Bruce MacLaren

Bruce Maclaren is a 30 year veteran of the IT industry, with international experience gained from a success-filled 22 years served with a household name multinational corporation. Some 25 years of extensive sales and senior management experience, along with three Board appointments, make him well versed in talking expertly around two of his passions: superb customer service and a win/win approach results in increased business success rates; and the essential characteristics and personal balance we need to thrive in today’s hectic life we lead. Bruce Maclaren’s varied and diverse work experiences, mainly gathered in the and ultra-competitive Financial Services industry, span all types of organizations, from entrepreneurial to the largest multinationals. This experience, coupled with years of dealing at CEO/CIO and Board level, qualifies Bruce to talk with practical knowledge on his two favorite comparative themes:

• The parallels between excellence on the sports field and success in the market-place, and the personal values and attributes needed to survive and thrive in this quest
• And the parallels between survival, success and longevity in the harsh African bush and how these relate to the competitive world we live in today. The personal values and attributes outlined in his talk above are also reflected in this topic.

Bruce Maclaren is well versed to talk on the above two topics, having represented two countries in his youth as a successful international sportsman, played semi-professional sport, and in addition has over 20 years of extensive African bush and wildlife experiences in Southern Africa.
A cancer survivor, his engaging personality, fresh approach and ‘from the heart’ presentation style have won him excellent reviews from audiences ranging from 1,200 people to more intimate groups of 25 people. He has addressed some of the largest corporations in Southern Africa, and is in high demand within the schooling system for his compelling message to school-leavers. His versatility and ability to think on his feet have appealed to the most discerning of companies in getting their tailored messages across to selected audiences.
A dedicated family man and self-confessed sports fanatic, Bruce talks passionately of the need for balance in one’s life in trying to cope with the spiraling demands of the global village we live in today, and how life altering events can shape and dramatically influence one’s behavior.

Talks by Bruce

The Circle of Life
Winning in today's highly competitive and global economy has never been more demanding. There is no respite, no easy prey, no pushovers; whether it is in the harshness of the African bush, the demanding world of the electronic business age or indeed at home with the family!
This talk looks at an African lion pride in totality and its survival strategies, characteristics and operating environment, and how they use their abilities and learning’s to survive and thrive in that harshest of environments: the African bush!
The "Circle of Life" talk investigates life in a lion pride: starting from the intense and harsh learning cycle the lion cub goes through (equated to the DEPENDANT stage we all experience in our human lives); graduating to become an INDEPENDENT like the maturing male lion; and eventually participating in the TEAMWORK or INTER-DEPENDENT phase that is so crucial to the success of lionesses hunting in a pride. Parallels are then drawn to the learning world we live and operate in. These key comparisons are backed up by stunning video footage of lions to underline the talk’s subject line, and how important it is to understand how that circle of Dependence ---> Independence ---> Inter-Dependence all links up in the journey of our personal and business lives.
The summary is made of the comparison on the attributes and characteristics of the lion pride to success in today's harsh business climate, where second is just not good enough, and there are no comments columns in the score card – just the result!  
The challenge between individual heroism versus teamwork is addressed, and what will survive and thrive going forward. An excellent blend of personal characteristics and values is included, and a look at how hard it is to achieve this all-important balance between personal and professional achievement. It includes some fascinating insights of the lions at work and at play, and summarizes the behavior and values we need to adopt to be successful at home or at work.  The message is simple but powerful: there are no short cuts to success, and one must be in prime condition at all times!
The Customer is King
In today’s ultra-competitive and sophisticated world, the importance of great customer service/care assumes an ever-increasing need for attention to preserving, and growing, one’s customer base. The old adage of “It is easier to grow a current customer than to acquire a new one” has never been truer. Many factors and market moves have brought this into prominence:
   

• A market shift from limited choice to an abundance of choice
• A marked improvement in customer literacy and awareness
• A move from expensive pricing to commodity pricing
• Rapid power shifts from suppliers to customer power (the cheque book!)
• A worldwide move from geographic boundaries to a global village (the impact of technology and the Internet), etc

However, some behaviors and characteristics have also never been truer, and have withstood and endured these market forces. They remain the basics that every service oriented organization needs to have inculcated into its very fabric to prosper, even in the most demanding of market conditions. They remain as true today as ever:

• Great service and good products provide a barrier to entry
• Teamwork and clarity of role (who does what for the customer) are vital
• Empathy, being a better listener than talker, are key personal attributes
• There is no substitute for intimate knowledge of your market place/company offerings/customer needs/competitive position and strategies
• To achieve above average, find out what customers truly want/need
• Good preparation separates achievers from the pack

This talk covers the above points in detail, and provides a framework of reference for outstanding Customer Care and Customer Service by looking at the following topics:

•  A view of the current marketplace we operate in today
•  Key Attributes required to have a great customer relationship
• Critical Success Factors for Customer Care
• How to get a Win/Win approach (Happy Customer, Happy Company)
• Personal tips from a lifetime of Customer Focus
• Some hard learned Customer philosophies

Bruce Maclaren is well qualified to deliver a compelling message on this subject. He has over 30 years experience in the ultra-competitive financial services industry, an enviable sales track record with ever-increasing annual targets, 3 Board appointments at Group Sales Director level, has completed an international assignment to provide a wider perspective than just South African, served some 22 years with a household name multinational corporation, and has experience on both the supplier and the customer side of the desk.

As the oft challenged sports axiom states: “There is no substitute for experience”. His insight and special brand of message delivery make him a must-have if you are in the forefront of great customer service, customer retention or customer acquisition. Having been an international sportsman in his youth, and having survived a cancer situation, Bruce is well placed to talk practically of what needs to be done, and the importance of having a balanced approach in our never-ending quest for success.  
The e-Factor: Lessons from Sport
Winning in today's highly competitive and global economy has never been more demanding. There are no let ups, no easy games, no pushovers; whether it is on the world's leading sports venues or in the demanding world of the electronic business age, or indeed at home with the family!
This talk looks at the parallels that exist between success and perseverance on a sports field, and the winning requisites in the corporate business world. It draws on examples of winners, both individuals and teams, in the sports environment, and the sacrifices they made to get to be the "the best in their field".
It compares these attributes to the requisites for success in today's harsh business climate, where second is just not good enough, and no one remembers the also-rans anyway! An excellent blend of personal characteristics and values is included, and how hard it is to achieve this all-important balance between personal and professional achievement. 
The challenge between individual heroism versus teamwork is addressed, and what will survive and thrive going forward. The talk includes references to sporting greats and teams like Martina Navratilova, Gary Player, Mark Spitz, Goran Ivanisevich, Michael Jordan, Ernie Els, Tiger Woods, the winning SA Rugby World Cup side of 1995 and the European Ryder Cup victorious golf team of 2002 and summarizes what it takes to get to perfection by closing with an inspirational look at Tiger Woods and the effect he will have on up and coming generations of golfers. The message is simple but powerful - there are no short cuts to success!
                                     Survival of the Fittest
Winning in today's highly competitive and global economy has never been more demanding. There is no respite, no easy prey, no pushovers; whether it is in the harshness of the African bush, the demanding world of the electronic business age or indeed at home with the family!
This talk looks at five well-known African animals and their survival strategies, characteristics and the environment they operate in, and how they use their abilities and surroundings to survive and thrive in that harshest of environments: the African bush!

The cut-throat world of the African Lion pride; the stealth and success rate of the African Leopard; the size, majesty and vulnerability of the African Elephant; the efficiency and incredible teamwork of the Spotted Hyena, and the cunning and opportunism of the Jackal are analyzed in this compelling talk. It compares the attributes and characteristics of the above “Five” to success in today's harsh business climate, where second is just not good enough, and no one remembers the also-rans anyway!

The challenge between individual heroism versus teamwork is addressed, and what will survive and thrive going forward. An excellent blend of personal characteristics and values is included, and a look at how hard it is to achieve this all-important balance between personal and professional achievement. It includes fascinating footage on the animals in action and summarizes the behavior and values we need to adopt to be successful at home or at work.
The message is simple but powerful -there are no short cuts to success, and one must be in prime condition at all times!