Leaders needed to ‘step into this chaos’

29 April 2020 | Story Carla Bernardo. VoiceLerato Molale. Read time 7 min.
According to GSB senior lecturer Athol Williams, Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, has demonstrated the kind of leadership that is necessary during the pandemic and for life thereafter. <b>Photo</b> Larissa Venter.
According to GSB senior lecturer Athol Williams, Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, has demonstrated the kind of leadership that is necessary during the pandemic and for life thereafter. Photo Larissa Venter.
 

Throughout history, crises have called for particular types of leaders, attributes and actions – and the COVID-19 pandemic is no different. Leadership is certainly needed during this time as we approach life in the ‘new normal’.

What are the qualities and values these leaders should embody? What actions are necessary? Are there any examples worth following? And what is the responsibility of so-called followers?

While there are no silver bullets for leading during this unprecedented time, University of Cape Town (UCT) academic Athol Williams, a senior lecturer specialising in corporate responsibility and ethical leadership at the Graduate School of Business (GSB), shares his thoughts on what kind of leadership is necessary during the pandemic and for life post-COVID-19.

 

“The virus has shaken us as a society and shaken us as individuals.”

A consequence of the pandemic, he explained, is that many professionals are questioning fundamental aspects of their lives: career versus family, wealth versus leisure, power versus peace of mind, and so on. On the other hand, the vulnerable sectors of our society are questioning whether the government really serves them, whether maintaining order is in their best interest and whether peace comes at the expense of their livelihoods.

“A lot is being questioned because the lockdown and virus exposed the fragility of our livelihoods and the fractured nature of our society,” said Williams. “We’re now more confused than ever and, in some quarters, [angrier].”

Step into this chaos

“With all this chaos swirling around, we need leaders who can step into this chaos – not avoid it – and offer clarity,” said the GSB senior lecturer.

Business leaders will need to rethink many of their leadership styles. They’ll need to meet people where they are and find new ways of inspiring and motivating them. And political leaders, said Williams, will need to sell a vision of a future which currently does not exist.

 

“We need leaders who can step into this chaos – not avoid it.”

“Those aching will need to be convinced that something better lies ahead, otherwise they will descend into hopelessness, which will be destructive to our society,” he said.

This new post-COVID-19 society will need new leaders. According to Williams, these leaders will need to be courageous, clear-minded and visionary, but, importantly, must be able to listen to and hear people. They must be able to draw from their followers’ passions through empathy and compassion and craft new paths.

“Leaders are going to need to develop abilities to connect with people like they’ve never needed [to] before,” said Williams.

Compensation rethink

Some of the commendable leadership moments during the pandemic have been the pay cuts that many leaders have taken in support of lower-income staff members.

But what this has done, said Williams, is once again highlight the massive income differentials in South Africa. He said that even if we are to believe executives who claim that their pay is justified, there is no meaningful justification for the amount paid at the lowest end of the workforce.

Therefore, Williams is also calling for ethical leaders who will “stand at the forefront of a move to rethink how we are paid”, and this must include what essential workers are paid. He added that at the core of this compensation rethink, there needs to be an ethical rethink in which leaders ask, ‘Can I really accept what I’m being paid when my fellow human is being paid what she is being paid? What is fair? What is ethical?’ ”

 

“Our future compensation philosophy should be developed around focus on solidarity rather than personal enrichment.”

For life post-COVID-19, Williams advised that leaders use the same logic as they did during the lockdown when taking pay cuts.

“Our future compensation philosophy should be developed around focus on solidarity rather than personal enrichment,” he said. “We need to carry through the ‘in this together’ ethos and lead our organisations in ways that bring everyone along.”

Servant leaders

What will happen if the leaders that this historic moment calls for do not emerge or evolve? What are the costs and consequences?

According to Williams, because South Africa has always been a fragmented society, part of the job of a good public leader is to build bridges across these fragments and, ultimately, to help the nation heal these fragmentations. He fears that in the absence of leaders who are in touch with the current fears and aspirations of their followers, society will suffer even greater fragmentation.

“This will not only lead to greater suffering but civil unrest as well. In such circumstances, we all lose,” he said.

 

“They’re servant leaders and … endeavouring to pull citizens closer together.”

Fortunately, Williams has already witnessed leaders coming to the fore who embody attributes he mentioned as necessary for navigating the pandemic and life thereafter.

As he is not close enough to observe business or public leaders outside the Western Cape where he resides, he mentioned two admirable leaders based in the province: Premier Alan Winde and the leader of the opposition (African National Congress), Cameron Dugmore.

Cameron Dugmore is another example of admirable leadership during the pandemic. He is pictured (third from right) alongside leaders of the Bangladeshi business community who donated over 700 food parcels in Athlone. Photo Cameron Dugmore/Facebook.

According to Williams, both Winde and Dugmore have been hands-on in engaging with their stakeholders during the lockdown, which ranges from the homeless to struggling families, as well as business leaders and other decision makers.

“I observe them both listening to people but also expressing their firm views,” said Williams. “They’re servant leaders, and I believe, despite their political differences, endeavouring to pull citizens closer together by seeking to create conditions where we all can prosper.”

One instance that impressed Williams in particular was when Dugmore visited the Strandfontein temporary emergency shelter. There, the leader of the opposition called passionately but sensibly for improved conditions.

“There’s no grandstanding – just humble engagement with an emphasis on listening,” explained Williams.

Thoughtful actors

For there to be leaders, there needs to be an electorate, citizens, employees, followers, and so on. They – we – also have a responsibility for making our way through this pandemic, Williams said.

It is seemingly harder to be a follower than a leader these days because citizens find it difficult to know who to trust and what to believe, he said. Citizens have been disappointed so many times that a strong cynicism is growing. But the citizen’s role, according to Williams, is to “keep being questioning followers”.

“We need to exercise our democratic responsibility to be active citizens by taking action, but also to be thoughtful about which actions we take and which paths we follow.”


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UCT’s response to COVID-19

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March 2020. UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.

Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has in June 2022 repealed some of South Africa’s remaining COVID-19 regulations: namely, sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions under the National Health Act. We are now no longer required to wear masks or limit gatherings. Venue restrictions and checks for travellers coming into South Africa have now also been removed.

In July 2022, the University of Cape Town (UCT) revised its approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic on UCT campuses in 2022.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.

 

Campus communications

 
2022

Adjusting to our new environment 16:50, 23 June 2022
VC Open Lecture and other updates 17:04, 13 April 2022
Feedback from UCT Council meeting of 12 March 2022 09:45, 18 March 2022
UCT Council
March 2022 graduation celebration 16:45, 8 March 2022
Report on the meeting of UCT Council of 21 February 2022 19:30, 21 February 2022
UCT Council
COVID-19 management 2022 11:55, 14 February 2022
Return to campus arrangements 2022 11:15, 4 February 2022

UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre

On Wednesday, 20 July, staff from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences came together with representatives from the Western Cape Government at the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre at Forest Hill Residence to acknowledge the centre’s significance in the fight against COVID-19 and to thank its staff for their contributions. The centre opened on 1 September 2021 with the aim of providing quality vaccination services to UCT staff, students and the nearby communities, as well as to create an opportunity for medical students from the Faculty of Health Sciences to gain practical public health skills. The vaccination centre ceased operations on Friday, 29 July 2022.

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.

 

“After almost a year of operation, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, located at the Forest Hill residence complex in Mowbray, will close on Friday, 29 July 2022. I am extremely grateful and proud of all staff, students and everyone involved in this important project.”
– Vice-Chancellor Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.


Thank You UCT Community

Frequently asked questions

 

Global Citizen Asks: Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe & Effective?

UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) collaborated with Global Citizen, speaking to trusted experts to dispel vaccine misinformation.



If you have further questions about the COVID-19 vaccine check out the FAQ produced by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF). The DTHF has developed a dedicated chat function where you can ask your vaccine-related questions on the bottom right hand corner of the website.

IDM YouTube channel | IDM website
 

 

“As a contact university, we look forward to readjusting our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2023 as the COVID-19 regulations have been repealed.”
– Prof Harsha Kathard, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning

We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.

 

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