KZN Wildlife, Isibaya

The 21st Century is the century of the individual. The most successful will be those that balance their talent thriving as successful, focused, fulfilled and creative beings.

African Leadership & Personal Excellence- Reflections of a South African Generation X LeaderEZEMVELO KZN WILDLIFE, SIBAYAP Mpho Makwana14 November 2013

programme Director, Mr Justice Malala, our host Ms Nadene Venter MD of SHL SA, Mr David Leigh CEO of SHL Group, Eugene Burke, distinguished guests, maAfrika dumelang, dumelang, abuxheni, ndimatsheroni, molweni, sanibonani, goeie more, good morning. it is a priviledge to be here this morning. I have for a while now since 1999 been a student of intergenerational dynamics and how cross generational dynamics impact on the context within which we inspire people as leaders. It is Neil Howe and William Strauss in their authoritative work entitled, The Next 20 YearsHow Customer and Workforce Attitudes Will Evolve; who inspired my passion when they made the assertion that, Generations are among the most powerful forces in history. Trackingtheir march through time lends orderand even a measure of predictabilityto long-term trends As a student of scenario thinking and strategic planning this made huge sense to me.

I agree with joel barker that a leader is someone you choose to follow to a place you wouldnt go by yourself.

The biggest challenge is that for centuries western civilisation and anglo saxon values as the dominant culture of the past 150 years or so of industrialisation has been premsed on a very strong premise of binary thinking. it was as corporations became multi-nationals and as they encountered other cultures through their expartriated executives that they encountered diversity, and on the shores of the African continent they encountered the spirit of Ubuntu. A spirit that was brished aside as timid and unambitious. a number of African scholars from South Africa raised this phenomenon of African identity and Leadership at prestigious schools like Oxford and Cambridge, however, Ubuntu became somewhat understood for the first time in the 1960s when iNkosi Albert Luthuli addressed it extensively in his let my People Go address on the occasion of him being awarded the Nobel peace prize.

In 1976 it was the founders of the BMF (a collective of Silent & Baby Boomers) who brought the spirit of ubuntu in South Africas Boardrooms as a spirit of celebrating diversity that could help transform south africas corporate culture towards a path of inclusivity. I define diversity as an enabling mindset of leadership and interdependence whose foundation is to celebrate the best in all humanity, especially ensuring a synthesis of the collective similarities and different qualities of a team or collective.

in 1994, as the founding father of our democracy, from the GI generation, uMadiba, uNqolomsila, the penultimate symbol of Ubuntu in Leadership, strengthened the Ubuntu brand of African Leadership from his strong value-system of Other Person centredness and high moral authority. President Mbeki took leaf of inspiration when as Deputy President of our Republic presented his I am an African ulogy in 1995 on the occasion of the adoption of the constitution of our democratic republic. President Mbeki (a silent - born between 19251942 generation individual) born on 18 June 1942, based his Presidency on Economics, fiscal discipline and the notion of an African Renaissance, in this period, scholars like Reuel Khoza published extensively on Ubuntu and African Leadership.

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None of us are free, one of us is chained motho ke motho ka batho, umuntu ngu muntu ngabantu..

as we reflect and celebrate excellence, we need African wisdom to thrive and soar even higher

In closing, in Africa we dont have Icebergs as you are well aware, we have giants of the waters like HIPPOS, many an African traveller have mistaken the back of a HIPPO for a rock upon which to step on to cross a big river only to meet with fatal and deadly consequences, so I would hope we navigate the rough rivers well enough to not only just survive, but THRIVE3

Iceberg phenomenon

Looking at the world from a systemic point of view helps you uncover causal relationships that are often hidden from view. This worldview increases leadership effectiveness and learning. It provides a more natural sustainable way of dealing with the world. Faced with a problematic event we often look for the "part" that does not work. Systems Thinking encourages you to look at the whole not just the parts. It assists in making assumptions visible and enables you to determine the underlying influence and structure of a problem, avoiding symptom treatment. Source: CIL, Centre for Innovative Leadership

I committed to becoming a President of BUSA after a number of mutual commitments that I agreed to mutually with most of you sitting in the room today, my personal brand is now invested in BUSA, equally, the currency of that Brand is stake, so I am certain you would agree with me that you would need to grant me license to LEAD. To pursue a compelling vision for a dynamic, progressive and relevant BUSA whose members cherish it for its great value-add, strategic impact and meaningful influence. So my point of departure always will be to guard against being trapped in the ICEBERG PHENOMENON where we get trapped at engaging symptomatically at the events level; I would rather we create a robust culture of solving problems at the root cause level and changing the patterns, values, beliefs and the structures that shape the reality we experience at the above the surface events level.

The General Consensus Key driving forces/Mega Trends 20308.3 billion people on the planet (58% thereof will live in cities)BRIC[SA/SoA/Africa] are the new growth marketsGlobal primary energy will grow by 26%3.5 Trillion USD will be invested in Electricity | energy4billion plus will be without water Innovation is the new currency for global growthThe Global talent for war will be about the 2.5% top percentileSustainability and shared global responsibility global warming & climate change

Invest in meaningful strategic conversations

AssumptionsQuality of ThinkingReinforces values& Universal truthsQuality of Conversation(s)(Engagement)

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Lets reflect on an important language of the 21st CenturyDynamic Worldviews Change | Inspirit Leadership | Life-changing engagement VAKOGSource Accelerated Learning in the 21st Century

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COMMUNITY

LEADERSConstellation leadership is something which from a distance looks like one bright star, but in reality is an interplay of many stars. Courtesy of Mr Eric Mafuna, ESKOM Research on African Leadership, 2003

9THE SPIRIT OF MOKOROTLODriven by a culture of rigorous, purposeful consultative processes (the art of getting work done with others)

Local level consultation

Mid level consultation

Top level consultation

The traditional Basotho Hat (or Mokorotlo) is the national symbol of Lesotho ( a small country that is totally surrounded by South Africa)

The pyramid-like shape symbolises collective wisdom as basis to sustain the existence and well-being of the community

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world.

the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself

Therefore,all progress depends on the unreasonable man

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

Invest in meaningful strategic conversations

AssumptionsQuality of ThinkingReinforces values& Universal truthsQuality of Conversation(s)(Engagement)

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Networking = Motho ke motho ka bathoA new world of new relationship patterns

Blind faithCollectivismCommandIndividualReasoned faithElective collectivismContractpersonalnetworks

CommunalHomogeneityDynamic Worldviews Change | Inspirit Leadership | Life-changing engagement

14A shift from blind faith (or lack of faith) to reasoned trustWe will no longer be dictated to en-masse by companies.The critical filter for trust and brand/institutional acceptance are our personal networksOne of our major consultancy projects this year was to look at the changing icons of success for a financial services client, who wanted to understand the changing meaning of images used in their communications. An important insight was that icons of success have fragmented, it is more important for many people that their success be recognised by their elected group (not sure this fits here)

The Work-Life authors suggest Gen X might be called the wrong place, wrong time generation.

they are considered the smallest generation, they were hit by an economic triple whammy: college-related debt, multiple boom and bust cycles (including the 1987 stock market crash, occurring just as Gen X entered the work force), and the housing slump.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AFRICAN GENX LEADER (1961 1981)13 year oldsModel C, real beneficiaries of the first decade of democracyFew limitations almost limitless

Common Characteristics of GenXIndividualistic :- independent, resourceful and self-sufficient. In the workplace, Generation X values freedom and responsibility.Technologically Adept : - mindset reflects a shift from a manufacturing economy to a service economy. The first generation to grow up with computers, technology is woven into their lives.Flexible:- witnessed their Silent & Baby Boomer parents lose hard-earned positions. less committed to one employer and more willing to change jobs to get ahead than previous generations. They adapt well to change and are tolerant of alternative lifestyles. Generation X is ambitious and eager to learn new skills but want to accomplish things on their own terms.Value Work/Life Balance:- unlike previous generations, Generation X work to live rather than live to work. They appreciate fun in the workplace and espouse a work hard/play hard mentality.Generation X managers often incorporate humour and games into work activities.Technocrats:- Specifically in Corporate South Africa, they are more technocratic or specialists than their Silent & Babyboomer predecessorsHigh number of Graduates:- As South Africa has been transforming GenX generation has a higher number of graduates than previous generations

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AFRICAN GENX LEADER (1961 1981)

..And they want to have fun while at it

ALBERT EINSTEIN

imagination is more important than knowledge

TAKE A DEEP BREATH & REFLECT

Presentations are a powerful communication medium.

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Lets reflect on an important language of the 21st CenturyDynamic Worldviews Change | Inspirit Leadership | Life-changing engagement VAKOGSource Accelerated Learning in the 21st Century

Organisational Archetypes(Which archetype works best for you?)Dynamic Worldviews Change | Inspirit Leadership | Life-changing engagement

The 21st Century is the century of the individual. The most successful will be those that balance their talent thriving as successful, focused, fulfilled and creative beings.

African Leadership & Personal Excellence- Reflections of a South African Generation X LeaderEZEMVELO KZN WILDLIFE, SIBAYAP Mpho Makwana14 November 2013

programme Director, Mr Justice Malala, our host Ms Nadene Venter MD of SHL SA, Mr David Leigh CEO of SHL Group, Eugene Burke, distinguished guests, maAfrika dumelang, dumelang, abuxheni, ndimatsheroni, molweni, sanibonani, goeie more, good morning. it is a priviledge to be here this morning. I have for a while now since 1999 been a student of intergenerational dynamics and how cross generational dynamics impact on the context within which we inspire people as leaders. It is Neil Howe and William Strauss in their authoritative work entitled, The Next 20 YearsHow Customer and Workforce Attitudes Will Evolve; who inspired my passion when they made the assertion that, Generations are among the most powerful forces in history. Trackingtheir march through time lends orderand even a measure of predictabilityto long-term trends As a student of scenario thinking and strategic planning this made huge sense to me.

I agree with joel barker that a leader is someone you choose to follow to a place you wouldnt go by yourself.

The biggest challenge is that for centuries western civilisation and anglo saxon values as the dominant culture of the past 150 years or so of industrialisation has been premsed on a very strong premise of binary thinking. it was as corporations became multi-nationals and as they encountered other cultures through their expartriated executives that they encountered diversity, and on the shores of the African continent they encountered the spirit of Ubuntu. A spirit that was brished aside as timid and unambitious. a number of African scholars from South Africa raised this phenomenon of African identity and Leadership at prestigious schools like Oxford and Cambridge, however, Ubuntu became somewhat understood for the first time in the 1960s when iNkosi Albert Luthuli addressed it extensively in his let my People Go address on the occasion of him being awarded the Nobel peace prize.

In 1976 it was the founders of the BMF (a collective of Silent & Baby Boomers) who brought the spirit of ubuntu in South Africas Boardrooms as a spirit of celebrating diversity that could help transform south africas corporate culture towards a path of inclusivity. I define diversity as an enabling mindset of leadership and interdependence whose foundation is to celebrate the best in all humanity, especially ensuring a synthesis of the collective similarities and different qualities of a team or collective.

in 1994, as the founding father of our democracy, from the GI generation, uMadiba, uNqolomsila, the penultimate symbol of Ubuntu in Leadership, strengthened the Ubuntu brand of African Leadership from his strong value-system of Other Person centredness and high moral authority. President Mbeki took leaf of inspiration when as Deputy President of our Republic presented his I am an African ulogy in 1995 on the occasion of the adoption of the constitution of our democratic republic. President Mbeki (a silent - born between 19251942 generation individual) born on 18 June 1942, based his Presidency on Economics, fiscal discipline and the notion of an African Renaissance, in this period, scholars like Reuel Khoza published extensively on Ubuntu and African Leadership.

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