Etsko Schuitema completed an honours degree in Social Anthropology at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1980 and was subsequently employed by the Human Resources Laboratory of the Chamber of Mines of South Africa. These were times of upheaval in South Africa, and his work was initially focused on the issue of conflict in gold mines at the final eclipse of the overthrow of the apartheid regime. Due to his position, he was right in the middle of the conflict that swept through the mines. His groundbreaking work dealing with conflict resolution noted, specifically his development of a framework for understanding and trust in this controversial industry. In the late 1980’s Etsko was appointed head of the Human Resources Laboratory Industry Project. His main focus was the implementation of insights from his basic research. This lead to the development of Etsko’sCare and Growth Leadership Model. The application of this insightful model became a successful system that has been tested in a variety of disparate industries such as manufacturing, IT, hospitality, financial services and agriculture, in a total of 15 countries on 4 continents.
“The power of this theory lies in its authenticity. This is not just another guideline or inspirational book – it speaks to the fundamental value system of a leader. I support Volker Hoogberg’s view on one of Etsko’s earlier editions: ‘The insights that he so ably articulates in this book are fresh, basic and consistently helpful to all who reflect on what they can do for others””
-Francois Hugo, HR Director, FNB
