Fred Swaniker, Founder of the African Leadership University and one of top 10 young leaders in Africa recognised by Forbes, hosted a webinar on 13th July about leadership in Africa.
Here a few nuggets we garnered from his talk that can help you grow as a business leader in Africa
1. Hire smart team members
Being an emerging market, access to capital and product development is increasingly improving. For most businesses however, the challenge is to find the right people for their organisations who can help meet their organisational goals. How successful you are as a leader will depend on the team you have and their commitment to excellence. In addition, your team members must have the right attitudes that fit with your organisational culture.
2. Operate continentally
Businesses in Africa tend to trade more with Europe, China and America than other African countries. Exploring the different markets in Africa will not only enlarge your market base, but will create more opportunities for developing the continent. Whilst businesses from other continents move to Africa as an emerging market, African businesses cannot afford to overlook the increasing opportunities across the continent.
3. Give yourself alternatives in life
To be a successful leader, it’s important to not put all your proverbial eggs in one basket. Fred advises to not be dependent on a customer, country or even continent. Businesses that have alternatives are easily able to survive difficult situations they have no control over. Exploring alternatives will provide more options for you to succeed when things don’t work out, or when your values are being compromised.
How else do you think we can develop as business leaders in Africa?
Courtesy: Servled Africa
