UKZN’s Graduate School of Business and Leadership (GSB&L) hosted a webinar themed: Inclusive Leadership: Embracing Diversity and Fostering Collaborative Empowerment by Ms Gloria Serobe, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Women Investment Portfolio Holdings (WIPHOLD).
The webinar is part of an annual series that is a collaboration between the GSB&L and industry. It is part of the School’s ongoing strategy to ensure that its staff and students gain insights into business challenges, processes and best practices.
Interim Dean and Head of the GSB&L, Professor Collete Muller said, ‘Platforms like this are critical in embracing and recognising the importance of equipping our students, many of whom are themselves leaders in their spaces, with tools to navigate the unprecedented challenges faced by businesses.
‘As much as we at the GSB&L can formally teach leadership skills and interrogate theories about the pros and cons of various leadership, styles and applications, sharing real leadership experiences through webinars like this is a potent means of bridging the gap between theory and practice.’
Serobe began by applauding the GSB&L for tackling the topic: ‘In most parts of the world, it might not be top priority because they have more mature democracies. In South Africa, we have to be very deliberate in addressing this particular topic.’
She used two relatable case studies; the Springbok’s victory and the role of a mother-in-law in a marriage, to showcase how lessons and success in business can be drawn from a multitude of sources.
‘A very diverse and inclusive Springboks team are back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions, embodying the dream of proper inclusivity, the coach choosing Siya Kolisi as the team’s captain twice in a row, a decision he came under fire for bearing fruit. As a leader, Rassie Erasmus makes the decision, and Kolisi then rallies the team into a spirit of inclusion, embracing diversity and a collaborative way of working.
‘All leaders in the country should make such judgment calls because transformation is meant to add value. When we talk about collaborative empowerment, we’re talking about putting all these characters in one room and making that a menu for success,’ said Serobe.
Serobe added that, as noted in her book, An Ode To My Mother-In-Law, Winnie Serobe, her success as a leading advocate for community upliftment, women’s empowerment, and sustainable transformation of the South African economic landscape is due to her mother-in-law’s networks that she was exposed to early in her career. She continues to use the lessons she learned from her in running her business.
The webinar ended with an interactive Q&A session.
Words: Lungile Ngubelanga
Photograph: Supplied