The Harvard Business Review describes the secret of corporate success as ‘human magic’.

A culture that creates a space within which people thrive and where their ambitions, passions and commitment translate into productivity, results and shared growth.

It is also an essential investment into the business at a time when people are feeling invisible and stressed amidst a storm of geopolitical and economic instability.

The International Monetary Fund report released halfway through 2024 found that while global growth looks relatively stable on the surface, there are undercurrents affecting overall positivity and momentum.

The world is, as the report describes, in a sticky spot. And people do not work in isolation of these undercurrents.

Gallup found that 20% of the world’s employees are lonely, engagement is stagnating and overall well-being is on a decline.

The cost of this disengaged, deflated workforce, says the company, is in the region of $8.9 trillion and approximately 9% of the global gross domestic product (GDP). Employees are also feeling replaceable.

The American Psychological Association (APA) shows that the mercurial economic, social and political environments are influencing employee decision-making and needs. Employees are increasingly seeking stability, well-being, and meaning in their work.

Unfortunately, the lingering effects of the pandemic continue to destabilize organisational foundations. As a result, both companies and employees are grappling to regain their equilibrium.

Defining employee potentialising

People are not a pillar within the business, they are its foundation. If they are committed, engaged and supported, then they deliver that elusive magic and bring their energy that can ignite a company’s culture. And ticking all of these boxes comes down to leadership.

The environment follows the leader – people will want to give more, be more and create more if they feel that they are working within a company that values their potential, and recognises their worth.

Potentialising employees means measuring the success of a business against the success of its people.

Your business can invest in all of the right baseline tools such as leadership enablement, benchmarking, and referencing against people practices, but if you’re not actually putting people at the centre of these conversations, you’re not prioritising their potential.

People don’t want to hear about benchmarks and metrics and standards – they’re important, sure, but people want to hear about the people-things.

They want to know what your business is doing to enable their success. This takes people-centricity a level up.

At Mukuru, we have spent time building our foundations so we can embrace the concept of potentialising the employee.

We have the compliance, the certifications and the standards – for example, we did not publicise being BB-BEE compliant for the first time in 20 years, not because it is not newsworthy, but rather because we understand and see this as a step towards unlocking opportunities for our people.

It is how we ensure we continue to create employment opportunities and expand the skillsets of employees and potential employees, thereby supporting the growth of our current and future talent.

Redefining people within growth

Mukuru is driving commercial outcomes by prioritising our interactions with people, both inside and outside the organisation. Every person within the company is skilled and a leader of their own roles, and masters of their destinies.

Recognising their individuality and embracing diversity, enables the cultivation of spaces where our people can thrive.

This, in turn, enhances our interactions with customers. Happy employees lead to satisfied clients, and happy customers make for a successful business.

Creating a psychologically safe space for employees ensures that people feel they truly belong. As a recent Harvard Business Review study into the value of human-centred leadership found, employee fulfilment rests on the foundations of leadership, recognising the individual, and meeting unique needs.

Levelling up on servant leadership is heart leadership. Heart leadership champions empathy and elevates humanity and authenticity, where leaders relate to employees by investing, empowering and caring for them. This is the secret sauce to potentialising.

The myth of a 9-to-5 model to drive employee productivity must be shattered once and for all, and in its place, we need flexible work environments that align employee and organisational needs – building spaces that allow people to thrive.

Nobody needs to be perfect. None of us are perfect. Nobody needs to fit a specific mould. We need to smash the mould and elevate uniqueness.

The primary goal, particularly at Mukuru, is to inspire people to fully embrace their authentic selves in their roles while fostering a culture of mutual respect and civility.

When the organisation prioritises and shows up for its people, the people become motivated to invest in themselves and wholly show up for the organisation. And this synergy is when it truly discovers the value of potentialising its employees.

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By emphasising the importance of people to operations, leaders look beyond profits. They must focus on creating value for their employees, their customers, and also the communities in which they operate.

At Mukuru, we have taken this to heart and renewed our focus on our people. Skills development is a significant pillar of this people strategy. It is not about hoarding ‘top talent’; instead, the company views all employees as gifted individuals.

Organisations can liken this to seeing their employees as different kinds of lightbulbs. Some are traditional bulbs, while others can be power-saving LEDs.

Of course, there are even those who are Christmas lights. It therefore comes down to recognising the unique talents of each employee and identifying those roles where they can best ‘shine’ to their own abilities.

Taking responsibility

To ensure a purpose-led ethos, employees should be encouraged to take responsibility for their personal and professional development. What has worked well for Mukuru is hackathons and collaboration with institutions developing young tech talent. This more integrated approach to development, focusing not just on creating promotability but about expanding existing knowledge and skills are enabling people to be their best selves at the organisation.

Underlying this people-centric ethos is the belief in a diverse workforce. A diverse skill set is not only a strength but a necessity for a company that wishes to be purpose-led.

With 56% female representation and employees ranging from high school graduates to PhD holders, Mukuru understands the unique perspectives and innovative ideas that such diversity brings.

Being a purpose-led organisation is about understanding that to lead is to serve. Leaders must work to connect business strategies with their implementation and bridge the gap between employees and the culture of the business. It is about becoming deeply involved in defining the company’s culture and values to set the tone for the rest of the workforce to follow.

External importance

Of course, any business who wants to become purpose-led must also look externally. It is about having a deep connection to the territories and communities in which they operate and serving as cultural ambassadors and enablers of positive change. This connection comes from decision-makers understanding that it is about more than just being a business. It comes down to being an enabler of dreams.

Being a purpose-led organisation is about celebrating relationships. Whether these are relationships with customers, within teams, or with the wider community, each one is personal.

At Mukuru, the pride employees take in their work and the pride they feel in wearing their branded gear are examples to the powerful bond they share with the company and the belief they have in its purpose.

Again, this is where a strong leadership team is essential in transforming into a purpose-led business. These are the individuals who must embody the company’s mission and values.

They must lead from the front and create a culture where all the employees feel connected to the organisation. It is more important than ever given how hybrid work has become normalised.

All of this comes down to putting people at the heart of operations. Organisations therefore need to value their people’s unique skills while also empowering employees to realise their full potential. This focus on people will enable purpose-led organisations like Mukuru to not only make a difference in a business environment, but also change the world for the better.