The importance of becoming – and being – a leader

“If we want to go forward and make a difference in our society, we have to ensure that we have the right leadership philosophy and level of competence,” says Kandoro. This is intrinsic to his work at the African Organisation of English-speaking Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI-E), and a mandate that resonates with his own passion for leadership development.

Affiliated to the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), AFROSAI-E helps Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in English-speaking African countries to enhance their audit performance through shared knowledge and capacity building. This enables them to make a difference in the lives of the citizens the SAIs serve, by improving their livelihoods and environments. SAIs are independent, national-level bodies responsible for auditing government finances and performance.

Recognising the value of cultivating tomorrow‘s leaders, in 2022, AFROSAI-E split its executive leadership and development programme into an executive arm and a senior leadership development programme. Seeking universities to partner with for this leadership programme, they teamed up with Henley Business School Africa. “The fact that Henley Business School is in five continents including Africa means they understand the leadership vacuum in our society and in Sub-Saharan Africa, which makes it such a good collaboration,” says Kandoro.

Why effective organisations need strong leadership

“Leadership is important for building the institutional structure and competence of organisations,” Kandoro says. “This is even more relevant in the public sector within which I operate, particularly working with Auditors-General offices that operate within frameworks of certain legal frameworks, standards and principles.”

The support AFROSAI-E provides, particularly around capacity building, empowers SAIs to deliver quality audit services to their stakeholders, and in a timely manner. In the process, they help influence policy making and improve the public sector financial management system, where transparency, accountability and integrity are critical. “These three pillars require leadership, which is where we come and offer support, in building the necessary capacity,” Kandoro explains.

Personally, Kandoro takes an Afrocentric view of leadership development, which he says is influenced by situational leadership approaches. This view, he says, is a blend of Ubuntu philosophies and western-style models. Such an approach is underpinned by an authentic and exemplary leadership philosophy, something Kandoro embraces. “We must lead by example, we must model the way, we must walk the talk,” he says.

This view aligns with AFROSAI-E’s approach to leadership development and personal growth. “We do demand-driven initiatives with those we partner with,” Kandoro explains. “At the end of the day we need to know how we measure success when a particular initiative is institutionalised.” Ultimately, it’s about ensuring that each capacity-building initiative reflects the values of the organisation as well as those of the SAIs with whom they work, in a collaborative, professional and innovative way.

A holistic leadership approach

Elaborating on their approach to leadership development, Kandoro explains that “when we are developing leadership programmes or any capacity-building initiative, it must affect the whole person”. He adds, “This has influenced me in terms of how I see life and how I see myself growing. I’m not just holding a bunch of knowledge. I’m part of knowledge. The knowledge must be transformed into a behaviour, and the behaviour must be transformed into my character, into becoming and being. So, it’s not an issue of just transferring knowledge, but rather of sharing life.”

In line with this thinking, Kandoro embraces the notion of continuous learning. He also works to reconcile his Afrocentric views with the organisational culture, in order to make a difference and benefit both his organisation and the people he serves. “I’m ‘becoming’ in terms of my thinking and what I stand for, wanting to do more to make a difference in another person or organisation,” he explains. “This process is not just an activity, it’s a life experience I’m going through, and that makes my leadership approach and philosophy much more beneficial. In the process of developing others, I’m being developed.”

Finding a new purpose

When it comes to his own professional journey, Kandoro understands the importance of continuous development. After spending 15 years in performance auditing, Kandoro realised he wanted to take his skills further. “I started shifting when I realised that it was not enough to just produce a good audit service or report, I needed to train others to do what I was doing.” So, he began training performance auditors.

This soon evolved into a passion for people and developing their leadership capabilities. “In 2014, we also had a leader who was driving the organisation, and that’s when I saw leadership at work, which revolutionised the way I see leadership development and influencing people. I realised it’s not just about what I know, but more about becoming and being, or what I simply call influencing people,” he says.

At the same time, Kandoro realised that he could make a difference by focusing on leadership development. “It’s so difficult to now differentiate my organisation’s vision and my vision, because I bought into it and started becoming. I think this a is a secret for effectiveness as leaders in our organisational spaces,” he says.

Changing mindsets

One of the key challenges Kandoro has faced in his role has been to practically change the mindset of those who undergo leadership development training. It’s not just about the capacity of leaders to learn something new, but rather about their willingness to really learn and change.

“In Africa, there are people who occupy their positions only by virtue of knowing how to do the audit, but they are ignorant about how to lead people,” he says. “It’s about shifting their perspective, getting them to understand the need to unlearn their traditional methods and embrace a balanced task and people-centric leadership view in order to be effective. It’s a big challenge to get a person who is used to a particular way of doing things to change.”

While this has been a considerable task, Kandoro says it’s a journey he’s enjoyed, especially when people reveal that the training has shifted their position on a certain leadership concept – something that brings a sense of deep satisfaction.

Speaking of the AFROSAI-E Senior Leadership Development Programme’s current leadership story, Kandoro says the region’s leadership gap is closing bit by bit, especially within certain SAIs that embrace personal mastery. “Part of what I think is necessary and what I see being appreciated much more is personal mastery, he says. “Here, leaders lead themselves first. Manage yourself before trying to manage others.”

While this has been a challenge for many of the participating countries’ leadership teams, Kandoro believes it is certainly possible to get to this level if the “right ingredients” are in place. For example, while it’s easy in South Africa to excuse questionable leadership practices because of the apartheid legacy, it’s about seeing beyond that, he says. “When you find it’s about yourself, that you need to make sure that you change your wiring, you unlearn, relearn and begin to go forward.”

Getting to know Gorden Kandoro

I’m inspired by: American leadership expert, John C. Maxwell, in terms of leadership effectiveness and leadership conversations. He’s authentic – he lives out what he says – and his leadership philosophy is based on principles of faith.

I unwind by: Sitting with my wife, listening to the news, and then watching animal programmes. I love animals because I grew up close to the Chirisa Game Reserve in Zimbabwe, my favourite animal is the lion. There is a lot that animals can teach people about conflict, especially the lion, and that’s helped to formulate how I think.

An item on my bucket list is: to pursue my doctorate studies in leadership and culture, if I find the right school – not for the sake of a title, but because it’s something that I believe in.