Leading Through Technology – Minenhle Dlamini

Written by on 8 March, 2022

Leaving the past behind, Leading through the digital age

The world that we live in has been described as; volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA), which can be quite daunting for people like myself, who find comfort in; always being prepared. In the past 2 years, many of us have had to relook how we; think, operate and lead. Here are some of the valuable lessons that I, as a leader have learnt in this VUCA environment:

  • Disruption is real:

Preparation is good but being malleable is better. In order to prepare, one would use the past as reference and prepare according to what has happened in the past, but, according to John Sanei in; Leadership: Context in a time of transition the current world that we live in needs leaders and organisations that are driven by learning; “The world we’re entering is a complex one. It has patterns which do not repeat. It is uncertain. Economies of learning and robustness now become fundamental.” This means that as leaders, we need to convert from being; “Know it all” leaders, to “Tell me more” leaders.

  • Humility is key:

One of the most important things about leadership is that you have to have the kind of humility that will allow you to be coached.”- Jim Yong Kim. In an uncertain world, mistakes will happen, and even to the wisest or best in the game and humility- the ability to admit when you are wrong- drives trust amongst those that you lead as it shows that you take accountability for your own mistakes, as opposed to passing the buck onto those that you lead. 

  • Be aware of self:

Knowing your own strengths and weakness is key to building your team. Don’t be afraid of having team members who know more than you in certain fields- learn the basics- but empower those who know more than you to guide you.

  • Encourage the young talent to take ownership their craft:

In the past, it used to be those who had been in the businesses the longest, who would train the new employees on how things were done, but these days, I am amazed by the young talent in our workplace. They have fresh ideas, more energy and new approaches to doing their work and they know more about content creation and the digital world than those with more experience than them. While we tend to proceed with caution, they are not afraid to experiment, and learn along the away, and this is what I find refreshing about them; every experience is an opportunity to learn. Find some time to engage with them, don’t be intimidated by their energy- because they do have a lot of energy- and you’ll learn a thing or two that could help you understand this complex world that we live in.

To conclude; these are both exciting and scary times for leaders, but let’s be kind to ourselves and open ourselves up to new learnings and trying new things.

– Minenhle Dlamini, Gagasi FM Managing Director.


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