The Leaders we Need for an African Renaissance, For an African Rebirth !

My thoughts of what ought to constitute great leadership in African Companies, and those most likely to connect with the millennial generation.

To me it is overwhelmingly clear that there are managers and there are leaders, these are not one and the same, nor am l saying they are mutually exclusive.

A manager is conferred as such by the employer, but leaders need not be managers neither are they conferred as leaders by the employer. The largest challenge for African Companies is then to identify leaders prior to them being identified and promoted to being managers. The implication is thus, the prerequisite for management should be leadership.

 The following are my thoughts around their traits, demeanor, characterization and thought process / how they see the world:

 -         Millennial Leaders speak last: The key referral text is Simon Sinek’s “Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t”. Nelson Mandela growing up in Mvezo was taught to restrain himself, reserve all comments [except for questions to deepen understanding], until all members of the council had spoken. This idea of restraint, and only airing one’s views at the penultimate end of an issue is a worthy attribute in leading the millennial generation. Millennials have a strong preference for their prospective and viewpoints to be heard – this being done in the true spirit of conversation [with authenticity, and mutual respect].

-         Millennial Leaders have a knowing that even though they may have been appointed as managers, the respect given by those they lead is in all instances their [millennial’ s] acknowledgement of the office the leader holds, and not a personal right [thus have a sense of humility]. The retired general story by Simon illustrates this point well [in need, l can narrate it to you].

-         Servitude Leadership. Myles Munroe breaks this into Purpose and Passion. The Passion of the Leader is his, but the Purpose is for those that follow him.

-         Millennial Leaders consistently remind those they lead why we do what we do. The best leaders are those that can express the African companies’ fundamental why. This inevitably gives those that follow him or her, their sense of purpose. Understanding of the reason why is crucial, this l believe is the engagement factor [engaged workforce].

-         A level of trust and self-sacrifice. Millennials prefer a leader that says, follow me and jumps off the plane first than one that says, do as l say, and not as l do …  

-         Millennial Leaders consistently reinforce the idea that “I have got your back, there is nothing you can break that l cannot help put back together – I believe in you even when you no longer believe in yourself.”

-         Millennial Leaders are rebels at heart, they challenge the status quo. There is a reason why companies like Apple, Space X, and Tesla have a huge millennial following. Millennials are intrigued by individuals and leaders that challenge the present dominant logic [traditional ways and means of solving problems]. Millennial Leaders thus require imagination as a core competence to be able to imagine new visions, and new methods of attaining / realising those visions [Elon Musk is a name that comes to mind that truly embodies this trait].

-         Millennial Leaders are change agents. Regardless of the source of change [tech, internal reorganizations, competition etc.], Millennial Leaders persistently view such change as opportunity for growth, and confront it expectant of only good to come of it.

-         Millennial Leaders have technical prowess [and a mind-set to match]. Part of the reason why Millennials will follow him or her, is the recognition of his or her technical competences. These leaders are mentors that empower those that follow them to resolve problems for the organisation [with limited supervision].

-         Millennial Leaders give their teams’ autonomy to deal with the how, once the vision, the reason WHY and future state is clear to all.

-         Millennial Leaders have a clear vision of the future state of the company, team, destination, they passionately execute their plans that take the team to that envisaged future state – whilst achieving the overarching goals [that align to purpose]. The passionate execution inspires the Millennials to follow suit.

-         Millennial Leaders believe that “Your biggest hurdle to your future success is your past success”. Millennial Leaders will not be held back by their last success, They fail fast [their latest failure is a reflection of their next success], they Raise the bar consistently, they are Self-disciplined [doing what must be done, be it they want to or not] and Self-motivated.

Some elements of Leadership, talk to an enabling environment that ought to be built within our African companies:

-         African Companies should find employees who share their values and to empower them with trust, creating a culture where people care for each other the way soldiers care about one another on the battlefield.

-         “In the military, they give medals to people who are willing to sacrifice themselves so that others may gain, and whereas in business, we give bonuses and promotions to people who are willing to sacrifice others so that we may gain” Simon Sinek

-         Millennial Leaders redress such misconceptions. 

-         Overall, Millennial Leaders should only aim to hire only the part of the millennial generation that believes in what they believe, We should not aim to be everything to everyone. Millennial Leaders ought to stand by the corner, and proclaim … This is my green hat, this is what l believe, this is what l stand for, and this is why l or we do what we do …..

-         Anything else would be deemed disingenuous ….. When one asks the market, who should l be in order to best serve you …

-         The market only asks that you be You …. That is being genuine !

Who are Millennials in Africa:

-         Born early 1980s.

-         World over they are thought to be entitled, self-interested, unfocused and lazy. As a result most turn to social media for fiendish escapism – leading to most struggling in relationships and job fulfilment.

-         In Africa Millennials are in my view slightly different, there are things that happened in the formative years of our lives that affected the way we view the world. There are thus certain patterns that are absolutely legitimate and fair across the generation because a generation came of age when certain things were happening in Africa.

-         These individuals experienced a tale of two cities as it where, the lack of their parents in the era past, as well as, the bounty in the rise of the middle class. They are potentially the last generation that is empathetic and understand the complexities of our society. This has in my view shaped a millennial generation that thinks broadly about the realities of the inequality of our society, largely because they still have family members that still live in abject poverty.

-         This is in part, why THE REASON WHY you do what you do, is important to them.

-         These individuals live in a time where information is readily available and live in cross culture environments traveling the world and intersecting with a diverse group of their peers. They are curious in nature and tech forms an integral part of their lives. They distaste being micro managed; they live an ever changing world and have become accustomed to continuous fast tracked change. They like the idea of self-determination.

-         The best management style is to set a goal and facilitate the problem solving process and allow them to act independently while having rescheduled accountability sessions.

How l have experienced African Companies’ Leadership:

-         We shall struggle to retain and attract cutting edge minds [of this generation] more so of the perception of: Being viewed as an Aging work force + bureaucratic structures, processes & procedures + No clear WHY or a WHY they fail to connect to + Not a disruptor [disruptors potentially shunned] + Strap jacket views + Whom we were is still right for 2030 mind-set Etc.

-         But l believe we do have pockets of brilliance, one such individual is Aliko Dangote! 

Hoping this is of some use to you, and your Teams, as you reshape the leadership of our African businesses.

Kind regards

All Millennials need are leaders that clarify

Who are we                        - What is our corporate identity?

Where are we from             - What is our Heritage / Why is our History a source of strength as African Companies?

Why are we here               - What is our Purpose?

What can we do                 - What is our Potential?

And where are we going    - What is our Hope for the future?