“The future is Africa” – Rosy Fynn

Rosy Fynn, a 2017 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow and marketing professional, passionate about leadership and unlocking the potential of women and youth, speaks to Stories Africa about her inspiring leadership journey.

What motivates you to lead?

I attended a small high school in Ghana called Hermann Gmeiner International. The school’s motto was “Knowledge in the service of Africa”. As a budding teen, it was already being imprinted in me that our continent’s ability to achieve and breakout of the cycle of poverty and negativity that is usually associated with Africa, would be dependent on the types of leaders we develop. Africa’s natural resources, its youthful population; these are all key ingredients to our success; however, our leaders have a crucial role to play in harnessing all these positive attributes for the continent’s good. I believe that I have a huge role to play in preparing the foundation for future generations and that the decisions I make could serve as an inspiration for the next “Elon Musk” of Africa. I love to share my experiences in the hope that others will learn from them and achieve more in their lives and careers than I have. Serving as a role model is important to me to show people what one can achieve with hard work and determination. One of the mantras that guide me every day is “nothing is impossible” and I want more people, especially women, to see the truth in this mantra.

What is the best way to prepare for leadership?

Taking feedback (both positive and negative) is key. Learning from peers (no point repeating common mistakes others make). I read a lot of books by people I consider to be great leaders; I have regular interactions with my mentors who have been instrumental in helping me hone my leadership skills. Taking stock of one’s personal traits that could impact their leadership style – do more of what would make you a strong leader and learn to curb negative traits that will affect your leadership. Ensuring I know and understand my leadership style and I am conscious of how it impacts those I am leading. 

Who is an example of inspired, values-based leadership (past or present) that you have learned from? 

My personal favorite is Barack Obama. His values on conviction, perseverance and risk taking has shaped his leadership. He also adopted a collectivistic approach as compared to an individualistic approach in his leadership. His undying optimism and never-give-up attitude are things that inspire me. 

How would you describe your style of leadership and your ambition as a leader?

In general I have a very democratic approach to leadership. However, this question is always an interesting one because I don’t think there’s anything like one style of leadership. Leadership styles change based on the circumstance we are faced with. In my career at Busy Internet for example, I had to adopt a more domineering style at the beginning of my tenure just based on the situation at hand. Irrespective of the style I adopt though, my ambition is to be a leader who positively impacts others and leaves organizations I am involved with better than I met them. 

What is your message to Africa’s aspiring leaders? 

There is so much potential in Africa and this is driving the wave of investments into the continent. We have the ability to shape the world we want to live in and position ourselves as a global power. Yes, we do have challenges; a major step to overcoming these challenges though, is by nurturing and developing the next generation of leaders; leaders who are ethical and lead with authenticity. Who are able to apply critical thinking in solving our problems. The future is Africa.

Rosy Fynn is an award-winning business and change leader with over a decade’s executive level experience building and transforming organizations across Africa and the United States. She is amongst Ghana’s marketing elite, having been CEO at three major telecommunications companies, and being voted in 2017 as one of West Africa’s top marketing and communications professionals at the Marketing World Awards. Rosy is currently CEO of Busy Internet, a leading internet service provider in Ghana and she played a key role in the successful launch of Surfline Communications, Ghana’s first and Africa’s largest 4G LTE provider.She is also currently on the board of MASI Media, a company focused on curating and sharing multimedia content focused on women’s rights.