By Nomathemba Pearl Dzinotyiwei

‘If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?’ Source: Unknown

Welcome to the Corpor8 Humanitarian. This is a blog about conscious leadership. It is for people who seek to think differently about leadership, want to elevate humanity and maximise human potential in the workplace in Africa. We have a rich history and cultural heritage that is largely missing from contemporary management texts written in and for highly advanced societies.

20 years ago as students of management, we learnt about Scientific Management which was designed to maximize productivity in factories and behavioural models such as Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Executive and management training is now focused on individual self-awareness and personal mastery as tools for effective leadership. Emotional intelligence has emerged as the winning X factor that leads to success with leading thinkers such as Dr Travis Bradberry, Gretchen Rubin and Daniel Goldman.

It is clear that financial measures of success are no longer enough. With environmental destruction, social dislocation, financial scandals and stories of abuse of power, the world is crying out for ethical leadership in government, public and private enterprises. The entry and progression of Millennials in the workplace has brought fresh challenges to an older generation of leadership. They are no longer interested in working until their last breath, are seeking work-life balance and are more discriminating in their choice of employers and work experiences.

The changing world of work with automation, artificial intelligence and disruptive technology means businesses are having to adapt rapidly to meet the increasingly bold demands of consumers. Thus brave new world requires us to examine how we manage people. We need to ensure that the people we lead not only make a living but are able to live a meaningful life, of which remunerative work is an essential element.

I chose the picture of the Surya Namaskar, a yoga pose known as the salutation to the sun, because it embodies the current wave of consciousness that is sweeping over various disciplines including leadership and management thinking. Before the cultural purists bring out their brickbats, I was interested to discover that among the hieroglyphs found in Ancient Egyptian pyramids, there are images of Egyptians in various yoga poses, thousands of years before the same were recorded in India. That is more evidence that Africa was the birthplace of civilization. This requires us to look back in time to understand how ancient wisdom can help us solve today’s leadership challenges.

The blog will focus on contemporary leadership issues in Africa, critique leading thinkers on the subject and hopefully contribute to conversations about what leaders need to succeed in this volatile economic situation and fast-changing world I look forward to sharing what I discover and exchanging insights with you.