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After two weeks on the global circuit of business school deans, I returned home firm in the conviction that South Africa is not alone.
Much of the world is grappling with tumultuous socioeconomic turmoil and is in the process of trying to calibrate to a ‘new normal’.
In Europe much was said about the global economy as well as the current migrant crisis, the impact on social cohesion and the deep-seated instability in the Middle East.
In the USA the mood was a little less glum, but concerns were evident about the impact of technological change on business competitiveness.
Back home it seemed as if the ‘green shoots’ of leadership I alluded to in a previous column (3 December) had wilted somewhat and despite the quality of last week’s investigation by the Constitutional Court, the mood is sombre.
South Africans know we are in for a tough year. The State of the Nation Address (Sona) by President Zuma underlined this fact.
This was the most economically focused of all Zuma’s Sonas, no doubt influenced by the seminal role played by finance minister Gordhan in setting a more collaborative tone between business and government.
I would argue that the countries – and companies – that successfully weather storms are those with astute and intelligent individuals who are able to not only make the strategic shifts demanded by their circumstances, but are able to frame and implement optimal leadership approaches required to navigate these choppy waters.
Proactive leaders must consider how to create and sustain momentum to not only survive, but to set the scene to thrive.
I suspect that the emerging field of positive psychology may be a source of guidance.
Martin Seligman expresses his views on this field in his book Flourish, in which he suggests not to centre on fixing dysfunction, but rather on propelling people who are functional forward and enabling them to reach their potential.
This enabling view has set the foundation for work around authentic leadership and the notion of resonant leadership.
In their paper, Resonant Leadership: A new kind of leadership for the digital age, Annie McKee and Dick Massimilian describe resonant leaders as being “…in tune with the people around them… They know that emotions are contagious, and use that ability to inspire commitment in the people around them… They produce results by marshalling their financial, intellectual, human, environmental and social resources to engage and mobilise the energy of the people around them.”
Of course, leaders are as susceptible to the negative messages we’re bombarded with as everyone else. But their responsibility is to drive forward companies and countries, sectors and societies.
The essence of resonant leadership is to become a role model and help others to reframe. A leader cannot falter in times of crisis.
Futurist Dr Graeme Coddrington from TomorrowToday made the point recently that South Africans oscillate dramatically between negative and positive mind-sets.
I agree with him; these swings are de-energising. I’m not for a moment saying we shouldn’t be actively identifying and tackling our problems, but it is not optimal for leaders to fall prey to wallowing in a ditch of apathy.
Great crisis-time leaders, like Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi, didn’t allow defeat to enter their rhetoric. Instead they instilled a sense of mobilisation, hope and unity.
As I write this, there are signs of some optimism creeping into the national discourse, but I question if our leaders are offering enough of a sense of momentum and hope.
Leaders can make a profound difference by creating environments that foster a sense of purpose and possibility, optimism, and an expectation that things can (and will) get better. To achieve this, leaders need to show up.
Be positive and active in building organisational energy. Reframe the negatives. Look for opportunities. Be a leader to a concerned organisation instead of hiding away in the boardroom.
Engaging with the tough is the only way to build organisational resilience, according to psychologists like Angela Lee Duckworth, who has spoken about the importance of ‘grit’. This, she said, was the passion and perseverance for very long-term goals.
“Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality.”
I would argue that ‘grit’ takes on a bigger meaning too; it is about accepting that economies and societies go through cycles.
Recently Eric Venter, CEO of Comair, told me quite matter-of-factly that we are simply entering into a new and challenging business phase and “you manage accordingly given the stage of the cycle”.
Pragmatic leaders like Venter possess something that psychologist Albert Bandura termed ‘self-efficacy’, or the belief in one’s abilities and capabilities to attain a given outcome.
So as much as challenging times demand that leaders understand how they can adapt their business and shift their strategy and tactics accordingly, it also pushes them to up the ante in creating hope.
I’m encouraged by the growing body of work which reinforces what can be gained from fostering a more positive leadership approach.
Think about it: It’s the difference between Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
*Professor Nicola Kleyn is dean of the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (Gibs).
This article originally appeared in the 25 January 2016 edition of finweek. Buy and download the magazine here.
