Thato Toko joined the Senior Management Development Programme (SMDP) in 2021 following a swift decision. “I heard about the programme a week before it was scheduled to commence from a colleague who was attending the Management Development sessions. I enquired and was able to finalise my application on quite short notice.”

This last-minute decision meant that Thato did not have time to develop expectations for the programme, although he found it aligned well with his existing development goals. “I embarked upon the Senior Management Development Programme to enhance my developmental activities (which are always at the back of my mind), and to keep abreast of topics I became familiar with years before doing the programme.”

“Knowing that one of the most important factors in active learning is that it enhances analytical capabilities on unrelated topics or projects, I was glad to gain a different perspective on some of the everyday activities I participate in,” Thato shares. “Acquiring additional knowledge outside any individual’s immediate scope of activities always creates a broader understanding.” Indeed, he went on to receive a Top Achievers/Director’s Award at the end of the programme.

“In most of the programme assignments,” Thato continues, “I incorporated some aspects of my work environment. I went on to find that my learnings from the programme improved my ability to contextualise some of the principles my colleagues usually communicate. Two of my assignments were linked to my immediate role, and I was excited to incorporate my learnings – I could propose improvements in a more constructive and considered way. As with every intense training programme, I found that there was a shift in how I view my role within the company and external organisations.”

“Academically, I made progress towards strengthening my scope of understanding in the areas of financial management, innovation and design thinking, and sustainable competitiveness,” he identifies. “These three stand out because the success of their outputs is crucial. As a country, we tend to concentrate on outputs and not the environmental context and inputs of the regions we are benchmarking on. Yet these comprise the elements that create and contribute to the outcomes of the whole.”

“One experience of this I would like to acknowledge is that the programme reinforced that it takes a team to succeed – and even more so for success at an individual level. Group dynamics in the environment governed by COVID regulations, and the impact of the pandemic itself, brought forth a level of compassion, patience, and altruism that we never expected before. It was only during the final presentation of the group project that this fully struck me. I realised how much I had unknowingly invested in, and therefore benefited from, the programme – as an individual that was part of a group. The unexpected award I received crowned this effort, and I must acknowledge the encouragement from my syndicate members. I am grateful for the opportunity to have participated in the programme, and I look forward to participating in similar programmes in the near future.”

In today’s rapidly changing environment, organisations are being exposed to a completely new way of working. Enter the Senior Management Development Programme. Best suited for senior managers from any industry, the SMDP is specifically for those in management positions who are interested in developing a strategic leadership mindset and acquiring the ability to sense and respond to new business models. It helps managers to interpret and demonstrate the relationship between various strategic, operational and leadership themes, explore strategic concepts and integrative strategy, and evaluate new frameworks and tools to support sustainable business – all while further developing leadership thinking. For further information about upcoming programmes, please click here.