A weekly note from Yusuf Bodiat — part reflection, part strategy —
always grounded in real-world experience.
The Perspective offers a quiet moment to think differently about leadership, finance, and the choices that shape long-term impact.
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- The Cost of Being Good At SomethingEdition 38 | 09 June 2026 Welcome to The Perspective. Each week, a few reflections on work, leadership, and clarity. Not to add to the noise, but to slow things down just enough to think properly. Some practical, some more reflective, all chosen with the same intent: to navigate complexity with a steadier hand. This week's note picks up on something I admitted on LinkedIn: that the work that looks easiest from the outside is often the most expensive on the inside. The Cost of Being Good At...Read More
- Special Edition: If South Africa Were a CompanySpecial Edition | 05 June 2026 A break from the usual Tuesday rhythm for a special edition. I recently sat down with Caoilfhionn van der Walt for the first episode of Regan Van Roy's new podcast, Africa Bytes, a 40-minute conversation built around my book, The Bottom Line: A CFO's Blueprint for South Africa's Turnaround. The invitation came through a relationship rather than a pitch. Caoilfhionn and I met earlier this year, around the time of the 2026 Budget. She had read the book, and that's...Read More
- Almost Forty, and Finally ReadingEdition 37 | 02 June 2026 Welcome to The Perspective. Each week, a few reflections on work, leadership, and clarity. Not to add to the noise, but to slow things down just enough to think properly. Some practical, some more reflective, all chosen with the same intent: to navigate complexity with a steadier hand. This week's note starts with a small confession, and ends somewhere I didn't expect. Almost Forty, and Finally Reading A confession: for most of my adult life, I didn't read books. I'm...Read More
- When the Build-Up Becomes the ProductEdition 36 | 26 May 2026 Welcome to The Perspective. Each week I share a few reflections on work, leadership, and clarity. Not to add more noise, but to slow things down just enough to think properly. Some ideas are practical, others more reflective, but all are chosen with the same intent: to help us navigate complexity with a steadier hand. This week's note builds from something small I noticed while watching an event I had no real interest in, and what it revealed about how our attention...Read More
- The Asset That Stays Off the BooksEdition 35 | 19 May 2026 Welcome to The Perspective. Each week I share a few reflections on work, leadership, and clarity. Not to add more noise, but to slow things down just enough to think properly. Some ideas are practical, others more reflective, but all are chosen with the same intent: to help us navigate complexity with a steadier hand. This week's note builds from a session at CFO Day last week, and the LinkedIn reflection that followed. Some ideas benefit from sitting with them a...Read More
- The Runway That Was Never Really ThereEdition 34 | 12 May 2026 Welcome to The Perspective. Each week I share a few reflections on work, leadership, and clarity. Not to add more noise, but to slow things down just enough to think properly. Some ideas are practical, others more reflective, but all are chosen with the same intent: to help us navigate complexity with a steadier hand. This week's note picks up a thread from a LinkedIn post last week and takes it a step further. Some ideas benefit from sitting with them a little longer...Read More
- The Quiet Erosion of a HolidayEdition 33 | 05 May 2026 Welcome to The Perspective. Each week I share a few reflections on work, leadership, and clarity. Not to add more noise, but to slow things down just enough to think properly. Some ideas are practical, others more reflective, but all are chosen with the same intent: to help us navigate complexity with a steadier hand. This week's note centres on something I caught myself doing over the past week: treating two of our most significant public holidays as long weekends,...Read More
- What External Audit Is Actually There To DoEdition 32 | 28 April 2026 Welcome to The Perspective. Each week I share a few reflections on work, leadership, and clarity. Not to add more noise, but to slow things down just enough to think properly. Some ideas are practical, others more reflective, but all are chosen with the same intent: to help us navigate complexity with a steadier hand. This week’s note centres on something that is often misunderstood, not because it is complex, but because we tend to expect it to be something more...Read More
- When National Pride Becomes PremiumEdition 31 | 21 April 2026 Welcome to The Perspective. Each week I share a few reflections on work, leadership, and clarity, not to add more noise, but to slow things down just enough to think properly. Some ideas are practical, others more reflective, but all are chosen with the same intent: to help us navigate complexity with a steadier hand. This week’s note centres on something that feels familiar, but uncomfortable when you look at it more closely: how shared experiences slowly become...Read More
- The Power of Removing FrictionEdition 30 | 14 April 2026 Welcome to The Perspective. Each week I share a few reflections on work, leadership, and clarity, not to add more noise, but to slow things down just enough to think properly. Some ideas are practical, others more reflective, but all are chosen with the same intent: to help us navigate complexity with a steadier hand. This week’s note centres on something we don’t always notice, how the best systems quietly remove friction, often without us even realising it. The...Read More
