MVA Fund CEO on how leaders are shaped, not born

For Rosalia Martins-Hausiku, CEOs are not born but shaped through faith, a strong work ethic and a positive attitude.

Long before she occupied leadership positions, the CEO of the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund of Namibia was taught a simple lesson: excellence is not optional, and faith and resilience are the best guides through difficulty.

"Nobody is born a CEO; I had to learn on the job," Martins-Hausiku told Careers. She took over the reins as CEO at the fund in 2013.

From an early age, her father taught her to always strive for excellence and to never settle for less.

"My father did not accept mediocre performance and required the best from my siblings and I," she said. "From a young age I was made to understand the value of hard work,” she added.

Her mother provided strong spiritual grounding.

"Spiritually, my mother mentored me quite a lot, which has anchored me in my faith and identity as a prayer warrior, which are core elements providing internal strength and grounding during difficult leadership battles,” she said.  

Martins-Hausiku told Careers her childhood dream was to become a journalist, but her studies later opened doors to the corporate world. “From a very young age I wanted to be a journalist. I saw myself one day working for major media groups like CNN," she said.

Then her vision shifted to new horizons.

"But at university, I started seeing myself more in the corporate world. When I studied business leadership, I saw another opportunity for diversification and expanding my boundaries."

She matriculated from Etosha High School in Tsumeb in 1999. She went on to earn a bachelor of arts in media studies at the University of Namibia, followed by a master of arts in culture and media studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

She subsequently earned a master's in business leadership from Unisa and a master’s in philosophy in management coaching from Stellenbosch University.  

A balancing act

Martins-Hausiku believes leadership is learned through experience.

Reflecting on when she was appointed as CEO, she said: “This in itself was a challenge in the beginning, firstly, how to lead such a young, dynamic and diverse team and ensure that all these traits are harnessed towards achieving our vision," she told Careers.

"I also had to learn how to relate to our board of directors and ensure that there is harmony within the institution and that we deliver to our mandate,” she added.

Her advice for young people is to prepare themselves for leadership by building skills and character.

"Anticipate your name to be called at any time; therefore, prepare yourself by skilling yourself."

However, while skills are important, Martins-Hausiku said she'd rather work with someone "who has a positive attitude and teach them the skills, than a skilled person whose attitude breaks down institutional culture. If you can be trusted with the small, one day you will be trusted with a bigger responsibility."