Make your Big Thing PERSONAL

There are moments in life that don’t look significant on the surface — but quietly reshape everything.

Early in my career in December 2005, as a young banker working through the trenches and still finding my way, I received an unexpected call.

Ronnie Watson, the extraordinary then CEO of Wesbank, asked to meet me. The incredible Banker who built his asset-finance bank into twice the size of his closest competitor.

Not in his office — in mine.

He sat down and took the time to understand who I was.

Nothing about my role changed that day.

But something internal did.

It shifted how I saw myself — and what I believed was possible. In that moment, I gave myself permission to rise. From that day, the impossible started becoming inevitable.

That moment taught me something I’ve carried ever since:

Recognition, when done with intention, is not a gesture. It is a force.

It shapes identity.

It influences behaviour.

It expands potential.

Yesterday, 15 years after graduating from the University of the Free State's Faculty of Law, I had the honour of receiving the Chancellor’s Distinguished Cum Laude Award.

Not because of the award itself — but because of what it represents.

It was a deeply humbling moment, hosted within a debonair and impeccably executed evening, masterfully brought together by Carmenita Redcliffe Paul.

A reminder that leadership is not only about what we build, but about how we recognise, develop, and elevate others along the way.

During the evening, the cathartic keynote address by the visionary Professor Bonang Mohale (pictured below), centred on a simple but profound idea:

Make your big thing personal.

What stood out even more was how this principle was demonstrated — not just spoken.

In the opening part of his address, he intentionally recognised and affirmed the University's exceptional Vice Chancellor & Principal, Professor Hester Klopper (pictured above), who had only recently stepped into her role.

In a room filled with accomplished leaders, that moment of recognition was not incidental — it was deliberate.

And powerful.

Because it reinforced something often overlooked: Great leaders don’t just set direction — they elevate people. Recognition changes people. And leaders like Ronnie Watson and Bonang Mohale understand this, leverage it, and lead through it.

In her address, Professor Hester Klopper (pictured above) spoke with clarity about the university’s priorities:

Financial sustainability and ensuring that academic programs remain relevant in a rapidly evolving, AI-driven world.

At a time when knowledge cycles are shortening, and what is current today may be obsolete tomorrow, the challenge is no longer just education — but future readiness.

This aligns closely with the university’s broader Vision 130 — a long-term ambition to position itself as a leading institution by 2034.

These reflections brought something full circle for me.

Because the question is no longer:

What do leaders know?

But: How do leaders think, decide, and show up in complexity?

This is the work I’ve become deeply committed to.

Helping leaders understand the patterns shaping their decisions.

build clarity in uncertainty and lead in a way that is both effective and deeply human.

Recognition changed something in me many years ago.

Today, I see it as part of a much bigger responsibility.

To build leaders who don’t just perform…but who elevate others as they rise.

If this resonates, I’d welcome the conversation at isaac.lakhi.biz