PHILLIMON MHLANGA
Zimbabwe firms require resilient leadership to ride out the Covid-19 storm, experts have said.
Local businesses have felt the pinch in different aspects. For instance, the service industry is affected on the demand side while the manufacturing sector is feeling the pressure on both the supply and demand sides as the fight against Covid-19 remains the top priority for the country at the moment. So is the need to restore production after the severe impact of the deadly virus.
Several analysts, who spoke at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe (ICAZ) meeting last week, said there is a need for resilient leaders who are capable of shifting organisational mindsets provoked by the devastating Covid-19 pandemic. They are fears the impact will extend beyond this year.
A leadership master coach, Charles Mugaviri who was the main presenter at ICAZ leadership meeting said there was a need for a “Duba lion” kind of leader who will champion change.
“A Duba lion has survived in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. It’s considered to be the strongest lion we have in the world. This lion has learnt to survive in a very tough environment in the Okavango Delta. We have the opportunity to grow from the crisis through leadership resilient only if we quickly learn to be Duba lion’s type of leaders,” Mugaviri said.
“With remote teams, leaders should focus on having strong communication skills and always make sure others understand changes, expectations or new directions. There is the issue of working to build positive relationships with others (leaders and remote teams). There is a need for trust.”
He said embracing change takes courage and requires a positive vision of where “we are going to be tomorrow”.
“Resilient leaders need to be decisive even under pressure. Part of being a resilient leader is being able to lead change and make decisions even under pressure.
“Leadership is readership. A resilient leader should be coachable as well. No one is perfect and everyone has room to grow. Resilient leaders are aware of this and they ask for feedback throughout their careers in order to always keep improving their skills,” Mugaviri added.
Dandemutande CEO Never Ncube said technology was no longer a privilege but a right for every employee.
“It’s important that we build resilient, effective teams that can execute tasks effectively even away from the usual work place. The team should be resilient when a storm strikes,” Ncube said.
He added: “We have, however, discovered that there are challenges that we have to deal with. While we are supposed to deliver for organisations, there is generally lack of direction and understanding among employees. Some face difficulties in self-organising themselves while working away from their usual work places.
We have found that most are not digital natives, and are working with unfamiliar tools. Also, power can be a challenge as well.”
Ncube said leaders should communicate regularly and effectively. “Deadlines should be communicated clearly. This is key,” Ncube said.
“There is also a need to reinforce the power of connectivity. There is a need to seek out learning opportunities. “
