True leadership is not about authority, it’s about developing people and helping them reach their full potential. Proteas Assistant coach Enoch Nkwe is such a leader, writes Ongama Gcwabe.

At 37-years-old, Enoch Nkwe’s CV as a coach is one of the best in World Cricket for a man of his age. Having started coaching over 10 years ago, Nkwe has been nothing but a revelation of hard-work and perseverance.

After an on-and-off professional career obliterated by injuries, Nkwe took on coaching at Gauteng at an age of 27.

As a coach, he was involved at Gauteng and the Lions from 2009 until 2016 when he took on an assistant coach role with the Netherlands national cricket team.

The two years he spent overseas was just what Nkwe needed to truly find his identity as a coach and to establish a vision that still drives him to this day.

“The two years I spent out of South Africa helped me come up with my coaching philosophy which is aligned to my life philosophy as well,” Nkwe told Cricket Fanatics Magazine in an exclusive interview.

“I’ve got four pillars:

“1. Courage – Create an environment where individuals are courageous enough to be themselves. Be original.

“2. Mastering of basics. Mastering simple things in life. Mastering the fundamentals of the game. 

“3. Find A Way And Make It Work. 

‘4. How open are we as a team to reach new heights. When you’ve had a successful season, how do you stay hungry? How do we stay ambitious?”

Like most leaders, Enoch had been inspired by other leaders and coaches he worked with including Ray Jennings, Lawrence Mahatlane and Geoffrey Toyana.

More than anything, it was his mother and brother that would massively shape Nkwe’s vision and coaching philosophy.

“I believe my mom played a massive role in this, actually my mom and brother,” he said.

“I lost my father when I was seven, so it was very tough from seven onwards. My mom is such a brave woman, very talented, very caring and she always found ways.”

Telling his story for the first time, Enoch explained how his family and his upbringing influenced who he became later in his life.

“There are some family businesses that we lost but she was just too strong and carried us through. From seeing that and reflecting on those three-to-four years have also helped me in terms of coming up with my coaching philosophy.

“Even when coaching at Netherlands, when doing one-on-ones I realized that I used that [phrase] a lot – ‘find a way and make it work.’”

His mother showed him a true example of what the phrase “Find a way and make it work” meant when she took it upon herself to steady the family and be an example to her sons, all after losing her husband.

The challenges he faced in his playing career was also crucial in his journey to finding meaning to his life and his coaching career. 

“I find that I went through a lot of adversity for me to be at this point and being able to come up with a simple philosophy that I still believe it will keep driving me forward,” he explained.

“I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to make an impact, to be a role-model, to keep engaging and making a difference. Hopefully, I can keep doing that.”

I find it very fascinating how leaders discover themselves and their purpose in life. I asked Enoch what makes a great coach or leader and his reply was priceless.

“Courage. In my mind it’s courage, being consistent in your visions, in your behaviour. Every coach gets confronted with tough situations, tough conversations, tough moments,” he replied.

“It’s through those moments for me where massive calls, massive decisions whether you like it or not you will know as a person that now I have to make a big call because this doesn’t fit in our culture, it doesn’t fit in our vision.

“That’s where the difference is [between Good & Great Coaches]. Do you have the courage to do that, to re-align your vision? And it sometimes means that there are certain individuals that don’t fit into that. Sometimes you only see that after three years. Are you brave enough to do that? 

“Theo Epstein the CEO of Chicago Cubs, he made some strong decisions. For me he’s one of the greatest, he took over an organization at the age of 37 and made some powerful decisions. You look at Pitso Mosimane, he made some powerful decisions. Those are individuals that show traits of greatness.

“They’re not going to be liked, as coaches and people in leadership positions, you’re not there to be liked. You’re there to make an impact and create better lives.

“You look at Pep Guardiola, he proved a lot of people wrong that he’s style can actually work in England. For me thats very courageous, to believe in your ways, to be consistent and believe you will become great in your way. You don’t deviate from who you are and what you’re about. 

“So Courage for me is massive, being yourself is massive. Your belief systems, those are huge.” He concluded.

As I embark on my own journey to find myself and the meaning to my life, interviewing Enoch was such a powerful experience that I won’t forget any time soon.

Photo: Christiaan Kotze/BackpagePix