PG Tops Strategic Consulting, Cape Town (2026)

31/07/2026

This week reminded me that AI adoption is not really about introducing more tools. It is about strengthening the way people, information and decisions connect.

A Springbok team does not become world-class because one player has found a clever new move. Performance comes from shared patterns, trust, clear roles and the ability to make good decisions under pressure.

AI works the same way.

The tool may accelerate the play, but the system around it determines whether it creates value. Without the right data, governance, accountability and human judgement, even impressive technology becomes another expensive subscription sitting quietly on the company card.

A bad workman always blames his tools hey.

The better question for leaders is not, “Which AI tool should we introduce?” It is, “Which business connection do we need to strengthen?”

🤖 AI Prompt:

Act as an AI-enabled management consultant helping our organisation strengthen the connections between its people, processes, data and technology.

Ask me questions one at a time to identify:
• One recurring business problem we need to solve
• The people currently involved in solving it
• The information, systems and tools they use
• The relevant security, governance or compliance considerations
• Where AI could improve speed, quality, participation or decision-making
• Where human conversation and judgement must remain central

Once you have enough information, design a practical 30-day experiment. Include the desired outcome, responsible owner, participating team members, AI tools required, governance safeguards, weekly actions and three measurable indicators of success.

Ensure that the experiment strengthens a lasting organisational capability rather than creating dependence on a single person or AI tool.

29/07/2026

On Sunday morning, my wife and I made the strategically important decision to sleep late after a very enjoyable Cape Town “midwinter” braai.
Our boys had other plans.

By the time we properly surfaced, they had dressed themselves, found money in their savings boxes, taken their bicycles and completed their first solo trip beyond the complex gate.

They returned from the local SPAR looking enormously pleased with themselves and carrying what they considered a perfectly reasonable breakfast.

Let’s just say their interpretation of nutrition differed slightly from ours.

As a parent, I had several possible reactions available to me. Concern, pride, amusement and a short lecture on financial discipline were all competing for airtime.

What happened next gave me a useful reminder about leadership, independence and the moments when we need to step back rather than step in.

Sometimes the outcome is not quite what you would have chosen, but the capability being built is far more valuable.

Ag, algaande leer 'n mens.

I unpack the full story in tomorrow’s newsletter, along with the unexpected connection it had to the work I did with business leaders during the week.

Join the newsletter here: www.pgtops.com/newsletter

24/07/2026

During our family road trip, I discovered that it is difficult to deliver a passionate lecture about family connection while carrying a golf bag towards the first tee.

When my priority was being fully present with the boys, I needed to sit with them and watch them sandboard for hours. When my priority was work or golf, I had to accept that their version of a good time might involve a screen.

Every choice had a consequence, and the real discipline was being honest about the choice I was making.

The same principle sits behind effective business ex*****on.

The Springbok system does not simply focus on the next result. It deliberately creates depth for the matches that will matter later. Great sporting systems do not attempt to improve everything simultaneously. They identify the capabilities that determine performance, protect those capabilities, and repeatedly execute the fundamentals under pressure.

Your business needs the same clarity. A priority is not merely something important. Many things are important. A priority is the outcome receiving disproportionate attention, resources and protection during a particular period.

Dis nou waar die stoom begin opbou.

Before adding another KPI, project or weekly meeting, identify the one outcome that matters most over the next 90 days, the constraint preventing progress and the few behaviours that will move it.

🤖 AI Prompt

“I lead a [describe your business or team]. Our most important outcome for the next 90 days is [insert outcome], but we are currently pursuing these priorities: [list them]. Ask me five questions, one at a time, to identify the one or three constraints that have the greatest influence on the outcome.

Then help me select one Wildly Important Goal, define two measurable lead indicators, create a simple weekly scoreboard and identify which current initiatives should be stopped, delayed or subordinated. Challenge me when I describe too many things as priorities.”

*****on *****on

22/07/2026

Somewhere between fishing rods, foosball tables, golf courses and negotiations about screen time, I was reminded of a leadership lesson that is easy to understand and surprisingly difficult to practise.

You cannot have too many priorities.

At Umngazi, the boys knew exactly what mattered to them. They wanted to fish, play tennis, dominate the games room and disappear outside for hours. The iPads stayed locked in the car, which certainly helped. Later in the holiday, when work returned, golf entered the picture, and there were fewer easy alternatives for the children; those priorities became much harder to manage.

The problem was not that any of the choices were wrong. The problem was pretending that I could give every choice my full attention at the same time.

SMME leaders do this constantly. We call six initiatives “critical”, assign them all to the same team and then wonder why ex*****on becomes slow, meetings become longer, and everyone seems busy without moving the scoreboard.

Eish, alles kan nie eerste wees nie.

Tomorrow’s newsletter explores why focus requires honesty before it requires discipline, what leaders can learn from elite sporting systems, and how to choose the one business outcome that deserves disproportionate attention over the next 90 days.

Subscribe here: www.pgtops.com/newsletter

*****on

17/07/2026

Caren's closing thoughts for the week: writing this week's newsletter gave me the chance to pause and look back on the first half of the year, something I realised I hadn't really done.

Like many people, I started the year with a picture in my mind of how things would unfold. Some plans worked out, others changed completely, and a few unexpected moments have become the ones I'm most grateful for. It's reminded me that growth isn't always found in ticking off a list of goals.

Sometimes it's found in the experiences we never planned for at all. Life has a way of teaching us exactly what we need, even when it doesn't look the way we expected.

If you've been moving from one deadline to the next, perhaps this weekend is a good opportunity to pause and reflect before charging into the second half of the year.

🤖 AI Prompt

"Act as my reflection coach. Help me review the first six months of 2026. Ask me five questions, one at a time, about the expectations I had at the beginning of the year, what actually happened, what unexpected opportunities or blessings emerged, where I experienced the greatest personal growth, and what lessons I should carry into the second half of the year.

Once we've finished, summarise the key themes you've observed and help me identify my three highest-impact priorities for the next six months."

15/07/2026

Hi, Caren here. This week, I found myself writing something I never imagined I would.

While Pieter enjoys some well-earned time away with his family, he handed me the opportunity to write this week's Coaching Weekly. It felt like a privilege, but also one of those moments where imposter syndrome quietly taps you on the shoulder and asks, "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

As I started putting words on paper, I realised that the lesson I needed to write was also the one I needed to hear myself. So bear with me.

Sometimes we spend so much time looking ahead that we forget to pause and recognise what's already changing us.

I'll share more in tomorrow's newsletter. I hope my reflections resonate with anyone navigating a season that looks a little different from what they expected.

📩 If you're not already subscribed, you can join the Coaching Weekly community here: www.pgtops.com/newsletter

10/07/2026

The biggest breakthrough from this week's newsletter didn't happen in a boardroom.

It happened where cellphone reception disappears.

A few days on the Wild Coast meant cancelled Teams meetings, longer conversations, books that stayed open for more than five minutes, and something unexpected. The business carried on just fine. What changed wasn't productivity. It was perspective.

As founders, we spend so much energy removing every obstacle that we forget constraints often create the thinking we've been missing. We chase speed when what the business is quietly asking for is clarity. Ja nee, sometimes less signal creates better leadership.

It reminded me of the small gains philosophy behind Atomic Habits. One better decision. One clearer priority. One difficult conversation you've been postponing. Those seemingly tiny improvements compound into extraordinary outcomes over time.

🤖 AI Prompt

"I'm taking a strategic pause mid-year. Help me identify the five most important decisions I need to make about my business in the next six months. For each decision, explain why I may be avoiding it, what information I need to make it confidently, and what one conversation, analysis or experiment would provide the greatest clarity. Then show me how making progress on these five decisions would strengthen my business."

08/07/2026

It is amazing what a 5:00 a.m. road trip teaches you about leadership.

Last weekend, the coffee was ready before sunrise, the car was packed the night before, and somehow two sleepy boys made it two hours without asking for snacks or WiFi. The peaceful drive wasn't luck. It was the result of decisions made long before the pressure arrived.

It made me think about how many founders spend their days reacting instead of preparing. We keep looking for more time, when what we probably need is better preparation and more intentional space. Dis mos nou waar die regte waarde lê.

On that note, I wonder how the English coach got his players through the night with the whole of Mexico setting off fireworks outside of their hotel at 2 am to disrupt their sleep. Didn’t work, either. Give that man a Bells, I am betting he had them all sleep with noise-cancelling headphones.

Tomorrow's newsletter explores why the leaders who appear calm are rarely less busy. They've simply built the right conditions before the chaos begins.

We'll unpack what family road trips, the Wild Coast, Atomic Habits, and a little strategic breathing room have in common, and why clarity often needs space before it can catch up.

If you're feeling busy but not necessarily strategic, I think this one will resonate.

Subscribe to catch tomorrow's edition: www.pgtop.com/newsletter

*****on

06/07/2026

I've been reflecting on last week's newsletter, and one example keeps coming back to me.

Years ago, while leading a team, we spent endless time debating stricter smoking break policies because a handful of employees were abusing the system. Looking back, we were trying to redesign the whole organisation instead of addressing the small percentage that was creating the problem.

I still see businesses doing exactly the same thing today. They create new processes, more reporting and additional meetings to solve problems caused by a very small minority. Before long, the top performers are carrying the cost.

It's a lesson that's just as relevant as Bafana progresses through the World Cup. Winning teams don't change everything after every match. They make focused adjustments where they matter most.

As we head into the second half of 2026, perhaps the most valuable leadership question isn't "What else should we add?" but "What deserves less of our attention?"

Eish, that answer is often hiding in plain sight.

Here's to a week of making a few better decisions rather than many more.

*****on

03/07/2026

One thought from the past week has really stayed with me.

As our boys grow, Caroline and I keep meeting new people through schools, rugby and cricket. The surprising part is that welcoming new friendships hasn't meant losing the old ones. Our capacity simply grows. Life moves through seasons, and so do businesses.

That thought led me back to the Pareto Principle. Every leadership team says they want more data. I've joked recently that data is the new co***ne.

Everyone wants more of it. But collecting dashboards isn't the goal. The real value comes from knowing which customers, products and initiatives are genuinely creating the future of your business.

It's no different to rugby. The best coaches don't spread equal attention across every part of the game. They identify where the biggest gains will come from and invest there. Dis mos die ding.

AI Prompt:

"Act as a strategic business analyst. Help me perform an 80/20 analysis of my business using my revenue, margin, customer and product data. Identify where profit is really generated, where management time is being wasted, which legacy offerings should be retired, and recommend the three highest-impact priorities for the next 12 months. Present the results in a ranked table with an executive summary."

PG Tops Strategic Consulting

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