Page 16 - KZN Business Book Vol.3 No.2

KZN

KwaZulu-Natal
Business Chambers Council
UNDERMINING LEADERSHIP CAPABILITY

Musa Makhunga, accounting, psychology, etc., that’s oen rub people the wrong way no one would regard exercising charge’ with competencies that
Managing Director - all one will know, one’s specialist but expect right results. Anyone these courtesies as being warm will allow them to be eective in
HR Matters (Pty) Ltd
area. is begs the questions, who has been exposed to people and fuzzy. executing their responsibilities in
where, when and how do those dynamics 101 could tell from a this new order. However, many a
people who specialise in specic distance that if those in charge had e situation for us is worsened business doesn't do this because of
elds outside of humanities get to been exposed to the basics of how by our cultural upbringing. Our the assumption that because this
appreciate and work through key to get through to people, some gender, race, ethnicity, language, person has this qualication they
theories of human behaviour challenges could be avoided. and economic disposition keep us should be able to manage and lead
T he e irony of our education and Of course there is always the interpersonally illiterate in bad news for you, the person is
without a problem. Sorry I’ve got
dynamics?
apart so much that we become
only qualied in only one area of
possibility that people skills
encounters with each other. e
linearity
of our training approach is that as soon development happens as a result workplace becomes this rst place knowledge or technical
as the engineer qualies, she gets
where people have to cooperate
of one’s social environment.is
specialisation with minimal or at
education allocated a team with whom to could be as a result of a family with others in order to realise worst no skills in leading people
and training undermines the work. And the psychologist gets to business, interacting with a huge work goals and objectives. is and managing things around
supervisory, management and work alone − as a specialist who family with many siblings or poses challenges to those in charge them. is is all because of the
leadership capability of people go to once things have relatives, or in leadership roles in but illiterate in people skills to get linear nature of our education and
organisations. gone awry. church, community and even in diverse members of teams to value training from primary to tertiary
school. each others' dierences. levels. is undermines the
My chosen trade is that of a Do you see the irony? e supervisory, management and
human potential development person who has never been I believe some countries’ I started my career with one of leadership capability of
practitioner in the workplace trained in the use of language ends education and training is such that the key industry players here in organisations.
context. Consequently, I oen nd up with people to lead. e person everyone up to undergraduate KZN. I was fortunate that the
myself in conversations that trained in human behaviour level studies humanities and company invested a lot in training It is not dicult to tell an
critically look at how team leaders, dynamics sits behind a closed sciences alike and only specialise team leaders, foremen, organisation that invests in
managers and executives could door in air-conditioned consulting thereaer. is ensures that all supervisors, and executives in the building this capability from one
better utilise the talents of men rooms with no team to manage citizens appreciate their national art of leading people as a way of that doesn’t. ey spend less time
and women under their except their receptionist. and global history of people, way making up for lack of formal on unnecessary and avoidable
stewardship. On many occasions of life, and art, while at the same training in people skills. labour disputes, have high
this happens on the back of e converse is also true, you do time developing technical skills Interestingly that was still in a very productivity levels and have
observations of some get a behaviourist who is great necessary to solve humanity’s autocratic social setting, where positive workplace experiences.
organisations’ ineectiveness and with people but is as blind as a bat problems. In this way, people control and command was the Customers or clients feel the
avoidable ineciencies that result when it comes to numbers. How learn and develop a sense of how only way. ings were easy then: positive dierence when
in dysfunctional team setups. does he balance his nancial to always integrate science and art seasons were predictable, markets interacting with employees at
various interface points.
books? Stories abound of trust to produce sustainable and were stable, people were receptive
My personal view is that these accounts that don't add up with innovative solutions. People are and did not question authority. As you can conclude, building
dysfunctional setups happen lawyers and failed professional better informed by the time they ere was only one source of the supervisory, management and
partly as a result of the practices. ese are oen due in a have to decide which area of study information and ‘truth’. at leadership capability depended on
personalities of individual big part to a lack of accounting to specialise in. situation, however, was short- individual organisation’s appetite
managers but in the main, the and mathematical skills of the lived, and things changed. to invest in this skill. We hold the
cause is the linearity of our owners. In our case we become Cyclops, view that if the education and
education and training. the one eyed giant in Greek Organisations now operate in a training of all professions included
Back to organisations’ mythology, as we jealously ply our democratic, open society and in a training in people skills, all
In South Africa, we are given ineectiveness and avoidable trades in our areas of digitally connected environment organisations would fare better
the choice to develop in the ineciencies. Most of these specialisation. is blinds a lot of with multiple sources of in the market place through
humanities or the sciences. As problems come about as a result of otherwise very bright people to information, high awareness of appropriately marshaling
each student progresses from a lack of schooling on how to get the importance of practising basic human rights, where energies of people under their
primary through to tertiary levels, through to people in a way that simple universal courtesies that authority is questioned and supervision.
each stays with their specialist excites, inspires and motivates win the minds and hearts of challenged more. I would expect
choice. If one decides to pursue them to willingly and ably go people. If our education and organisations to invest more in T: 083 2516704
musa@hrmatters.co.za
studies in engineering, about their work. ose in charge training approach were integrated, empowering their ‘people in www.hrmatters.co.za

ILEMBE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2017/18 OFFICE BEARERS

X olani Gumede has been retail, construction and the (1995-97) and has previously been valuation company specialising in Driefontein, and his family’s
agricultural sectors.
employed by Siemens in Munich
elected as the new
mass appraisal in KZN.
cottage in Sheeld Beach. He is
President of the iLembe
teenage son. Phil is a keen golfer
Chamber of Commerce, Industry (Germany), Grinaker Projects & In his role with IFA, Phil has married to Elaine and they have a
Properties (South Africa), Nokia
& Tourism at a Board Meeting Networks (Finland). overseen IFA’s world class and passionate about promoting
that took place on the 22nd of investments into our region, golf tourism into the region.
March 2017. Xolani takes over the Xolani is married to Yoliswa and including Zimbali Coastal Resort,
reins from Dominic Collett, the the couple have two teenage Zimbali Vacation Club, Fairmont Brigitte Vorster, a newly elected
outgoing President. Dominic will children. Yoliswa is a judge in the Zimbali Hotel & Resort, Fairmont member of the iLembe Chamber
continue his involvement with the iLembe edition of e Heritage Place, Zimbali Suites and Board, holds the position of
organised private sector, amongst Entrepreneur Competition. the Zimbali Oce Estate. Senior Manager (Accounting and
others as a Board Members of the Financial Advisory) with Deloitte
iLembe Chamber, as Chairperson Phil holds the position of Senior & Touche, KZN.
of the KwaZulu-Natal Business Vice President Operations
Chambers Council (KBCC) and as (African & Indian Ocean) for IFA
the business representative on the Hotels & Resorts. He was educated
KZN Economic Council. at Durban High School and has
tertiary qualications in
Xolani has been a member of Engineering Surveying, Property
the Chamber’s Board and Vice Valuations and Real Estate. Phil is
President of the Chamber for the a Registered Fellow and a past
past two years. Xolani and Yoliswa Gumede President of the South African
He is Chairman of Gumede Institute of Valuers.
Phil de Sylva has been elected as Development Group, a project
Vice President whilst Brigitte management and property He is a founder Board Member
Vorster is the new Treasurer. development company with oces of the iLembe Chamber of
in South Africa and Mozambique. Commerce, Industry & Tourism.
Xolani is the founder and CEO Xolani holds a Masters Degree in
of Cappeny Estates, South Africa’s Project Management from the Aer a stint with Marriott
largest 100% black-owned University of Southern Properties, Phil acquired PDS Phil de Sylva
commercial strawberry farm. Queensland, Australia. He studied Property Consultants CC, and Phil’s roots are rmly imbedded
Over the past 18 years, Xolani has international business and build the business up into the in the region, having grown up on
managed various businesses in the management at CDG in Germany largest privately owned property Hopewell Farm, bordering Brigitte Vorster

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