'Integrity part of what makes a good leader' (GNU take note) - UFS Chancellor Mohale

Can you tell a personal story about an executive that has had a positive impact on your career, or quite the opposite?

On The Money Show, Stephen Grootes drills down to what exactly it is that makes a good executive.

And there is probably no-one better equipped to answer this question than respected business figure and Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS), Professor Bonang Mohale.

He is chairperson of both The Bidvest Group Limited and SBV Services, and the former CEO of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA).

At the top of his list for a good executive, Professor Mohale puts a compelling vision 'to be able to take your people to a place where they've never been'.

Two other essential qualities he says, are courage and integrity.

Referring to the type of corruption exposed by the Zondo Commission, he agrees it's necessary that we have a positive definition for leaders, and not just one that takes into account what they are not.

"It's like saying to your wife, 'see I'm a good guy, I've never been to prison'. That just doesn't cut it."

"I think the world is about to be jolted back to... when for ages, even economics was not about making money but about living together well."

Prof. Bonang Mohale, Chancellor - University of the Free State

Prof. Mohale says a holistic and integral view of economics is that all of us can contribute to the 'household' with our skills and talent.

A healthy society needs a strong economy, and a strong economy needs a healthy society, he emphasizes.

"There's a problem - and it's not sustainable - when your own employees can't afford the goods and services that you provide, and then you call yourself a leader."

Prof. Bonang Mohale, Chancellor - University of the Free State

He says trust is the one success factor that we often overlook, where one's word count counts much more than a contract.

"For me, trust is based on  lead values. Business is therefore not just about profit maximisation, obsession with just shareholder returns... but also about a much broader stakeholder community. It's about shared value as well as a community of values and  common resources."

Prof. Bonang Mohale, Chancellor - University of the Free State

Mohale also emphasizes the responsibility leaders have to create other leaders.

He illustrates this by saying 'the fruits of the amarula tree are not the amarula fruits themselves, but another amarula tree'.

"I think we need to accept that it is the whole system that succeeds, not just individuals... Our politics is a good example of that, where we placed our trust on those who call themselves our leaders only for them to succumb to greed..."

Prof. Bonang Mohale, Chancellor - University of the Free State

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