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Article by Mustafa Athar Rizvi
If you’ve ever wondered what actually happens inside a Personal Excellence Programme, you’re not alone. Five days in the Drakensberg sounds like a retreat. But the alumni will tell you it’s something else entirely – a remembering, a quiet revolution that starts within. With the November programme fast approaching, we reflect on what three leaders who’ve been through it discovered.
What if the most powerful question a leader can ask isn’t about strategy, targets, or bottom lines – but simply this: What do my people need from me today? Not What do I need from them? Just that one, quiet inversion. It seems too basic, right? And yet, across a Swedish energy office, a South African mine, and a Philippine bank – three sectors, three continents – that single question changed everything. No turning up the pressure. No high-end consultants who leave you with more questions than answers. Just leaders brave enough to sit with the thought that power and results are in the hands of the people they serve. Funny how that works. But you already know exactly what I mean. Because the people you gave your best to weren’t the ones who paid you the most. They were the ones who cared the most. And that? That’s the leadership that changes everything.
Marianne Ekerlin in Sweden learned to stop being first with the answer. Trust in leadership, she discovered, doesn’t come from being right – it comes from making room for others to be heard. So she paused. She listened. She asked more and told less. And her team? They started sharing. They started breathing. Their output shifted.
Bishop Misley, deep in South African mining, found that reflection wasn’t about sitting still – it was about showing up differently. Intentional and meaningful check-ins and conversations with his team. See my people, don’t always measure results. This made him stop asking “What do I need?” and start asking “What does my team need?” And in that simple swap, culture began to transform.
Lionel Gacad arrived expecting formulas, tools. He left with something else – a reckoning. Leadership, he soon realised, shouldn’t only be measured by personal achievement and profit. It has to include, if not foreground, the growth of those around you. So he explored his own intentions. Became more reflective. As a result, he returned home not with new knowledge – but as a different leader entirely.
Three leaders. Three industries. Three continents. They didn’t learn anything new. They just remembered something they’d always known. That you’re not significant for what you get out of life. You’re significant for what you put in. For the value you add to others. For what you give – not what you take. That’s the code they cracked. That’s where personal excellence begins. And that’s where organisational culture transforms, significantly.
Marianne Ekerlin, Product Manager, Sweden
“The Personal Excellence Programme changed the way I show up for others. Through deep reflection and the practice of genuine listening, I realised that leadership is less about having the right answers and more about creating space for others to be heard. I’ve become less reactive, more intentional, and far more present in my conversations. By choosing to listen before responding and understand before acting, I’ve seen stronger relationships, greater trust, and a more collaborative way of working. The shift from focusing on my own contribution to helping others contribute has changed both my leadership and the culture around me.”
Bishop Misley, Impala Platinum, South Africa
“The programme helped me translate good intentions into everyday leadership behaviours. It reminded me that culture is built through small, consistent acts of care – checking in with people, creating moments for reflection, and leading with purpose instead of pressure. In a demanding mining environment, these simple practices have become powerful ways to ground teams and strengthen engagement. When leaders move from asking, ‘What do I need?’ to ‘What do my people need?’ the workplace begins to change from the inside out.”
Lionel Gacad, Chief Experience Officer (CXO), GoTyme Bank, Philippines
“Personal Excellence challenged me to rethink leadership at its core. I arrived expecting a training programme and left with a new understanding of myself and my responsibility to others. The experience shifted my focus away from personal achievement towards intentional contribution. I now lead with greater awareness, listen more deeply, and think more carefully about the impact I have on those around me. Those seemingly small changes have transformed the way I lead my team. I returned home not simply with new knowledge, but as a different leader – one committed to helping others grow, because that is where lasting organisational change begins.”
Want to learn more about how the Personal Excellence? Leader your team with greater purpose, strengthen organisational culture, and unlock potential? See: www.schuitemagroup.com
Note: We have a course scheduled for November ’26. If you’d like more information feel free to contact us.
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