power of perception
There are many superpowers in your arsenal, but one of the most powerful is how people perceive you. When you enter a room. When you sit down….
Embracing the fear of innovation
History is the story of bad choices, don’t let the business be one of them Decisions. We make them every day, from the moment we wake up…
Twitter Delinquent Disorder (TDD)
Remember when sex addiction was all the rage? Anyone caught with their proverbial pants down supposedly had an addiction that needed a cure. Which was a convenient…
Ethics: The forgotten superpower
The real superheroes of the working world are those who uphold ethics and honesty Over the past few months, the real impact of fake news has been…
Duke and Duchess of Sussex On Tour: South Africa
I am trying to muster all the positive energy I am able, and to get on board with the excitement about Royal’s visiting South Africa. But I…
Spanking: Edging towards a nanny state (without the ability to nanny)
The South African Constitutional Court has upheld a ruling by the High Court that we are no longer allowed to smack our children. Whereas I have never been a…
If Trump’s in the market, should SA be having a show day?
If American media is to be believed, Donald Trump is apparently considering buying the island of Greenland. This is not the first time that Greenland has been…
Understanding body language as a cluster of actions
I was recently asked by Russia Today to share my thoughts on the interaction between world leaders at the G20 Summit. In that case one didn’t need…
The ANC’s Chernobyl
Like many around the world, I have become completely captivated by the series Chernobyl that is currently being aired on DSTV in South Africa. As the name…
The Trumps visit the palace and out come the trolls
No good will come from this column. I am aware of that even before the words are formed. And it will matter not one bit that I…
Smile, Dammit
Think being positive is what people with yoga pants and green hair do? Howard Feldman is about to prove you wrong… When someone tells you to smile,…
The ANC must learn South Africans are not naïve
It is a grave irony for Jessie Duarte to label the media arrogant, when the behaviour of the ruling party could well be summed up in a…
State capture battle scars will remain for some time
It’s A War on Corruption Expectations in South Africa need to be managed. While there are positive signs in terms of the elimination of corruption, it is…
South Africa Needs an Open Day
Last week was an Open Day at a local college. With three out of our five children already through the school system, we’re not considered active in…
Marketing Archie
Much has been said of the marketing campaigns of main three parties that contested the South African 2019 elections. Although there are multiple factors that influence the…
This Is Who Gets My Vote
South Africa goes to the polls May 8th 2019, in what I believe is the country’s first adult election. Voters no longer have the luxury of dreaming…
It is possible to smile in the dark
I believe that South Africans grow up exposed to real adversity and I believe that this is a positive and not a negative, writes Howard Feldman. It was…
A Land of Magic
On Marelize, Woolworths water and young people who inspire us Marelize laughs at herself, the Woolworths water drinkers make sure that we don’t take ourselves that seriously,…
We are all Marelize
The field might be empty. The weather might be perfect. But somehow when we get on the ‘bike’ the very thing that we want to avoid is…
Marketing SA starts with South Africans
SA Inc needs to be marketed to South Africans. And South Africans need to actively seek out that which is positive, writes Howard Feldman. Forget marketing South…
Woolworths buckled to the outrage police
We need to get a grip. We need to call out vendors and companies when they actually do wrong and not when some sensitive, thin-skinned soul has…
Death to the author and identity politics
Identity politics is an intellectually lazy game to play. It reduces discussion and contemplation as it focusses on the participants and not the debate, writes Howard Feldman. A…
Resolutions for 2021
Covid be dammed, this year I fully intend making a bunch of new year resolutions that I have no intention of keeping. The pandemic can rob us…
Party like it’s 1995
Although I am not a rugby fan, I am a fan of South Africa. I am a fan of the team that represents all South Africans and…
Don’t shy away from criticism: embrace it!
Hardly a day goes by when I don’t receive a message from someone who is unhappy about something I have said or written. Recently, on my radio…
Emotional Intelligence In The Workplace
Intellectual intelligence (IQ) and technical ability are vital qualities to possess in the workplace. In fact, they can be seen as the entry-level requirements for any career….
Spring beam
Social media is packed full of helpful and profound insights, often wrapped around gorgeous people who smile as if cares have passed them by. From Instagram to…
Winter Wednesdays and five ways to motivate ‘cold’ employees
Annually it’s almost Wednesday… sound strange? Well, it’s really about being in a ‘cold’ state of mind and finding it a challenge to be motivated at work……
Black Women Can Shift the Status Quo in the Workplace
Some years ago, when I was a young commodity trader, I visited Korea for the first time. It was my first business trip and I was infatuated…
Ethics: The forgotten superpower
The real superheroes of the working world are those who uphold ethics and honesty Over the past few months, the real impact of fake news has been…