In chess, grandmasters still beat computers, but only when they break the rules. My team once trained a team of data analysts for a multinational bank. They had dashboards that blinked like Christmas trees, powered by AI and machine learning. Beautiful charts, predictive models, and Real-time sentiment analysis. Yet, they still failed to detect a UGX 3 billion fraud that a junior teller had flagged, based on “something just felt off.” That was the moment the CEO realized: data gives you signals, but only humans give them meaning. We are entering an era where algorithms tell you what is happening. But not why, not…

At a leadership retreat for one of East Africa’s largest manufacturing groups, I observed a striking contrast. The CEO, a numbers man to the core, proudly explained his five-year strategic plan, full of complex Excel forecasts and market penetration assumptions. Midway through his PowerPoint, the Chair interrupted: “This sounds impressive. But tell me, how much of this is chess, and how much is dice?” The room went silent. You could even hear a pin drop. That question deserves to haunt every boardroom. Too many leaders confuse structured execution with strategic thought. They roll the dice, hoping for luck in forex…