Leading by listening to others

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Making a positive difference: At just 34 years of age, Discoverys Themba Baloyi is an example of a seamless leader. He says his attitude to leadership changed when he began really listening to what the people who report to him had to say.

The leadership journey of Thembalihle (Themba) Baloyi, the 34-year-old executive at Discovery Insure, is a story of the entrepreneurship and drive that make the world a better place.

In his personal capacity, he is already the proud owner of 10 Comrades Marathon medals, and this is indicative of his personal tenacity and courage.

Personal leadership interviews conducted by Leadership Platform involve comparing the personal leadership journey of the leader being interviewed with the context provided by our exposure to many hundreds of other leaders over the years.

Every interview is different because every individual is unique. But the leadership attributes we come across in the interviews are very often also evident in other great performers.

We found this to be the case in our interview with Baloyi. The universal nature of leadership principles is an important factor for leaders to consider in developing their own leadership style and confidence. Each of us is unique, yet we are all subject to universal laws and principles that determine the measure of our performance and, ultimately, our success.

Baloyi, in common with many other great leaders in SA and abroad, started life in an impoverished area. He grew up mostly in the Newcastle area of KwaZulu-Natal under the supervision of his grandmother. She instilled in him the values of independence and responsibility that have been the basic drivers of his career.

Baloyi received an abiding lesson from his grandmother about readiness and preparation.

He embraced her counsel of facing all crisis situations in the same manner that some of us are prepared to face death.

You can’t do anything about your death. Therefore, if you are prepared for death, you will face it far more readily. The same principle applies in facing the many pressure situations that any leader worth his salt has to face on a daily basis.

This is what we like to call a “seamless” attitude. Baloyi feels passionate about preparing for challenges by proactively pondering problematic situations before they occur. This is a great principle that this young leader has learnt at a very young age.

When we are prepared, we shall not fear, the saying goes, and this applies significantly in optimising our leadership effectiveness.

Baloyi feels that challenges become enjoyable to face when we are prepared. Positive leaders, such as Baloyi, are usually better prepared than most others.

A major reason why Baloyi joined Discovery is that he found that the two leaders he made contact with at the time actually lived the values of the Discovery organisation under Adrian Gore’s leadership.

He was impressed with the manner in which these two managers walked the talk.

As a qualified cost and management accountant, he had other career choices at the time and was not really interested in joining Discovery.

It’s quite amazing what impact people can have when they live the values they profess they believe in. Our values, both negative and positive, shine from our actions, often far more than the words we speak.

Baloyi was a shy youngster, and this probably contributed towards his passion to help others overcome their shyness. He speaks of having a leadership style of giving others a voice.

This is a respecting and engaging kind of approach that he feels makes a significant difference in the responses and growth of others. They feel valued, and this tends to bring out the best in others, not necessarily just those who report to him, but others he comes into contact with as well.

Baloyi believes that if you want to dominate as a leader, then do not expect to grow personally or expect others serving with you to grow.

Recently I was told of a valuable lesson learnt by a leader I am involved with. He told me of working a double-shift in the mine because of a crisis deep underground. He wanted to show his support for his tired workers.

During the long shift, he got into a frank discussion with his workers. He was amazed at the depth and value of the ideas that his workers came up with. He says it changed his leadership attitude towards his reports.

He was experiencing the advantages of what Baloyi calls “giving people a voice”.

One of the tests of great leaders is their attitude towards those who preside over them.

I asked Baloyi about his feelings towards those leaders he reported to in the past and present.

The old saying that a leader needs to be a follower first makes a lot of sense.

It is not just the ability to follow other people, but the more important ability to follow ideas and positive values that we see in others around us. It is also about respecting the office of those who are placed above you, and differentiating between person and office.

A leader who has played a major role in Baloyi’s own growth is Adrian Gore, a renowned leader who has been profiled and quoted several times in this column.

Baloyi shared his feelings about a blending style of leadership. I found this concept to be relevant and inspiring.

Baloyi used the example of a hot chocolate drink that consists of several ingredients. Considered separately, the ingredients don’t mean much. Not only should they be mixed, but they also need to be blended in a certain way to result in an enjoyable hot chocolate drink.

Baloyi believes that our leadership attitude towards our leaders, people and situations in general require the ability to blend all the elements together. From experience, we know this is a sound principle.

A blending leader tends to be a sharing and unselfish leader. A blending leader tends to reject contention in favour of positive confrontation and processes that integrate and remove barriers to potential.

As part of his blending leadership style, Baloyi is willing to seek counsel when he needs it. He uses resources within the organisation as well as outsiders to seek counsel in tricky situations.

He believes leaders should respect their gut feelings, but that such feelings may be dangerous. He values the input of others, who may have the wisdom and experience to make a valuable contribution.

Baloyi reflects the sharing, respectful and performing leader emerging in SA. He is already making a positive difference, despite his relatively young age.