Article extracted from The Club magazine, volume one number seven, July 1998 entitled "Energy for Success" :

The modern business person is obliged to live and deal with stress, and other stress related health problems, as never before. Stress and health management will have a direct bearing on the performance of the individual and therefore on the business as a whole. Chirene Hughes explores methods in which the '90s executive may invest in his or her own health for a more successful future.

In truth the business and investrnent world rides on the axiom knowledge is power. The more you know about the market, the shares, the trends, the companies, the greater your success. Similarly the greater your knowledge of the subtle energies at work in your business, the greater your control and manipulation thereof, and the greater your ability to ensure your success. Energies such as interpersonal dynamics or the motivation of an individual staff member, or from education and training to information control. Energies are vast and varied, and can be changed to suit your needs, provided you know where the negative energy exists in your business, and provided you have the knowledge and skill to manipulate such energies. Feng Shui can do this.
This latest international business tool, feng shui (said fung shway) is in fact some 6000 years old. The converted - including Richard Branson of Virgin fame, and Donald Trump - maintain that if you don't have it you are at a definite disadvantage in business dealings and investment decisions. Bad feng shui, or ignorance of its principles, can cripple a business. Just look at Johannesburg's dying city centre, especially around the Carlton Tower. Feng shui experts point to the colour and shape of the building in relation to its neighbours. It has bad feng shui and as a result is not a successful centre for business.
But don't be alarrned. Feng shui is more than just a superstition or set of omens. It is a scientific method employing svmbols, deciphered by learned experts using a specific compass and other fine-tuned tools. This system may be employed to improve productivity, add to your profits and change your luck. For most things you need a little luck to compensate for all the hidden factors influencing a transaction or conference or handshake. You need a little luck, but better still is inside knowledge of how things work. And much like REF Investor's Club provides such knowledge from observation and investigation into shares and stocks and companies, so too can the tried and tested principles of feng shui be incorporated into your business to ensure similar results: wealth. Feng shui shows you the most auspicious times to conduct mergers, to buy goods, to sign contracts. It is an ancient Chinese System of manipulating energy to suit yourself, and bring you success.
How can it be explained that some businesses are dogged by bad fortune and others blessed by success? A feng shui master, someone like Victor Helberg, would not hesitate to reply that the forces of energy at work in the land and cosmos may be in harmony at one place, and in chaos at another. If the orientation of a building clashes with the contours of a road. if a front door blocks the natural flow of energy, then misfortune will naturally follow. Feng shui is a way of living harmoniously with, instead of conquering, the natural world. Feng shui is a system of correction. lt is a way of garnering energy, amd using it for your best purposes. Nothing is impossible. You don't have to sell your business, or knock down your house. Something can always be done to change your fortunes. Instead of being passive recipients of fate, with feng shui, you can actively shape it to suit you. Victor maintains that within 48 hours you will feel the difference in energy in your business, and you will immediately be getting better results than before. He likes to tell the story of Beryl Shlain, wife of cosmetics king Avroy Shlain, who called him just 24 hours after he had advised how to realign the energy at her desk. She was overjoyed at the results of the good feng shui.
Feng shui, however ancient and dusty is a successful system, and is being applied throughout the world to turn businesses around, and to keep others financially sound. Nowhere is this more evident than in Hong Kong. A power tussle between the Bank of China and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank was fought using the weapons of feng shui. The Bank of China delayed the construction of their new building until work on the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank was completed. To assert their authority over the financial transactions of Hong Kong, their building was constructed slightly taller than that of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank. Consequently the Bank of China has financial dominance over all surrounding businesses in Hong Kong.
Even in South Africa many companies have feng shui experts consulting to them. Sometimes a total restructure of the traditional corporation is required to enhance and ensure profits at the end of the day. Often a less radical approach is required - like swivelling your desk or getting a new pot plant.
Restructuring along feng shui lines is a lot less painful than you would anticipate. A large portion of Victor Helberg's work involves the realigning of energies within businesses to render them financially successful. "There is no aggression because of my style." He works in close collaboration with all in the organisation that have a direct bearing on decision making. He uses his feng shui tables, his compass, mirrors and rulers to see whether people are properly utilised: are they in the right job in the right organisation? Are they exerting the right energy at the most advantageous position in the organisation? After looking at the people he looks at the building or venue, and its location. He also investigates your corporate identity, the colours and symbols in your logo. Everything must be aligned for success and prosperity. Victor's rnotto is: "Feng shui is not a game. It's a way of life." He is so assured of feng shui that he offers a complete money back guarantee with each of his consutations.
Is it an easy transition to make, from ordinary businessman to feng shui practitioner? "Yes," Victor says, "Barring the ridicule. People think you're peculiar, if not a little weird." He admits that it sounds like hocus pocus, that it is illogical. But it works. Victor says it's sirnple, "I have been given a tool to create what I want."
Feng shui literally translates into "wind and water". It is the balance of these two elemental forces, or the yin and yang if you prefer, that creates harmony and good fortune. These forces are in everything that exists and flows. To be in harmony with good fortune this year Victor Helberg encourages his clients (which incidentally include a leading South African bank, a large Asset Management company, professional Psychologists, and many entrepreneurs) to actively and aggressively chase market share until the 28 of October. His business tip for 1998 is: Merge now! Thereafter, what has not been achieved will be lost. He maintains that 1998 is the year to make your money grow. However, businesses may suffer from stunted recognition through their failure to use auspicious energy to focus on where they are going.
ln money markets feng shui has proved an extremely successful tool. It is directly powerful, and can change the course of a company's life. It is a simple system and begins with the nuts and bolts of everyday life. For example the desk is the most important item of furniture in yonr office. lts height should correspond to the "wealth" and "prosperity" markings on the feng shui ruler, that is it should be between 81 and 84cm above the floor. Any other measurement would not be advantageous to money matters. Financial setbacks and staff disagreements would be encouraged if your desk were placed under an exposed beam, since this symbolically exerts too much pressure. Your back should always be against the wall. It shoud never face windows or doors as it implies lack of support, concentration and power.
Much of feng shui feels like common sense, which makes it easily assimilated into everyday business. However, even five years ago feng shui would have been pooh poohed. Now some of the richest men in the world run their lives on these principles. lt gives you the competitive edge, and keeps you one step head. But with this knowledge comes a price: you have to remain forever alert to make the most of your advantage.
Feng shui gives you the upper hand. You have more control over your meetings and business dealings. You are more assured of the outcome of transactions. And, like so many of today's success bringers, it relies on the strength of your attitude. If you wear that old stalwart, the power tie, with aplomb the waters will part. But grovel behind your desk . . . well, the world meets no man half way !