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our belief

This is why we do it:

Management is a profession. It is time we celebrated it as one.

Every great manager was once simply great at something else.
Being excellent at your craft does not automatically make you excellent at leading people.
That is a separate profession with its own knowledge, its own tools, and its own standards.

Like medicine, law, engineering, guiding, carpeting, management must be learned, practised, and continuously developed.
The best managers in the world invest in all three. We are here to help yours do the same.

Who we are

Okavango Leadership Academy

We are a specialist management and leadership development academy rooted in one of the world’s most extraordinary places the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

For nearly four decades we have partnered with organisations across industries, helping managers at every level from their first team to the boardroom step fully into the profession of management.

We bring something rare: the perspective of people who have both lived management from the inside and spent decades developing the craft of teaching it well.

Right from the first moment of contact, you will experience our strength: our personal interest. We do everything in our power to further develop your talent, and that doesn’t stop with the last day of training. You can count on us before, during and after your development process.

38+ Years of experience

On the ground and in the training room.

All Management levels covered

From first-time manager to senior executive.

Multi Industry experience

Principles that transfer across sectors.

Both Practitioners and educators

We have done the job and learned to teach it well.

WHY OKAVANGO?

The Delta teaches us everything about organisations

The Okavango Delta thrives because every part is connected and each element supports the whole. Organisations work exactly the same way and managers are the connective tissue.

Water flows where channels allow it.

Good management creates the channels through which people, ideas, and performance can flow freely. Strengthen the channels and everything moves better.

Every ecosystem needs a healthy middle.

The Delta’s vitality depends on what happens between the source and the edge. Managers are that middle in every organisation they are the backbone.

Interconnected, not isolated

No species in the Delta thrives alone. Managers are the connective tissue and the stronger they are, the stronger everything around them becomes.

Sustained by continuous renewal.

The Delta renews itself every season. The best leaders do the same continuously growing, adapting, and developing throughout their careers.

THE OKAVANGO LEADERSHIP ACADEMY PHILOSOPHY

“We are rooted in this extraordinary place and it shapes how we see organisations. Like the Delta, every team thrives or struggles based on the health of its connective parts. Managers are those parts. We are here to strengthen them.”

our three key areas

‘If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control: MYSELF’ – Stephen Covey

‘The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.’ – Vince Lombardi

‘Unlimited potential is our birthright, life skills for creating a bright future.’ – Corlize Viljoen

TO OUR PROGRAMS FOR INDIVIDUALS

We believe that every person has unlimited potential, through their talents, gifts and their expression. Unfortunately, we often see that many people lost their belief in this potential or are not aware of it anymore. However, your potential is what makes your life worth while and helps you to get the most out of it. We offer programmes to get you on track again. These programs range from one day to six months, some of which even include a stay in pristine nature on our farm in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

TO OUR PROGRAMS FOR MANAGEMENT

At the heart of any organization are the employees. It is proven that organizations that have the ability to empower their employees provide better service and products and therefore have happier and loyal customers. Good leadership plays a decisive role here. We offer programs for every management level to strengthen leadership, management and / or team skills. We also provide management coaching and management & organization consultancy to help you to build an empowered organization.

TO OUR PROGRAMS FOR COMMUNITIES

Communities are as strong as their members are. At the request of several members, we already empowered a lot of them to strengthen their life, financial and entrepreneurial skills. If you are an NGO or a safari company and want to strengthen the communities in which you operate, we are happy to help with our empowerment programs for the enhancement of all community members’ skills focussing on youth and women.