“The best leaders see themselves as students, not teachers. And I can honestly say my greatest gift is that I have had, on a daily basis, opportunities to learn.” – Gogo Mo
We spoke to GWF’s Wisdom Counsel, Maureen Groch, fondly known as Gogo Mo (“gogo” means “granny” in isiZulu), about her leadership philosophy.
Gogo Mo is a “born and bred” teacher who also describes herself as a lifelong learner. She is a beloved member of the GWF family and plays an integral role in shaping, developing and inspiring our future leaders as a GWF Leadership Programme mentor.
Here are some pearls of wisdom Gogo Mo shared with us:
What is at the root of GWF’s leadership philosophy?
It’s about relationships – that’s the tap root of the tree that hooks us together. It’s part of our DNA. In our strategic planning many years ago, one of our core missions was to identify young people in the rural communities and grow them into leaders. I believe that every human being, if they choose, has certain gifts that they can use in a leadership capacity.
How did the GWF Leadership Programme begin?
I’ve been around a long time, and leadership has always interested me. A few years ago, we decided that with all our growth and new campuses, we needed to record and formalise our programme to identify, encourage and grow leaders at GWF. It’s been exciting to see how it’s evolved, always informed by our values.
What have you learnt from working with young rural people?
I have learnt so much from working in the rural areas. You can’t be arrogant and assume you know what’s needed. You’ve actually got to build lovely relationships and have open conversations. It’s important not to expect people to change, but instead to work with the different cultures within an organisation. I never thought we would identify so much leadership potential among our young people and, in particular, find so many incredible women leaders.
What, in your view, makes a good leader?
Kate (Groch, Gogo’s daughter and GWF CEO) and I both strongly believe that everyone has leadership skills. Good leaders are people-centred, community-oriented and have good communication skills. It’s about servant leadership – realising they are not the “top gun” but are serving a certain organisation, community or whatever.
What is one of the most special parts of your role?
Between our in-person and remote gatherings, I send the leadership programme participants a “Gogo treat” – something to think about, something relevant, something that serves as a point of communication. This is what a recent treat of mine said, quoting author Simon Sinek: “Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.” In other words, leadership is not a rank or a position to be attained. It is a service to be given
