People value someone who is proactive, constantly engaging, thinking differently and coming up with new ideas.
James Formby
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The current proposition is that leadership is the absence of self-interest, and these two; leadership and self-interest are two sides of the same coin. The absence of self-interest is the presence of leadership just as the absence of night is in fact the presence of daylight.
James Formby is the epitome of success given his ascension from a corporate finance transactor in 1997 to the current role of CEO for Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) from 2015 to present. He has been with the company for over 20 years. He is responsible for RMB’s overall business strategy as it relates to clients, culture, employees, brand, products, markets and reputation.
In an interview with CNBC Africa, James says what he has enjoyed the most in working with RMB has been engagements with the clients given he has spent most of his time in client facing roles. In a week, he looks to have at least 5 to 6 engagements with key clients because ultimately, that is what makes the business operate – the clients are at the center of what the business does.
The success of RMB has been in service of its people, and the company must remain a place where talent can thrive. This is the leadership of the business, not putting its self-interest first but the interest of others beyond itself – clients and employees. However, it must also have the right environment and people with the right mindset – a can do attitude, passion for possibilities and ability to solve problems. This is what inspires the tagline, ‘solutionist thinking’ and if this can be achieved across the entire RMB spectrum, it can unlock unlimited value for clients.
James says for leadership and if you as an individual want to rise through the ranks, the important thing is to keep finding the bit extra to do. You must take the initiative with senior members by doing little bits such as offering to take the action points or minutes in a meeting and following up with the points afterwards. It turns out that people value someone who is proactive, constantly engaging, thinking differently and coming up with new ideas.
From a leadership and self-interest perspective, you realise that in order to progress and rise through the ranks whether in your job, or to acquire and retain customers, if running your own business you need to lead. In an organization, your superiors are only one of your customers. You are there to offer a service to them and you are recognized for the leadership you display. There are other customers you serve and you must adopt the same approach with all of them. The customer doesn’t have to ask you to deliver, you should look for these tiny opportunities to go beyond yourself and your call of duty. Know what they need and deliver it before they even think of asking for it. You must serve! By adopting this mantra, it must be in genuine service and you have to find a way to make it seem flawless and that you are more than happy to. Do not ever complain because you are going beyond your normal duty. Live it and love it! You may choose to display it just for the purpose of rising through the ranks but the problem you face with that approach is that because it is not coming from a genuine place, it may last for a short while but you will quickly be undone. This is what leadership and sacrifice calls for. The sacrifice of self-interest to genuinely see someone else have it better. It is painful in the moment but the recognition is real and it adds more marks to you that catapult you forward not only in your organization or business but your private life as well. Here’s the bottomline, if you lead and serve, the people you serve will also take care of you, your needs and interests. That’s how it works and that’s how you win!
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Here’s the video of James’ interview: