Erongo Marine Enterprises Managing Director, Dr. Martha Umati, says Namibian leadership styles in the 21st century need a makeover to cope with the ever-evolving business environment and ensure that workers unleash their full potential.
The award-winning scholar gave a one-hour-long talk about the characteristics required of leaders in the 21st century, saying they should especially be skilled human resource managers.
HR practitioners in the country attended the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Institute of People Management at Swakopmund.
Dr. Martha Umati described the current century as the age of constant disruptions," driven by a leap of technological discoveries. invented by the human brain.
"People, that's your greatest asset—the human mind. Who owns it? It's your people; who's going to make things happen? Who's going to deliver? Your people, but yet old school, you will still see the old school leadership; they still come and say, 'Is this thing done? I want it done! I want this now!' Forgetting that you are dealing with human beings. As a holistic person, you have to consider body, mind, and soul. I always say body, mind, and soul; you can't just deal with one part and forget about the other part while also remembering that this is a whole person. I'm a mother, so if you don't understand I'm a mother, you're going to have problems."
She stressed that employers must understand that their workers need to have a good balance between work and their private lives.
"COVID taught us that life-work balance is now more important than ever before. The young people would not want to work for you if they couldn't balance things; you still have to understand. We've progressed to the point where, after COVID, we only have three working days per week. Meaning that you only come to the office on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; that came from zero, and we went to that, and now we are at four, and we are considering going back again. Why? Because you realise that people are actually working more effectively where they are, it doesn't matter where you are sitting."
Dr. Umati, who studied and worked for years in foreign countries, noted that she learned that people are able to do their work from anywhere in the world, thanks to the discoveries of technology.
Agility, innovation, and a focus on sustainability and social responsibility have become critical factors for success in the evolving landscape, she concluded.