The primary role of the board of directors is value addition. Every board member must take self-reflection and, ask “which value do I bring on this company’s board?” At the end of every board meeting, the board chair must always ask his board: which value did we add today? Did members just waste the time and money in sitting allowances or the meeting added value? Which value? Read: Is your board empowering you? Each board member must answer the following: Why do I deserve a sit on this table? What are your specific roles and responsibilities? If you are a…
Tool 50 of 104 is to plan for the future
“The village firm is my savior. When you are in Kampala, enjoying the spoils of the job, it is easy to forget about your life after the job. Do not be blinded.” In May 1989, Jane received an invitation letter for an aptitude test for a public service job. The testing venue was a familiar one, a hall at Makerere University in the Faculty of ICT, a place she had spent four years in undergraduate study. A week later, She sat the aptitude test with over 800 others and was glad to be among the top 120 applicants who made…
#WayofTheGuerrilla: Why you need a marketing plan, part 4 of 7
Most of the time I have been with clients, apparently successful but when you actually go deep, understand their financials, you realize they are almost on the drip. Money isn’t on the bank account. Though things could be moving on, the sales are not growing. Cash collections are not happening. The company is in survival mode. As a leader, you must try to avoid such a scenario. The starting point is to set sales targets for all staff. Give everybody in the organization a target to sell. This reminds me of Nile Bank when I was starting my career. By…
ICGU 14th Public Lecture Shaping the Corporate Governance Agenda in Uganda
KAMPALA, 8th August 2019: The Institute of Corporate Governance conducted the 14th Public Awareness Lecture with great success. Themed, “Corporate Culture: Enforcement, Values, and the Practice – Fostering Uganda’s Middle Income Status.” The lecture was held at Kampala Serena Hotel, Victoria Hall. Preamble The Public Lecture was sponsored by Centenary Bank and Opportunity Bank. It attracted over 150 top executives in the public and private sectors. Christine Kyeyune Kawooya, Chief Executive Officer of ICGU opened the floor by welcoming H.E. President of the Republic of Uganda, represented by Hon. Muruli Mukasa, Minister of Public Service. After observing all protocols, she…
What it takes to become a professional accountant
There are few professions that give one a latitude to excel at different jobs. Accountancy is one of them. A master at numbers and a bedrock of key decision making across the business, there are few fulfilling career options like becoming a professional accountant. You would be right to call me an accidental accountant. Limited career guidance during our secondary school times meant that we drifted our aspirations to professions that were common in our rural communities. When you were sick, you would go to the doctor or nurse at the local dispensary. When the bicycle broke down, you took…
Here is how to excel in your accountancy job
Getting a job is one thing and climbing the corporate ladder is another ballgame. It takes talent, strategy and hard work. It is common to find folks who have occupied the same position (at inflation revised pay) for over five to 10 years! That is called career stagnation. You risk being vulnerable to your current employer as your transfer price (extra pay to leave your current job) lowers due to real or perceived limited experience. I know you could have been a recipient of lousy advice that the longer you stay on your job the better for. Well, you were…
