Why role models matter
This week l “pounced” on a nicely written piece on business strategy addressing the role of the servant-leader in organisational growth.
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It was an “old” article published by the Harvard Business Review in the early 2000s, but rich in the sort of content we need today. Yes, I really saw in this article how analogue ideas and philosophies could drive digital growth as well as transition from the old, dull 20th century to the new, vibrant 21st century! Or, something along those lines
What exactly was this article about? Well, I wouldn’t stroll into the content that much--- I guess you can imagine what it would be like from the source- but would talk much about some of the notable figures mentioned in the piece, who have served as significant role models to some of us, and whose ideas can help address present day challenges of the global business environment exacerbated by the one-in-a-hundred- years pandemic.
Check this out: Names such as Michael Porter, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Robert Waterman Jr. Peter Drucker and Tom Peters were mentioned in this article. These are heavyweight names in the field of business and management education; authors, educators, and professors that have influenced their fields in many ways- and have developed significant followers over time.
Reading about parts of their work this week in the article brought back some good memories and feelings too. Books such as In Search of Excellence, co-authored by Robert H. Waterman Jr. and Tom Peters, were great companions for the business student in the early 90s. When it was first introduced to my cohort, it immediately struck a chord with many of us, as it was rich in research and provided real life examples of how one can move from good to great. Drawing lessons from the business field, of course.
Personally, even though I didn’t know Peters and Waterman, they, together with other management gurus, became my external role models. They helped me to imagine new possibilities in life, and inspired me to experiment, and see every problem as a new opportunity to grow.
The fact is, I have never shared this experience with anyone before, but I feel like letting it out now to inspire others too. After all, even mentors need mentors!
Role models, whether in the workplace or external, are important to personal and professional growth. Lucky enough, with the growth in information communication technology, we can now find virtual role models by following people whose work we admire on social media.
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You can even engage them in conversation and you may even be surprised about how some of these people you see “so far from you” would be willing to be virtual mentors.
Let me share some personal experience here about mentorship. In the late 90s, l had the revered Senegalese journalist, Adama Gaye, as my editor at West Africa Magazine in London, then the leading English Language magazine to cover African affairs extensively.
I was a contributing editor and later Business Editor. West Africa Magazine (WAM), established in 1917, boasted of some of the finest African journalists as part of its full and part-time journalists, freelance writers, correspondents and editors.
The publication had a number of key subject matter specialists and became the leading reference point for academics, researchers, writers, politicians, among many others. This was long before the viral wave of the Internet.
Now, this was the interesting part of my relationship with Adama Gaye and the publication. Adama Gaye took personal interest in my work, and would call for further discussions.
Occasionally, we would meet and have a chat in the heart of London on pertinent issues. I saw something in Gaye that I felt l could emulate, as far as his dedication to work is concerned.
He became a mentor and built my confidence in the trade, praising my niche and encouraging me to never stop writing even if l got to the very top in the accounting and finance profession. And I have continued to do just that.
Another person that helped me, and mentored me (indirectly) was Kofi Badu, a past Managing Director of Graphic Communications Group! It is a shame l have never told him this personally, but let me say here what he once did that built my confidence.
Mr Badu is a great writer and admired by those who know his craft. He would mark your work like a school teacher whenever you submitted something to him to review. It would come back with red ink, and the corrected version would also come back with further red marks; he did that to his own work whenever he wrote the editorial. He wanted everything perfectly done, not just done.
So when one day Mr Badu told me to write the Comment page for West Africa Magazine (then owned by Graphic Communications Group), I was scared and excited at the same time. Going to see Teacher Badu was my problem after l had penned down some thoughts. I was, therefore, pleasantly surprised when he accepted the piece and guided me on how we could make it better.
When it was finally published in the week’s edition, I read it over and over again. You know what, that act alone built my confidence to the point where I could easily put words on paper and never feel scared. Thank you, Mr Badu.
All the secrets l have left out today (perhaps you have just read part of my memoirs at some point) are to show you how mentors can push hard to develop a brand, a style and a niche that others would admire.
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Where there are no role models, a glass ceiling gets created.
For instance, a report by the US-based Rockefeller Foundation, published in 2016, highlighted some of the challenges for women in leadership, including a lack of mentors and role models.
The report stressed that 65 per cent of Americans were of the view that it was important for women starting their careers to have women in leadership as role models. But, at the time, as the report highlighted, only 20 women were CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Clearly, when you see role models who can identify with your aspirations at the top you get inspired to do more. Otherwise it looks difficult. Seeing is believing! Well, now more women have seen others rising high on the corporate ladder and are aspiring to be at the top too. But more needs to be done for broader inclusion.
Our inclusion and diversity agenda must include strong education on learning and connecting with role models. Careers today are so complex that we need multiple mentors, something like a developmental network. These relationships, many claim, provide career and emotional support and role modelling to help you advance, learn, and grow.
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