Personal Finance

Leadership lessons from Top 40 under 40

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You can achieve both your professional and personal dreams next year by setting goals and working towards them proactively. PHOTO | FILE

I was fortunate enough to attend the honouring of Business Daily’s Top 40 Men Under 40 finalists this month. In the speeches, one theme ran constant: These were exceptional men, whose energies when channelled, could make transformational differences to our country and in this digitised age, the world.

As a leadership coach who works with clients all over the world, there is one difference I notice repeatedly when it comes to the conversation of responsibility and business or private sector among Africans. We largely do not resist it. We are not mired in a conversation of too much or too little State intervention as is the case in the US for example.

The pan-African culture is such that we innately understand the oft quoted, “to whom much is given much is expected.”

We are brought up to believe that when we are uplifted, especially economically, it is a moral responsibility for us to in turn, uplift others. I am frequently moved by the efforts that even those in the lowest income bracket make towards helping others.

It is a deeply rooted African ideal that Nigeria’s Tony Elemelu refers to as Africapitalism. Whether we all rise to the responsibilities to make our communities and nation greater is a different matter. 

Elite league

The question is, what makes us rise to those responsibilities in a way that has the effect of taking us from “exceptional to transformational” as Vimal Shah, the Top 40 Men Under 40 awards ceremony chief guest and CEO of Bidco Africa, urged the guests in his keynote speech. This is a question that stays in the forefront of my observations when working with leaders.

Like the deepest of questions puzzling humanity, this one is no different in that the journey lies in the exploration of it rather than finding a single answer.  

However, at the event two statements drove at the heart of what makes world class leaders rise to their responsibilities in exceptional ways that bring transformation. Naturally, the aspirations expressed were that the men honoured would step into the elite league too. 

The first was a question asked of Jenny Luesby, a judge on the selection panel of the Top 40 Men Under 40. She told us that one theme which came up repeatedly was of obsession. These high achieving men have nothing short of an obsession with what they do and that success is merely a by product. The second was a rhetorical question Vimal Shah asked.

“What idea has imprisoned you and won’t let you go?”

I was particularly struck by Mr Shah’s question because it articulated the quality of obsession, the brand of it. It is barefacedly present in high- achieving individuals and such is their dedication to this brand of obsession that they have refined it into a leadership skill. It is a skill which is often misunderstood yet delivers astounding results. 

To clarify, this skill is markedly distinct from arrogance or pride which we know can also be a by-products of success if it is not actively managed. The type of obsession referred to here is a drive of such intensity that no force is able to stop it.

Events in life may stem the rush of this drive but it never leaves, it perpetually nags and gnaws at the core of their being. These individuals are imprisoned by that drive and there are of course, consequences. 

The primary positive consequence is evident. They have the type of focus that is mandatory in achieving the loftiest of goals. The discipline of our principled sports heroes is an example of how the focus of obsession is fed. Our musicians too will practice relentlessly. They work exceptionally hard all the time towards the focus.

A high- profile client of mine once shared, “I work as hard as I always have. It’s just on different things but it never feels like work. I love it.” 

Their obsession and passion force them to focus but in the process, these individuals also learn to cultivate the skill of focussed obsession.

This learned skill is then applied repeatedly in different situations and powers them to greater things especially on the steepest paths that take one from exceptional to transformational. The leaders who I work with apply this to their own development too.

The opportunity they see in their personal development is a powerful ripple effect that brings transformation at a scalable level to their organisations, communities and nation. They understand that the journey to excellence begins with looking at themselves first.  

As a leadership coach, I also challenge you to look at the shadow side of their strengths. The shadow side of obsession is alienation. This comes in many forms but by far the most common is that those who understand the drive, passion and obsession of high potential individuals are few.

They battle with society’s definition of a “balanced life” because viewed through their lens, their obsession is passion and there is no balance in passion.

Exceptional to transformational

An examination of great leaders’ lives shows us that few, if any were able to find a “balanced life” as defined by society’s standards at the time. The management of alienation and obsession is one of the greatest challenges that leaders who are on the journey to excellence face. They are imprisoned by their obsession and it won’t let them go. 

If we want to rise up to our responsibilities from “good to great, to exceptional to transformational” like Mr Shah urged, as a nation we must create the conditions to allow for it. It begins with a change in mindset and becoming comfortable with this brand of obsession so that it is encouraged and supported.

We must become understanding of what it takes for a person to harness their energies to their obsession because it is in all of us. Some are yet to discover the obsession but there are still others who live in fear of the consequences that follow because alienation is a condition few can tolerate. 

The journey to excellence is replete with challenges and every leader I have worked with has taken steps to first transform themselves. They imagine a broader group of people, be it their companies, communities or nation, where each individual is engaged in what he or she does best. Great leaders imagine a world where we put our best selves forward all the time, every day.

I obsess of a world where each of us is constantly evolving into the best version of ourselves and empowering others to do the same. This is the idea that has imprisoned me and will not let me go. What is yours? 

Mr Patel is a a leadership coach