– by Noluthando Makhaza
Managers are the future business leaders of South Africa, the region and the world. They require competencies and a depth of knowledge that cannot be achieved by repeating the practices and procedures at work alone. To compete successfully and to build sustainable businesses, managers need to be challenged and taken out of a comfort zone, but with the support needed to learn to become even more effective in their roles within the organisation. Recently, a group of delegates embarked on a developmental journey in order to cultivate their managerial skills through our flagship programme, the Management Development Programme (MDP). The MDP is set to run over a period of six months where delegates will attend in block sessions, take part in individual and group assignments, and also partake in professional coaching and mentorship sessions throughout the programme.
During the recent first block of MDP, our delegates had the opportunity to engage with the renowned documentary photographer, Mr. Matthew Willman. Willman shared his remarkable journey as the late Nelson Mandela’s commissioned photographer. “I have nothing to teach you but everything to share with you” said Willman as he delivered his speech.
“A Life Less Ordinary is the title of my message today because we all often want to hold on to that which gives us security but what happens at some point in your life where you just let go? I think sometimes we become so castrated in our attempt to lead, manage, administrate that we forget our own vision and what we bring to businesses” said Willman.
His speech was extremely relatable and challenged our delegates to use their imagination on the things they would like to achieve. “You can have all the success, ability, and focus in the world but I reckon you are like a sounding gong if you have no imagination. Imagination is the glue that gets you ahead, that builds creativity in your life and lives of the people you are working with”, said Willman as he closed off his talk.
In celebration of the iconic Mandela Day this July, our MDP delegates each received an autographed copy of Willman’s book where he documented Nelson Mandela’s life and times through photography. The book is titled ‘We called him Madiba’ which has a collection of unique and definitive images of Mandela for a period of 10 years.
We hope that the lessons learnt and shared on the first block of MDP will, going forward, enhance the way that our delegates lead, manage and live their lives. For more info on the forthcoming intake of the MDP, please contact:
Adiela Raiman
T: +27 31 260 4665
