A key part of the African STARS Fellowship Programme, the Leadership and Core Skills Training Week prompted fellows to step outside their comfort zones and enhance their self-confidence. Held from August 25-29, the week focused on essential leadership topics \u2013 including leadership identity, emotional intelligence, resilience, mentoring, accountability, and growth mindset. Fellows engaged in group discussions and practical exercises, culminating in individual pitches at the end of the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opening sessions invited fellows to reflect on their leadership identities, drawing from diverse personal and professional experiences in research, entrepreneurship, and community engagement. \u201cThis diversity greatly enriched our discussions on the role of leadership and the values of effective leaders,\u201d said Prof Lenine Liebenberg, the week\u2019s coordinator. Co-facilitator
Dr Bethlehem Tefera added that fellows openly examined how their unique experiences shaped both their strengths and challenges in how they lead. \u201cThey discussed them boldly, and used the session to navigate and deepen their understanding of their leadership identity,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building on this foundation, Mrs Lewin Moodley introduced Emotional Intelligence (EI). Fellows explored tools such as self-awareness, self-regulation, and the ABCDE model. \u201cThese do not take root immediately but deepen through mindfulness and interaction,\u201d she explained. By midweek, fellows were already applying EI principles in practice. \u201cConversations became more reflective, psychological safety increased, and collaboration strengthened,\u201d noted Lewin. \u201cThe fellows could readily articulate how they had grown and how their perspectives had changed \u2013 reinforcing the fact that Emotional Intelligence is not a one-time lesson but a continuous practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The programme also featured a keynote by Prof Kanshu Rajaratnam, who shared his journey from engineering to finance to leading the School for Data Science at Stellenbosch University, set against financial uncertainties, geographic changes, political turmoil and a global pandemic. Despite many context-specific strategies, his central theme of connection resonated most. \u201cHe emphasised that collaboration and trust foster resilience, innovation, and impactful change,\u201d said Lenine. Inspired, one fellow reflected: \u201cI aspire to be a collaborative leader\u2026 empathetic but firm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later in the week, Lenine reframed mentorship as reciprocal, rooted in accountability and trust, and supported by a mentorship agreement template. Lewin complemented this with her own story of reframing failure as growth, encouraging fellows to adopt a mindset where setbacks fuel resilience. In the Accountability Session, this perspective prompted a shift from blame to ownership, with fellows leaving \u201cmore mature and action-oriented.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The focus then turned to entrepreneurial leadership. Dr Yaw Bediako stressed the role of entrepreneurial scientists in linking research and innovation for Africa\u2019s development, a theme expanded by Dr Anton du Preez van Staden, who shared practical strategies from his own journey. Fellows embraced the complementarity of science and entrepreneurship in health innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The week concluded with Capstone presentations, in which fellows described their identities as leaders \u2013 including their values, their strengths, and their purpose. \u201cThey noted specific challenges that hamper their goal attainment, and set out an action plan for progress within the next 6-12 months \u2013 committed to holding themselves and their peers accountable for these action plans that translate their new skills into action,\u201d explained Lenine. \u201cThese presentations were a living demonstration of leader development,\u201d she continued. Many described the week as transformative, noting the power of introspection in shaping leadership identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, the programme equipped fellows with the mindset, skills, and confidence to lead in African science. \u201cTheir reflections echo the programme\u2019s aims: fellows left inspired, accountable, and committed to building resilient teams, institutions, and innovations that serve Africa\u2019s future,\u201d concluded Lenine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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