The Uniqueness of Leadership

This 27 October 2012, South Africans remembered one of the greatest leaders this nation has produced, Oliver Reginald (OR) Tambo, on what would have been his 95^th birthday. This great person, who walked the long journey to freedom with his friend, comrade and partner in a law firm, Nelson Mandela, was celebrated for his sacrifice and leadership. I was fortunate to also witness one of the tributes our country gave to this great person, when our Deputy President officially declared his final resting place, and that of his wife Adelaide, a national monument. It was in this moving ceremony where I also got a moment to reflect on the meaning of OR Tambo’s leadership lessons.

There have been many things written about OR Tambo especially by those who knew him personally. I would not want to be like an expert on “OR”’s leadership characteristics. What struck me the most, however, was that no one has said that OR Tambo was like this or other person. “OR” acted out his leadership in the OR Tambo way. The second notable thing for me was that “OR” displayed his leadership character over a long period. He was tested at different moments and situations in the liberation struggle, in which there must have been moments of despair, as well as those of great excitement. Those who know him had the benefit of observing his character and leadership through these various moments. They noted the consistency he displayed over these varied moments and points in history, where he had a record of service to the struggle for liberation that exceeded fifty years.

Many of us aspire to for leadership in one way or the other, in the context of whatever our life situation is. I would argue strongly that one of the drawbacks is that we try to imitate someone else, whereas the leadership challenge requires of us to show who we are and what is unique about us. It is this uniqueness that differentiates a person. Otherwise what reason would others have to either choose a person as a leader or give them leadership responsibilities? In the case of “OR”, all he did was to show who he was and allowed others to experience it so that over time many would see the value he would add. Importantly, he never rushed to grab the limelight, but his unique being enabled others to see and appreciate him. And they found it easy to entrust him with the most serious responsibilities.

In seeking to reflect our uniqueness, we also need to appreciate that it has to show itself over many different situations. It cannot be a flash in the pan-type of experience, where a single moment can become a defining one for a person’s leadership character. Whilst there may be moments of great significance, it is clear that we should seek to apply our leadership traits over many different situations and times, for us to have a full appreciation of who we are and how uniquely we reflect this. Consistency of action in practicing our craft, regardless of the career path we have chosen, is a useful lesson of the OR Tambo experience for me.

The life that “OR” led makes this very complex exercise of reflecting the Uniqueness of Leadership look very simple. It provides very useful lessons from the life of a great person.

The Fruits of a Long-Term but Flexible Approach

This week I felt inspired and could draw some career lessons from three media stories involving my former employer, the Coega Development Corporation (CDC). The CDC’s main responsibility is to develop the Coega Industrial Development Zone (CIDZ) in Port Elizabeth as an investment destination, and in the process help create employment through real economic development in one of the South Africa’s poorest provinces. The stories involved a tomato-farming project employing 200 people directly as a result of a tomato-paste manufacturing facility at the CIDZ commissioned in 2011, to which the farming project will supply tomatoes; an agreement by a Coega-based dairy, owned by local communities, employees and farmers’ co-operatives, which became operational in 2011, to set up a joint-venture with a leading food retail and services company to make cheese-products through a new manufacturing facility next to the dairy; and an incentive by the local municipality provided to a national heath and financial services group that has invested and created more than 330 jobs since 2011 in a business process outsourcing park that the CDC developed and commissioned in 2010.

A development such as the CIDZ requires careful planning, project management and a development approach that should take account of a range of possible events and changes in the global economy over many years. Conceived in the late 1990’s, I have the benefit of knowing that in the beginning of the project, investments in the sectors of the economy mentioned above (agro-processing and business services) were not the main focus. Rather, the emphasis then was on using the country’s strength in minerals and metals as a springboard for large industrial investments. Fortunately, the planning for the CIDZ had the flexibility to adapt to changes in the economy as well as the nature of demand for its location services. It also required that the initial planners and drivers have the necessary patience for the results that would only accrue in the long-term, notwithstanding many prophets of doom in the beginning. I doubt if the CDC would have been prepared for the many challenges it has faced over the years without a staff with the requisite skill and knowledge, as well as an active support network. I also doubt if the CDC could have made such progress without taking risks and venturing into the unknown. And as these initiatives come to fruition, it is very easy for us to underestimate the meaning of their foundation.  

More importantly for me, what lessons does this mean for career and personal development? It is clear that one has to always develop the necessary skills and capabilities that are adaptable, especially in a fast-changing technology-driven world. I can also surmise that the ability to think in a long-term way makes one make the kind of personal investment decisions, such as in education and training, as well as career choices that prepare one for opportunities that may arise. In the same way that the CDC remained resolute in its goal to ensure economic development, an individual has to have the courage not to be discouraged by all the negative voices around them in their quest to achieve success. Without taking risks, the rewards are likely to be mediocre at best and nil at worst. Lastly, when opportunities arise, even if they were not in one’s initial thought, an individual has to be able to grab these, having armed themselves with the necessary skills, knowledge and networks that create the foundation for a successful outcome. Some call this luck, and the wise say it happens when opportunity meets preparation.