Do those around you share your passion?

Are your organisation’s values relevant to your employees?

How do those values and passion translate to your customers?

Are you committed to learning & growing?

I have just returned from South Africa, where I was invited to facilitate a values-based leadership workshop for Bidvest’s first Graduate Leadership Academy. The participants were General Managers and Senior Executives of various Bidvest companies who were previous participants of past Academies, and selected to be part of the graduate Academy. There were people of African, Afrikaans, Indian, English & Dutch origins – wonderfully diverse. Bidvest* is a true example of a Visionary Organisation, committed to growing visionary leaders. The leaders openly declare that people create profit, companies only report it.  Employing more than 93,000 people across four continents, Bidvest is seriously successful.  They are committed to developing leaders at all levels, and believe that building relationships, improving lives and empowering people is the key to their success.

As I got to know the leaders in the group, what struck me most was how well they modeled the key drivers of visionary leadership – courage and honesty, passion and enthusiasm, and great interpersonal skills**. Despite having reached the most senior positions in their respective divisions,  where they could have rested smugly with their MBAs, their senior roles and their comfortable salaries, they were committed to continuous learning – not only technical skills, but also to building emotional capacity. They were open to feedback, and engaged in regular formal measurement processes to ensure they were on track. 

So what does it take to transform organisations?

Organisational transformation requires visionary leadership. On my way home, I came through Singapore to meet up with my dear friend and mentor, Debashis Chatterjee. Debashis is the dean of Leadership at the S.P. Jain Business school in Singapore, and we had long conversations about our shared passion for values and leadership. He reminded me that organisational transformation happens through individual transformation. Consider what makes an individual grow? Invariably, individuals grow through learning.  Make learning your highest organisational priority. Instead of asking: “What did I do today?” ask: “What did I learn to do differently today?”  When every employee asks this question, an organisation will spontaneously transform itself. Transformational leadership is not about one leader among many but about many leaders who act toward one purpose. In a transformed organisation leaders do not lead followers, they lead leaders. Says the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: “To lead people, walk behind them.”

What excites me about working with values is that regardless of race, education, gender, position or nationality, when we meet at a values level, we find unity. It is only in the language of values that conversations for change can be had, and organisations can truly transform.

Please join us for the next Visionary Leadership Program to refresh your visions, clarify your values, and ignite the spirit of leadership. This  is scheduled for October 22/23, & November 13/14,  and will be held at “Lilyvale” in the Royal National Park, Sydney.

To book your place, contact us today on +61 2 4268 5555.

**these are the key drivers of high performing companies according to the latest research of Quanta Consulting, a research consultancy whose ground-breaking work has increased the profitability of companies in Denmark, Greece, South Africa, New Zealand & Australia. Values Connection is the partner of Quanta for Asia/Pacific region.