Is failure an ingredient for success? Our initial response might be no way, but there is a big difference between perception and reality. When we think about what it takes to be successful, things like dedication, purpose, passion, and action come to mind. Rarely does anyone think of failure as being a key component of success. The reality however is that all successful people have failed...several times. In fact, we've all failed somewhere along the way. What you then find is the paradigm of perception or reality.

Managing the right balance of perception and /or reality for your brand means knowing when to communicate and when to take action. But most importantly, it means first understanding the performance issues that matter to the people who matter to you. Getting a handle on the opportunities for improvement in linking performance and brand strategy takes a clear understanding of the gap between what's actually happening and what the public believes is happening. On one side is perception and brand image; on the other, operational reality. In the last 12 months I have come to realize this profound truth. In times of crisis, your reputation is the easiest thing to lose and the hardest thing to replace. And how do you replace those reputations? By bringing reality to the fold through performance."You will always define events in a manner which will validate your agreement with reality." -- Steve Maraboli, (Life, the Truth, and Being Free ). Our event this year is declaring a positive bottom line- declaring our reality to those that matter to us.

Best, Shingi

As I write this, I am reflecting on the mounting global economic concerns in the recent days. Of note are the United States of America's credit rating being downgraded and the debt crisis being faced by Italy. These occurrences are cyclical and typical of economies and businesses worldwide. Closer to home, I recently communicated our decision to exit out of the South African operations. While it was a tough decision that the board and management had to make, it is a normal turn of events for any hospitality company that hotels will be opened and hotels will be closed, but I am happy to say that the decision was in the best interest for African Sun.

As we operate hotels we must look at the hotel's full cycle and its ability to give us our targeted return over the period we are operating it. If we find that the company is funding the operations, particularly in a lease arrangement over a protracted period as in the instance of the two hotels in South Africa then a decision is made to exit out of the arrangement.

It is therefore important never to depend on one market for profitability and viability because of the nature of our business which is very fickle to political and economic trends. You will see that this is the case with all major hotel groups in the world and also here in Zimbabwe in that that they have presence in more than one geographical region. In that aspect we continue to seek presence in mega and growth cities in sub-Saharan Africa as our strategy and business model demands and we are set to open another 231 rooms before the end of the year. We have since opened the Best Western Homeville in Benin City in Nigeria. The next opening is Holiday Inn, Gaborone which is due to open by November in Botswana. We also have a 201-room Amber Express Hotel in Accra, Ghana under construction which is scheduled to open in the next 24 months.

Tourism contribution to worldwide GDP continues to soar. An assessment of the industry over the past six decades supports this fact clearly and shows that tourism continues to experience growth in numbers, new destinations, new experiences and new products, effectively making it one of the largest and fastest growing economic sectors globally. This sector may be disrupted by natural disasters, political disturbances, and instead of being depressed, it has remained resilient, in fact it has shown steady growth! According to the UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2011 edition, "international tourist arrivals have shown virtually uninterrupted growth from 25 million in 1950, to 277 million in 1980, to 435 million in 1990, to 675 million in 2000 and the current 940 million". This phenomenon has not been limited to the traditional tourist destinations, but has been particularly fast in the emerging regions as evidenced by the growth of 31% in 1990 to 47% in 2010. This is a pleasing trend and we in Zimbabwe are also benefitting from this trajectory. UNWTO projects growth increase in international arrivals of 4% - 5% in 2011. As we approach our peak season in our resort properties, the numbers demonstrate this trend, and I am confident that they will continue to grow. Our only challenge, especially in our premier destination of Victoria Falls, is to ensure that accessibility and increased air excess can accommodate the ever increasing arrivals.

The world is full of leaders, but the mark of good leadership is defined by the capacity of the leader to see beyond their limitations and strengths. This knowledge defines the playing field for those aspiring to such positions and opens the space for others to participate. An ideal scenario for leadership should be one which is balanced without losing the cutting edge. It must have absolute parameters and these must be defined in a gracious way. This type of platform for leadership is needed in our current market from both a business and country perspective and it is imperative that principles be well articulated for this role and must emanate from a shared value system. Problems occur where there is a divergent value proposition with too much focus on the leader's vision and not his/her values. While much emphasis is placed on visions by most existing or aspiring leaders, the best starting point is the values on which the vision is based. This will invariably resonate with the various constituents that one wishes to lead and thus making the task easier. As I travel across Africa and engage in many different transactions, whether it is meeting potential partners, business people, or government leaders and their representatives, I am finding that the value proposition is critical for good leadership. Visions are easy to come up with and yet it is not so easy for most to outline their values. I once conducted an exercise with my executive team where each one of us had to come up with their values in their personal capacity and how it guides their lives. The exercise was met with some groans, but at the end of it was worthwhile. It gave me a better insight into my team and has informed me of their values. It allows me to know my boundaries regarding their values and that guides what I can or cannot ask them to do which would affront them. We then took this a step further and plotted their values against the company's values! This has resulted in a unified team which understands one another better and works cohesively to achieve our vision! I challenge you to do the same. Would certainly be interesting to hear your results! Best,

Shingi