Africa-Press – Botswana. Economic transformation requires radical change from individual to national level.
Presenting on the pivotal role of Human Resource (HR) professionals in driving and sustaining transformative mindset change initiatives at the 7th Strategic HR Conference and Gala Dinner, National Mindset Change coordinator, Ms Maipelo Sealetsa said change began from an individual before it could be a collective at national level.
The three-day conference themed: Shifting Perspectives, Embracing a New Mindset for Organisational Excellence and Transformation, is meant to explore the transformative power of shifting perspectives and embracing new mindsets, thereby empowering HR professionals and business leaders to lead their organisations towards greater resilience, agility and innovation.
“Collective action is the one that will be able to drive change at national level, which now calls for creation of context, structure and space that can bring cultural change for excellence and high performance, as well as coming up with impactful leadership and people development strategies,” she said.
Effective change management, Ms Sealetsa said, was critical ‘because if we don’t [do it], we are not going to have return on investment’.
Mindset change, she said, was therefore a critical starting point to inspiring and cultivating a positive mindset among individuals.
She stressed that it was also imperative to come up with strategies that integrated cultural shifts into organisational practices to build a resilient and forward-thinking national identity.
She also said it was important to recognise the profound impact that embracing new mindsets could have on organisational excellence and transformation.
Unpacking the five commitments, as the anchoring tenet of the programme, speaker and author, Ms Ethel Kuuya said change was driven by commitment that created generational impact.
For that reason, she said leaders should be worthy custodians and be responsible with influence by taking charge of the dreams and hopes of those they led.
“You need to create generational impact by having respect for those who listen to you. Make decisions that can impact and influence the people you lead in a positive way,” said Ms Kuuya.
A leader, she said, should curate wise counsel, be curious and be deliberate about whose influence to take in or whom to listen to.
“To see innovation, you should first build curiosity to change things in life and make a commitment bearing in mind that commitment is not the absence of options, because when you chose something it does not mean that there were no options,” she added.
Real leaders, Ms Kuuya, who is also an advisor and entrepreneur said, chose leadership and made a commitment, bearing in mind that any meaningful leadership was embedded with lots of failure.
Achievement Enterprises founder and chief executive officer, Dr Rachel Nekati encouraged HR professionals to embrace discomfort as a catalyst for growth and personal evolution to navigate new challenges and emerge stronger.
“Your mind is like a garden, pay attention to the seeds that you plant in that garden, by choosing wisely who you associate with. You are the creator of your own reality and never allow your dream to fail,” she advised.
Mindset change, Dr Nekati said,required change of one’s thinking patterns, as thoughts influenced one’s feelings and ultimately behaviour.
“Be self-aware and self-manage your repeated way of thinking that is continuously impacting your thought and behaviour. Though you don’t have control over your life experiences, you need to have control of what impact those experiences have left on your subconscious mind,” she added.
For her part, Debswana Diamond Company senior HR manager, Ms Boikanyo Kgosi said culture transformation was a key tool in driving organisational change and achieving long-term success.
“It’s about ethical leadership commitment and leading with integrity,” she said.
“Ensuring functional excellence in HR enables us to provide the business of today and tomorrow with the people, right leaders and information needed to make effective operational, tactical and strategic decisions,” she added.
She also cautioned that digital technologies, as innovative as they were, had only incidental impact on transforming an organisation, adding that real transformation required commitment and culture shift to be attained.
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