Leave or Remain? Lessons to take away from BREXIT
This year has been a huge year, politically. From the UK voting to leave the European Union to the US elections, we are in for a year on continued market volatility as a result. Through all the apparent doom and gloom, there are always lessons to learn! In this case, an interesting dynamic is emerging and all women must take note! Women are increasingly taking on dynamic political positions. As a politics student and resident of the UK, the Brexit week had me really in my feelings. The only positive thing I could take away from it was a better understanding of female leadership and the role we can play. What better way to look into this than to call out the top 4 women in the Saga? Let’s take a look at them closely, shall we! Ladies, a round of applause for Angela Merkel, Andrea Leadsom, Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May. These women all have preference for short hair in common. (Sidebar- why do most women in politics have short hair??) Angela Merkel – She ain’t sorry ‘Madame-Non’ as she is known in France for her steely resolve and firm approach to politics, Angela Merkel is a woman who embodies the small but mighty leadership style. She is the Chancellor of Germany and the leader of the European Union in terms of GDP. Madame Merkel has been under a lot of scrutiny for her approach to Syrian migrants and her pro-EU stance and policies. Ladies, we can learn a lot from her. Through the Brexit debacle, Madame Merkel has said the same thing consistently: no entry into the single market if you will not uphold free movement of people. Her no is no and her yes, yes and she ain’t sorry! In other words, she is a principled woman who upholds the values she believes in without deviating from them. She is said to defend the four freedoms of the EU fiercely. She is also willing to allow the UK time to find its feet before making any drastic decisions. As a leader, Merkel shows us that you need to know what you stand for and defend it. Andrea Leadsom – Know when to fold Ms. Leadsom’s rise to the post-Brexit stage was incredibly unassuming. She emerged as the other top Brexiteers seemed to collapse. Gaining fame in her pro-Brexit role and making convincing speeches during the campaign, she seemed a natural choice for Prime Minister. Especially when both Boris Johnson and Michael Gove were engaged in a modern Shakespeare tragedy. It was almost as if she was the last (wo)man standing. She stood well for a couple of days but as time passed, she found herself putting her foot in her mouth a couple of times. Ms. Leadsom finally decided to graciously bow out of the race. Allowing someone with more experience take the role even when they were on opposite sides of the vote. In life and leadership, it is just as important to know when you cannot perform a role as it is to know when you absolutely can. Leadsom was smart, she understood very quickly that she was not equipped to shepherd the UK through a very difficult reality. And that if she could get overwhelmed by a simple scandal, there was no way she could live peacefully at No. 10, so she stepped down. Are you fighting for a position you are not certain you can handle? Perhaps you need to re-think this. You need to understand that leadership is just as much about stepping down as it is about stepping up. Nicola Sturgeon – Don’t just roll over Nicola Sturgeon became a headliner through the Brexit saga. She proactively denounced the results of the referendum and quickly went about the business of securing Scotland’s interests. Some of you may remember that there was a Scottish referendum in 2014, where Scotland voted to remain in the UK. The main reason they did so was to remain in the EU. UK politicians had threatened that Scotland could not hack the big EU outside of the safe UK. Well friends, two years later, Scotland has been dragged out and Nicola Sturgeon is doing everything in her power to ensure her people still have a voice. She proactively met with EU leaders post the vote. She gave an incredible speech encouraging her people that she would indeed lead in their interests. Ms. Sturgeon emerged a total bombass: proactive, clear and firmly defending her people. Sometimes leadership is about proactively having the difficult conversations. It’s about taking advantage of the moment to voice your concerns for your people! Theresa May – The patient dog indeed gets the biggest bone Of all the ladies discussed above, Madame Prime Minister Theresa May won BIG through the Brexit Saga. She emerged as the only stable choice for Prime Minister as it became clear that all other options were like ticking time bombs. Mrs. May remained very low-key throughout the Brexit campaign. A solid remainer, she was wise enough to hedge her bets and go underground. She remained largely silent until the cards started to crumble and she emerged as a dark horse. Mrs. May is very direct and straight talking and has established herself as an outsider to the rich boys club in the conservative party. Of all the politicians who were so vocal in the campaign, she remains sturdy and silent and this approach paid off heavily. She ended up being viewed as a steady pair of hands who could rationally lead the UK out of the EU. She definitely practiced waiting her turn and when the time was right, stepped up loud and clear. Leadership is sometimes about timing and Theresa May understands this very well. So there you have it Motherland Moguls, four examples to learn from. A time of crisis will show you who you really are. So much more than a time of calm ever will. How would you handle it?
Change: What businesses need to remain relevant
The story is told of the CEO who calls his CFO to authorise the travel and associated costs of an expensive training programme for some core members of his team. Aghast at the high cost for the programme, the CFO remarks, “We are spending all this money to train them. What if they leave our company even after we have spent all this money?” The CEO was calm and responded, “Ah, but what if we don’t train them and they stay?” Adaptive thinking, compelling yet versatile leadership, and the notion of a learning organisation are all concepts that are becoming critical in operating and growing a business. A business is an entity that provides a particular solution to the needs of a category of people within a society. How a business chooses to provide that solution can be what distinguishes and especially, profits the business. From the expertise and competencies of your team, to the detail of service delivery, to the form and content of leadership of a business. These should be adaptive. You need to be dynamic Businesses must be adaptive because societies are dynamic. The people that form societies, that is your clients, evolve. Thinking, wants and needs all adapt and as all of these adapt, businesses need to also adapt. Businesses need to make themselves relevant to the needs of that society. The what, why and how of your business needs to be constantly examined because of this dynamism. The biggest challenge is that whilst most businesses believe they understand this, they often fail to practice and actualise it. This is not surprising. Change is difficult and yet change is needed. To change what, how and why your business does what it does is first of all a lesson in humility. Secondly, it is a tremendous exercise in self-examination, and third it will mean an uncertain transition period. I think this is why there is so much resistance to change, it requires all of us to do things in ways that we are not familiar with. And we all know that unfamiliar territories are as daunting as they are risky. But nothing that will grow will do so without a transition period. Metamorphoses: the constant cycle of change Maybe what we need to do as businesses in seeking to apply change, is to simply view change as a growth path. Without change we run the risk of not growing. Even when we change and do not grow, it’s still important to try. We are more likely to grow if we do change because the status-quo is not giving us the result that we want. The problems of today are caused by the solutions of yesterday. And what many businesses continue to do is to provide the solutions of yesterday to today’s more advanced, stickier problems. To be relevant in business, we need to be more open to change, we need to be responsive to change, and we need to actually seek and want to change. This often requires new learning. It often requires bringing in a third party to support you in identifying and then structuring the business change that you need along your value chain. It will then require instituting new work processes, new ways and means –and ultimately it will begin a process of individual and organisational learning. Create your future It is this new learning that actually has the power and the potential to exponentially grow a business. The future is not a place we are going, it is a place we are creating. When a business takes a decision to really change and be more acutely responsive to the needs of their clients and stakeholders, that business has started a process of creating a new future. You don’t create new futures by doing the same thing the same old way. You create a new future from new learning out of an observation and real understanding of what society and our clientele needs from us. This goes further by taking a decision to work with that new learning through the development of better and more responsive products and/or services, ways of working, and systems and processes. The success of that change process is implicitly linked to the core leadership and management team understanding the need for change. Your team needs to desire and buy into change. You cannot play lip-service to change and expect to grow. This speaks to the wider notion of the ability of a leader to inspire her team to see the need for change, to want change, and to execute new change processes, thinking and doing as they daily execute their tasks. This ability to inspire, to motivate, and to support your team to see the positive externalities of the change you need is what stands you out a leader. The power to take people to a place they have not yet being, and getting them excited about arriving there.
The why and how to being an inspirational leader
Let me start by telling you about Julia. After eight years of operations and more than 25 members of staff, Julia was frustrated and exasperation. She deemed that the business was just not viable and decided it was finally time to shut things down. Dwindling revenues and consistently spiraling costs were largely to blame. But it was all supposed to have been so easy. After graduating from University with a LLB, Julia decided that, having studied Law to please her parents, she could now start living her own dream. Julia got qualified and set up her own Montessori kindergarten. Soon enough through word of mouth and referrals, pupils came in. But year in and year out, pupil numbers were not growing as Julia had expected. Teachers too were not as inspired and motivated in their work as she needed them to be. Julia herself needed inspiration. Now, imagine a world where people wake up inspired to go to work. A world where your employees genuinely look forward to the start of business day. Where they look forward to interacting with their colleagues and leader daily. In this world, your employees are constantly and authentically excited about interacting with clients. They see themselves as relevant and are ready to offer premium solutions to the needs of clients with a listening ear and attentive heart. Imagine that. Wouldn’t it be really amazing? In my point of view, this would be seriously valuable. I think we should all seek to make our businesses and workplaces like that imagined one above. I am convinced that one of the ways you can do that is to lead with purpose and direction. You need to know your why of your business, live the why of your business in your operations, and inspire with the why of your business. The Why Let’s start with ‘why’. Why exactly are you in business? What is so distinctive about your business and your organization that it would potentially draw clients and employees to your door step? There are some organizations that people just fantasize working with. There are others that are the preferred service providers of many. There is a reason for this both employee and client deem these organisations to be especial service providers. They are seen as having a unique way of doing and serving. There is something distinctive about their brand and therefore their business. This isn’t something left to chance. The most sought after brands are relentless in their efforts to be responsive to client and employee needs and wants. They clearly understand why they are in business and who they are in business to serve. They are also equally obsessive about serving clientele effectively and efficiently according to their brand values, and doing so consistently and constantly. The How I wonder if Julia, the head of the school above, had thought deeply about the ‘why’ of her business. I also wonder if she had thought deeply about how she would have to operate her business to satisfy that why. Julia probably hadn’t thought deeply about what it takes to create the kind of school that she wanted. This list is lenghty, from organizational values and culture, to parent/school engagement, to away days for teachers, to school administrative policies, to continuous learning for herself and her teachers so that they become authorities in their field, to developing an executive presence for herself. In any business, there are vital peripherals which we must pay attention to. These are beyond the product and service that you sell. The decisive business leader ensures that their business operates at a place of inspired joint value for all its stakeholders. They ensure that their organization is a continuously learning, improving and responding. They ensure that their business is continually enhancing their capabilities, services and products -and inspiring and motivating staff as it does so . And that takes courage It takes courage to inspire, when you inspire you will suggest innovative ways of doing and thinking for the better. In presenting new ways of thinking and of doing, the business leader challenges the status quo. That is why leading effectively often requires courage. Most people will need tremendous inspiration to offer their best and effect an otherwise dormant potential. It will take courageous leadership to draw out that potential. It was TS Eliot who said that only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. The privilege and responsibility of business leadership is in taking calculated risks, within and in spite of your resource constraints, to see how you can more effectively serve and respond to your clients and your team’s needs. That takes courage. But courage is ineffectual without purpose and direction. This is why in business we must know our ‘why’, and gather the courage to demonstrate that why through our how.
Defining your fabulous: how to develop personal and business authority in the age of mediocrity
For a small business, it’s almost impossible to separate the CEO’s personal brand from the business brand. These become indistinguishable given that the founder is the face of the business, and most likely the primary client-facing representative too. This can have both positive and negative connotations. Personal image and branding isn’t only represented by the outward appearance of the CEO. It is also in the values and the professionalism exhibited (or not) by the CEO in running the business. Current and prospective clients will judge the credibility of your brand based on the quality of their interaction with the founder and staff. They will also be concerned with the quality and responsiveness of your product, as well as the quality and consistency of your service. For the business owner and CEO, this brings home the need to reflect on, define and articulate your personal and business values right from the outset. Understand and define what you are trying to achieve with your business and what values are aligned with those personal and business aspirations. Then, commit to living those values through how you operate your business. This delivers you your business brand. How you choose and interact with clients, how you recruit and engage with staff. How you present yourself to the world, as well as your presentation, oratory and networking skills, and personal style. Let’s look at some “how to’s”; How to define your personal and/or business values Your business is an extension of you, your personality, your values. You need to complete the exercise of identifying or defining your values. What are you trying to achieve with your business? What values are aligned with these aspirations? Most clients in one way or the other will want a product or service from a particular service provider because they feel an affinity with that brand. Whether you know it or not, clients have already judged you before they come to your business premises based on the values you are exuding. Whether they stay with you or not is dependent on how well you consistently demonstrate those values in operating your business. How to ensure that your business values are evident in how you present yourself to the world How you present yourself to the world includes your outward appearance, but also your technical skills and abilities, your oratory and your presentation skills. How you present yourself involves aligning all of this with your vocation, without limiting your unique personality. The CEO is the heart and soul of the small business –when we think of buying your good or service, we usually think of you. Therefore, your physical outward appearance must demonstrate your brand essence. In this regard here are a few prerequisites: Upgrade your presentation and oratory skills This gives immense confidence and credibility. A lot of the time CEOs are pitching their business, whether on the golf course or at a conference. You need to be able to do this authentically and authoritatively so that in 2 or 3 minutes people ‘get’ your business and are persuaded to believe that you have a good or service that will be of interest to them. Be an authority Your staff and your clients are looking to you for leadership, give them leadership. Staff and clients want and need to be schooled in how to do things. That’s why clients come when they have that tricky business challenge, and it’s why graduates will chase your company for a job once they leave university. Both clients and staff believe you are an authority in your industry. Consistently demonstrate to them that you have that authority. Nothing demonstrates this more than knowledge, insight and creativity. You need to constantly be a thought leader in your industry so that your business is future forward and ready. Business services Business values also need to be evident in the operations of your business. How you recruit and select staff, how you choose and maintain clients, how you present your business, how you and your staff dress and the code of conduct of your business. You need to be concerned about the credibility and aesthetics of your business. Branding Finally, business values need to be evident in the branding of your business. What is your business’s corporate identity? What are your corporate colours, and why? Are staff aware of the brand identity, do they use it? More importantly, do they use it as they should? Is this identity easily translated by clients? Decide today to define your fabulous. Develop your personal and business values to a level strong enough to enable you positively dictate the experience of current and prospective clients with your business, the growth of your business, and the leadership experience with your staff. Good luck!
Key steps to finding your voice
Like many girls and young women growing up in a patriarchal culture, I embodied this “less than” attitude as I grew up. While women are leaders in many regards, there is still a shadow that we live under. Women may have the education, the experience and the drive to successfully guide a team of people but still lack a well defined voice (and no, not “voice” as in Tenor and Bass). Voice in this case is an extension of the person. It’s their brand, their way of doing things, their expertise and how it is communicated. Those who show strong leadership skills have often developed this sense of voice throughout their careers. For those who haven’t, it may be time to examine it further. Determine your voice A women, we need to be familiar enough with our voices to know how we come across to peers, staff and clients. Our personal set of values is directly connected to this, what we stand for, our values, what people can learn from us. There is a need to be clear and concise about your voice, your stance and your ideas, and be sure that everything you do and say aligns with that. Look for inspiration There’s no shame in admiring the qualities of others, whether it’s a family member, a mentor, an industry leader, an iconic figure or a celebrity. Observe them closely. Have conversations with those you have access to. For those whom you don’t have access to, watch their public appearances and read their writing. Find them wherever they are, in business, politics, sports, TV and note down the characteristics that appeal to you. It is not enough to just admire someone, figure out what it is about them specifically that draws you in. Note their confidence, their ability to build relationships, their network, their charisma, their intense knowledge of a particular area. Identify what intrigues you and roll with it. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Experience matters All the important lessons learned throughout the beginning and progression of your career are a part of your professional voice. The decisions you’ve made, the wins and the losses, they help to make up who you are. One of the common mistakes women make is we feel that because we have a seat at the table and we say something, everything is good. It’s important for us to know that having a voice really means having a track record of success and accomplishments. That people want to listen to what you have to say because you’re saying something of value. So, use your voice and use it strategically. Experiment For those women leaders looking to evolve, especially those in the younger end of the workforce spectrum, it might be time for experimentation. Identify low-risk scenarios in which different approaches are feasible. For this experiment, try to make a decision with consensus, then in an authoritative tone and then one in the middle. After doing this, it will become clear what style fits you. You don’t have to do this in a high-risk client situation or in front of venture capitalists who will determine your funding future. Try making a plan with friends, getting your children to do what you need them to do, or sitting on a non-profit committee. Practice with your spouse, your friends, or your network. Just like building a business, this is a process. The earlier you are in your career, the more latitude you have to experiment. Your voice and leadership matters. When you begin to speak out for what you believe in and use your voice without apology, you not only empower yourself but all women and girls. You become a role model, and girls everywhere can begin to see themselves as leaders. You might not get it right in the first year, the first business, the first finance pitch, the first launch, or maybe even the second or third. But awareness is the first step.
How to make the most of your introversion
In a conversation with a group of people, I pointed out that I perceived a colleague to be an introvert. The look of indignation on her face said it all, she took my words as an accusation. Girl, if she had pearls on she would have clutched them! My colleague later explained that while she was comfortable being an introvert, she preferred that it wasn’t brought up in a work context. This was simply because of the assumptions that people make about introversion and how it affects leadership. As an introvert myself, this conservation got me thinking. One of the most crucial elements of being a #MotherlandMogul is knowing and being able to sell your best qualities. When we think of a list of ‘good qualities’ for leadership, introversion isn’t among that list. Let’s be real saying, “I love working in groups, and am outgoing”, doesn’t have the same ring to it as, “I’m an introvert who really excels at solo processing”. So, although I wouldn’t have the same reaction my colleague had, I wouldn’t shout, “I’m a introvert!” either. When I started this article, the title was originally going to be, “How To Make Your Introversion Work For You”. This sounds sort of like how to make a recession, or any other unpleasant thing work for you. Do you see the problem? Introversion isn’t usually pitched as a strength, rather it’s a condition you need to manage or work through. Whether you identify as an introvert, ambivert, or extravert (here is a short test to get a sense of where you lie), the key is to own it. I’ve identified 3 areas that introverts commonly complain about and have a few suggestions on how to shift perspective and leverage your strengths in each one. Speaking up Many introverts view their preference to listen rather than speak negatively. In fact, this is something that can distinguish them as good leaders. I used to be so caught up with trying to make regular contributions in meetings that I actually fought against what my brain naturally wanted to do; sit back and process. Laurie Helgoe states in her perspective shifting book, that introverts have an “internal power—the power to birth fully formed ideas, insights, and solutions”. Being able to sit back and notice things others may miss, gives you an advantage that is useful to any team. So, now you know it’s a good quality how do you convince everyone else? Please don’t just say, “I’m a listener” and bring shame upon the whole SheLeads family. When pitching this quality make sure you frame it as having a personality that allows you to be contemplative andsolution driven. Lisa Petrilli puts it like this: “[Introverts] thrive in the world of complex ideas. We are exceptional strategic thinkers and listeners and bring great insight to our work. All of these characteristics make us inspirational leaders — and inspiration is at the core of charisma.” Networking When it comes to networking, don’t be too quick to dismiss your ability to get it done effectively. The differences between how extroverts and introverts connect is summarised by the creators of the popular 16 Personalities test. “Where the extrovert’s strength is to know a little bit about a vast number of people, the introvert’s ability to quietly absorb a great deal of information about the people who they spend time with can prove even more valuable.” I have always been a firm believer in building a high quality over a large quantity network. This works well for introverts who would prefer not to engage in small talk with large groups. Plan and be strategic with the networking you want to do. Use your introversion super-powers to build strong and deep links that you can use later on. Branding Okay my introverted family, this is one area that we are going to have to make more of an effort. Don’t panic, it’s as much as you think! Personal branding is valuable, no one can argue against that. To put it plainly, it is just a way of letting as many people in on your hustle as possible. Seeing as introverts tend to enjoy solitude anyway, social media and networking sites are a perfect way to use up all that precious alone time. There’s no telling who you could meet, some of my best connections have been made over Twitter. I love what Forbes writer William Aruba said about personal branding, “Personal branding is not about being famous, it’s about being selectively famous.” Keeping this in mind, don’t feel pressured to join every single site imaginable, you can afford to be picky. Are there any qualities you feel introverts need to leverage more?
Eunice Nyala, CEO Etiquette Xllent: All leaders make a lasting impression
Being a leader and a woman for that fact, requires a lot from the feminine fabric. It goes against the grain but it is true to say that women are judged before we even speak. 80% of decisions made about a person are based on other people’s perception alone. This was what I gleamed from Eunice Nyala’s talk on developing a leadership style at SheHive Nairobi. Eunice’s entrance into the SheHive Nairobi was propitiously noticed. True to her mantra, ‘All the leaders making a lasting impression’ Eunice is a head turner with radiant skin who gracefully sashayed in heels and an African outfit ensemble on a lazy Sunday evening in Nairobi. More often than not, as women we like to create mental barriers for ourselves. We sell ourselves short and let ourselves be held captive by our own narrow thinking. We may have perfected the art of holding ourselves ransom by trying to live by societal expectations. Most times the chains that prevent us from being free are more mental than physical. We need to recognize that people are different and capitalize on our weaknesses and strengths when developing our own unique leadership style. Eunice’s advice continues; Learning… There is something new to learn every freaking minute. No one is an encyclopedia of knowledge. Stereotypes accentuate on how women tend to be chatterboxes but we have to stop talking to learn something new. Take a minute to learn something about and from your cleaner, gardener, or valet parking attendant. It’s unprecedented that the most overlooked sources are wells of inspirations. Walk, poise Are you that lady boss, whose graceful entrance to a building commands attention and respect? Do people shush or scuffle to their desks when you walk in? Rather, do you walk in and Jane the office chatter box continues with her tête-à-tête. How you walk, conduct yourself and command attention dictates the respect you get from people around you. Pay attention to women in leadership The tides are changing and more women are taking up leadership roles. It’s time we evaluated and learned how those in leadership behave. Some of First Ladies of African countries, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Queens of the world are a few women of well-thought-of demeanor. Hats off to these ladies! You’ve got to research on them, emulate them, act out and from there acknowledge what makes you stand out. Leadership is everywhere We can choose to delve into the debate on whether leaders are born or made. However that’s a topic for another day, let’s not digress. Life provides each and every woman a leadership position 24/7 /365 days a year. If you doubt it then let me preempt. A mom is a leader at home. A teacher is a leader at school; you are the leader of your siblings and at the chama (Swahili for a women’s group) you could be the voice of reason. Seize these and many other opportunities and practice leadership skills and you will easy lead people. You can have an executive presence from the onset; you don’t have to wait for an elective position to be a leader. Utilize the power of networking Networking is formal opportunity bequeathed to us. This is where we get to share our competencies with people who may give us a hand. It’s a chance to expend the power of entrepreneurial and professional circle. Lonesome girls don’t perform well in professional and corporate workplace. More importantly it’s where you could meet your next partner, client, mentor, friend, even hubby. However, things could get embarrassing when swimming in the murky waters of networking. There are four things to do in this event Be strategic about your networking event choice. Do your research and get know something about the attendees beforehand. Get to know people, what they do and better yet have their contacts. Always acknowledge the people you meet in the room. Plan your questions in advance and ask smart questions. Leave a lasting impression. If you want to be remembered, speak out for yourself and ask questions. Dress like a leader Work on your dress code. It’s one of the visuals that will be used to judge you. It’s been over emphasized and may sound cliché but be purposeful in your dressing and be conscious of what you wear. You can choose to identify an executive leader and try to borrow from their style. Lastly be authentic in your dress code and be mature in how you speak to your colleagues in order to earn their respect. There is need for etiquette in everything we do in all aspects of our lives. It’s not one size fits all. All individuals have varied needs. A parting shot from Eunice, “We admire people who have it. If you don’t have it, work on it. More importantly, work on your tone.”
How uncertainty in your business can drive success
Entrepreneurs are especially vulnerable to uncertainty. It was the late Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, who said; “nobody talks about entrepreneurship as a survival skill, but that is exactly what it is – and what nurtures creative thinking”. Entrepreneurs are not readily assured of a monthly salary. This even while saddled with monthly costs and expenditures of running a business. All such incidences can make the times uncertain and it can be tough. All times are uncertain as we all live in the moment. Today, a business can enjoy increased sales and better client engagement. Yet, that doesn’t mean that the business future we desire is certain. The price and the prize of entrepreneurship The price of entrepreneurship is uncertainty, and the prize is a vision fulfilled, success even in the midst of uncertainty. Much of the process of entrepreneurship involves tremendous risk taking. Risk that is buoyed with competency, skills, ability, networking, service excellence and then good fortune. It is often the uncertainty in those moments that fuels your drive to success. I think that is what Anita meant when she said that the survival nature of entrepreneurship fuels creativity. Uncertainty, the fuel for the drive to success It has been said that the best way to predict the future is to create it. In other words, create your own certainties. What are those things that you are certain of in your business? Could it be your expertise? Could your certainty be the adaptable leadership of your organisation? Whatever you’re sure of can enable you to better anticipate black swans. Black swans are those rare, high impact and unpredictable events that bring serious consequences. We can’t predict tough times, but we can develop the resilience to cope with them. A case study of resilience How is that resilience developed? That goes to the heart of why a business exists. It goes into how a business is operated, knowing how to look uncertainty in the eye and knowing its limits. Imagine the amount of businesses across West Africa that were affected by the Ebola crisis of two years ago. One such business was the The Radisson Blu. The Radisson Blu had just opened in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The city’s only international hotel chain, its owners must have looked forward to a surge of business. There was a scarcity of high quality international hotels in Sierra Leone, and the Radisson Blu was tipped to take advantage of the growing number of business travellers coming into Freetown –from mining companies, to UN and NGO staff, to professional services firms. Recently refurbished, the hotel was ready for business. And then Ebola happened. A major exodus of nationals and expatriates followed, as did an extreme decline in business travellers. Even nationals who might have enjoyed an evening meal or Sunday lunch with the family at Radisson Blu shied away fearing the dangers of coming in contact with bodily fluids from others. Staring uncertainty in the eye, the GM of Radisson Blu was decisive. Committed to his position as a leader, when everyone was leaving Freetown, he stayed -instilling trust, loyalty and confidence from his team as he did so. With the dip in business, Radisson Blu was forced to consider the inevitable –laying off the very staff they had invested massively in through hospitality and wellness training. Relying on the support of unions, the issues at hand were discussed with staff. Everyone agreed to remain in their positions whilst taking a salary cut. What that lead to was tremendous team spirit, motivation and increased loyalty. Then when the international public health and disease control experts started coming into Freetown to manage Ebola, many checked into the Radisson Blu. Best practice There is something to be said for strong leadership and best practice, those standards and practices that govern how an entity or a professional service is operated. Deciding to deploy those standards in the operations of your business from day one, or as early as possible, is a plus. Whilst others may think you are creating unnecessary bottlenecks for your business, best practice can stand you out in the long term. For Radisson Blu, I imagine it must have been this best practice that rendered them the first choice hotel for those health workers, international reporters and international administrators that flew into Freetown to respond to the Ebola crisis. We can’t always prevent uncertainties –otherwise they would not be called that– but we can develop our resilience and capacity to cope better with them. And we can do this through a process that I call “paying attention to the way you pay attention”.
Minding your own business: the strategic and leadership responsibility
Minding your own business is very important as a leader or CEO. Leaders of any kind have three fundamental responsibilities – crafting a vision, building followers, and championing execution. Whether you are a celebrated musician, entertainer, actor, politician or business person, you become a leader the day your vision starts to gain a following and people start paying real attention to what it is that you are doing. This is where the responsibility of leadership actually begins – in continuing to gain the wilful interest and attention of followers (clients, business partners, staff) through the art of your work and business. Even as you champion execution in original and remarkable ways. Minding your own business That process is what I call minding your own business. Minding your own business here means paying deep attention to the way that you operate, direct and lead your business. All this so that the end game can be a masterpiece. Fanciful? Not so. The most successful businesses are led by CEOs who are usually atypical in the way that they think and do. That is what gains them recognition, that is why the world begins to pay attention. These CEOs think deeply about their business service and or product. They think laterally about the potential outputs and products of their work. And they do different through their thought leadership. Many years ago I was in a two-day strategic planning workshop in Nairobi, Kenya. There we had been tasked to imagine a new future, to see who our clients would be in 5, 10 and 15 years time. We were tasked to think about how we would engage with those clients in subtle yet strong ways. We also had to complete the same exercise for our staff. What competencies, skills or disciplinary expertise would we want and need in our future staff? What would it mean for the operations and administration of our firm today? The implications for today were important because we want to create a future, not to arrive at a future that we had not made ourselves. Creating your future I remember being completely mind-boggled by the exercise. The projected requirements some members of our team were coming up with seemed improbable and fantastic. Yet they were inspiring. From renewable and clean energy consultants, to sustainable agriculture experts, to corporate responsibility consultants. These may seem obvious now, but 15 years ago it was not. Back then consulting involved business process re-engineering, financial management, human resource management and the likes. No one was really thinking of consulting in these ‘new age’ disciplines. But therein lies the responsibility of minding your own business. The amazing thing was that even though the process started slowly, some ten minutes into the exercise a new electrifying energy filled the room. As one person dared to imagine, we all started to imagine. Even as we imagined what the business might look like in years to come, we all got excited about the part that we individually would play in that new future. I think that was what really stirred the energy. Suddenly everyone’s work and contribution became meaningful. Our leader had started the process of championing execution. Imagine and create new possibilities Eight years ago in Lagos, Nigeria, my team sat in consultation to the then Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, advising him and his commissioners on their respective medium term sector strategies. We imagined a Lagos where priority was placed on adherence to the rule of law and on a culture of proactive service delivery. We imagined a Lagos exemplified by physical, artistic and cultural attractions with international appeal. A clean environment of aesthetic beauty and serenity. A Lagos where there is security of life and of property. Where was this Lagos? It was in the mind of our future. Effective business leaders set aside time to imagine and examine new possibilities, even though they may not immediately know the ‘how to’. It is the process of imagining and being committed to new possibilities that is actually the most critical part of being strategic as a leader. We don’t reject an idea just because we are not sure of ‘the how’. The best of business leaders are risk takers, doers, and the makers of things. It is time to start minding your business.
10 priceless ways to motivate your team
If you’re in charge of a team or a boss to your employees, keeping your team motivated is definitely one of your major concerns. We know this already. Add to the fact that as a young African woman, chances are your team may not view you as experienced because of your age and gender. In such situations you may need to come up with new tricks to let your team know who’s boss while keeping them motivated. 1. Know your team personally If you don’t know your team one-on-one, you need to get on it. Talk to each member of your team personally, find out what they need from you as a boss. Ask them genuine questions to know if they are happy with work and listen to what they have to say. This makes your team feel like you really care and that is hugely motivational. It is also a great way to form an interpersonal relationship with your team and encourages trust. 2. Ditch the need to micromanage Micromanagement is the root of all evil. Seriously, a true leader knows when to step back and trusts her team members enough to deliver. If you’re sure you’ve made the right hiring choices, there’s no need to hover over your staff for fear that they make huge mistakes. Micromanaging is the easiest way to frustrate and alienate your team. 3. Encourage transparency There is nothing that makes your team feel more shut out of the organisation than, “You don’t need to know about this”. Don’t be afraid to show your team who you are, as a manager and as an organisation. Transparency builds trust between you and your team. It also creates a sense of belonging by letting your team know that you are not hiding anything from them. 4. Be agreeable Another way to motivate your team is to be the agreeable manager. Let your team know they can come up to discuss problems with you. If you don’t have the answer at hand, let them know. Don’t be the boss that has everyone quaking in their shoes when she walks into the office. The scary boss that uses fear to drive results is last year. Be as courteous as needed while maintaining your professionalism. 5. Encourage your team’s growth Pay attention to the personal growth and development of each member of your team. You will need to encourage your team, offer advice when asked and allow opportunities for them to develop their skill set. Understand that if your team grows, you will get to reap the benefits as well. 6. Say yes to flexibility Flexibility here means understanding that your team is comprised of different people with different personalities. Approaching the team as a whole in rigid manner may lead to your team feeling overlooked. To encourage motivation, you will need to lead each individual member of your team according to their personalities. Know when to hold hands and when to let go. 7. Show appreciation Your team desperately wants to be appreciated. Some consider appreciation to be a greater reward than money. So, let your team know that you appreciate the work they are doing. Show gratitude, celebrate their curiosity and successes more than you berate their failures. 8. Be supportive This is an easy one. A great way to motivate your team is to be a motivator yourself. You need to be right there with your team, encouraging them and mentoring them personally along the way. If your team looks up to you for guidance, it shows you are working towards creating a motivated team along the way. 9. Ensure a healthy workplace A healthy working environment is of utmost importance. Your team spends most of their week in the office, they should enjoy the time spent. When your team enjoys being at work, you won’t have to force them to do more. 10. Respect your team As a leader, you expect your team to respect you but respect should be reciprocal. When your team knows that their leader respects and values them, they can be more productive. Follow these steps and you may be surprised by the kind of passion that grows within your team. In what ways do you motivate your team? Let us know them by leaving a comment below.