from Ralph

It’s time to have a heart-to-heart...

Three years ago, we experienced a profound and dramatic change to what we knew as “normal” and “to be expected”. Life as we knew it was upended, it was disrupted and we had to adjust. For some, fear and hopelessness set in, and for others they had to deal with loss, and the pain of that loss still remains today. I know you share with me deep sympathy and empathy to those that suffered during the pandemic. As the MTN Group, we responded to the pandemic and related challenges by seeking guidance from our purpose and being guided by our values. We stepped into the gaps where leadership was needed, and focused on ensuring we made real and impactful contributions for our staff, the communities we serve as well as the nationstates we operate in.

This ability to be a caring organisation and have impact is largely due to you, our leaders, as you managed to keep yourselves and your teams motivated.

It required a great deal of empathy and heart to keep encouraging people to believe in a shared vision, purpose and value system. We all know that in order for an enterprise to succeed, be sustainable and have real impact in society, it requires that its people are purpose-led and values-driven. Our values will always be the bedrock of who we are, what we do and the social and economic impact we will make into the future.

It is for this reason, that the theme for our Group Leadership Gathering 2023 is Leading through Values.

The conference discussions and engagements will focus on the proposed values we are looking to have refreshed, with a clear understanding that these very values will be key for our success over the next decade and possibly beyond. I’m really looking forward to your individual and collective contributions on the values refresh and how these come to life.

I also would like you to think practically about how these values have meaning for all our people, and create resonance with personal values. In a world where we will continue to see change, disruption and shocks, a values-driven culture will make us stand out as a company.

Looking forward to your full engagement and contribution at the conference!

Best regards,

One of the most powerful forms of leadership is servant leadership.

Former South African President, Nelson Mandela, would speak of how leading from behind and supporting the unit was an intelligent way to put those whose interests you seek to reinforce, in a position where they can enjoy the fruits of victory.