Lead by influence, not authority –
‘‘ If you add the rich heritage of Ubombo Sugar and the significant impact that it has on people’s lives and our economy, it was a compelling case for me to come back.”
MBABANE – Having spent time working in top executive positions in some of the biggest companies in South Africa, what could have lured Muzi Siyaya to consider coming back home to take up the position of Managing Director (MD) at Ubombo Sugar?
Was it because the offer was just too good to turn down? Was it love for his country and longing to be close to his livestock?
In an exclusive interview with Times of Eswatini Assistant Weekend Editor Welcome Dlamini, Siyaya opened up on the factors that contributed to his decision to return to Eswatini.
To learn more about this and how he has settled in his position as well as what his philosophy is as a leader, immerse yourself in the interview with this trailblazer.
Question (Q): It is now eight months since you assumed the position of Managing Director at Ubombo Sugar, have you managed to settle or you’re still trying to find your footing?
Response (R): I have comfortably settled down. In the early days of my tenure, I undertook various roadshows to engage with all our key stakeholders to articulate our vision and strategy including the Industry, Business Eswatini, government, our local shareholders, staff and the recognised ununder ions in our business to gain a better understanding of the general business and economic landscape in the country. Most recently, our newly appointed Corporate Affairs Director met with the Editors Forum in a deliberate effort to foster a close working relationship with the media because we consider you guys to be a very important stakeholder in our journey. From these engagements, I have been able to identify needs and priorities. I am humbled by the warm welcome and support that has been extended to me from all our stakeholders, especially the Ubombo Sugar employees. Q: When you first arrived at the company, how were things compared to the situation at the present moment?
R: There was a leadership vacuum due to unfilled vacancies in key positions across the business. Consequently, the morale was low. We have now resourced all key positions in the executive and senior management which has helped to provide stability and leadership. Crucially, the executive team has worked really hard to improve the industrial relations climate in the company. Pleasingly, we have committed employees and a huge wealth of talent in the company with expertise right across the sugar value chain. So, our main job as leaders is to harness and unleash this potential to create sustainable stakeholder value. Although we still have work to do in terms of building an organisational culture that is consistent with our group values, I am very happy with the progress we have made in the past eight months.
Q: As a top executive locally and internationally, what drives you; what is your motto; what is your WHY?
R: I am driven by making a difference in people’s lives. I want to see people become a better version of themselves. I am passionate about people and invest time in the people that I lead to determine their strengths, needs and priorities. I have a simple motto which is ‘lead by influence not authority’. I am also inspired by John Maxwell’s observation that ‘if you want to lead, you must learn and if you want to continue to lead, you must continue to learn’. Ultimately you must have the confidence in your own capabilities, yet have the ability to remain humble and learn from others. You cannot be a leader if you have a big ego. A big ego can be detrimental to the success of an organisation. Ordinarily, I don’t take myself too seriously because it’s never about the role and the title, but always about the responsibilities.
Q: For a person who was considered to be doing exceptionally well in South Africa where you were holding the position of Chief Executive Officer at Semane Engineering Solutions and have also been Group Executive at GIBB Engineering & Architecture, as well as the Managing Director of MSG AFRICA INVESTMENT HOLDINGS, what attracted you to the MD’s position at Ubombo Sugar, which meant you had to come back home to Eswatini?
R: It was a collusion of factors both social and professional. Besides my absolute love for the country and my cows and sheep, the Illovo Sugar Africa Board articulated a clear vision of where they want to take the business. They created a conducive environment for me to come back and assume the role. I also felt that with my skills and experience, the time was ripe for me to come back and make a meaningful contribution to the growth of the company and play my part in the development of the country. Importantly, the values of the Illovo Group and our parent company, AB Sugar (UK) strongly resonated with me.
If you add the rich heritage of Ubombo Sugar and the significant impact that it has on people’s lives and our economy, it was a compelling case for me to come back. I also didn’t want to come back home in a coffin or grow old moving up and down the shopping malls of Sandton dressed to the nines, complete with a man bag across my torso! As the saying goes ‘there is no place like home’. Timing is everything.
Q: Being head of an entity that is focused on sugar production is seemingly a new or different terrain from the previous institutions you have led or were a part of in the past. Don’t you find yourself in a somewhat strange environment?
R: Not at all Welcome. Moving across industries is not always easy. But in the modern world, it is far more important for top executives to have experienced working in different functions (strategy, risk, operations, finance and marketing) and working in businesses that are either in a start-up mode, experiencing growth or consolidation than to have sector specific experience. In my humble opinion, the measure of success for top executives is how they perform relative to the context of the organisation as opposed to industry experience. For example, at what stage of the growth cycle is the organisation? Does it need somebody to turn it around; does it require somebody to maintain current performance levels? Is it on an acquisition drive?
Generally, CEOs are hired for their relevant experience and good performance in previous executive roles and not necessarily for their industry specific experience. In any event, most businesses always have a core of people with industry specific experience, but this is not what is usually required to lead an organisation.
Additionally, my academic training, exposure to different cultures and corporate experience has sufficiently prepared me to work across industries. Outside of my core academic training in business management and finance respectively at Masters Degree level, there are certain skills that are transferrable across industries such as adaptability, critical thinking, problem solving, communication and analytical reasoning. Although important, in most instances the demand for technical expertise is lowered the higher you go up the ladder. In the main, the role of a leader is to set a vision, inspire people towards that vision, select the right people for the job, unleash their potential, take responsibility and delegate tasks effectively. These skills are industry agnostic.
Q: What have been your immediate and long-term plans for Ubombo Sugar and have you realised any successes in the short-term goals?
R: It has been to formulate a clear vision supported by a well defined five-year strategic plan. Our plan places emphasis on driving operational efficiencies in the core business, filling the mill, a strong focus on human capital welfare and development, a deliberate attention to the surrounding communities including our growers, a continuous focus on diversification of the business either organically or through acquisitions, paying special attention to the environment and zero tolerance on safety. In the first year of our five-year strategy, I am happy to say that we are making steady progress on our key objectives.
Q: Considering that sugar is known locally as the ‘Swazi Gold’ because of its impact on the local economy, are there any significant challenges that you have identified facing the sugar industry in the country and internationally?
R: Certainly! Generally, across the globe, it is ageing plants which of course lead to inefficient methods of production and increasingly require