A good business strategy is one that is forged by a leader who has a clear vision of the future and a road map of how to set a course to achieve measurable objectives. But when a country is still stumbling around in the dark and has an unemployment rate north of 40% I’m not sure we were ever ready for Cyril’s first SONA in 2018, when he said South Africa was going to embrace 4IR and we would become the investment hub of Africa. I tried my best to believe in the new political prophet, but my hope soon faded into darkness together with our investment status and sovereign credit rating.
In all fairness Ramaphosa spoke from an iPad, which was a significant improvement over the speeches delivered by his predecessor, but I guess his vision for SA did not factor into account that Gwede would steal Eskom’s entire budget for non-renewable resources and compromise his promise of smart cities and Mickey Dees on each street corner.
But how does Cyril score in terms of leadership and implementing his vision for South Africa? Little John, the DA’s most annoying politician since Tony Leon, will – as the official opposition always be critical even though he cannot offer a credible alternative – never be taken seriously. Me: I actually liked Cyril, but I have to say he has failed the country, and did so because he was not true to himself and the people he serves. He remained faithful to his ANC constituency and not all the stakeholders in a country of which he is the President.
In my time I’ve encountered captains of industry, so-called leaders in their respective fields, only to find that they are nothing more than corporate bullies who, when things inevitably go south, attempt to deflect the blame to the first person they see sitting around the boardroom table or, in the case of Bheki Cele, journalists.
But then there are the exceptions; Andre de Ruyter, Siya Kolisi, Adriaan Gore, individuals who have left an indelible mark in their respective fields. They are people who have made tangible contributions to the future of the country as opposed to an existing MEC who leaves a legacy of nothing more than a case study of another typical failed African state; a poor example of leadership and strategy in my opinion.
I hope this has demonstrated that leadership and strategy are not mutually exclusive, and the one cannot exist without the other. My motives are not politically motivated, but the role-players and their actions I chose probably best exemplify the underlying intent of my submission and are familiar to all of us.
In my next column I deal with the thorny issue of corporate ethics and personal morality, which has become a geopolitical minefield as things that go bump in the night may just be Russian submarines on a sardine run off the coast of the Gordons Bay Naval Academy. Until then, stay true to yourself.
V Vince van der Merwe is the Managing Partner of MC Squared, specialising in online business consulting. Visit www.mcsqrd.co.za or follow it on @mcsqrdv
