Evita Nyandoro is a chartered accountant who has worked in the financial services industry for many years. She published the book TRANSCEND – navigating life and ambition in your career in 2022. Let me begin by stating categorically that this book is a “must read” for those who are eager to climb the slippery corporate mountain successfully. The book is written in a most accessible language while the author holds a dialogue with her readers. Having said that, what what are the ingredients Evita Nyandoro suggests for her success recipe?
A winner’s mindset
Mindset, mindset mindset! From the word go, the author insists that if we want to succeed we must have a winner’s mindset. But this is not in the abstract; the individual must study the marketplace and be ready to finetune oneself to fit into the current environment. This entails sharpening the tools that are paramount. It is not a matter of attaining a First Class Honours degree in any and every field. It is important to realize that technology is a basic tool the world over. Therefore technological expertise becomes a prerequisite to one’s knowhow. And the individual needs to continue improving for the simple fact that the environment keeps changing, or better still advancing. A word of caution given in this regard is that, as one keeps on sharpening their skills, the individual must remember the importance of life skills; the corporate world is not looking for automatons or robots but human beings who perform the job in leadership or working effectively with others.
In addition to communication as a tool of working smart, the author insists that it is important to showcase one’s efforts and contribution to the success of the company. A leader should not lie low with regard to one’s contribution. The author observes that quite often, there are assumptions that what we do can reveal itself naturally. However, go-getters cannot afford to have such assumptions; and to transcend means being a go-getter. In any case, in the course of showcasing one’s contribution, a leader is able to influence and mentor those looking up to him/her in the course of their development.
To transcend means being a leader and not just being one of the herd, according to the author. However, there are certain tools she underscores are of utmost importance to cultivate or sharpen. Communication is one of these; and this should be communication in its entirety- beginning with the most obvious aspect of coupling verbalisation with listening. The author observes that quite often, in an attempt to have their instructions and opinions heard, leaders forget the importance of listening. The book emphasizes that listening to others in the corporate environment is part and parcel of working smart. Working smart is placed over and above working hard per se.
Leadership style
Furthermore, the author cautions on one’s work output. It is not enough to work hard and adhere to the stipulated working hours. Commitment to the job is excellent, but commitment per se is empty. In order to transcend, the individual must have personal goals which need to be aligned to the corporation’s goals and ultimate vision. This will ensure that one’s efforts in climbing the mountain of success does not hang in the air but is relevant to the success of the company in the marketplace. As we read this book, we cannot be oblivious of the added joy Evita Nyandoro has derived from her contributions to the success of the enterprises she has worked for.
Awareness of how one’s leadership style affects others entails being sensitive to the health of the workplace in terms of relationships. This is where the author underscores the place of conflict resolution. A leader’s conflict resolution skills and efforts go a long way in balancing the human resource’s contribution to the success of the enterprise with the personel’s job satisfaction. And in this regard, creating an enabling environment is of paramount importance; including an enabling environment for the marginalised groups.
The author recognises the challenges that marginalised groups have to contend with. In this regard she accords the female gender an appropriate space. She observes that, over time, women have had to work harder than their male counterparts to make it in the corporate world. Nonetheless women leaders have to go that extra mile to help their fellow women. This is not only in making the workplace an enabling environment for women, but also being sensitive to the discrimination within the working relationships. She places a spotlight on female-female relationships. She underscores that rather than pulling down one another, women must strive to pull each other up while mentoring those who are younger than themselves. She states categorically that the tendency of some women leaders to try to be like men and shut out any other woman, only fuels stereotyping and unhealthy status quo.
In the final analysis, Transcend: Navigating Life and Ambition in your career is like a step by step ladder on how to reach the apex of one’s career without being oblivious of the importance of the human status of each and every one of us. Evita Nyandoro recognises that the corporate waters are fraught with turbulence; but we all have the muscles with which to paddle successfully up to the lighthouse.
Written by Ciarunji Chesaina, Professor of Literature.
