There is a mischievous glint in Steve Booysen's eye. A breath of fresh air for banking's pin-stripe brigade, the 41-year-old chief executive of Absa replaced Nallie Bosman three months ago.
Booysen, the youngest of the banking bosses, was happy to make transformation of the former Afrikaaner bank one of his priorities.
But nobody would have guessed that he could, by entertaining the sale of a controlling stake to Barclays, almost single-handedly change the future of banking in this country for good.
What makes business exciting is the continuously changing environment, the sector changes and economy changes, the competition changes.
You need to have that ability to adapt successfully and create value for all your stakeholders.
Here I'm not only referring to shareholders. They are only one of five or six stakeholders.
I say even in tough times if you perform in that top quartile, you are doing great.
You just need to be the leader of the pack.
Big decisions.
When there are big decisions to be taken, I like to look at all angles, at the risks, and evaluate what we may be missing. I like to get my hands around the situation and find different solutions.
Obviously we are busy with a big transaction and these transactions are complex.
And sometimes you do think about them, about what the implications are?
Often because you deal with complexity there is no wrong or right, no black or white. It doesn't work like that when you are moving into uncharted territory.
But I'm comfortable with that. I'm an accountant so I'm not the type who makes decisions with a devil may care attitude.
I get up at 5am. By 5.10 I'm in the car on my way to gym. By 7:15 I'm in the office.
I read my newspapers and at 8am the day starts.
My ideal day is spent visiting customers because you get a feel for what's going on in their industries and also the problems facing them.
Often you find the things they face are very similar to the problems facing us as a bank. There are lessons to be learned out there.
I usually get home between 7pm and 7:15pm. I try to limit my evenings out to two a week.
I'm not a person who gets upset easily. I'm calm, cool and relaxed.
However, I don't like people who don't take responsibility for their jobs. I also loathe people who spend their lives networking. These are the jetsetters of the world, those who spend more time networking than working.
I'm a family man and I'm very happy with that. I am not a limelight person, I'm more a behind-the-scenes type of guy.
I believe in delivering on the bottom line to get recognition.
I must say, I've been having fun.
Often with the Barclays deal, for example, there is a remark that putting this deal together must be tough. It's exactly the opposite.
It's been an amazing opportunity and I would not want it any different.
I think it's a privilege to have this position, let me just say that frankly.
But I am also a strong team person. Individuals come and go, teams survive.
I'm a very pragmatic type. Tomorrow will look after itself.
The deal is part of personal development and if it turns out that I am replaced, so be it.
It's my destiny. Life goes on.
Opportunities are always beckoning and change is often a good thing.
The market always knows best ... so I would go with the market.
No. I first wanted to be an architect, but I battled with technical drawing. I remember getting hidings with a "big plank" and that was the end of my architectural aspirations.
Then I wanted to become a pharmacist, but science was not for me. After three weeks in standard eight I was advised by my science teacher to switch subject.
The banking side I stumbled into later, when I thought I would explore what was on the other side of the fence.
Allow people to challenge you and it will result in personal development.
It will also contribute to making a well-informed decision because it forces you to weigh alternatives. In one word - participative.
The treasure in this organisation is its staff. It's an amazing bunch of people.
They are the brand.
I enjoy communicating with staff. People must be informed. Country road shows are extremely important.
We are in the services industry. We are "a person on the street" bank. That's our strength, that's where we want to be and that's where we want to continue playing.
They must be exposed to working with money - and to things like the internet.
But in my house things are quite strict. The children are allowed only one hour at the computer a day, and as far as television is concerned they may not watch cartoons, only Animal Planet - and they are encouraged to be outside and play.
But I think you must expose them to new trends.
I have a very strong belief that a value system is extremely important and religion gives you your value system.
That's important to me. When they are teenagers and get older, they have the value systems to fall back on. Value systems give them a better chance of survival.
For me there are a few pillars in life. You have your spirituality, you have your working life, you also need a healthy lifestyle. I also believe in having fun. Striking a balance is important.
Banks need to become innovative and creative in providing financial services to the total population. What's important is that South Africans take accountability for their nation.
In 1980, when I started to study, there was only one stakeholder, the shareholder.
The answer is, very little. The power has shifted to the people, to ordinary people.
On the investment side, the model where international companies wanted to take 100 percent of a company in South Africa is no longer sustainable. It has to share with the people of the country.
That's why there is a trend - and Barclays is a very good example - where investors chose instead to take a controlling stake and not the whole firm.
Foreign companies should not be allowed to come and just suck out the profits of the country. South Africans must participate in the wealth of the country.
I do.