South Africa, Sept. 30 -- People are the real engine of this industry, we operate on grit, resilience and relationships. However, we often forget the strong foundation that people bring and skip straight to creating a process, removing all emotion from our work and over-indexing on rationality. This understanding and empathy aren't a soft skill; it's a strategic tool that drives results.

Strategy doesn't just happen in client decks and pitch rooms. Strategy starts with how you build, protect, and develop your teams.

When employees feel valued and understood, they bring their best thinking to the table. Empathy allows us to recognise when someone is at their limit, when they need mentorship, or when flexibility will help them thrive. By ...