The Spirit Of Leadership - Reflections on Business and Faith
Loot (R255)
Penguin Books
Prominent businessman Reuel Khoza in his latest book, The Spirit Of Leadership, examines the role of spirituality in transformational leadership.
In 2023, Khoza unsealed a letter to the future, which he had written in 1999 when he was chair of Eskom, at the time recognised as the best power utility in the world. It was an optimistic letter, expressing hope.
At the time he wrote, “This (2023) should be a time when all the exemplary qualities embodied in our philosophy of ubuntu reach their fulfilment...The challenges facing us must surely have been met and overcome by the time you read this - challenges such as crime, poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and disease.”
Those hopes have since been dashed by corruption and maladministration – by a failure of ethical leadership amidst State Capture years.
Khoza has written much about leadership, but he says something was missing, the fourth quotient, faith.
Khoza’s previous novels examined the importance of the intelligence, emotional and social quotients. Other titles to his name including, Attuned Leadership, Let Africa Lead, The African in my Dream and The Power of Governance (with Mohamed Adam).
In his latest book, Khoza ponders ubuntu and Christianity, the social responsibilities of business, the nature of generosity in an unequal world, and the search for common values to bridge conflicts.
“To shake off the colonial and apartheid past, which inculcated a sense of inferiority, we need transformational leadership,” he writes.
Khoza delves deeply into why South Africa has strayed off the path of progress and examines the need for a moral compass for a brighter future.
Chapters in the book attempt to address this from several angels: leadership and vision, black history, religion, business, politics as well as theology.
I was gripped in his first chapter as Khoza took on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership in the Phala Phala scandal.
“To effectively win the trust of citizens, the president should display honesty and integrity...The Phala Phala saga seems to flout most of these criteria,” he writes.
The rich tapestry of South African history, philosophy and insights into leadership makes this a fascinating, meaty read. Faith is not an easy topic and is deeply personal, but Khoza manages to pull this off in style.
BUSINESS REPORT