Leading businesses on the continent of Africa presents CEOs with many unique challenges that , for the most part , go beyond their current experiences , competencies and capabilities . Every CEO , their team and the company itself will face inherent limitations that are specific to this continent ’ s environment .
A critical step to success for CEOs operating in Africa is recognizing these limitations and embracing that each of them will put you to the test . Therefore , I believe it is essential that CEOs and executive teams make use of an experienced coach to guide them through this veritable minefield .
I am , myself , a living testimony of the power of coaching in business . To summarize a whirlwind 30-year career into just one sentence ; I started out as an IT manager and ultimately became a vice presi-dent . The power of coaching throughout my career was a critical factor in this achievement , every step of the way .
After ‘ retiring ’ from my own corporate career , I now coach CEOs and reinvest what was invested into me at both the fledgling stage of my career and all the subsequent stages throughout my journey up the corporate ladder . As a proud Zimbabwean and African , I am passionate about sowing my experi-ence and expertise in African business back into the next generation of business leaders , to ultimately benefit the continent ’ s economy and people as a whole .
So , why should CEOs pursue coaching ?
I encourage you to consider it from this perspective - all high-performing individuals in high-pressure competitive sports , whether they are athletes , footballers or golfers , all benefit massively from their coaches . The coach is both a gust of wind in their sails and an essential navigator on their journey to success . In a business context , the same principle applies . Even the highest achievers in the corporate world can benefit from guidance and looking up , instead of just ahead .
A profound benefit of being a recipient of coaching is that it identifies your blind spots and provides you with a sounding board that will enable you to increase your chances of success , crucially , by avoid-ing unnecessary pitfalls . A huge aspect of knowledge gained by experience is the lessons learned from the mistakes . Ultimately , in most cases , understanding the roads to potential failures and having the discernment to avoid them is more important than anything learned from notable successes . The benefit of hindsight should not be underestimated , and a seasoned coach can offer a wealth of it .
Reflecting on my journey as a C-Suite executive , there are many things that I look back on and say , “ I wish I ’ d known that ”, in lots of particular scenarios . Coaching is my way of helping others learn and benefit from my experiences , and there is much emphasis on avoiding the same pitfalls . These lessons are particularly beneficial in regard to organizations staying ahead of their competition and succeeding - the primary goal of any CEO .
The highest hurdles of a CEO ’ s race in Africa …
Research by KPMG identifies that CEOs ’ biggest challenges today are people , purpose , and digi-tal / organizational agility .
In response to each of these , the most important traits an African CEO must possess , or purposefully at-tain , are adaptability and resourcefulness . They must be an Afri-can and not Afri-can ’ t . Their situational leadership strategy must be adaptive to diverse change at any moment .
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The CEO needs to see themselves as the change agent . They need to be able to have a big-picture vision of what their industry and the world will look like in a few years . But , most importantly , they need to have a vision of how their business will adapt to this future that they envision and be able to articulate this vision clearly to the rest of the team
For example , even on a basic environmental level , there could often be a power outage or a sustained drought to test infrastructure to the limit . Because of these all-too-often occurrences , it ’ s vital to have contingency plans to overcome these environmental hurdles . Fail to prepare , and prepare to fail - CEOs must endeavor to scrutinize every detail of their operations painstakingly and have all eventualities covered . Overcoming random problems while your competitors fall foul of them presents great opportunities .
On a similar note - a volatile environment requires agility . The uniquely African challenges such as the fundamental issues of poverty , unemployment , social inequality , and a lack of infrastructure , all require their own necessary action to circumvent the hurdle or overcome it completely . The CEO needs to see themselves as the change agent . They need to be able to have a bigpicture vision of what their indus-try and the world will look like in a few years . But , most importantly , they need to have a vision of how their business will adapt to this future that they envision and be able to articulate this vision clear-ly to the rest of the company .
A shortage of talent is another huge obstacle . Since the early 1990s , according to the International Or-ganization for Migration ( IOM ), Africa has been losing 20,000 professionals annually . This trend result-ed in the recognition by the United Nations that the emigration of African professionals to the West is one of the most significant obstacles to Africa ’ s development . As well as this physical lack of talent , an exacerbating factor is the lack of genuine commitment to talent development from African companies . In response to this , and to turn the tide , CEOs must make concerted efforts to develop young talent through robust development programmes , starting from a grass-roots level . From tiny acorns grow mighty oaks , but only if they are nurtured well .
More sizeable hurdles an African CEO will contend with are a plethora of outdated and seemingly ar-chaic regulations , plus a highly inflexible labor market . These fall under the bracket of ESG ( environ-mental , social and governance ) business-limiting factors .
CEOs must recognize that stakeholders increasingly demand action on ESG issues , which requires ESG commitments to be embedded within the broader corporate strategy . There needs to be a mindset shift into a transformational mentality by