The Business Culture Podcast

In this episode, we look past the mining giants and tech startups to uncover the true South African business success story of the last decade: Checkers Sixty60. We take listeners back to the retail stagnation of the late 2010s—a time when online grocery shopping was dismissed by experts as a "logistical nightmare" and a quick way to lose money. Join us as we explore how the ShopriteX innovation team defied the "Big Four" status quo to solve the impossible math of sixty-minute delivery. We dive into the strategy that turned a tentative pilot into a multi-billion rand cultural phenomenon, rewiring how an entire nation values their time and convenience.

In this RCA Short, we unpack the power of hospitality for any business. The concept and notion of hospitality beyond an industry.

In this episode, Rob had the great fortune of chatting with Jonathan Menteath, the General Manager at the Heritage Golf Club in Mauritius. Jonno is a soft-spoken but deliberate individual who leads through the power of context and community. Throughout his career, he has found himself somewhat outside of his comfort zone which has allowed for a steep learning curve and maturity in the hospitality industry at a relatively young age. In this episode, we discuss the move from a professional playing career into management as well as what it has been like to develop roots in Mauritius as well as an exciting new project at the Heritage resort. This episode is brought to you by RCA Consulting, a leading blended learning and performance provider in Africa. For more information, please visit www.rcaconsulting.biz.

Welcome to Season 3 of the Business Culture Podcast powered by RCA. In the first episode of this season, Rob had the great pleasure of chatting with a legend of the golfing world, Mr Jeff Clause. As one of the front-running advocates for people-centricity in golf, Jeff has brought an immense amount of positive change to how the club industry delivers value to its members. We get into his journey in the industry and some of the key lessons learnt along the way. To learn more about Jeff's journey, visit his LinkedIn profile below: https://za.linkedin.com/in/jeff-clause-b225a231 Find out more about the Business Culture Podcast by visit www.rcaconsulting.biz

In this episode, I once again had the pleasure of chatting with Chris Bentley. A familiar face and voice to the golf and club industry, Chris is a futurist. Somebody who can see things before it becomes a reality in greater society. In this episode, we unpacked the importance of running a club like a business rather than a club. Chris, together with his capable team at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington, have and continue to build a business that is diversifying in revenue streams and thereby de-risking itself in the process. The Business Culture Podcast is powered by RCA Consulting and hosted by Rob Arnold.

Rob was once again joined by Monique Landman (Chief Empathy Officer) to unpack the concept of resilient leadership as well as the shaping of a robust company culture. This episode delves into some insightful psychology behind leadership in testing and uncertain times as well as what leaders can do to instil confidence and certainty back into the workforce. ---- For more information about RCA's culture development training and measurement programmes, visit www.rcaconsulting.biz.

In this episode, I got to chat with Robbie Marshall, Chairman of Golf Data. A man of humble beginnings, Robbie takes us on a fascinating journey of how Golf Data, South Africa’s most successful course design business became the force it is today as well as befriending Jack Nicklaus and others along the way. We also delve into the partnership between Golf Data and Pearl Valley. A special thanks to Damian Wrigley, General Manager of Pearl Valley at Val de Vie for setting up this interview. Background to Robbie Marshall. ROBBIE MARSHALL – CHAIRMAN (GOLF DATA) LOVE OF THE GAME Robbie Marshall’s love for golf only started after his best friend from his service in the army (Robbie Chapman) introduced him to the game, yet although he had a late start to the game Robbie went on to play 1st League Golf in Johannesburg for 15 years, and during that time Robbie had the fortune to play with the likes of Bobby Locke at Ohenimuri & Gary Player at Crown Mines courses. Robbie has also played in the Dubai Desert Classic Pro Am with the US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, and with Ernie Els at the SA Open Pro Am, as well as at the opening of the Ernie Els Design course Oubaai which Golf Data Constructed PASSION FOR GOLF COURSES Robert Douglas Marshall (“Robbie”) has been involved in the business of golf courses for more than 40 years having been the course superintendent at Ohenimuri Country Club & Crown Mines Golf Club from 1970. Robbie, together with his wife Marie then started a close corporation called Lawn Doctor in 1981, and ultimately Golf Data CC was formed in 1989. Robbie’s early education in turf management started around 1980 when he was selected to attend a turf study course of America, visiting the Texas A&M University. Although already well versed in turf management, this was Robbie’s first formal education in turf studies. A few short years later Robbie was chosen to visit the Toro equipment factory (again in the USA) and there he attended further Turf Study Courses. Early in 1995 Robbie visited Augusta National for the Masters (which was ultimately won by Ben Crenshaw) to sign an agreement to represent Jack Nicklaus & Nicklaus Design. This was the start of an enduring friendship between Jack & Robbie that continues to this day. The letter (below) sent to Robbie by Jack after one of his earlier visits to South Africa was one of many that expressed much the same sentiment, namely that Jack held Robbie in high regard for his quality of work, and as a friend. In the year 2000 Robbie visited England & Scotland with a team of certified USA Golf Course Architects in order to study and debate the architectural design principles of Links versus Parkland courses. Again in 2005 with a similar contingent of professionals in the golf course industry, Robbie played 7 British Open course venues including St Andrews Royal, St Georges Royal, Birkdale Royal, Carnoustie & Muirfield Golf Links, again with a view to understanding the game’s heritage design & design philosophy. In 2005 Robbie was invited by Jack Nicklaus to attend his final professional round at St Andrews “Old Course” where Jack & Tom Watson stopped during their initial round to greet Robbie & his wife (Marie) on the 11th tee (pictured here); Robbie & Marie also received personal invites to be the guests of the Jack Nicklaus at the Celebratory dinner marking the end of the professional career of golf’s greatest ever player (Pictured here). Robbie was named as being one of the 10 most influential people in Golf in South Africa by Compleat Golfer (one of South Africa’s top 2 premier Golf Publications) in 2007 & later that same year he was awarded Compleat Golfer’s most prestigious award, the “Lifetime Contribution to Golf Award” for his “outstanding contribution to Golf in SA”. Robbie’s good friend, the great legend Mr Jack Nicklaus himself recorded a special video tribute to Robbie for the event which was played on announcing Robbie’s award, and he ha

As much as we like to think that the personal and business world are separate - I’ve come to learn in the last 10 years that they in fact really aren’t. The fundamentals of building a relationship with another human being in the business context is not that far removed from the fundamentals in our personal world. We as individuals get so caught up in our own worlds that we don’t communicate often enough with those in our business ecosystems. I’m speaking generally of course because there are examples of individuals who do this brilliantly. For more information on RCA, visit www.rcaconsulting.biz or learn.rcaconsulting.biz.

Guest BIOGRAPHY Michael Leemhuis, M.A. Ed., CCM, CCE, PGA Master Professional Michael was born and had his initial education in South Africa. After graduating from Pretoria Boys HS, he studied at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg graduating with a teaching degree in Physical Education and History. Michael started his teaching career at the renowned King Edward VII School in South Africa where he taught PE and History. Michael’s desire for education then brought him to the United States, where he studied at UCLA for a brief time. It was this experience at UCLA that drove him to complete his Master’s degree in Sport at East Carolina University. Michael’s life-time goal of a career in sport has been realized and he is the first one to tell you that the only positions he has ever had, have been in the sports industry. His experience in sport has run through many different industries; hotel/resort management; stadium management; athlete representation; event management; sports retail and finally private club management. He is also no stranger to major sporting events, having been very involved in the hosting of a U.S. Open (Congressional C.C. 2011); a USTA Tennis event; eight PGA TOUR events and multiple ultra-distance marathon and triathlon races. His extensive leadership and sports experience has been gained in his roles as the President of the Ocean Reef Club; CEO of Congressional Country Club; President of the Club Managers Association of America in 2009; GM/Director of Golf at the PGA TOUR; General Manager, Sport and Recreation at Sun City Resort; Tournament Director of the Nedbank Million Dollar Golf Challenge and MD of Sports International. One of Mike’s career highlights was guiding Congressional Country Club to the #1 spot in the Platinum Clubs of America and into the top 100 of Platinum Clubs in the World. Education combined with certification are what Mike believes are the cornerstones of success in business and in life and to that end Mike is a Certified Club Manager (CCM) and Certified Chief Executive (CCE) through CMAA, as well as a certified PGA member through the PGA of America and the PGA of South Africa (Master Professional). In 2011 Michael was recognized as the CMAA Club Manager of the Year for his dedication and commitment to the club industry and, in 2013 he was presented The Boardroom magazine - Jim Singerling Leadership Award. As of November 2016, Michael has served as the Chairman of the PGA of America National Employment Committee, a way he feels he can give back to the golf community at large. In 2019 Mike was recognized by CMAA as one of 10 “Fellows” in their inaugural class. An avid sportsman himself, Mike has twice finished the gruelling Hawaii Ironman Triathlon, numerous other ultra-triathlons, two ultra-marathons and 40 marathons. His other passions are fishing, photography, travel, wine and reading. Michael is a native of South Africa … married to his wife Dale for 37 years and a proud father of two very athletic sons, Matthew and Joshua … he and Dale currently reside in Jupiter, FL, USA. Follow Mike Leemhuis: Facebook LinkedIn If you'd like to go deeper into the learnings from this podcast and other leadership lessons, head on over to learn.rcaconsulting.biz.

Welcome back to Season 2 of the Business Culture Podcast! A platform to learn through the power of context & story. Great to be back with you. This season is all about IMPACT. I’ll be chatting to impact-makers across industries and geographies to understand how they have made true impact on their customers, colleagues and communities. Our first guest for season 2 is Brett Graham - Director of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in South Africa. What was initially meant to be a brief temp job upon arriving in London in the year 2000, turned out to be 20 years and counting with the remarkable Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Let’s hear what it means to work within a truly purpose-led organisation. --- For more information about Laureus, visit www.laureus.com. If you'd like to find out more about the work that we at RCA are doing to cultivate world-class organisational cultures, visit www.rcaconsulting.biz.

In this episode, I got to chat with Mark Fawzy - the founder of Boxchamp, a globally successful tech solution for gyms born right here in South Africa. Mark tells his fascinating story about going from detesting academia to disrupting an industry and the tough lessons learnt along to ultimately achieving global presence. Thanks to our friends at Spaces for providing the venue for the interview.

In the final episode of 2019, Rob sat down with one of RCA's brightest young recruits, Claudia Gevers. Completing her masters in 2018, Claudia started working at RCA in January 2019 and discusses what the youth of today look for in a preferred organisation. As RCA is about to turn 10 years old, we also look back at some of the key lessons learnt from the last decade in business.