While every business focuses on delivering unique value to their customers and clients, often the challenges they face are remarkably similar. GE Transportation recently hosted some of their strategic rail customers across Africa to explore these common challenges and discuss best practices in leadership at a three day seminar hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Leadership for Customers (LFC) course was designed by corporate university GE Crotonville, New York. LFC is offered exclusively to strategic customers, targeting senior executives interested in developing additional leadership capability and in understanding GE’s leadership development culture. LFC is one of GE’s top executive programmes delivered regionally and across the world, providing an interactive forum for leadership learning, sharing and solving for customer issues, challenges and concerns.

Programme sponsor Thomas Konditi, President & CEO of GE Transportation Africa, and GE South Africa said, “Our customers take a lot of what we share and put it into practice in their own businesses because we all face the same challenges. How do I track talent? How do I manage it? How to lead in tough times? It’s about how to make tough decisions. It is a learning opportunity for them and it is also a learning opportunity for us.”

The programme focused on leadership skills development in several areas, including interactions and coaching, programme management for executives, tools to drive change and strategic storytelling. Customers were given the opportunity to develop their leadership skills by fostering individual development, team growth, and business results.

Kunetsa Kufakowadya, Senior Manager: Engineering at TransNamib Holdings Limited said: “The most valuable thing I picked up was the style of leadership that is at GE and how they approach change, [and] do business. I will take this back to my company. I also learnt  about the various tools [available] to manage change and that change is constant.”

The course emphasised that leaders need not only technical and commercial expertise, but also creativity and flexibility in order to meet customer needs. If companies are to develop custom solutions – often those that are new to the market – it’s critical that they approach every project with deep knowledge of the industry, as well as curiosity and creativity to imagine the best possible solution for the customer.

Ejemen Okojie, Customer Education  Regional Director, GE Crotonville-Africa, said: “This was a truly powerful and intimate learning experience on both sides. Our customers felt comfortable enough to trust us by sharing their learning needs and worked together with their peers and GE Commercial hosts to come up with solutions to become more authentic leaders individually and for their  organisations.’’ 

Rich Braaten, Global Faculty Learning Director for Crotonville Customer Leadership Learning, said, “It was powerful to see Leadership for Customers come to life here in Johannesburg. Watching our strategic customers collaborate, network, and share best practices with  each other, their industry peers and GE colleagues reflected the Crotonville mission: to inspire, develop and connect the leaders of today and tomorrow.”