DGC Africa – Personal Reflections from Trevor Dickinson – Chairman, Dickinson Group of Companies

When I reflect on where DGC Africa stood in early 2023, I am reminded of just how critical that moment was in our evolution. We were coming out of a challenging period where, despite having a clear regional growth strategy, the business was not realising its full potential. The African operations held enormous promise, yet we were underperforming financially and structurally underdeveloped from a leadership perspective.

There was an overdependence on myself for both strategic and operational direction. While I have always embraced a hands-on approach, it became evident that my involvement was limiting the capacity of the team to lead independently. This not only created a bottleneck but also prevented the leadership team from maturing into a cohesive, accountable, and high-performing unit. 

The financials reflected this internal misalignment. For the financial year ending June 2022, DGC Africa recorded a material loss. Despite having talented individuals and valuable contracts in place, we were not executing consistently. Our operating costs remained too high relative to our gross profit margins, and it became clear that we needed to right-size the organisation. Strategy was often reactive rather than proactive, and execution was subject to frequent firefighting and breakdowns in communication.

It was within this context that I recognised the need for external partnership. I was not looking for another consultant—I was looking for a coach, a structured framework that could both challenge and support us to grow into the organisation I knew we could become. That was when I chose to engage Grow Business Coaching.

We began our engagement with Grow on 7 April 2023, and from the outset, the process was intentional, structured, and leadership-focused. It was unlike any intervention I had experienced before. What followed was a profound journey of personal development for myself and leadership transformation for our broader team.

Strengthened Executive Leadership Focus (Trevor Dickinson)

Grow supported me in stepping back from being overly operational and stepping into a more strategic, mentoring, and legacy-focused role. I undertook assessments through the Leadership Circle Profile and Enneagram—both of which provided deep insights into my strengths and behavioural patterns.

I gained clarity around the parts of my leadership that energised the business—vision, drive, creativity, and execution—but I also came face-to-face with some blind spots: my tendency toward impatience, occasional impulsiveness, and challenges in letting go of control.

Through regular coaching conversations, I was able to pause and reflect more intentionally. I developed greater composure in high-stakes decision-making and began aligning my leadership presence with a longer-term mission—building a fifth-generation family business that would not rely on me.

More importantly, I began connecting more deeply with my personal values—authenticity, emotional intelligence, inner calm—and aligning them with how I showed up as a leader. This shift has enabled me to lead with greater integrity and impact.

Development of Leadership Capabilities Across the DGC Africa Team

While my personal growth was important, the true success of the engagement was what it enabled in our leadership team.

We focused intensively on leadership development across the group. Warren du Plessis, who had taken over leadership of DGC Zambia and formally assumed the role of Managing Director of DGC Africa on 6 May 2022, was supported through a targeted coaching journey. Together with our coach, we worked on helping Warren grow into a strategic leader—developing his ability to delegate, build his team, and focus on cross-regional collaboration.

We also began investing in our next-tier leaders. Jan-Hendrik, who was promoted to Head of Operations of our Zambia and DRC operations, benefitted from tools like the Enneagram and the “Start–Stop–Keep” framework. These gave him structured feedback on how he was perceived and where he could grow. Over time, we saw him step more confidently into his leadership responsibilities.

Across the team, we introduced a regular cadence of planning and accountability—monthly reviews, quarterly goals, structured execution plans. These touchpoints brought alignment, improved focus, and ensured follow-through.

This process helped foster clarity of roles, alignment of priorities, and individual ownership of performance.

Cultural and Strategic Shifts Within the Organisation

The most powerful change has been cultural and strategic. We shifted from a reactive, fragmented leadership style to one that is now more cohesive, accountable, and purpose-driven.

Through regular annual and quarterly strategic planning workshops, facilitated by our coach, we aligned around a clear direction and long term goal for the business and agreed on a strategy and game plan to achieve that goal. 

We began to see greater trust between business units. Regional teams were communicating more, sharing resources, and solving problems collaboratively. Leadership meetings became strategic rather than transactional. Decision-making improved. So did discipline.

One of the key breakthroughs was helping our leaders see themselves not just as managers of tasks but as custodians of the DGC legacy—leaders responsible for stewarding a multi-generational vision.

Our succession planning became more intentional. We started to identify and develop future successors within the business. I was able to begin the process of stepping back—not away—but back enough to allow others to step forward.

We also deepened our understanding of emotional intelligence as a leadership tool—enabling more empathetic, human-centred leadership during a time when resilience was essential.

Financial Outcomes as a By-Product of Leadership Transformation

While coaching was never positioned as a financial turnaround tool, the results speak for themselves. From a loss in FY 2022, DGC Africa returned to profitability the following year, achieving over 100% turnaround in operating performance. By FY 2024, operating profit had increased by more than 300% year-on-year, with this momentum continuing into calendar year 2024, aligned with our new financial reporting cycle. These outcomes were driven by stronger leadership, clearer accountability, improved planning, and consistent execution. Our people became more focused, more empowered, and more aligned.

Today, DGC Africa is operating with a level of clarity, resilience, and unity that I am proud of. We are no longer a founder-dependent organisation. We have a leadership team that thinks, acts, and delivers independently.

Warren has matured into an effective Managing Director. He is now developing his General Managers across Zambia and DRC, —delegating more and focusing on succession.

Our regional units are collaborating as one cohesive business. They are not just sharing reports—they are sharing ideas, learning, and ownership of results. We have introduced strategic planning cycles, performance reviews, and a culture that values delivery without compromising our values.

Culturally, the business feels different. People are more confident. Communication is more open. Execution is more consistent. We have started to embed the habits of a high-performing, generational business.

Personally, I am now able to focus more on long-term legacy and stewardship. My time is spent mentoring, shaping strategy, and building the foundations that will support DGC Africa long after I step back from day-to-day involvement.

Our long-term vision remains unchanged—we will continue to grow across Africa, remain family-owned, and serve as a purpose-driven organisation built on integrity, innovation, and resilience.

The journey with Grow Business Coaching has been instrumental in helping us get here. It has challenged us, supported us, and walked with us at every step of this journey. For that, I am grateful.