The facilitated discussion progress involving employees ’ perspective on the new manager , fosters collaborative and productive team environment from the beginning .
Leadership Fellows Program : is a corporate social responsibility initiative where senior-level employees work on a strategic project at a not-for-profit organization . An amazing opportunity for leaders to contribute to community and to enhance their leadership skills .
Safaricom PLC
At Safaricom we believe that leadership needs to be natured from a nascent age all through to senior leadership levels . As a result , Safaricom has a number of leadership development programs , more so now as the organization transforms from a telecommunications company to a techco . The need for digital skills is at an all time high . Below are a few of the programs run at Safaricom :
Safaricom Industry Digital Talent Program : Together with industry partners including academia , the program aims to support the next generation of talent through sponsorship and scholarship , mentorship , internship and employment . Further we are building a community of technical skills through a brand asset , DECODE focusing on harnessing skills of the future - IOT , Cyber security , software engineering , 5G , big data and analytics , fintec , artificial intelligence , cloud computing , UI / UX , robotic process automation , etc .
Safaricom Women in Technology Program : Safaricom was voted the Most Inclusive Listed Company in Kenya in 2024 . However , in the technology function we were under-indexed . This program is run by passionate women from Safaricom and is dedicated to inspiring women from secondary school to university to advance careers in sciences . Programs under this pillar include Kids-Go-tech ( ages 7-13 ), the Technovation Challenge ( high school students ), university career fairs , in-house workshops , etc .
Safaricom Intern Program : gives young talent an opportunity to gain technical on-the-job skills and also grow their soft skills . It runs for 3-6 months .
Safaricom Digital Academy : as the world evolves driven by AI , 5G and digital , the careers of now will be transformed . This program aims to create a bridge for our employees to develop new skills covering 7 essential domains of the digital future . The program is hybrid and is delivered in partnership with Strathmore , Moringa , Huawei , and Edureka . It takes 6 months followed by a 3-month project for the business .
Safaricom Discover Graduate Program : this is a global accelerated development program that enables talented fresh graduates to develop and grow within Safaricom , ultimately forming part of our digital and leadership talent pool . It is a two-year program .
Safaricom Top Talent development program : this program identifies potential leaders using a potential assessment tool and classifies talent into top talent ( able to be developed two levels up ) and accelerated talent ( able to be developed to the immediate level up ). Following the assessment , a deliberate training plan using the 70:20:10 rule ( 70 % focus onjob training with the aim of stretching and building ; 20 % on coaching ; 10 % on structured training ) is developed and executed .
From the above three businesses we can learn the following on talent development :
Self-evaluation
It is essential as a leader to perform a selfevaluation of one ’ s leadership capabilities . There are various models and frameworks that can be used for this purpose . These would review your skills , for instance in , critical thinking , people management , impact to business performance , attitude in challenging times , adaptive to change , etc . Different tools will focus on different aspects of leadership and provide a report on areas of development or further support .
Practical learning and development
The best way to achieve growth in an area of development is by immersing in the practical application in a work environment . Providing leaders with opportunities to learn builds confidence and practical skills for the future .
Coaching and mentoring
A coach provides the support required to build emotional intelligence through a process of active listening and posing powerful questions . The leadership journey is challenging and having a trusted coach by one ’ s side makes the journey less onerous .
Structured training
Structured training is more impactful when it is linked to a specific challenge or theme . This way leaders will see a direct correlation between the training and the career goals or objectives they are trying to meet
As I conclude , I borrow a famous quote , ‘ All Roads Lead to Leadership ’. This should inspire us all to believe that we all have greatness within us . We have to be vulnerable to know our strengths and areas of development . We must lead from strength even as we work on the areas of development with the firm belief that we can all create great impact in our work , in our communities and most importantly in our homes .
Leadership development requires intent . It is our personal role to take deliberate steps to develop ourselves not the organizations we work for . Our role is to take advantage of the opportunities that exist in our organizations / online / through mentors and coaches and rise to become the best versions of ourselves .
Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi is the Chief Consumer Business Officer , Safaricom PLC . You can commune with her on this or related matters on email at : Fawziakimanthi @ gmail . com .