Why waiting for permission is a lousy career strategy

Claude Hadebe started out in medical school before switching to – and completing – a degree in dental sciences. Another pivot followed: he walked into a pharmaceutical company unannounced and was hired five days later.

Some might call the Henley Flexible Executive MBA, which he completed last year, the cherry on top. Claude sees it differently. Through the crucible of the MBA, and while he awaits the conferment of his degree at the graduation ceremony this December, he has written three manuscripts, received the Henley Africa Renewal Award for his dissertation, and now has his sights set on Henley’s DBA. It’s all part of his unconventional career path, his deliberate skill-building, and the fact that he doesn’t have an off switch.

‘I emerged from the programme with more than a qualification; I came out changed,’ he says.

This is his story, in his own words.

I have never waited for permission to reinvent myself. An only child raised by my maternal grandmother in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, I learnt early that discipline and self-reliance are not optional. They got me through childhood, and they have carried me through every career change since.

My academic path was never going to be straightforward. After high school, I earned a place at the University of Cape Town to study medicine. I made it to the start of my fourth year before financial constraints forced me to walk away from that dream. It was March, my birthday month, and what looked like a setback was really a course correction. I moved into dental sciences, completed the degree, and took on a role as a graduate lecturer – one of the youngest at my institution – teaching first-year students. The income from those two years of lecturing helped me clear the debts I had accumulated along the way.

It was during my dental sciences studies that I first encountered the pharmaceutical industry, a world that would come to define my professional identity. The story of how I landed my first role says a lot about how I approach challenges. I don’t wait for permission to do things. Inspired by a sermon from a guest pastor at church, I walked into the offices of Adcock Ingram Healthcare in Durban, KZN and introduced myself. Five days later, I was employed as a pharmaceutical sales representative, and I haven’t looked back.

I have built my expertise methodically over the years. I pursued one-year certificate programmes in marketing management, sales management, and management development, and I completed a postgraduate diploma in business administration. I was building a skill set broader than any single qualification. By the time I attended a Henley Business School information session (well before I formally applied), the idea of something bigger had already taken root.

I chose Henley deliberately and applied to do the Flexible Executive MBA in May 2023. Why? Because its flexible, family-oriented format and international accreditation suited a working professional like me, who was not prepared to put my life on hold. It was a big step: I was self-funded, with no employer sponsorship and no safety net – just self-ownership.

I don’t have an off switch, and I don’t know how to slow down. Alongside the MBA, I set about writing three distinct manuscripts, all of which are nearing publication. The first, ABSENTIA. is an autofiction memoir trilogy. The first part, ABSENTIA: The Darkness at the Beginning of the Tunnel, covers my family and upbringing. The second, ABSENTIA: The Ledger of a Fragile Hourglass, covers my tertiary education years, while the third, ABSENTIA: The Inventory of Interrupted Dreams, welcomes the reader into my corporate journey. I completed the first part of ABSENTIA in under four months, drafting the rough manuscript in just 30 days.

The second is a professional work: Pharmaceutical Marketing in South Africa and Beyond: From Concept to Execution – A Practitioner’s Playbook. It is a 549-page playbook for navigating one of the most complex and consequential commercial environments in the world. Written from the front lines of South African and Sub-Saharan African pharmaceutical marketing, it blends strategic thinking, market intelligence, pricing, brand management, market access, digital execution, and leadership into one integrated guide.

The third is historical in nature: AMAHLUBI: A History of the Hadebe Nation – From the Kings Before Memory to King Langalibalele II. Every nation that has survived dispossession carries its history in two places at once: in the documents kept by those who once ruled over it, and in the mouths of those who refused to forget who they were before. This manuscript exists because others kept faith with memory long before I began to write it down.

The most surprising thing about the MBA was how deeply personal it became. That was an unexpected and valuable gift. I learnt to be vulnerable, to embrace critical feedback without being defensive, and to grow beyond what any textbook could teach me. The degree was an intense juggling act, but the challenge made the achievement all the more rewarding. I emerged from the programme with more than a qualification; I came out changed.

The MBA had one more gift in store. My dissertation, ‘Assessing Pandemic Preparedness in South Africa’s Healthcare Sector: An Analysis of Crisis Management Strategies and Supply Chain Resilience in the Post-COVID-19 Era’, earned a distinction of 85% and was recognised with the Henley Africa Renewal Award, an annual prize for outstanding MBA research with potential for positive real-world change. The judging panel, faced with an exceptionally strong field, chose to share the award between two candidates this year. Alongside the recognition, it carries a financial prize and six hours of executive coaching with Dumi Magadlela, an experienced coach with a strong background in the healthcare sector.

Receiving the Henley Africa Renewal Award is a humbling recognition of a journey dedicated to learning, leadership, and meaningful impact. Inspired by the lessons of COVID-19, my research explored how South Africa’s healthcare sector can strengthen pandemic preparedness through more resilient supply chains, effective crisis management, and collaborative leadership. The aim was not only to understand systemic challenges but to translate the lessons of the pandemic into a practical roadmap for building more responsive and resilient healthcare systems.

The judges’ recognition of the work’s quality, depth, and practical relevance is particularly meaningful because it reinforces my belief that research should extend beyond academic achievement to create positive change for healthcare organisations, professionals, and the communities they serve. The award affirms my commitment to evidence-based leadership and my passion for advancing sustainable healthcare solutions that create lasting societal impact.