Konajilo Luseni Barrasso

I start with a simple question: What are we trying to achieve? Is there an action we want an audience to take, something new we need them to believe, or a different direction we want them to consider? Starting with the outcome gives us a clear goal to work toward. From there, I ask the hard question. Is the story grounded in a truth the audience can genuinely believe? If we’re not fully there yet, the work isn’t simply to change the words—it’s to shape the story and, sometimes, the business strategy to make that outcome credible and achievable.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with organizations that live and breathe complexity, but ultimately exist to make life and business easier for others—whether that’s companies, consumers, or society. Success in those environments requires what I think of as smart simplicity: understanding a complex problem well enough to find the solution, opportunity, or idea that truly matters. That’s what has drawn me throughout my career to consultancies, professional services, and financial services firms. Their job is to solve complex problems and create new possibilities for their clients. In many ways, their job is my job—getting underneath complexity to find the idea, solution or opportunity that matters, and turning it into something that can change hearts, minds and, at its best, the world around us.

Trust starts with listening. Not  just to what’s being said, but to what isn’t. I want to understand the issue behind the issue: what’s really creating the tension, where there may be uncertainty, and what the client may still be working through themselves. That requires creating the kind of relationship where clients can be candid and vulnerable, but it also requires asking the right questions and being willing to challenge assumptions. For me, trusted counsel isn’t simply about being there when things get complicated. It’s about understanding the said and unsaid, helping find the path forward, and walking that road with the client.

With SAP, the opportunity was to shape a narrative that could have greater impact in North America while remaining true to the depth of a global organization. That meant identifying the ideas and experiences that would resonate in this market, while bringing forward lessons learned from around the world. In enterprise technology, the companies that lead are often those that can take what they’ve learned—and what others have learned—and use it to accelerate what comes next. Bringing those insights together with new ideas gave us a narrative that could build both relevance and brand impact.

My career has given me a deep appreciation for what it means to be truly people-first and people-led. When you get that right, you create an environment where people can do their best work, and that translates directly into the value they create for clients and the business. Coming into Highwire, I’ve already seen that connection, not only in how people have engaged with me, but in how they show up for clients and the long-standing relationships they’ve built. As a leader, I see my responsibility as building an environment that allows people to bring their best—to feel supported, challenged, trusted, and accountable for the work we do together. Because ultimately, when people are at their best, the work and the business are stronger for it.