Master Class on Leading and Following with EQ

Master Class on Leading and Following with EQ

Professors Cecile Gerwel Proches and Macdonald Kanyangale from the Graduate School of Business and Leadership (GSB&L) held a master class for the Black Management Forum (BMF) in August. The purpose of the virtual programme was to develop a deep understanding of the changing context confronting leaders and their teams over the past few years. Participants were led through an interactive and dialogical process to identify these multiple disruptive changes which impacted them both personally and professionally. They also had the opportunity to reflect on their level of emotional intelligence (EQ) and how it impacts how they lead self and others.

Ms Farah Ally, BMF KZN Provincial Chairperson commented that, ‘Managerial leadership will always be difficult and challenging. The roles of leaders and managers have changed in the post pandemic world and change is never easy. The sessions conducted by Professors Gerwel Proches and Kanyangale have become an integral part of the BMF KZN’s Managerial Leadership programme. They are an important self-development tool for our members as they navigate their professional journeys. The insights shared by experts in their respective fields have assisted in creating a much-needed safe space for our members to engage with one another and to share not only their challenges but also their best practices. We look forward to assisting many more members through this initiative.’

BMF KZN Provincial Coordinator Ms Bongiwe Ciya highlighted the insightful nature of the master class: ‘It looked at the challenges faced in the workplace and how to overcome them and also how to manage people. This was personally beneficial as I work with a large number of different people.’

Some of the highlights from the master class:

Participants began by identifying the multiple disruptions they were experiencing in their work and personal life, including:

• Artificial Intelligenc
• Load shedding
• Finances
• Family and work-life balance
• Dealing with difficult leaders
• Emotional intelligence
• Time management
• Lack of motivation
• Innovation
• Participants appreciated the rich discussions with diverse participants in the breakout rooms.
• They realised that we often think of leadership when we are leaders and talk and think less about how we follow as leaders. To be a good leader, one needs to also be a good follower and show empathy and compassion.
• The act of leadership thus extends beyond holding a title.
• It is critical to move away from an “I am the leader” approach to adopting a systemic mindset where it is a given that the leaders’ and followers’ well-being and success are key.
• Participants were made aware of the social influence of their followers and teams; there is a strong need for collective sense-making and commitment by different people at various levels.
• They also became aware of the differences between leadership and management. Those in leadership positions often become so immersed in ensuring efficiency, being task and results-oriented, and so focused on ensuring compliance with policies and processes, that they lose focus on the people aspect of leading. This can impact the leadership style.
• Participants were exposed to diverse leadership styles and learnt that a one-size-fits-all approach is limited.
• They learnt that while we often focus on leadership effectiveness, we also need to examine follower effectiveness and the followership styles that they can adopt.
• Participants acknowledged that as a leader, one rarely seeks feedback from followers or juniors to understand how others see one. Feedback in the organisational context is often restricted to performance management activities, which are usually top-down. If leaders are to improve, it is critical that they start receiving this type of feedback as part of external self-awareness which arises from honest and critical feedback from peers and key stakeholders. Many leaders do not balance internal self-awareness (how well you know yourself) and external self-awareness (how well you understand how others see you) which affects how they regulate their emotions, manage relationships with followers, and motivate self and others in the workplace. Participants discussed various ways to enhance external self-awareness as both leaders and followers.
• When participants participated in an EQ self-assessment, it was revealed that many of the delegates faced the challenges of self-awareness and relationship management which they committed to work on and improve to promote healthy and productive relationships in the workplace and at home.
• To succeed as a collective, there is a need for employees to cultivate EQ as this is critical for leading self and enhancing the quality of social interactions, productive interrelationships, empathy and compassion when leading others.

• The master class was acknowledged as having enabled the participants to gain insights into how they could better lead self and others.

Words: NdabOnline

Photographs: Supplied