Treat people the way you want to be treated, says Sandile Shabalala

Sandile Shabalala is one of five siblings. His mother is the woman who has had the biggest impact on his life and shaped who he is today. “I grew up being raised by a single parent. I don't think single mothers are appreciated enough for what they do to maintain a family’s lifestyle, raise children and instil values.” His late mother single-handedly raised the family, putting all of her children through school and university. Most importantly was the value set she instilled in them: “The value set we were brought up with enabled us to not only fit in in society, but distinguish ourselves in society and build ourselves up as the individuals that we are with our own uniqueness.”

She taught him the importance of independence and discipline, characteristics she exuded. “Mom used to work all the time. You can easily understand – she had to take care of five kids and she was a nurse working overtime. She was not with us in the evenings. We were staying in the location and she was working elsewhere. She would see us once a week, but she allowed us to be what we could be.”

Growing up in the location, especially as a young impressionable child, it was easy to be influenced by one’s surroundings. Sandile’s mother made the progressive decision to send her children to boarding school to give them the best environment for them to thrive. 

He says: “I went to boarding school at 11 years old. It changes your perspective in life. You grow up very quickly. You have to have self-discipline and be very self-directed in terms of what it is that you want to achieve. It teaches you to manage your budget because you can't go to your mom and ask for pocket money in the middle of the month when you’ve run out.”

Being in an environment with so many different personalities also taught him to handle different people, make friends and adapt. “It's an environment that requires you to do that. Firstly, to enjoy your time in boarding school and secondly, to leverage some of those relationships in terms of your studies and support in that environment.”

It gave him the life lesson that whatever environment you get put in, there are always things you can learn about yourself and your ability to adapt, prosper and make the most out of the situation. “I  think there is that opportunity for people to be placed in different environments and grow, but it also depends on how open you are to learning new things and learning things about yourself. Because every new environment teaches you something new about yourself.”

Sandile joined Sasfin at the beginning of 2022 as the CEO of Business and Commercial Banking, the third pillar of Sasfin over and above Asset Finance and Wealth – “the newest kids on the block”. He’s adapted well to his new environment and says he’s thoroughly enjoying it.

Sasfin provides an empowering and collaborative environment to work in and its size means you don’t get lost in the numbers, enabling you to make deep personal connections with people, he says. “You can form relationships that are much more enduring. People are given the opportunity to stretch themselves and grow.”

He’s been in the financial industry for long enough to be able to notice the progress made towards diversity and inclusion, like the growth in the number of women leaders in business. He gets to work alongside many of these women at Sasfin and they bring a different perspective into an environment: “I think they bring a very different level of thinking that enriches the work environment. That, for me, is the diversity that needs to be embraced and the diversity that needs to be celebrated in this space.”

He believes the stereotypical view of women in business and finance that existed in the past is long gone. “I think women are finding opportunities in their environment and they are finding their own unique way of expressing themselves. More workplaces are embracing diversity and appreciate the individual uniqueness everyone brings into the work environment. South Africa has become much more progressive, not just in the workspace, but overall.”

When it comes to encouraging more women to enter the finance industry, Sandile says the responsibility lies with leaders, male and female, to create opportunities. “I think everyone deserves to be given a space to be able to express themselves and who they are and not be forced to fit into stereotypical behaviour. People need to be able to express themselves and bring themselves and their own personality into that environment and bring that diversity of thinking.”

When it comes to leading people, Sandile says transparency, integrity, respect and humility are the most important values to him. “It's not about being in the position, it's about how you engage with your fellow colleagues. Leaders have to humble themselves and make sure that they bring everybody on the bus and that everybody feels included and can contribute and add value.”

In addition, he says, it’s important to foster an environment in which people can grow. “The work is important, but also, growing as an individual is important. So how can we contribute overall to a person rather than the career of a person? How do we make sure we are progressive in the way that we are learning and growing and understanding ourselves a little bit deeper?”

At the end of the day, he says, it comes down to treating people the way you would want to be treated. “That's the first thing I learnt and embraced in my career. I think if you do that, it ticks a whole lot of boxes. That's the most important thing.”