Nicola Mawson|Published
Dr Shahiem Patel has a deep appreciation for art, design and creativity. Unfortunately, none of that appears to have translated into an ability to draw.
The Academic Dean at Regent Business School readily admits that his attempts at artistic expression can be deeply embarrassing. That has never stopped him from trying, though, sometimes publicly, unfortunately.
It is an endearing admission from a man whose professional life revolves around education and leadership, and who believes that opportunities are something to be created rather than waited for.
Patel is also a self-confessed introvert, despite a confident public persona that might suggest otherwise. “A genuine introvert. Not an ambivert pretending to be mysterious. Just a regular introvert,” he says.
At the same time, Patel believes introversion is frequently misunderstood. He enjoys people and conversation enormously but needs time away from them to recharge.
Embarrassment
And while his artistic abilities might be limited, his appreciation for other people’s creativity certainly is not. “It is slightly ironic because I have a deep appreciation for art, design and creativity, but when I attempt to express any of it myself, the result can be deeply embarrassing,” he says.
Although he does not read much fiction, Afghan-American novelist Khaled Hosseini has made a lasting impression on him.
Patel recalls becoming so angry at what happened to one of the characters in The Kite Runner that he physically flung the book across the room. “It takes an extraordinary writer to make you react physically to words on a page,” he says.
Set in Afghanistan, The Kite Runner follows a boy haunted by his failure to protect his closest friend from a brutal assault – a moment that drives the rest of the novel. Hosseini’s ability to make readers feel that failure as their own is what sets him apart.
Hosseini, whose novels also include A Thousand Splendid Suns, remains his favourite fiction author.
GBV matters
Away from these lighter confessions, Patel has been thinking deeply about the killing of women in South Africa and the responsibility men have in helping to prevent it. “My role, as a man, in helping to create a society in which women are safer has been weighing heavily on my mind,” he says.
The discovery of multiple women’s bodies in and around Kempton Park between July and September 2026 sparked fears that a serial killer was operating in the area. By late September, nine bodies had been discovered, prompting public outrage and demands for urgent action against gender-based violence and femicide.
Police expanded their investigation to 12 deaths across the broader area and deployed specialist investigators to establish whether the killings were linked. Although arrests have been made in individual cases, police have not established that all the murders were committed by the same person.
Patel believes men need to take greater responsibility for the conversations they tolerate, the behaviour they excuse and the cultures they help create in their homes, workplaces and social circles. “More must be done about what often feels like a preventable crisis,” he says.
Don't be passive
When it comes to his own career, however, Patel has never been inclined to wait for the future to arrive. The best advice he remembers ignoring was to be patient and trust that the right time would eventually come.
Patel understood the sentiment but was never comfortable with the suggestion that opportunities simply arrive if people wait long enough. Instead, he has preferred to prepare, volunteer, ask questions, create opportunities and sometimes walk through doors before being formally invited.
“Patience has its place. Passivity does not.”
That attitude also explains Patel’s objection to one of the most familiar pieces of workplace advice: keep your head down and get the job done. He has no argument with getting the work done. It is the instruction to keep one’s head down that troubles him.
Patel believes people need to look beyond their immediate responsibilities, observe others, build relationships, recognise change and learn from those who are better than they are. “Do the work – absolutely. But keep your eyes open while you are doing it.”
Maybe a book
For all his interest in leadership, Patel has recently reconsidered the idea of writing a book about the subject. He had contemplated telling the story of his personal journey through a leadership lens, but now thinks he may not be ready to share it.
Then again, he admits that changing his mind about writing the book could just as easily mean changing it back. And if he had not found his way into education, sport might have offered another career.
Patel loves both sport and writing, making sports journalism an appealing alternative. Although he suspects even that would eventually have led him back to his favourite subject.
“I suspect I would eventually have found a way to turn even that into a conversation about leadership.”
IOL BUSINESS