Jeanett Modise
Leadership isn’t what it used to be. In the global marketplace, it is no longer enough for leaders to only possess “traditional” leadership skills and traits such as self-awareness, charisma, integrity and the ability to innovate. Today’s leaders need to be able to think strategically on a global level, display cultural sensitivity and agility, and have the skills to collaborate with diverse partners in a variety of locations.
As companies in the general insurance industry continue to expand into Africa and further afield, developing global leaders with the appropriate leadership attributes, who are able to collaborate across cultures and navigate diverse markets, has become critical to the success of these increasingly multinational companies.
Santam, South Africa’s leading general insurer, has for some years now placed a high value on developing effective leaders able to ensure the success of the group. In partnership with Sanlam’s Emerging Markets business, Santam currently has a footprint across sub-Saharan Africa, India and Malaysia. Through its shareholding in the Saham Finances Group based in Morocco, Santam has within a short period extended its footprint to a total of 31 countries to include Francophone Africa, Angola, Morocco and Lebanon.
Taking leadership skills to the next level
Santam is at the forefront of transformation within the South African short-term insurance sector and is renowned for having some of the most highly skilled people in the industry. Our development programmes play a major role in advancing skills within the organisation and developing the talents of those who will manage the business and lead the industry in the future.
For the Santam Group, successful expansion outside South Africa requires taking the development of leadership skills to the next level. Whereas certain more traditional leadership traits are widely applicable, global leadership involves the development of capabilities such as the ability to influence, cultural intelligence and understanding how to manage and lead in different environments.
In supporting our business partners where we invest, we presently have employees engaged in medium-term secondments (one to three years) as well as short-term (three to six months) assignments that create the opportunity for talent mobility and development across the businesses.
We have employees with key skills such as general insurance, specialist underwriting, actuarial, operations and finance seconded and assigned to work with our business partners in Malaysia, Southern Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia) and West and East Africa (Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Ghana). We also have partnerships through which our business partners in international markets assign their employees for training and knowledge sharing of the Santam South African businesses. Such opportunities provide broader scope to work on real business challenges while they advance their careers.
How can companies develop global leaders capable of delivering on their organisations’ goals in foreign markets? From a Santam perspective we believe this requires creating opportunities for potential leaders to gain exposure across the business and different regional markets. But on the home front, it also means exposing leaders to the market dynamics of those countries through simulation, for example working on real business challenges in the regions in question. Executives can also learn from other organisations, either in the same industry or beyond, which have operated in the environments being targeted by their own companies.
People have for the past 98 years been right at the heart of Santam’s business and its success. The group’s expansion outside South Africa has meant focusing on building people capabilities to manage this ongoing, diversified growth. Our leadership programmes — at junior, middle and senior management levels — have a strong leaning towards managing diversity, leading and managing change, innovation across different geographies, and collaboration with global partners. These programmes are designed and facilitated in partnership with external parties and business schools.
Exporting the culture of the company
But it is not just about being able to adjust to cultures different to that of the home country — it is also crucial to be able to “export” the culture of the company itself to the markets in which it is operating. This consistent culture is the “soul” of the business. The Santam culture is underpinned by the values of integrity, passion, humanity, innovation and excellence, called the Santam Way. It is these values that our leaders carry into diverse environments, engendering trust in the Santam’s brand, our people and partners in the markets where we operate.
Attracting and developing talent from the ground up
The identification and development of individuals who show leadership potential is not an isolated or secular process within the Santam organisation. Our leadership programme is just one aspect of a much broader approach to foster and promote the talent, skills and competencies of employees across the company.
Many of our future leaders will come from the existing pool of talent currently within our ranks and for this reason we must provide our employees equal opportunity to develop and grow their respective talents.
Attracting and securing new talent is a challenge — not just for Santam, but for the insurance sector as a whole. Santam currently invests funds and resources in the form of:
- •Subsidised study assistance for employees on graduate programmes or MBAs;
Learnership programmes targeted at training school leavers in insurance technical skills;
Graduate development programmes aimed at attracting graduates based on the needs of Santam’s various business units;
- The Broker Learnership Programme is the biggest general insurance learnership in South Africa and is aimed at building a pipeline of qualified young black insurance graduates for the industry. So far, 157 learners have been trained, with a 92% placement of learners across the broker network and in Santam.
All general insurance companies in South Africa, whether they have an international footprint or not, need to invest in developing talent, particularly internally. To produce the next generation of global leaders, the sector as a whole needs to be more progressively engaged in sourcing young talent, particularly during the latter stages of schooling. Most young people are unaware of how innovative and exciting the industry is — besides providing cross-border mobility, the sector offers opportunities in diverse fields such as aviation, agriculture, marine and transport insurance.
Employee engagement or the extent to which employeesfeel passionate about their work, together with their overall commitment to the organisation, is also a crucial measure that should not be neglected in identifying candidates for future leadership. Santam’s most recent culture and engagement survey conducted in 2015 showed that the group’s employees have an engagement score of 79%, which reflects high levels of engagement, positivity, enthusiasm and commitment. This score is much higher than the industry average of 68%.
Top Employer status: proof of Santam’s commitment to its people and future leaders
Being certified as a Top Employer means that Santam has met global standards; we invest in the workplace and in the development of our people, in both a professional and a personal context. It is an endorsement of Santam’s commitment to its people. It is through our people that Santam has been successful for the past 98 years. It is our people who, through their strong understanding of our clients, their personal and business challenges and associated risks, package short-term insurance solutions in order to contribute to the success of the company.
At Santam, we believe in doing business with integrity and humanity. This applies as much to our staff as much it does to our clients. We believe that the generation of today will provide the global leaders of tomorrow. This is why we make it our mission to invest in the learning and development of our people and reward them for a job well done.
Jeanett Modise is executive head: People & Transformation at Santam