Some of South Africa’s foremost thinkers and industry titans came together at the MANCOSA Jacaranda FM Business Breakfast to deliver a powerful mandate to the country’s business community.
The event, which featured speakers from global retail, professional sports, academia and futurology, distilled complex business challenges into five universally applicable lessons on leadership, education, and brand longevity.
These principles are essential for anyone navigating the current landscape of rapid technological and societal change.
Here are five standout lessons from the morning that everyone can learn from:
Build an education beyond your certificate
According to Professor Mamokgeti Phakeng, true education is not defined by the paper you receive at graduation, but by how you use what you’ve learned. “Certification is proof you have finished a course,” she said, “but education is how you finished it.”
For Phakeng, the modern workplace demands more than good marks, it requires people who can think critically, communicate clearly, handle pressure, and see opportunity where others see obstacles. She urged South Africans to pursue education every day, not just in classrooms but in workplaces and conversations.
“Work with people who don’t look like you, think like you, or pray like you,” she added. “It’s how you grow.” Her message was clear: a certificate might get you into the room, but continuous learning ensures you stay there, and rise.
Leadership is risotto, not two-minute noodles
Ocean Basket CEO Grace Harding has redefined leadership with her signature mix of honesty and humour. “To lead, it starts with you,” she explained in her keynote, reminding audiences that self-awareness, even therapy and medication when needed, is vital for strong leadership.
Her approach to leadership is rooted in connection and authenticity. “If you care about your people, they will be engaged,” she said.
Harding believes great leadership requires passion, information, and empathy in equal measure. “Business isn’t two-minute noodles, it’s risotto,” she jokes. “It takes patience and attention.” Leaders, she explained, are choreographers, aligning the energy, movement, and purpose of everyone around them.
Redefine success and embrace change
From rugby fields to real estate, Patrick Lambie’s story is one of reinvention. After a career-ending head injury forced his early retirement, the former Springbok admitted to resenting the game for a time. But perspective brought peace, and new purpose.
“Your career doesn’t define who you are,” Lambie said at the MANCOSA Jacaranda FM Business Breakfast. Today, he channels his discipline and teamwork into Collins Residential, a property development group in KwaZulu-Natal that builds lifestyle estates, schools, and retail spaces.
The same qualities that made him a world-class athlete, preparation, collaboration, and resilience, now define his business philosophy.
“In both sport and business, you need to pull a team together and buy into a vision,” he shared. “That’s how you go from inception to completion.”
Embrace the BIONIC mindset
Futurist Graeme Codrington challenged audiences to stop thinking of AI as “artificial intelligence” and start viewing it as “intelligent assistance.” The goal, he said, is not to compete with machines but to collaborate with them.
Codrington’s message was simple but powerful: automate only non-thinking tasks. Use AI to personalise communication, generate insights, and improve efficiency, but never outsource creativity or leadership. “Everything you do in leadership will be hard for machines to do,” he said.
He described the future leader as “bionic”, human at the core and supported by intelligent tools. “AI can’t create a brand-new idea,” he reminded the audience. “That’s still our job.”
Leverage your identity
As marketing and commercial director of Kaizer Chiefs, Jessica Motaung is redefining what it means to build a brand rooted in tradition while embracing innovation. Her goal? To make Kaizer Chiefs not just Africa’s favourite football brand, but its favourite lifestyle brand.
Motaung’s strategy is to connect deeply with fans, whether through digital experiences, fashion, or food.
“Be where your people are,” she said. “Online, in the community, and in the culture.” Her lesson for businesses: understand your identity, then expand on it. “Blend tradition with innovation,” she urged. “Modernise, but never forget who you are.”
It’s about heart
The MANCOSA Jacaranda FM Business Breakfast proved that leadership is as much about heart as it is about strategy. From classrooms to boardrooms, from rugby pitches to digital platforms, the insights shared remind businesspeople that the future belongs to those who stay curious, adaptable, and human.
Because whether you’re leading a team, building a brand, or finding your next opportunity, these lessons from Mzansi’s best prove that success starts within.
