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ALUMNI

PERSPECTIVES

Winners and losers…

the advent of the

coronavirus

T

he advent of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19,

has sent shockwaves across the global social and

economic system. Whereas 18 months ago we

were talking about the fourth industrial revolution as

the next big thing that would change the manner in which

business is done globally, our business continuity plans never

saw this pandemic coming.

As with other crises that the world has faced, we must have

the courage to reinvent ourselves and keep moving forward.

Some businesses will close down forever, and new ones will

emerge. It becomes the duty of every business leader to

think of ways to protect their businesses and much-needed

jobs. Therefore, my advice is that we seriously look at the

macro issues affecting our businesses and plan how we will

respond. Will your customers still be needing your service?

Will they still put your service amongst their ‘top priority’

expenditure line items? How do you bolster your competitive

position in the marketplace post COVID-19?

A few entrepreneurs have sprung up as manufacturers and

distributors of sanitisers, face masks and other PPE. We

must now imagine the many other changes that will make

doing business different from what used to be. In these

changes lie opportunities for us to reposition or start up new

lines of business. For instance, the centralisation of global

manufacturing in China will be reviewed particularly in areas

like medical supplies, food security and other essential

goods. We must therefore say, “What opportunities will this

present for our types of business?”

My good professor at Harvard Business School, Professor

Ranjay Gulati, asked us a simple question: “When is the

best time for businesses to get ahead? During uptimes or

downtimes?” After much debate, Professor Gulati said that

it was during downtimes that innovators and new business

ideas got a better platform to take off than during uptimes.

He was basically saying that we should never let a good crisis

go to waste; it presents learning and growth opportunities as

well. As technical students, trained at MUT in problem-solving,

this is the time we should think deeply about how we will get

tailwinds from the changes that this pandemic will bring in our

economy. In conclusion, we need to take advantage of the

business support platforms that have been created by both

Government and the private sector. Let us resist the temptation

to sit back and weep in our corners under lockdown. Yes, it is a

frustrating period, but let’s craft well thought-out proposals to

preserve our businesses beyond this period.

By Mlamuli Buthelezi, MUT Alumnus, Class of ’86

Resilient leadership in

the time of COVID-19

I

’m often asked what we mean by resilient leadership in the context of the current health

crisis. I think everyone will agree that returning to a world that existed before COVID-19

would mark failure. We all should expect more. We have a chance to use what we’ve

learned during this pandemic to usher in a new and better normal. The key to doing

so would be exercising resilient leadership; having the ability to energise our teams by

looking outward; imagining a successful future and embracing trust to get us there.

The biggest challenge organisations will likely face next is the tension between getting

back to work and embracing a new reality. How leaders and organisations handle the

recovery may define their brands for years to come and ultimately define whether they

are truly operating as a social enterprise. Rebuilding working structures and relationships

and factoring in priorities like mental health and well-being in a post-COVID-19 world

will require a new kind of leadership – one that is authentically more human, is rooted in

connections, and focuses on uplifting, inspiring, and enabling workers to deliver their best.

By Sthembiso Phakathi, MUT Alumnus, Class of ’90

M U T A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E

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