Increased Women in Leadership Means More Holistic and Diverse Policies

For well-known sports administrator, Ilhaam Groenewald, 2025 is set to be another groundbreaking year for women in leadership, after head of Maties Sport was received headline recognition in January when she received the Provincial Ministerial Commendation for her contribution to sports leadership in South Africa. 

“This year, I celebrate a decade at SU, and what an incredible journey this still is,” said Groenewald on the Maties Sport website, citing her excitement for her appointment being renewed for another five years as head of Maties Sport.”

Maties Sport Chief Director, Ilhaam Groenewald

This accolade couldn’t go to a more well-deserving recipient as Groenewald has turned the University of Stellenbosch into a top sporting tertiary institution. 

“When I joined the University in 2014, we offered only two sporting codes in our high-performance program at Maties Sport: Rugby and Hockey,” remarked Groenewald. “Today, our offering includes 31 sporting codes. We saw a remarkable 300 percent growth in our high-performance sporting codes, and we have expanded our campus sports offering over the past ten years.”

It might be a tough road, but many have proved that it’s one worth taking. So why should we have female leaders? This question has many different answers.

• Representation: When women are seen in leadership positions it allows other women and the younger generation to aspire to be someone. When you see someone who looks like you, it makes an impactful statement that you too can aspire to follow in their footsteps. 
• Diversity: This goes without saying that a more diverse industry can only make the sport stronger. This helps with different approaches to the codes which means more holistic ideas and approaches that will benefit the sport. 
• Leadership Style: Women tend to display transformational leadership where they are known to show empathy. With this comes employees who are understood which in turn inspires them to do better for their company. 

“Over the years, I have learned that leadership can be a lonely journey and that it’s impossible to please everyone,” said First Vice President of World Triathlon Debbie Alexander to gsport in a previous interview. “Good leaders lead by example, ethically, with vision, competence, courage, accountability, and integrity. They balance firmness with fairness, ask tough questions, make tough decisions, and serve their communities, not themselves.”

Gold medal-winning swimmer Penny Heyns told gsport that leading by example is paramount to the cause. 

“I think one of the huge contributing factors was that I realised that first of all, I have to swim for the right reasons. I also had to travel to the US and swim on scholarship there, and it was a lot of sacrifice. There was a degree of taking personal responsibility and, I think, leading by example.”

So what does it take to be a good leader?

• Empathy: This is a trait female leaders are known for. Being empathetic allows you to relate to others, being able to see someone else’s perspective means you are able to connect. This characteristic allows those around you to have a relaxing working environment. 
• Integrity: Make sure you are always upholding certain values and ensuring not only your employees but you are also accountable. 
• Adaptability: This is a key in any industry. The COVID-19 pandemic was the perfect example of how things can change at the drop of a hat and being able to pivot with minimal stress is imperative for success.
• Resilience: Being able to bounce back from something that might not go according to plan is key. 
• Motivate: Being able to motivate your team will see you get them enthused as well as get the best result from them in their various capacities.

Women still face challenges as their navigate their way to booming leaders. This is something that will continue if attitudes regarding their presence in leadership roles change. 

Changing societal norms is something that must happen should we want a truly inclusive world where women can be in top roles. 

Main Photo Caption: Increasingly regarded as more than capable leaders, women are taking up sports industry leadership roles in greater numbers, a trend which is key to the sector’s growth as gsport considers what it takes to hone leadership skills. Stock Photo: Supplied