Dariel’s talent manager Lebo Mosola-Mnjama shares her secret to keeping technical talent engaged in the company.
After a decade in the HR industry, Lebo Mosola-Mnjama has come to see talent management as beginning where traditional recruitment usually ends.
“I grew to be very unsatisfied with just placing someone and not knowing how their first year or two in an organisation was going,so I moved into account management. Without knowing it, I think this is where my passion for what happens to you after I’ve placed you came in. Not only did I want to place people, but I wanted to be involved in their growth journey as well,” she says.
This led her to move from headhunting into mentorship. “I think the best thing is seeing how time can change a person. I often reflect on my initial conversations with our team and then, to see where they are in just six months, and the improvement that they’ve worked so hard to achieve, is just wonderful.”
In her current role at Dariel, she has built her leadership approach around keeping highly skilled technical professionals engaged, supported and growing in an increasingly competitive market.
“We make sure we’re keeping abreast of the current trends and we work on meaningful projects with a lasting impact on the customer base of our clients and give our staff the opportunity to elevate their skills," she says.
Lebo says the aim is to keep the company a place where technical talent can thrive despite pressure from international markets.
Meaningful engagement
“It is challenging in that the industry is ever changing and you need to adapt to that change to remain successful, which sometimes means pivoting from original ideas,” she says.
“It is also unique because you’re hiring skilled and well sought-after individuals who are not only popular in the South African market but also internationally.”
According to Lebo, the secret is in meaningful engagement. “South Africa has some very good computer science and information systems degrees. So, it becomes important to keep your staff engaged and open avenues for growth and development," she says.
She adds that to do effective talent leadership, empathy has to be the driver. “People are complex and are driven by different things. Finding out what drives a person can make it easier to understand them,” she notes.
“It is also crucial to find people who buy into the vision of an organisation because it is easier to take people with you when they know where you’re going.”
Mentorship influence
She has adopted mentorship as a key tool in helping new professionals entering the industry grow. “I knew very early on that I wanted to be a positive influence in the journey of recruiters who were my juniors, giving little nuggets of wisdom that were shared by my leaders.”
This thinking now shapes what she looks for in new hires. “Besides the hard technical skills like strong backend experience, we look for people who like investing in others, good communication and decision-making skills, someone who has the right attitude and works well in a team,” she says.
She said while leadership is also shaped by environment and influence, success depends on being intentional about the people she surrounds herself with. “Even in the workplace, bad company corrupts good character, so I have always stayed closest to those with a high drive to succeed, those with a positive outlook and who can always see a silver lining.”
Lebo explains that she has also drawn valuable insights about influence from senior women leaders.
“I learnt that care for people is the true strength that I ought to seek and that if you’re able to be the voice of the people, it is then a responsibility to always have the best interests of people top of mind over your own self-interest,” she says.
And when she is not searching for new talent, she is searching for new food to try and restaurants to review.
She also continues to study human behaviour through watching crime and investigation documentaries. She is also a passionate supporter of the Springboks. “Everyone who knows me knows that my blood runs green and gold! But I must admit, I can get a bit crazy when watching a match, which I think would shock most people,” she says.
