Celiwe Ross’ telling of the role her parents played in her life gives a glimpse into what has taken her from the position of Chief of Staff in the CEO’s office to Director of Group Strategy, Sustainability, Human Capital and Public Affairs at Old Mutual Limited. She explains what her mother saw as the responsibility of parents over their kids: “You must give them roots and you must give them wings.”
Her mother gave her roots: “values, respect, hard work, connectedness, family.” Her father gave her wings: “...he created an environment in our home where nothing was impossible.” Those roots and wings have helped her excel, from the beginning of her career as a mining engineer, all the way to being named the Standard Bank Top Businesswoman of the Year in 2022.
In this Business Unusual Podcast, Celiwe shares her valuable leadership insights, reflecting on the power of people and purpose. They talk about the importance of family, creating certainty for people in your organisation, being optimistic about opportunities on the continent and the role corporations can play in working towards a sustainable future.
Key takeaways to listen out for in this podcast:
- “The company’s purpose must be your purpose”
- You have to rely on people and it helps to understand what makes great people
- You need to comfortable with not knowing
- “The biggest career decision you will make is choosing your life partner”
- Leaders need to provide a level of certainty for the people within their organisation
- One of the roles of a leader is to ignite passion in their people
- Every leader needs to read “CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest”
- When you see an opportunity for change, the only way to get over the fear is to expose yourself to more of it
- Leaders have a responsibility to represent the continent positively, despite what challenges we may have there are an abundance of opportunities
- What works here in South Africa cannot be easily applied elsewhere on the continent
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