As South African Women’s Day rolls round again, we can draw satisfaction from the small victories achieved along the way. For instance, we have successfully challenged the old ‘weaker sex’ stereotypes. Unfortunately, the victory can be bitter sweet.

Our strength and resilience are acknowledged. So is our versatility. We are often praised for our multi-tasking abilities – a backhanded compliment as multi-tasking is largely a myth. Our coping skills are also lauded as we juggle the demands of home, children and career.

Corporate leadership in South Africa is being redefined. A ‘safe pair of hands’ is still required, but increasingly the focus is shifting to greater dynamism. At CEO level, more and more organisations are looking for go-getters who deliver results at pace.

The change has been evident for some time but has reached critical mass in recent months as economic prospects have improved and private sector companies have sensed that opportunities for meaningful growth are at hand.

Ours is a disruptive world. Disruptors include AI, robotics, computerisation, globalisation and the imminent fourth industrial revolution. Already, a growing number of commercial and industrial processes are being dehumanised. So, are humans reaching their sell-by date?

Admittedly, people will have to adapt or cry (over lost jobs or diminished career prospects). The good news is that a stellar future awaits those who are flexible, resourceful, emotive and empathetic (in other words, the very human humans). This is especially true of corporate leaders who are developing coping strategies for the 2020s.

Pets! Who needs them?!

You do; especially if you’re a rising executive hoping to de-stress and stay healthy while achieving better work-life balance. Furry friends also help you empathise and develop your emotional IQ – soft skills that may be essential to success in a senior team.

Pet ownership can also be a plus point during job interviews as well-informed main board directors are apt to sneak in a surprise question about you and your pets. It’s not just an oddball question to probe your softer side. The benefits of pet ownership are becoming more widely known and it’s good to know whether a top candidate ticks the right pet ownership boxes.

A growing mismatch is becoming apparent between the behaviour of international corporate achievers and their South African counterparts.

Offshore, upwardly mobile executives increasingly embrace ‘Deep Work’ and reduce distractions as they strive for quality outcomes and the type of successful track record that ensures progress up the corporate ladder.

In contrast, local executives often spend hours in inconclusive meetings, happily endure distraction via smart devices and seem to accept the curse of constant connectivity and 24/7 availability.

We see distraction aversion overseas versus distraction acceptance locally.

No job is safe, no future secure. That’s the new normal as executives in both the private and public sectors confront a disturbing reality – retrenchment.

Executive head-hunters are today witnessing an upsurge in the number of senior candidates who are in the job market for one reason only: recent or imminent retrenchment.

Looking for Finance Jobs in Africa -Click here, Signium Africa is a leading executive recruitment company based in South Africa.

The development is not purely local. These days, international candidates with quality CVs often test the South African waters after being blindsided by retrenchment.

The drivers are fast-changing technology, tough economic conditions and belt-tightening by private companies and public services. Cost savings are substantial when ‘tall poppies’ are cut.

How should executives react to an environment in which seniority is no safeguard and delayering of organisational structures ensures some top managers, advisers and professionals will be redundant?

Obsolescence. It happened to VCRs. It also happens to executives, even high flyers; especially the tunnel-vision variety that obsess about the job on hand.

Obsolescence no longer takes decades. It can happen at pace as technologies change and businesses react to new legislation, heightened competition and more demanding customers.

Forward-thinking executives increasingly realise they have to be fit for purpose today and in five years’ time. Obsolescence is a career risk and like any risk can be managed by putting proper mitigation strategies in place.

It is the unspoken curse stalking corporate South Africa. Few people talk about it but many executives encounter it and may be vaguely – or acutely – aware of the danger to organisations and careers.

The potentially toxic issue is corporate narcissism and its personification, the corporate narcissist.

Psychologists, consultants and corporate head-hunters have been aware of the issue for many years, though it came into sharp focus internationally following the 2008 financial crisis as the egotism of some business leaders may have paved the way to the Great Recession.

Specialists describe corporate narcissism as a corporate culture characterised by excessive pride, leading to destructive behaviour and strategies that boost personal egos rather than a company’s long-term prospects.

Looking for Finance Jobs in Africa -Click here, Signium Africa is a leading executive recruitment company based in South Africa.

It is often found in large firms, especially those with clear hierarchies as corporate narcissists favour structures that support their power and protect their position.

One chartered psychologist notes negative correlation with honesty and humility, yet positive correlation with openness and extroversion.