New Boss of the Year, Chris Mukoki

Mukoki, who was the first African to be appointed a lecturer immediately after qualifying from the Soweto College of Education, remained at the College for eight years before entering the banking world as a consultant. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from UNISA and a Secondary Teachers Diploma.

Remaining true to his teaching background, his leadership style is based on sharing knowledge and he is at his best when guiding colleagues to higher knowledge and levels of expertise.

His nominator Johanna Nkabinde has this to say, "Mr Mukoki is an admirable achiever himself but he shares his winning principles with us - under his leadership we have clarity of goals and processes and results to be achieved. He ensures that people are viewed as the true assets of the bank, treating everybody with respect and has created an environment of growth, participation and innovation."

Mukoki believes that South Africa needs decisive leaders: "We need people that lead by example and do not believe that popularity is a necessary characteristic of being a leader.

"Leaders also need to understand that economic issues cannot be solved by the creation of more laws but that they need to actually be implemented and monitored; hence the biggest challenge in business is to create an environment where employees also think and act as business people." Another challenge he identifies is the plethora of social problems that can only be addressed when government, business and unions come together and put the interests of the country first:

When it comes to leadership, there are several attributes that make a great leader. "These include listening to what people are saying, always looking for an opportunity to change things for the better as change is the only thing that remains constant and has the power to ensure the continued existence of both individuals and institutions, being innovative and focusing on the clear goals that they have in mind."

Being nominated for the award has made him aware that whatever you do, people are always watching and are ready to give credit when it is due. "This has made me more aware of what I am doing on a day-to-day basis, and I have realised that there are many people out there who fulfil the demands made of good leadership but may never get to be recognised for their efforts unless someone cares enough to nominate them for an award such as this."

His other awards include Top Achiever Winner of the Nedbank CEO award and the Merit Award for Performance Excellence at Standard Bank.

He received prizes from the sponsors, which include Stabilo, Air Mauritius, Arthur Kaplan Jewellers, The Blue Train, Die Kunshuis Clanwilliam, Europcar, Jaguar SA, Sheaffer Pens and World Leisure Holidays.

Commenting on his victory, Sim Tshabalala, managing director of Standard Bank, said he was delighted to hear of his selection. "We place a high priority on effective leadership and teamwork within Standard Bank and are proud that Chris has achieved this recognition from his peers. His win speaks volumes about the calibre of people employed at the bank and their ability to win the respect and support of their team members."

"Winning a title of this nature is a huge honour for anyone. I am proud to be a winner, but am humbled that my staff thought enough of me to submit an entry. My thanks go to them for their support and understanding and to the bank, which created an environment in which I could develop and grow my management skills," concluded Mukoki.