Key takeaways
- Resilient systems and good collaboration can provide the strong foundation needed to navigate uncertain times.
- Leaders need to step back and take an objective view of their business to understand how to adapt.
- People need to feel seen, heard, and valued for who they are as well as what they bring to their roles.
South African business leaders are feeling anxious. From the rise of AI to a new generation of talent entering the workforce, they’re unsure how to adapt people and processes for the future. Not to mention high rates of unemployment, the skills gap, and connectivity issues.
But there’s reason to be optimistic. The government is committed to making energy more reliable and affordable. People are eager to learn new skills. And the country is more resilient to global uncertainty than other emerging markets.
“Systems are like sandcastles on a beach. The market changes and flattens them, but with the right foundation and great collaboration, you can quickly rebuild something new,” said Lochner Eksteen, CEO of iCloudius, speaking on his ongoing First Thinking Principle podcast on the latest challenges and opportunities in South Africa. “The system is a mirror of the people. It’s really as good, chaotic, or clinical as the business or people, and how they organise around your products, services, or processes.”
So, what’s your system telling you? How can you establish a stable foundation? And what’s the best way to get people working together?
Step back and see your business clearly
As leaders, it can be hard to step back and take an objective view of your business. But if you want to build resilience, it’s vital to have an accurate picture of the current state of play. Trish Vosse, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer at Courier Guy, advised mapping the informal network — the strong personalities influencing decisions, where things are going wrong, and what people really think when they’re being authentic.
“The players on the sidelines might be where the flow of information actually goes,” she said. “Learning the informal way things are done is how you find your true company culture. It comes down to old fashioned listening and humility.”
To get people to open up, they need to feel seen, heard, and safe. Those at the top can lead by example by showing their human side. “Vulnerability is an enabler. Only when the top-level are willing to say, ‘this is not working’ can you release the tension and open conversations about how to do things better,” said Eksteen.
However, leaders still need to lead. That means maintaining a certain distance and upholding the strategic vision. Sonja Blignaut, Complexity Practitioner & Thought Leader, warned of the dangers of getting too focused on one thing. For example, implementing AI for the sake of it, without thinking about the long-term impact, or getting so caught up in redesigning a process that it no longer fits the operating model.
“Get off the dance floor onto the balcony. When you take a step back you can look at where the patterns are and find opportunities you’ve not thought about,” she said.
This is where partners like Salesforce Professional Services can be really valuable, taking those big ideas, testing them, and making a clear roadmap to achieve meaningful change.
Separate your business from your identity
Wilfred Greyling, Systems Architect and Business Founder, spoke candidly about one of the hardest lessons for founders — seeing the business as separate from themselves and not being threatened by outside opinions. This was echoed by Healthcare Executive, Riedwaan Jabaar, from Value Based Care, who emphasised the importance of doing the right thing over being right.
A common pitfall of founding a business, Greyling explained, is “You can’t hear or see anything that anybody else tells you, because you must know. You are clever and you understand. You think, ‘Don’t come in and tell me what to do’.”
Over time, this means founders can become a risk to the business. While there are many catalysts for change, the success or failure of a project depends on the drivers behind it. For example, when it comes to company growth, a leader who misinterprets feeling overwhelmed as a sign that business is booming can push for growth and fail. Psychologist Carien Human warns this is a shortcut to burnout.
What companies really need is for leaders to take on less of the workflow and step into a strategic role. If they have the right systems in place and a team they trust, the business will thrive.
“Systems get projects through, but founders struggle to let go,” said Greyling.
According to Vosse, they need to embrace being a ‘servant leader’, letting front-line workers or managers be the hero of the story and redefining what success looks like.
Learn to live with uncertainty
The most successful leaders are discerning. They listen to their people, understand their own limitations, and are willing to sit with discomfort. They take time to make decisions rather than rush into new projects out of fear of being left behind. In uncertain times, this can be challenging. Uncertainty often leads to anxiety.
But while we can’t know the future, we can change our attitude to uncertainty. Stephen Wardle, a Salesforce Account Executive, suggested that as adults, we’ve forgotten how to manage a feeling we navigated with ease as children.
“We’re experiencing a form of assisted living. Algorithms tell us what to listen to and what to watch. We expect stability and certainty, and don’t like discomfort,” he said. “When I saw my child working on an art project without a plan, I watched her deal with complexity in a very natural way. That challenged my own thinking.”
To cope with anxiety in the workplace, we need more than a change of mindset, we need to rethink how we’re using technology. “Sometimes we want to use technologies to outsource our relationship with uncertainty. We want it to be a map or GPS, instead of a compass,” said Blignaut. Her solution? “Shift to being more experimental.”
Wardle agreed, adding, “Use your technology as a companion rather than giving people standard operating procedures.”
Technology as a companion ― especially AI like Agentforce ― is far more resilient and adaptable than systems set in stone. This makes it easier to manage change and rebuild those sandcastles when the tides of the market change.
It also addresses one of the top fears around AI: that it will replace us. “We’re seeing the most unbelievable things happening from an AI point of view, but what we’re finding is that humanness has to be elevated,” said Ursula Fear, Senior Talent Program Manager at Salesforce. “It’s really important to feel psychologically safe.”
Harness the power of people
South Africa is celebrated for its diversity and resilience, and the podcast series highlights the power of people as a key theme. And how do you harness people power? Christiaan Brink, Divisional Managing Director at Adapt IT, explained the importance of tapping into the collective intelligence of your workforce as ‘real people’ and working together to achieve common goals.
Industrial Psychologist and Applied Theatre Specialist, Lurinda Maree, recommended bringing humour and playfulness into the workplace to break down communication barriers across the corporate hierarchy. This makes space for more honest discourse and greater empathy between teams. While technologies like Slack help people stay connected and provide visibility of conversations across the organisation, they can’t replace human connection.
Vosse explained just how critical this has been in her experience: “Making employees feel heard is where you can win or lose your transformation. And they want to be heard by a human, not by filling in surveys.”
Incorporating that human touch into transformation is an end-to-end process. It starts with asking staff what they need to do their job well and shaping systems and processes around it. After go-live, Vosse highlighted the importance of in-person training. Showing employees how the new, improved technology has addressed their pain points is a great way to boost user adoption.
And change should be a state of being, not a one-off journey. Capturing employee or customer sentiment and feedback must be an ongoing process to keep people happy and productive. Maree advised celebrating endings as well as new beginnings, marking each chapter as the company evolves and keeping people engaged.
Drive change from a stable foundation
South African business leaders have huge opportunities ahead of them. While it’s tempting to get caught up in the excitement around AI, or to push for growth, they need to go back to basics. Establish a strong foundation, look at the departments quietly propping up the business to ensure they’re running well, and tap into the human need for connection, curiosity, and creativity.
“You can’t just start walking without planning the journey. Do something to stabilise the space,” advised Greyling.
While the role of workers is being redefined at a rapid pace, investing in your people will always pay off. There’s a significant shift toward a culture of collective intelligence and collaboration. That means giving everyone a voice, acting on what they’re saying, and creating a workplace where people can thrive.
Not sure where to start? Eksteen’s podcast series is specifically tailored for business leaders in South Africa.
“We’re at a crossing point in South Africa. There are people making expensive decisions and trying to build their business, not knowing they’re going down the wrong path,” explained Eksteen. “Everyone on this podcast has a passion for the country and its people. And we want to share what we’ve learned.”
