Emerging Leaders: Molding Young Professionals through Coaching and Mentorship

Back in 2015, during one of the afternoons, I was seated at the corner of my office table, minding my own business and trying to chew what was on my plate. At that time, I was working as the CIC Supervisor with Tanzania Breweries Ltd. I saw Martin Wolfaardt, the then Logistics Director coming towards me, and we exchanged pleasantries. He told me that he would like to take me somewhere tomorrow, so I should dress formally and not to forget my composure. I asked where will it be, Sir? He asked me to chill, and I will know when tomorrow comes. I waited for the next day so anxiously, imagining where I would be taken.

Tomorrow finally came, and at around 10 am, he held my hand and said, "let's go". We entered one of the boardrooms, and alas, the room was full of Directors, including the then Managing Director (MD). I was shocked, and Martin announced my presence, "guys, we will have this visitor today; let's accommodate him". I think he already had the meeting of minds with the MD, but his fellow Directors were puzzled and tried to smile, but their eyes looked suspicious, and you could tell a number of questions they had. To clear the air, Martin clarified that he wanted me to get the experience and feeling of how high-level meetings are conducted so that I could learn but then he whispered to me “maintain confidentiality”. I smiled.

The truth was, this weekly meeting was for the Senior Management Team. Only Directors and Senior Managers were the attendees, and they usually discuss the previous week's performance and plan for the next week. The discussion covered all aspects from Financial Status, Sales, Expenditures, and everything you can imagine at the most senior level of a brewery business.

I sat beside Martin very quite with great astonishment and learning experience – of course, I took notes to help me seek clarification later. The meeting went on, and we left the room at the end. At his desk, Martin asked me a few questions like what I had learned and why I think he did what he did. I told him and asked about some vocabularies that ?I grasped from the meeting. Words like CapEx and EBITA were all new – I had no idea what they were. I later found its Capital Expenditures?for the former and Earnings before Interest, Taxes, and Amortization for the latter. Concepts like Net revenue per Hectoliters, Cost per Case, and many others helped me understand why we produce what we produce, the scale of quantity, geographical coverage, etc., and so many more.

Martin told me he wanted me to become the next leader of the company and that I should start thinking like a leader. He saw my eagerness to learn and tried to mold me during the early days of my career. From that day, he was taking me to different high-level meetings with Managers and Directors, and sometimes even when he was attending virtual meetings, he would invite and tell me to sit aside. I started to learn a lot and very fast, and at that time, I was just a young and junior professional.

I must admit that we did great things in logistics with Martin. He gave me to drive value added initiatives that saved hundred of thousands of dollars annually, and that was exciting. ?Martin told me his prestige wasn't to achieve his targets but rather to spot, nurture and groom people for executive roles so that when he leaves the company, there could be people who match his competence and even more. He said he loved to sow the seeds of competence and make disciples who could carry his legacy. Interesting.

In 2019, we had a new MD who goes by the name Philip Redman; when Martin introduced me to Phil, he started like, "Phil meet Lello, the guy I was talking about," and I knew they had a tête-à-tête before about me. Then Phil greeted me with excitement, and we became excellent friends. Martin left the company after few months, and I thought it was all over, but Phil took the baton; he kept me very close. Phil would sit in the boardroom with me for hours, only two of us, and discuss or plan something. He would ask my views, or he will come up with a plan and ask me if it made sense or if the program would work or not. It was an amazing experience. Phil then confirmed me as a CIC Country manager the position I was just acting since 2017 and invested tremendous power to my department in supporting sales through CIC. CIC achieved great things under his leadership in selling direct to retailers through Distributors. We called ourselves “The sales drone” and he would support us by saying “Oh yeah! you are really the sales drone” with smile in his face.

In 2020 I was engaged by SBC Tanzania Limited. They were looking for a Senior Manager. After the due process and discussion, I was convinced to accept the offer, but I was worried if I would meet with leaders like Martin and Phil. I was interviewed by the General Manager, Johan Voigt, and later Commercial Director, Paul Richards, and from the discussion, I felt they could be good leaders; I accepted the offer and joined SBC.

One thing that I appreciate from Johan and Paul is their trust in young professionals like me. Their humility is unmatched. Giving full support and making sure that I do not fail. Their repeated words like "I can see you excelling in senior roles in your career" is inspiring and fulfilling at the same time. Under their leadership, a tremendous turnaround of our business has been witnessed, especially in automation.

There are too many other great corporate leaders of the same cloth; they inspire the young and mid-professionals – we look up to them. Leaders who do not frustrate but empower us, leaders who will not kill our dreams but nurture them, the ones who will not look into our weaknesses but rather our strengths, those who won't fill us with despair but fuel our hopes, and those who inspire us to dream big and step in their roles with even deep and broad exposure and skills set.

To my fellow at the beginning and those in mid of our careers, and even those at the C-level, I encourage you to have an open mind to learning, be challenged, and the willingness to be mentored and coached. Have respect and discipline, be curious, and have an innovative mind. The sky won't be the limit.

Let's embrace coaching and mentorship as the mechanisms for molding young professionals and preparing them for the leadership roles. It is good for the progress of the organization- of course.