Get the basics right

If you are chilling at backline in Umdloti and you hear the name Bruno Bruniquel, you might want to paddle closer.

Not only is he a legend surfer turned longboarder, he also has a black belt in karate and is the managing director of one of the biggest HR companies in the country.

Bruniquel has always been in KZN. He went to school at Maritzburg College, studied B.Soc.Sci at UKZN and started his business, Bruniquel and Associates in 1981.

“Perfecting the basics is the company’s motto, which I got from karate. If you cannot get the basics right, you are fighting a losing battle.”

Over the past 34 years, Bruniquel has developed over 25 accredited training courses focusing primarily on labour law, leadership and employee relations.

He has worked with blue chip companies like Sasol, Eskom and Tongaat Hulett.

Throughout his career, he kept seeing the same reoccurring problems.

“People want to take shortcuts. Companies want to rush things, save time and money. They rush the basics and then things end up at the CCMA.”

It starts with discipline and leadership.

“People are managed and empowered through brave leadership and controlled by fair, consistent discipline,” said the father of four and grandfather of three. He added that control needs to be coupled with trust in employees.

“If you expect someone to be lazy or unproductive, that is what they will become.”

Handling conflict in the work place is another age old issue.

“The most important part is to find out what the source of the conflict is. In order to do so, people need to be able to tell their story without interruption and the person listening needs to listen to understand, not to respond.”

Bruniquel moved to Umdloti in 2000 to “retire” and for the good surfing.

The 69-year-old coached and managed the KZN development and junior surfing teams from 1993 to 2000.

After a back injury, he switched to a longboard and has been surfing in the Super Legend category of the KZN Longboard Association since 2007.

He has surfed in Thailand, Bali, Simeleu, Maldives, Madagascar and so the list goes on.

“One of the most exhilarating surfing experiences of my life was in Ekas Bay, Lombok, Indonesia. We had to get into this rickety boat and after a three hour trip, we got to outer Ekas. The waves were enormous, so we decided to check the inner bay instead, but it was completely flat. Back on the outside, we got into the water. Riding those waves was an incredible adrenaline rush,” he said with a youthful sparkle in his eyes.

So the next time you want to catch a wave, look out for Bruniquel and his longboard and get some advice from a man who has perfected the basics.