PhD researcher wants to explore the empathy gap between leaders and youth

For children growing up in marginal communities, music, drama and dance can be a lifeline! This is just one of the reasons that Carol Maluleke is passionate about the arts; the other is because, growing up in the village of Tlangelani, Limpopo, she’s experienced first-hand their transformative power.

A quiet and reserved child, Carol credits her involvement in the arts with building her confidence and helping her steer clear of trouble in her vulnerable teenage years. “From a young age, all the way through to high school, I was an active participant in extra-mural activities at school and church to the extent that my teachers made me the lead of some of the dance, music and drama groups as a result of my talent and passion for the arts,” she says.

Now a seasoned communications and marketing professional with over 27 years of experience, Carol has served on several boards and completed her MBA at Henley Business School in 2023. She is also the founder of Mavuyisi Creative Projects (MCP) a non-profit organisation in Limpopo that aims to empower youth through educational, arts and sports extra mural activities. MCP works with learners in five local schools in Mudavula Village in Malumelele, Limpopo and plans performances to commemorate national days like Youth Day, Mandela Day and Heritage Day where the learners showcase their talent in different art forms to the community.

Transforming youth through the arts

“Some of our learners are orphans and come from child-headed households,” she says. “Our objective is to use art as a platform to address and ultimately eliminate social ills like teenage pregnancy, drugs, and alcohol abuse. Since our launch in 2020, we have made tremendous progress. One of our recent highlights was bringing some of the children to Gauteng where they attended Miss South Africa’s launch of ED Unite Campaign, hosted at the Constitution Hill. The learners got to mingle with other students from schools around Gauteng and from all walks of life. It was their first time in Gauteng and they were so elated with the exposure they got as we also managed to take them on a mini tour to the Newtown Precinct (the hub of the arts) and Joburg Theatre.”

Carol applied to pursue a PhD at Henley in the UK this year and was delighted when Professor Carola Hillenbrand expressed interest in her research topic, and Henley awarded her with a scholarship, her second since being awarded the MBA Scholarship by Henley Africa. Jon Foster-Pedley, dean and director of Henley Africa said, “We are delighted to see our MBA scholarship winners rising to new heights. We actively choose people who are going to make a difference to South Africa.” Carol plans to use MCP as a case study for her PhD research which will explore reputational formation in the context of NPOs. She discovered a gap in the current literature regarding the reputational impact of leaders and leadership teams on organisational outcomes. There’s a real lack of empathy and mentoring of youth today,” Carol says.

“Much support is needed in terms of career development, making them feel included, and creating and sharing opportunities with them. If more leaders acknowledged their humble beginnings, they might learn to show some patience towards the younger generation.”

Living out a legacy of education

Carol’s late parents were educators, ‘passionate academics’ in her words, so it was no surprise that she has chosen a similar career path. “I come from a close-knit family of five children who inherited the hunger for journeying in education to learn. Both my parents worked hard in the community, especially at various schools and at church,” she adds.

Her father was a teacher who was later promoted to principal and then to an inspector of schools. Her mother was a principal. “They continue to inspire my siblings and me to grow in our love for learning.” Carol is especially proud of the fact that her father was awarded a scholarship from the British Council to study a Mathematics Education Programme at Leeds University, England in 1993.

“He was an inspiration to many in his community, as well as to his children and grandchildren to follow in his footsteps.”

Carol first came to Henley because she was looking for or an opportunity to enhance her business leadership acumen, and develop her strategic, innovative and entrepreneurial thinking in a global business context. The MBA seemed the perfect fit, but she had her reservations. “As a Humanities graduate, numbers are not my strong suit, so I was really nervous about having to do the Managing Financial Resources module, thinking that it would be too difficult for me. To my surprise, it was my highest mark!”

She says the personal mastery module in particular, taught her to how to focus and to plan her work-life balance carefully. “As the saying goes, ‘Victory loves preparation’, and thanks to the MBA I’ve learnt the importance of thorough planning and strategising. I’ve also learnt how to collaborate and build teams and work within them, which is an invaluable skill in today’s diverse, global workforce.”

The power of perseverance

There’s little doubt that these skills will stand her in good stead as she embarks on the next stage of her journey. The opportunity to travel to the UK to study is not without its challenges as she has to raise the funds for travel, visas, and accommodation to be able to take up the place. But her life so far has shown her the value of perseverance.

“I’ve overcome many challenges in my life and am inspired by this quote from Nelson Mandela, ‘Do not judge me by my successes, judge me how many times I fell down and got up again.”