judge me by (some of) the
companies I keep

FULL DISCLOSURE

Hi,

“Stef’s programmes have nation-building potential.”
(Past) President Thabo Mbeki
South African
Head of State
After attending one of Stef’s presentations

Here's my 'Full Disclosure'. An in-depth insight into exactly what it is that I do; what it is that qualifies me to do it; how I do it; where and for whom I've done it; and what the outcomes were.

Although this is a wordy piece, it remains true to my promise: No waffle, and no exaggeration. All 100% true and verifiable. And every claim backed up by solid client feedback.

But if this turns out to be to detailed for you, simply pop back to my 'home' page, and select the "Bottom Line" option. And if you are still in need of help even after you read this, simply go back and select the "Help" option.

You already know that I am a business effectiveness coach, and that I help companies to improve their results, through their people. You also already know that my areas of expertise are: personal effectiveness, leadership, teamwork, and workplace culture.

“In my view, Stef is one of the top five speakers in the world today.”
Ian Berry
2004 President
National Speakers
Association of Australia

And you know that I consult; facilitate; present seminars and workshops; and that I run in-house, company-wide change, improvement and culture transformation interventions.

And you know that I am a highly-rated motivational speaker.

By the time you have read the rest of this, and watched one or two of my video clips, you will know whether or not I am a fit for you. If not, I invite you to let e know what exactly it is that you are looking for - I am exceptional well connected in my industry, and I will help you to identify the right resource for your needs. No commission, and no strings attached.

If there is anything else you need, just give me a shout!

Kind regards,

Stef du Plessis

HERE'S WHY STEF DU PLESSIS IS A TRUSTED RESOURCE FOR BUSINESS LEADERS EVERYWHERE

Successful organisations get results, and out-perform the competition, because they have the basics in place: they are clear on where they are going; they see to it that their people have the capacity to get there; and, most of all, they engage and involve their people so that everyone agrees on why they are going there in the first place.

That’s exactly why leaders from around the world consider business effectiveness coach Stef du Plessis to be their trusted resource of choice when it comes to improving their results through their people. Because, over the past 20 years, he has proven – over, and over again - that it is only when you engage and grow your people on a personal level; when you show your leaders how to influence others and how to unleash the latent potential of their people; when you build teams that are grounded on truth and trust; and when you create a winning culture, that you will be able to boost your results on a measurable and sustainable basis.

And, together with his Australian-based business partner, Steve Simpson - creator of the now acclaimed Unwritten Ground Rules®, or UGRs® workplace culture-by-design concept - he is helping more and more companies everywhere to do just that: improving their bottom-line results through their people, on a lasting basis.

Stef has a solid academic foundation, a personal track record of award-winning success as an executive-level leader himself, and 20 years worth of client feedback from around the globe that says that his range of ‘Effectiveness’ programmes, and his tried-and-tested methodologies really enables companies to get better results - ranging from small family-run enterprises to corporations with a global reach; and organisations ranging from non-profit entities through to all sectors of government.

STRATEGIC FACILITATOR, CONSULTANT AND ADVISOR TO TOP EXECUTIVES AND SENIOR MANAGERS


Clients leverage Stef’s skill-set in a number of different ways. Some - mostly MD’s, CEO’s and other top-level leaders - consult with him about their people development ambitions. These same people also often engage Stef as a strategic facilitator when they need help crafting their strategy – which he then facilitates in the form of an in-house workshop, retreat, or break-away.

“Exactly a year has passed since the strategic session you facilitated for our directors. You were the catalyst who enabled our top echelon to identify the real issues facing our business. Your intervention was highly successful for both the company and us personally, and will continue to influence our strategies in the future. Thank you.”

Peter Squires: Managing Director, Ellerine Holdings Limited

Ellerines is a top 100 South African company, and the leading furniture brand in Southern Africa with some 600 outlets in six countries.

“After years of working with you, I didn’t think you could raise your game any higher. But you did, yet again. This was by far the very best strategic session I have ever attended. You stuck to my brief in every way. The session was focused and to the point – I couldn’t have wished for a better outcome.”

Gareth Taylor, (Then) Executive General Manager in charge of Barrick Gold Corporation, Africa

Barrick Gold Corporation is the global gold industry leader, with a portfolio of 26 operating mines across five continents. The Company has the gold industry’s only ‘A’ rated balance sheet, and is the world’s largest producer. Barrick shares are traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges.

Sometimes, Stef is also asked to facilitate strategic sessions throughout the organisation - in forums ranging from small-group work-sessions through to facilitated sessions for hundreds of people at a time - so as to ensure management involvement and employee engagement at all levels, while also making sure that everyone knows exactly what they are responsible for in order to deliver the desired overall results.

“Stef du Plessis delivered keynote presentations at our annual Sales Convention 2008, when he was voted as ‘best speaker’. As a result we asked him back in 2009 – something we never do – to handle a half-day mass-facilitation session for almost 300 managers. It was undoubtedly the highlight of our convention, and he was rated 4,9 out of a possible 5 by all delegates. His knowledge and the way he presents and facilitates, make him possibly the best speaker we have ever used. He is able to deliver a complex message to a large group with humour, wit, insight, understanding and high energy.”

George Steyn, Managing Director, PEP Retail Group

PEP is the biggest single brand chain store in Southern Africa, with more than 1500 outlets. PEP sells 400 million products through 220 million customer transactions every year – and sells over 60% of all blankets and all school wear sold in South Africa.


PROCESS FACILITATOR, IDEA-GENARTOR AND PROBLEM-SOLVER


Stef is also a skilled process facilitator, and frequently helps groups to deal with issues; answer questions; generate ideas; solve complex problems; and make decisions.

Facilitated work-sessions typically run from 90-minutes to a full day.

“Please accept my sincere thanks for the skilfull manner in which you facilitated our workshop. The huge amount of information that you elicited from participants, and then helped us to structure and prioritise will now enable us to broaden and diversify our services to orphans, as well as to children and youth who are in difficult circumstances and need our help.

You managed to keep us so focused! I appreciated the pace of the day and the atmosphere that you established, with lots of good humour. Varied contributions were acknowledged, and no one could ever take offence at the pleasant yet direct manner in which you handled difficult personalities - who themselves said they felt validated. It was inspiring to see the way you think on your feet, while determining the best exercises and processes to get us to where we needed to be; an admirable feat given the time constraints within which you operated. I could not help but notice that no one dragged their feet – even towards the end of a long day. This is always a sure sign of success.

To close, and on a personal note, I can’t thank you enough for your ongoing generosity towards Girls and Boys Town and the special care you have for what we do. It is good to have an objective outsider to help keep us on track.”

Ros Halkett, Chairperson, Girls & Boys Town South Africa

GBSA is A National organisation with eight registered Children's Homes that care for children whose own families cannot cope and who don't do well in foster care, and youth who face insurmountable challenges.


PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS, LEADERSHIP AND TEAMWORK: STEF AS SPEAKER, SEMINAR LEADER AND WORKSHOP PRESENTER


Stef’s clients also call on him to help them grow their people, develop their leaders, and build their teams through his integrated series of effectiveness programmes, consisting of The Effective Individual; The Effective Leader; and The Effective Team.

Some of these modules were developed under the auspices of his alma mater, the University of Johannesburg, or UJ, where he has also been a guest lecturer on their post-graduate leadership programme and where some of his work is now a prescribed project.

“Stef is certainly one of the very best in the field of self mastery and leadership development. His teachings are based on sound principles and are academically well founded. He has a deeply ingrained passion for adding value to people’s lives, which, along with his dynamic personality, contributes to a motivating and energizing effect on participants in his workshops.”

Dawie Smith, Professor of Personal and Professional Leadership, University of Johannesburg

With more than 20,000 full-time students, UJ is one of South Africa's premier educational institutions.

These interventions take place in a number of different ways – ranging from one-hour keynote presentations, to short seminars, to half-day and full-day workshops, through to multi-day break-aways and retreats, and on to long-term in-house interventions that run for anything from weeks through months and sometimes even for years. It is not unusual for clients to work with Stef for a decade or longer.

“I have called on Stef for the past decade to help us improve our results through our people. Recently, Stef again played an integral role in the development of our people at all levels. Without his help, it is unlikely that we would have managed to sustain our high levels of excellence on all fronts, during a particularly trying time in our industry.”

Dana Roets, (Then) Senior Vice President, GFL Beatrix Division

At the time, this operation employed around 12,000 people, and held industry records for production and safety.

“Stef made a major contribution in turning Planet around from a multi-million Rand per annum loss, to a profit, in less than three years. His programme kept staff morale high, and has built a motivated, enthusiastic and effective nation-wide team that understands and trusts each other.”

Christo Wiid, (Then) Chief Executive Officer, Planet

At the time Planet was a joint venture by Absa bank, First National Bank, NBS Bank, Nedcor Bank and Standard Bank.

"Stef has had a strategic alliance with us for the last 3 years. During this time he has helped us to develop the potential of top and middle management. He has also been a key player in the development of our human potential development programme for all employees. He is well accepted by all races of all ages and educational levels. He has the ability to simplify the most difficult concepts so that they are understood and taken to heart by semi-literate people, whilst he is at the same time able to connect intellectually with top management. This programme has laid the foundation for our way forward."

Gideon Malan, Managing Director, Kumnandi Food Company

South Africa’s leading Kentucky Fried Chicken Franchise Operation.


WORKPLACE CULTURE TRANSFORMATION: STEF AS SPEAKER, WORKSHOP PRESENTER AND INTERVENTION FACILITATOR


Stef also facilitates Effective Culture interventions that help organisations to get better results through understanding and managing their culture.

“UGRs® initiated a corporate “Road to Damascus” experience for Gold Fields, creating the foundation for our future sustainable success.”

Ian Cockerill, (Then) President, Gold Fields Limited

GFL is a global precious metals mining company, and is one of the world’s biggest gold producers, with operations throughout Africa, Australia, and South America. GFL is listed on the Johannesburg and New York Stock Exchanges

He undertakes these programmes together with his business partner, Steve Simpson, creator of the acclaimed Unwritten Ground Rules®, or UGRs® culture-by-design concept. The UGRs® concept has been the topic of world-first research at the both the University of Western Australia, and he Curtin University of Technology, and has been developed to now include a range of tried-and-tested instruments and potent strategies that help companies to boost their culture and their bottom line.

As with the rest of the ‘Effectiveness’ range of programmes, the Effective Culture interventions run from one-hour seminars right through to long-term processes. The option also exists to accredit your own employees as in-house UGRs® Champions.

MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER


In the opinion of a large number of people who know a really good speaker when they see one, Stef is also rated as a world-class motivational and inspirational speaker.

"Stef du Plessis is an extraordinarily talented speaker. His presentation is inspiring, incisive, intelligent, and enthralling... and I have never had a more enthusiastic response to a speaker from my membership, with absolutely no naysayers or second-guessers.

Stef’s presentation is truly unique, to the extent that I cannot do it justice by attempting to describe it here. The most frequent comment I heard was “I didn’t want it (the presentation) to end.”

In the company of two other extremely good speakers, both of whom I highly recommend as well, the stand-out performer among the three, the one who drew the most notice, was Mr. du Plessis. Suffice to say that I would invite him back in an instant."

Gary Witt, Executive Vice-President, Colorado Telecommunications Association, USA

Stef has delivered more than 2,500 paid engagements, including hundreds of presentations for many of the world’s top companies in almost two-dozen countries – and of course he has also spoken at association meetings and industry conventions everywhere - like at both the Asian HR Directors Convention, and the European HR Directors Convention.

"Stef... you are a Prince among speakers!

Your keynote address at our RCMA World Conference enthralled attendees, and was acclaimed by one and all.

From the many comments, letters, and phone calls, it was clear that you were not only rated as the top speaker at our annual event, but your sterling presentation was in fact ranked among the highest of our entire 37 year history.”

DeWayne S. Woodring, Chief Executive Officer, Religious Conference Management Association

RCMA has more than 3,000 members, representing nearly 1,000 denominations and religious organizations. It’s members are responsible for planning 14,000 conventions, meetings, assemblies, retreats and cruises every year, attracting more than 11 million participants annually.

He has also been invited to speak on a number of the platforms and stages most envied by professional speakers worldwide: to audiences of up to 10,000 people, and translated simultaneously in to 18 languages – including at the Million Dollar Round Table, which is perhaps the most prestigious speaker-stage in the world. Twice.

“Stef du Plessis is one of the best speakers I have ever heard.”

Richard Sullenger, 2003 President, Million Dollar Round Table

The MDRT is the world’s premier association for financial professionals with some 28,000 members from 70 nations. The MDRT annual convention is arguably the world’s most coveted platform for professional speakers. Stef has spoken at the MDRT twice.

But perhaps the greatest affirmation of Stef’s standing as a speaker is the fact that he has earned the respect of his peers. At home, in South Africa, this is borne out by the fact that the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa has named its most coveted award, which is bestowed on only one speaker annually, as the ‘Stef du Plessis Founders Award’.

Further afield, Stef’s standing in the global speaking community is probably best demonstrated by the fact that he is one of the most in-demand speakers at the annual events of the various professional speaker associations around the world. Besides the many workshops and break-out sessions which he has been invited to present at speaker association meetings and conventions around the world, he is one of only a very small group of professional speakers - definitely numbering fewer than 8 - who has delivered keynote presentations at the NSAA in Australia, PSASA in South Africa, and the PSA in the UK. And he is on the programme as a keynote speaker for the NSA in the USA in 2010.

But the pinnacle of peer-recognition has to be the fact that when the Global Speakers Association (the global umbrella-body for the various national speaker associations) held the inaugural Global Speakers Summit, or GSS, convention in Singapore in 2005, Stef was one of about 10 speakers selected to deliver a keynote presentation - from a global membership of some 4,500 professional speakers. Being invited back to present at the second-ever GSS, held in Dubai, was a rare honour indeed. But the fact that Stef was invited back an unprecedented third time to again deliver a keynote speech at the third GSS in Cape Town, bears testament to the fact that his peers regard him as one of the very finest in the business.


Stef consults, speaks and trains on the following:

  • The Effective Individual – Excellence in everyday living
  • The Effective Leader – Authentic influence
  • The Effective Team – Ownership through truth and trust
  • Effective Culture – Culture-by-design through Unwritten Ground Rules®
  • Effective Strategy – turning ideas into results
  • All above supported by online resources to ensure implementation and sustainability

Stef’s Program Formats:

  • Keynote presentations: 45-90 minutes
  • Workshops: 2-hours; half-day; full-day; multi-day
  • Retreats and break-aways: 1-3 days
  • In-house programs: 1-day to 1-year


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