My journey to Rising Star Finalist

I recently had the pleasure and pain of being nominated for the Rising Star Awards. Pain because as we well know, no growth comes from comfort.

The Rising Star Awards are targeted at people between 28 – 40 years of age. We’re perhaps what might be called the "missing middle" as we aren’t new entrants to the job market nor have we reached the upper echelons of leadership – more often than not. The Rising Star programme is a significant and sustainable vehicle through which organisations, the country and the continent can identify and nurture “national assets” who promise to play a key role in shaping the future of both country and continent.  

My Rising Star nomination process began with completing competency-based questions online identified to be important to leadership. This was the part of the process that required introspection and reckoning with oneself. I was successful in this elimination round becoming part of the top 10. Hearing my name announced by the Advocate Thandi Orleyn was a humbling moment. I fought tears with excitement.

The next part of the process took me by surprise. I was required to write an essay and record a 2-minute video stating why I think I am a future leader. The struggle to meet the word requirement for the essay was tough for the verbose amongst us and don’t get me started on meeting the 2-minute video requirement. I aimed to capture my soul, to be truly authentic (while ensuring good lighting as well ofcourse). The rule of 3 is well known in communication, its effective in delivering a memorable message so I opted for it.

1.   Sustainable decision-making

Sustainable decision making matters because as you go higher up the hierarchy as a leader, the decisions you make will only manifest in years to come. You need to be sure that they are going to move the business in the right direction. Those decisions have the ability to build an organisation that is future proof or one that gets left behind.

2.   Humility

Often leaders are not accessible and therefore they don’t know what happens on the ground. Being humble brings you closer to people and makes them want to follow your lead. 

3.   Multiplying leadership

Multiplying leadership is one that should be of importance to any leader and this is even for someone who doesn’t lead a team. You should always be trying to work yourself out of your position and making sure someone else can fill it successfully. Assisting people reach their leadership potential should be a requirement of every leader. I put my heart into the essay and the video and I was rewarded with Top 5, finalist and I became part of the Rising Star alumni. What an opportunity, what an honour!

The next round got quite interesting. At 10:45 on July 1st, I received an email to complete a case study. I had 60 minutes. I read through the case study speedily hoping to get more time in to do the necessary. After reading it, however, my first instinct was flight - I had a strong inclination to step away from my laptop and walk away from the competition entirely. I felt that it would be quite acceptable to do so. I mean 60 minutes to turnaround South African Airways (SAA) and put technology in place to make air travel safer during COVID19 times – no not me I thought. I am not the girl they think I am.

After a couple of deep breathes and by a couple of course I mean closer to a million, I found myself typing away furiously. Fight kicked. At 11:55, I had to log in to Teams for my interview with a panel of judges. I had written notes in preparation but when the time came, they seemed to have flown right out the window. Immediately after the interview I had to present the case study to the judges. In this moment I wished that I had joined Toastmasters years before!

Overall, what the Rising Star Awards have done for me is invaluable. The various elimination rounds helped me question my leadership skills and what my signature will be. It also reminded me where I want to take my career and what I need to do today to get there. Navigating the elimination rounds with my colleague who I have the greatest respect for was remarkable - just exceptional!

We all have leadership potential and it is our responsibility to work out what kinds of leaders we will be.

Leadership isn’t so much about managing other people, it’s about how successfully you manage yourself and ignite in others the need to follow you. It’s about vulnerability and empathy as Jacinda Ardern has proven. It’s about love and respect for fellow humans – wearing your mask being one of the ways we all can lead during these times.

My certificate reads "We honour your success to date and eagerly anticipate your future contribution to South Africa's prosperity." If I ever needed a reason to wake up in the morning, THAT is it. Thank you to the Rising Star Awards and to most importantly to Sasol for being the place where I can make my dreams come true.

Whether or not I am crowned the ultimate winner of the Energy category in the Accenture Rising Star Awards, the process has revealed my leadership ability to myself and to the organisation I work for and for that I am eternally grateful.

To read up on the awards and previous winners, visit https://www.risingstar.co.za/