OWP 2022: Leading For the Future

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Tendile Mahlulo, Vice President and Category Manager of Professional Services and Market Data, said that she had learned not only to be a better leader herself but also how to inspire other leaders. “I want to use the tools that I’ve learned at OWP Singapore to improve the environment I work in – not only from a functional perspective but also from an organizational perspective.” “When I go back, I aim to be a different leader – and, in being a different leader, I hope to be able to empower other people to be better leaders.” Yashveen Duljeet, a lawyer for Absa in Mauritius, summed up his experience of OWP Singapore by saying; “I came in as an ordinary guy, and I’m leaving with superpowers.” He says that the techniques and skills that he learned will pass the test of time.

Leadership learnings were the main takeaways for the Absa participants at OWP Singapore. Absa Senior Analyst for the Public Sector and Growth Capital, Corporate and Investment Banking Jenna-Leigh Hill referred to a quote by the US Navy’s special operation unit, (the Navy SEALs): ‘When in a crisis, you don’t simply rise to the occasion, rather you fall to the level of your training.’ “I arrived, willing to unlearn, relearn and rewire, in order to be the best possible leader that I can be,” Hill said. For her, there were three key takeaways from OWP around self-leadership. The first, said, was reflection. “We don’t simply learn from our experiences, but rather around the reflection upon those experiences.” The second was around being a mindful leader. “A mindful leader is someone who is self-aware. And being self-aware in a critical situation allows you to make a choice on how you wish to respond.” The third, she said was around persistence. “We understand that the neurons that fire together are the ones that wire together. Practicing daily and making this a habit is key.” A SELF-DISCOVERY JOURNEY For Tebogo Mengwai, Information Technology Risk Manager, OWP Singapore was a self discovery journey. Mengwai explained that OWP was a journey which she had deliberately wanted to go on as she look to determine the type of leader that she wants to be. “As a leader, you need to be aware of everything: the good, the bad, and the blind spots,” Mengwai said. “When you’re able to identify where your blind spots are, then you’re able to fix them, and understand the impact you have on those around you.”

EXPLOSIVE, RELEVANT AND REVEALING The enthusiasm of the Absa Bank LEAP participants who attended OWP Singapore was almost palpable. “I found this program to be explosive, relevant, and revealing,” said Stephan Sibilant, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager in Mauritius. He said that several sessions stood out for him. The learning about becoming a more ambidextrous leader was particularly interesting and relevant to his role as were and the sessions around building platforms and ecosystems. Mfesane Sicongwane, CIB Fraud Operations Manager, particularly enjoyed the sessions on sensors, analytics, and machine learning. “We have an enormous amount of machine power within the bank and therefore it is critical that we take advantage of machine learning in order for us to be on top of our game,” Sicongwane said. The sessions made him think about using analytics within the Companies Investigations Bureau part of the bank and specifically how to combine unstructured data with prescriptive data.

“THEYWILL HELP ME UNDERSTAND MY STRENGTHS ANDWEAKNESSES – AND HELP ME BECOME A BETTER INDIVIDUAL AND A BETTER LEADER.”

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