The  principles and practices of leadership in the private sector came under the international spotlight in the 1990s as enterprises throughout the world re-engineered their operations and structures, being forced to downsize and apply lean thinking techniques to cope with increasing global competition. Turnaround specialists led some of the oldest and biggest corporations out of potential bankruptcy by changing the style of corporate leadership from dictatorial to consultative and participatory.

Now a new book on African transformational leadership reveals that the culture of African organisations has always embraced collective effort guided by servant leaders. Reuel J Khoza, chairman of Africa’s largest electricity utility, Eskom, and a strong campaigner the rights of business, argues in this groundbreaking book that the philosophy of Ubuntu, or African humanism, translates into a business process whereby leaders and their teams can achieve singleness of purpose.

Ubuntu provides modern business with a means of attaining a shared vision to drive efficiency and spur innovation. The book traces the history of leadership ideas in Africa, relating them to Western and other models of leadership, and proceeds to outline how Ubuntu can be operationalised and implemented by the leaders of enterprises for the benefit of all stakeholders. Let Africa Lead is due for publication later in 2004 and is aimed at the general business reader, academics and researchers, politicians and diplomats, labour unions and community based organisations.