Cyril, get the right people on the bus and ditch duds
Irecently had the pleasure of hosting at a live event, one of our greatest exports — Gail Kelly. She started out as a teller in downtown Johannesburg at SA Perm — a former bank that was later acquired by Nedbank — and went on to become CEO of Westpac, one of Australia’s top four banks, with 13-million customers and more than 40 000 employees.
In her book, Live Lead Learn — My stories of life and leadership, she shares some of her leadership tips and how she has navigated the tough world of banking, despite being a mom of four, including a set of triplets, in a foreign country.
The principle that made the biggest impact on her, she says, is borrowed from Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great, about leadership and how it can be like driving a bus. “Good to great leaders first get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats. First the right people, then the direction,” says Kelly.
As President Cyril Ramaphosa takes over at the wheel, he may do well to observe this principle. Just as a newly appointed football coach, he has inherited a set of players he had no hand in signing on, but the fans still expect him to win the league.
There are a number of very good ANC leaders who have been cast aside in the past nine years.
Many of them were reshuffled out because they disagreed with their boss, while others saw the danger coming and stepped aside in the face of an unwinnable debate with the man they called “No 1”.
Several are still in the ANC. Wisely, they decided to bide their time as ordinary members of parliament, waiting for the winds of change and hoping they would get another chance to serve.
Some of these people decided to get off the bus that former president Jacob Zuma was driving, and they would perhaps be keen to get back on now that there is a new man at the wheel. Several are top administrators and leaders who come from local government. They have served their constituencies well as mayors and premiers. Ramaphosa is spoilt for choice in the number of good men and women he can get on his new bus.
In her book, Kelly emphasises the importance of hiring for attitude and values. The president would do well to surround himself with people he can trust to do what is consistent with his own values, especially when no one is watching.
Character is often tested when one is alone and can’t be called to account. By now, Ramaphosa should know those in his cabinet who do not fit this description.
Get them off the bus, sir.
Kelly also lays stress on the need to reference-check one’s candidates thoroughly before appointing them.
“I have found that the best predictor of success is past track record. What has the candidate achieved and how did he or she go about it? How did they deal with pressure, with things not going their way? Obtain real examples and honest assessments from people who have observed past performance firsthand.”
While a cup of tea with former president Zuma may not be viable at this stage, Ramaphosa would do well to robustly analyse the behaviour of the current cabinet ministers in various challenging situations.
How do they respond when challenged? What does it say about their character? Their ethics? Their values?
Then there is the job of putting the right people in the right seats.
This is probably the toughest part of his job, and one that I suspect is already under way. There are several ministerial portfolios that are hamstrung by poor leaders. They must get off the bus.
All the best to the new driver!