Amanda Swana - A Modern-Day Leader

Amanda Swana is the managing director at Powerpoint Lifestyles, a human resource consulting agency, based in Umhlanga Ridge, Durban.

Amanda completed high school at Durban Academy High School, then moved onto the University of KwaZulu-Natal to study for a psychology degree. After completing a master’s degree in industrial psychology, Amanda branched off into the world of work commencing her internship and human resources role at the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI). There, Amanda said, she was mentored by her manager who made a huge impact on who she has become and how she handles herself in the world of work.

Following a two-year stint at SASRI as an human resources officer, Amanda moved into the consulting field. As she had studied industrial psychology, Amanda initially had no intention of being in business in a human resources capacity. She explained, “The speciality found root and I realised that I enjoyed organisational development and strategic human resources as opposed to the operational requirements of a business. I eventually took that leap of faith, registered the business and committed myself to a new path.”

Willpower and Self-Motivation

As establishing a business requires a lot of structure and adherence to legislation, her first year of business was characterised by unlearning some habits and overcoming uncertainties.

“I had to be more independent. I had to rely on my own internal voices because when you branch into business, willpower and self-motivation is critical,” Amanda explained.

In addition, Amanda had to work on the purpose of her business and discovered that she genuinely wanted to change the lives of her employees, while meeting the demands of her business.

“Empowering and mentoring employees so that they become better people and better leaders

has been the business strategy that I have adopted. Although, the employees have skills and qualifications, in the consulting environment they are the ones that are engaging with clients. What becomes paramount is their confidence to service these clients.”

In order to motivate her employees Amanda advocates for them to find their own voices. “If we’re sitting in a business or a brainstorming meeting, I‘d like to know what the officer thinks, what is their voice in this situation? What is their perspective?”

While Amanda considered that there might be a risk to empowering her staff in that they might open up their own consulting firms, she has found that the opposite is true. “I’ve found that the employees’ sense of loyalty is not because you pay them well or that they could make more money out of the business. The sense of loyalty develops when your employees are empowered and they feel emotionally and psychologically safe.”

Amanda is very family orientated, and her mother and siblings, mean ‘the world to her’. Consequently, she looks to find a team that thrives on family support and that are also looking to empower their own family. “I like to think I’m committed to my work because of how much weight it bears on other people,” she added.

Effective Services

Further to ensuring that her employees are empowered, Amanda strives to partner with their clients to provide effective services. “Although our clients are looking for human resource solutions, we genuinely want to understand their business strategy and objectives. If you ask us to appoint a civil engineer, for example, we can go into the market and get you the most qualified and experienced civil engineer who is good on paper. But we are human beings, so we’ve always advocated for strategic human relations. The screening process goes beyond the administrative process, in addition we look at the applicant’s personality and emotional intelligence, explore and understand the candidate’s value systems beyond the qualification and work experience.”

In reviewing her achievements, Amanda would say that from a professional point of view, the accomplishment that makes her the proudest was paying the first batch of salaries to her employees. “I was so grateful because there were people who believed in my vision even though I had nothing to back it up. The 25th is still the most beautiful day for me, it validates why I started the business. I’ve always said my responsibility is to make sure that my employees are paid on time and to try to make this business sustainable, which is personal for me.”

Remain Authentic

The best advice Amanda has received has been from her mother, who when she started the business, said: “Try to not lose yourself. Try to allow yourself to remain authentic. In any room that you find yourself in, don’t let money or people change who you are.”

Amanda says her biggest challenge has been to remind herself that although she is ambitious, she sometimes needs to slow down and remind herself that she is doing the best that she can in this moment. In order to stay inspired and on track, Amanda reads a range of different books on business, leadership and motivation, including Christian books as these provide ‘a well to draw from’ when mentors or colleagues are not around.

Amanda also finds her siblings, and especially her mother, a huge source of inspiration. “My mother is a calm person who raised four children on her own and I admire her strength and resilience,” she explained.

In the next five years, Amanda would like to extend her service offering to include more training and development. While the company’s biggest target market is small and medium enterprises she would like to expand her market position. Another area of interest is in the provision of career development counselling for government schools in KwaZulu-Natal.

In closing Amanda said, “It doesn’t matter what business or profession you find yourself in, or whatever you do in life because purpose goes beyond your business or profession. Whatever you do, you must do with intention. Because when you are intentional, you get much more joy, and you are able to handle any pressures or adversaries because you know why you’re doing something”.

W: www.powerpointlifestyles.co.za