Author(s): Pramjeeth S, Mutambara E
The Covid-19 pandemic has presented managers at both public and private organisations with an invaluable opportunity to reflect and reassess their leadership approaches as they begin to prepare to lead their team in the new world created by the pandemic. The study sought to examine the views of senior managers of a utility SoE in South Africa, Eskom, in as far as lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic. Using a qualitative research design, the study surveyed 65 senior managers at Eskom using an online survey platform. The study established that the senior managers had learnt to be more empathetic, supportive towards their staff, and cared about their well-being. They had to learn to embrace the use of technology and increase their trust in their team as they worked from home. They found that they had to communicate and collaborate with their team more frequently and improved on the clarity and specificity of their communication while being more adaptable, agile, flexible and responsive as they responded to the challenges presented by the pandemic. Senior managers and their teams at SOEs need to embrace change, learn from it and adapt their leadership approaches to accommodate the changing environment.