As I picked up the pen again after six months away from this column, it suddenly struck me that corporate Mauritius is living through difficult times: the uncertainty regarding our sugar industry’s survival, the struggling EPZ sector, the various corporate scandals we continue to witness on our newspapers, the limping IT industry – any leader on this island is bound to be overwhelmed by some feeling of frustration and even despair.

Yet, the leader’s role is not to give in to this despair. Even if there is some apprehensiveness in our decisions, a touch of cynicism in our actions or a creeping weariness in our bodies, bold leadership demands of us that we see the difficulties ahead as nothing more than challenges and opportunities that need to be overcome and exploited. This is the real challenge facing Mauritian political and business leaders and entrepreneurs: the ability to build a high-performance nation or enterprise by finding ways to create an inspiring vision, unleash passion, transform dreams into realities, build commitment and deliver results. The future and real heroes of our society will be those who succeed into inspiring those around them and turning their aspirations into action. They have to do it not only for themselves but for everyone around them.

Those amongst you who are the pragmatists are sure to ask: “This is all very well but how do we do so?” I can think of five principles – principles that we not only practice assiduously here at the Business School but which research has validated over and over again. Here they are:

• A clear and communicated vision. First and foremost, as leaders it is our job to have a clear vision. We need to not only envision boldly the future by creating an ideal and unique image of what our organization can become, but need to believe that this vision, once communicated, will enlist others in our dream.

• Set clear standards and expect the best. As leaders, we need to set clear standards and expect others around us to give their best in meeting these standards. Our vision must be translated into clear goals, values or principles that we hold dear, know are sound and will bring out the best amongst those we lead. Once communicated, we need to become unswerving, single-minded and utterly adamant that others around us will live up to our expectations. We need to believe that they can do so a “You can do it – I know you can do it” mentality.

• Release the positive. Great leaders are acutely aware of the need to release the positive in their employees. They know that if they can create a supportive and caring environment where achievements are recognized and rewarded, magic will take place and motivation will shoot sky-high. The logic cannot be faulted: if I see myself as a supportive leader instead of a controller out there to patrol the organisation looking for faults in others, others around me will be stimulated to offer the best of themselves. Morale will therefore improve significantly as my organisation moves to higher levels of performance and increased productivity.

• Celebrate achievements. Many of us leaders, believe that information, analysis and strategy are the core functions of an organisation – little else matters. Recent research however paints a different picture. In one study in the USA, for example, researchers found that what distinguished high-performing groups from others, was the wide variety and frequency of celebratory events – events where recognition and appreciation were expressed. Recognizing our staff achievements and doing so publicly brings about trust and strengthens relationships in the workplace. It demonstrates company values and encourages others to duplicate the actions that they see rewarded.

• And remember: Set the example. Every leader in the organisation has to set the example by formulating and communicating the right vision and standards, releasing the positive and celebrating achievements – this is not the kind of job that can be delegated to anyone. It has to come from us and from our hearts, genuinely. We can’t expect others to follow our lead if we do not take the first step ourselves.

<I>Prof Eric Charoux

[email protected]</I>