The past year has tested the mettle of most of South Africa's top executives as they have had to make difficult decisions about how best to keep the company going.
These challenging circumstances have allowed those with the right touch to come to the fore and have showed up those who have relied on good times to get by. The managers selected by CRF South Africa as leading managers have what it takes to lead even in bad times.
Jonathan Cook, the executive director of the Gordon Institute of Business Science and a member of the project's panel, says good leaders are very self aware and able to deal with tough conditions.
"The most effective CEOs have a steely self-discipline and can trust themselves; the essence of leadership is being able to cope in adversity."
David Kneale, Clicks Group chief executive and member of the winning team in this year's survey, admits that he has learnt valuable lessons during the past year.
"You need to focus on the details without losing sight of the goal and the big picture. Keep it simple," he said.
CRF South Africa has been publishing a collection of leadership and management case studies for six years in a bid to answer many of the questions around business leadership and management in South Africa.
"There can be no doubt that leadership in business faces continuous scrutiny and the annual publication offers an objective, even-handed perspective on a cross-section of the leading companies," said Sam Crous, the general manager of CRF South Africa.
"Assessing leadership and managerial ability is no small task and is dependent on the organisation's size, complexity and industry.
"Financial, human capital and market management and the all-important areas of corporate governance must also take a front seat when we determine how well an organisation is performing under the leadership of the CEO, and the executive management team."
She added that the qualities, values and mores by which the CEO and/or executive team lead the organisation must also be assessed, along with whether these qualities flow from the boardroom to the "deepest recesses of the company".
"By all accounts, this one final area of assessment is critical when comparing leadership style and its efficacy."
Cook agrees that the attitude of management, whether good or bad, will permeate the organisation. Managers set the tone on everything in the office, from conflict resolution and productivity to how change is managed.
Management can often find itself in the firing line because of a perceived lack of action.
William Mzimba, CEO of Accenture and in second place in this year's ranking, says it is important not to allow participation in decision making to lead to inaction.
"Leadership is not a democracy- if it was, we would eventually find ourselves in a position where no decisions are taken, and things don't move. As a leader, you need to be clear on where the organisation is going and ensure that this direction is understood and supported by your people. Above all, you need to inject positivity into the company, and to do so consistently."
The following key areas were assessed:
The 10 leading managers were identified by CRF Institute with the panel of moderating judges consisting of industry, academic and business leaders. This year's panel comprised Prof Mervyn King SC, the chairman of Brait; Business Times editor Phylicia Oppelt; Michael Louis, director: strategic initiatives at the Louis Group; Jonathan Cook of Gibs; Dr Norris Dalton, the CEO of the South African Institute of Management; Adriaan Groenewald, CEO of Leadership Platform; Grant Ashfield, CEO of Leadership Works; and Rob Nage, a senior portfolio manager at Cadiz African Harvest Asset Managers.
Crous said CRF worked closely with the panel to identify a list of companies that are performing well each year. "Together, we identify some 150 companies we believe should be profiled in the publication and as such, to stand as examples of leadership and management excellence to others."
From this group about 16% are happy to take part in an independent research interview with a CRF journalist, who researches the company, its leadership and the performance of the company under the current leadership.
These findings are moderated by CRF and a feature article and company profile is published in South Africa's Leading Managers magazine.
Top 10 leading managers/teams ...
1. Clicks Group: David Kneale, Keith Warburton, Bertina Engelbrecht and Michael Harvey
2. Accenture: William Mzimba
3. Cashbuild: Pat Goldrick
4. Berco Express: Bernie Cox, Andy van der Velde, Stuart Maxwell and JB Joubert
5. Coca-Cola South Africa: William Egbe, Ilan Sobel and Jonathan Muthige
6. Medihelp Medical Scheme: Anton Rijnen
7. Exxaro Resources: Sipho Nkosi
8. Nestlé South Africa: Yves Manghardt
9. SAP Africa: Pfungwa Serima
10. Shell South Africa: Bonang Mohale, Leon Lizamore, Ndivhu Nepfumbada, Wayne Kingwill, Stephanie Brown, Paul O'Dwyer, Morvin Subban, Buyiswa Mncono-Liwani, Fatima Shaik, Elton Fortuin, Kenan Yildirim, Farouk Farista, Momodou Bah, Andrew Dallas, Jay Koovarjee, Karl Fourie and William Solliez - Source: CRF
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