Zibusiso Mkhwanazi: A Serial Entrepreneur at a Crossroad

Zibusiso Mkhwanazi, chief executive officer of Avatar South Africa, looked out of his office window in Johannesburg. Mkhwanazi was contemplating whether he should stay at Avatar or move on to new things. This question was triggered by a media briefing that South Africa’s Minister of Health had just given in which he outlined the rollout for the COVID-19 vaccine. Avatar had been directly involved with the communication strategies the president of South Africa and the Ministry of Health used to reach the majority of the population in a country in which access to the internet was not equal. The work had been innovative, challenging, and a matter of life and death. Mkhwanazi had enjoyed and thrived on the work, and felt it had been the outstanding achievement of his career. Mkhwanazi had never stayed in a job when the job had stopped challenging him. He started his career when computer technology was disrupting the way organizations worked and communicated. Initially, he was motivated by money. However, he had achieved his goals and now had different motivations. At Avatar, he had helped develop a culture through faith-driven leadership, but Avatar no longer gave him the joy and fulfilment of working on the cutting edge of technology. His dilemma was whether he should stay at Avatar with the people he had come to love and care about, or leave to find something that would satisfy his passion for innovative and creative work.

This case can be used in the entrepreneurship, leadership, and organizational development courses at the postgraduate level, including master of business administration courses. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<ul><li>Explain what makes an individual an entrepreneur and how individuals can become entrepreneurs.</li><li>Describe the networks in organizations and how leaders select the people whose opinions and counsel they can trust.</li><li>Explain the stages in an organizational life cycle and the type of leadership suitable at each stage.</li><li>Explain what serial entrepreneurship entails.</li></ul>

• computing, media, communication