As 2020 gets going and Covid-19 wreaks havoc around the world, like many people, I have had time to reflect on, my recent journey, priorities and purpose. At the beginning of the year, after 20 years, I left a company I loved working for. As an authentic people-oriented leader I have transformed organizations and achieved bottom line results though developing people and nurturing their talents. This made my decision to leave a company I loved one of the most difficult steps I have taken. Bittersweet as it was, it was time for my life journey to take me in a new direction.
My most recent role as Group CEO required me to travel for two-thirds of the year. Being away from family and friends was difficult as I am a family man at heart and I was ready for some time at home. In February 2020, I started a sabbatical and “reunited” with my family. Covid-19 was already a thing, but no one foresaw the extent and impact of this pandemic on the world.
As far back as I can remember, I have always loved making things better and actively caring for people. Through my church I worked in sprawling rural settlements in South Africa to empower and uplift the community. As a catechist I have helped prepare the youth for the sacraments of the church. I am an accomplished martial arts instructor with a 4th degree black belt, training other people to excel in this discipline. As a music leader in our church I learned the importance of enhancing the talents of each individual musician in order to create true harmony out of a melody. In all of these endeavors my dedication is to uplift and improve life for others. It is clear where my true passion lies – with people.
In my role as an engineer, community leader and business leader I have been successful because I am able to motivate people into cohesive, excited and effective teams. As the Group CEO of a multinational engineering firm I was inspired to help people find their own sense of purpose and to use that to elevate the purpose, vision and values of our company. This sense of purpose touched the lives of our employees, contractors, shareholders and the communities we worked in.
I have found that there is nothing more rewarding than encouraging people to create a shared vision, work together to develop the strategy, generate excitement through effective communication and aligned values and then see the powerful results which come from engaged teams pulling together in the same direction.
I have also found that companies which excel and enjoy enduring success have empowered and well-equipped leaders who have earned respect from their employees and peers and who always put people first.
My goal now is to inspire people around me through my actions and to share the leadership lessons that I have learned and help equip the leaders of tomorrow, today.