College Connect Breakfast – Key Note Address By Alisdair Sinclair: OC, Class of 1989, VP of Chep, Sub-Saharan Africa.

“Leveraging Teamwork, Networking, Collaboration, and Empathetic Leadership to Build a Successful Career”

When we talk about building a successful career, we often think about ambition, skills, qualifications, and perseverance. And while all of those are important, the truth is this, no one builds a successful career alone.

I guess that success is however relative, we can all do more, achieve more, possibly earn more and hopefully be rewarded with that next promotion, greater responsibility, a corner office and your very own parking bay, OR you can relish in the fact that you have led and/or are leading well, you are building a legacy, developing and influencing people, and importantly being the best husband, father, son, sibling and friend you can be.

Today, I thought it would be worthwhile to speak to you about four critical and interconnected pillars that elevate individual careers into collective success stories: Teamwork; Networking; Collaboration; and Empathetic Leadership. These are not just catchwords. They are real, powerful levers we can intentionally use to create momentum, grow influence, and make meaningful contributions in our chosen fields.

These are some of the key pillars that I have personally leveraged to build my career. They are what I have attempted to embrace, constantly develop and execute in the most meaningful way. Importantly it’s not an exact science, you don’t always get it right, but the aim is to listen, ask, learn and then do. A virtuous circle that is on a permanent repeat cycle.
Then, and here is the link, where & how did we commence our learning and application of these four pillars of Teamwork, Networking, Collaboration and Empathetic Leadership, two words, Maritzburg College!

Let’s start with Teamwork.

There’s a popular proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” And in the context of a career, nothing could be truer.
Teamwork is about mutual reliance. It’s the foundation for trust, accountability, and shared success. In teams, we learn to listen actively, to compromise, to trust others to deliver, and to carry our own weight. We grow our resilience, learn conflict resolution, and see the value in perspectives different from our own.
Importantly, working in teams exposes us to diverse talents and broadening our learning. You’ll often find your biggest growth moments don’t come from a textbook or a seminar, but from competing in a team sport and/or working on a difficult project, with a high-performing team that pushes you beyond your comfort zone.
Even in a competitive corporate environment, the people who rise aren’t always the loudest or most ambitious, it’s often those who know how to elevate the people around them, who bring cohesion to a team, and who show up consistently for collective goals.

Teamwork isn’t just something we do, it’s something we become good at. It’s a lifelong skill that only grows in value as your career progresses.

Now let’s talk about Networking, the art and science of building relationships that truly matter.

Networking isn’t about collecting business cards or adding connections on LinkedIn. It’s about investing in authentic relationships, built on mutual respect, shared interests, and the generosity of time and insight.

When we network well, we’re not just looking for opportunities, we’re creating ecosystems of value. You gain exposure to new industries, new ideas, and new ways of thinking. You also gain advocates, people who will vouch for you in rooms you’re not yet in!

A study by LinkedIn found that 85% of jobs are filled through networking. And in my personal experience, opportunities most often come through people, not portals.
Here’s the key: Don’t only network when you need something. Build relationships consistently. Ask questions. Share your learnings. Recognise and celebrate others’ achievements. Over time, you build a web of trust and influence that becomes a career asset far greater than any CV.

Networking is also a powerful source of resilience. When you hit challenges, it’s your network that can provide advice, support, referrals, or just encouragement to keep going.

Closely tied to teamwork and networking is Collaboration, the intentional act of working with others to produce something none of us could have achieved alone.

Collaboration requires generosity, sharing ideas freely, giving credit generously, and being open to feedback, constructive or otherwise. In collaborative spaces, egos are set aside in favour of outcomes. It requires us to balance personal goals with collective purpose.

The best collaborations often happen across disciplines, departments, and even industries. That’s where innovation is born, where diverse minds challenge assumptions and create new possibilities.

Collaboration also teaches us something powerful, you don’t have to be an expert in everything. You just need to know how to bring experts together, create space for contribution, and align people around a shared goal.

In your career, the ability to collaborate across functions, cultures, and hierarchies is a multiplier. It makes you not just a performer, but a catalyst.

Now, none of the above pillars of Teamwork, Networking or Collaboration function well without Empathetic Leadership, whether you’re leading a team, a project, or just your own career.

Empathetic leadership is about understanding before responding. It’s about listening with intent, seeing others’ perspectives, and creating safe, inclusive environments where people can thrive.
It’s easy to lead when things are going well. But in uncertainty, change, or conflict, it’s empathy that earns trust. It’s empathy that retains talent, resolves conflict, and drives engagement.

Empathetic leaders create cultures where feedback flows freely, where people are seen and valued, and where performance is elevated through psychological safety. And today, in a world of hybrid work, burnout, and generational shifts, empathetic leadership is not a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have.

More than that, empathetic leadership builds your own brand, as someone people want to work with, want to refer to, and want to follow.

Conclusion

So, what does it take to build a successful career?

Yes, it takes courage. Yes, it takes learning. But above all, it takes people.

It takes the teamwork that shapes us into contributors.

It takes networking that opens unseen doors and broadens our world.

It takes collaboration that multiplies creativity and amplifies impact.

And it takes empathetic leadership that leaves people better than when we found them.

But let me take it one step further, all of this, every relationship we build, every team we serve, every moment we choose people over ego, is how we begin to build a legacy.
Now, legacy isn’t just what people say about you when you retire, or worse, when you’re no longer around. It’s the ongoing ripple effect of how you showed up in the lives of others.

It’s the junior colleague you mentored who now leads with confidence because of your belief in them.
It’s the tough conversation you handled with compassion that changed how a team communicates.
It’s the partnerships you formed that outlast you and continue to create impact.
It’s the culture you helped build, one of trust, inclusion, and respect, that becomes the norm for others who follow.

Legacy isn’t built in grand gestures, it’s built in daily choices.

It’s not about being the most successful. It’s about being the most significant.

You see, your legacy is not just your CV, your title, or your accolades. It’s the emotional footprint you leave behind in the people you’ve led, worked with, and connected with.
And the magical part is this, you don’t have to wait until the end of your career to start building it. Every project, every meeting, every moment where you choose collaboration over competition, empathy over authority, and purpose over ego, that’s legacy in action.

So, the challenge to you is this and are possibly your key takeaways:

Don’t just aim to succeed, aim to matter.
Be the teammate people trust.
Be the connection people remember.
Be the collaborator who brings out the best in others.
Be the leader who listens, uplifts, and makes people feel seen.

Because in the end, it is about more than just you! We are all remembered not for how high we climbed, but for how many people we lifted as we climbed and importantly, we made sure that we had a little fun along the way!