Of course, the results matter. It is a function of leadership to help everyone understand the bigger picture; moreover, leaders at every level need to work with their teams to connect local targets and standards to the organisation’s overall objectives.
However, what sets the best organisations apart are individuals who know what they each need to do to add their own unique value. This will only happen when leaders are focused on going beyond the results and on enabling their people to always make their maximum contribution. Rachael Cowin, Associate, Legitimate Leadership.
________________________________________________________
Featured
Question Of The Month
My team does what I ask, but they don’t take initiative. How do I get them to step up without micromanaging?
How Leaders Can Use AI To Expand Capability And Strengthen Culture
On the morning of 11 March 2026, 90 clients and associates gathered at the Houghton Golf Club for Legitimate Leadership’s latest breakfast event, a conversation that was equal parts grounding and thought-provoking. With AI dominating boardroom agendas everywhere, the morning’s theme was timely: How Leaders Can Use AI To Expand Capability And Strengthen Culture.
One Organisation, Two Teams, Two Different Cultures…
Why is it that within the same organisation with the same policies, same systems, same strategy, people can still have completely different experiences at work? How is it that two teams can sit on the same floor, use the same systems and follow the same procedures, yet show up in entirely different ways?
One team is energised, engaged, and committed, while another is guarded, disengaged, or simply going through the motions. Take Team A and Team B, for example.
Enabling Contribution: What Truly Motivates People?
While “carrot and stick” methods may work for simple, routine tasks, Pink’s research shows they are far less effective for work that requires thinking, creativity, initiative, and ownership, the very qualities modern organisations need most.
Instead, he highlights three powerful drivers of human motivation:
Question Of The Month
By Tony Flannigan, Associate, Legitimate Leadership.
Question: My team does what I ask, but they don’t take initiative. How do I get them to step up without micromanaging?
Answer: Good intent is manifested by giving Care and Growth.
Care is your licence to grow, so everything starts with Care.
Care is principally about how well you know your people.
Really knowing them is more than just knowing their wife/husband’s name, dog’s name, etc. When you really know someone, you know what makes them tick. i.e. what bores them rigid, what excites them, what would it take to get them interested and curious?
You would know their thoughts on the 3 Ps (Purpose / Passion / Person), i.e. do they understand your company’s noble purpose? Are they passionate about their own trade or function? Do they trust you as a person and a leader?
If they are not showing initiative, that could be largely your fault, not theirs. You haven’t explained the why enough; you haven’t encouraged their development in their trade; you haven’t earned their trust through a million other aspects of Care & Growth.
None of this is an instant fix. It is a long, relentless input from you to them.
However, once you have done all of the above (probably including a ‘Gripe-To-Goal’ assessment) and they still don’t show any interest, it is time for a tougher conversation about whether they are in the right job/industry and help them to a place that does ignite their passion and interest.
There are very few deliberately bad or lazy people (say 5~10%). Most of them reflect the environment in which they operate.
To submit your question, email info@legitimateleadership.com
Report: How Leaders Can Use AI To Expand Capability And Strengthen Culture
Legitimate Leadership
On the morning of 11 March 2026, 90 clients and associates gathered at the Houghton Golf Club for Legitimate Leadership’s latest breakfast event, a conversation that was equal parts grounding and thought-provoking. With AI dominating boardroom agendas everywhere, the morning’s theme was timely ‘How Leaders Can Use AI To Expand Capability And Strengthen Culture’.
Setting the Scene
From the outset, Legitimate Leadership’s CEO, Ian Munro, made it clear this wasn’t another AI hype session. “During times of uncertainty,” he told the room, “It’s very easy to focus on what we’re getting, not what we are giving.” That framing the shift from taking to giving is the philosophical backbone of the Legitimate Leadership framework, and it quietly underpinned every conversation that followed.
Josh Hayman, Managing Director of Legitimate Leadership’s South Africa practice, sharpened the point further. The real question, he argued, isn’t how organisations use AI; it’s why. Are leaders reaching for AI to extract more output from their people? Or are they genuinely trying to free their people up to do more meaningful work? The distinction, he suggested, is everything.
“The how conversation is a surface conversation. One level down from how is why, and that is a motive issue.” – Josh Hayman, Legitimate Leadership South Africa
Spatialedge Takes the Stage
The morning’s keynote conversation was led by three representatives from Spatialedge, a specialist AI consulting company and Legitimate Leadership client of three years: Chief of Staff, Dr Carl du Plessis; COO, Dr Frank Altman; and Chief Culture & People Officer, Hermine Gericke
Dr Carl du Plessis opened with a striking statistic: across the industry, 94% of AI use cases fail to deliver business value. Spatialedge, by contrast, operates at a 93% success rate in production delivery. The secret, he argued, isn’t superior AI knowledge; it’s people. His central thesis drew a direct parallel between good AI implementation and good leadership: both require the discipline of Observe, Measure, Experiment, and Iterate.
Read the full report by clicking here
Watch the video clicking here
Article: One Organisation, Two Teams, Two Different Cultures…
By Ntsako Maswanganyi, Associate, Legitimate Leadership.
Why is it that within the same organisation with the same policies, same systems, same strategy, people can still have completely different experiences at work? How is it that two teams can sit on the same floor, use the same systems and follow the same procedures, yet show up in entirely different ways?
One team is energised, engaged, and committed, while another is guarded, disengaged, or simply going through the motions. Take Team A and Team B, for example.
We will call Team A “The House of Compliance.” Meetings in this team go something like this:
The manager speaks from the moment the meeting starts until it ends, prescribing instructions, explaining processes, repeating themselves, reinforcing control, and talking over employees whenever they attempt to offer ideas. They pause only at the end of the monologue to ask if anyone has any questions. No one responds. Not because they do not have questions, but because they have become accustomed to being passive passengers.
What ultimately happens? Morale in Team A quietly but steadily drops. The team stops challenging anything. They wait to be told what to do, do just enough to stay out of trouble, and adopt a “who cares”, “what’s the point”, “they won’t approve it anyway”, “see no evil, hear no evil” mentality. In the process, they lose their spark. Compliance becomes the culture. Tasks get completed, but hearts and minds are checked out. While this may please the manager in the short term, it inevitably backfires when they are forced to confront the disengagement they helped create. As the African proverb says, “A leader who does not listen will soon be surrounded by people with nothing to say.”
Read the full article by clicking here
Video: Enabling Contribution: What Truly Motivates People?
By Daniel Pink, Renowned American Author, Speaker, and Consultant.
COMMENT ON THIS VIDEO BY JOSH HAYMAN, MANAGING DIRECTOR (SOUTH AFRICA), LEGITIMATE LEADERSHIP: At Legitimate Leadership, we implicitly understand what Daniel Pink talks about – when you provide people with autonomy, a clear purpose, and the opportunity to stretch themselves, a willingness to contribute is unleashed. And yet, we find so many organisations find themselves exercising too much control over people in pursuit of a “predictable outcome”.
Empowering contribution requires us to accept that there is always short-term risk in giving people autonomy – we can’t always fully predict what will happen. In the long run, the benefits are greater ownership, accountability, and contribution. The positive impact these have on the results is immeasurable and far outweighs the risk we need to take to enable it.
Our summary of the video: In his widely viewed TED Talk, The Puzzle of Motivation, Daniel Pink challenges a common leadership assumption: that people perform best when rewarded or incentivised.
While “carrot and stick” methods may work for simple, routine tasks, Pink’s research shows they are far less effective for work that requires thinking, creativity, initiative, and ownership, the very qualities modern organisations need most.
Instead, he highlights three powerful drivers of human motivation:
1. Autonomy
People perform better when they have ownership over how they approach their work. Autonomy does not remove accountability, it strengthens it. When leaders provide clarity and boundaries, and then trust people to act, initiative increases.
2. Mastery
People are wired to improve. Growth builds confidence. Leaders who intentionally develop capability unlock greater engagement and performance.
3. Purpose
When individuals understand why their work matters, and how it contributes to something larger, motivation shifts from compliance to commitment.
Read the full summary clicking here
Watch the video by clicking here
