Many companies have strategic plan documents merely for showoffs. Some companies write strategic plans for compliance purposes. Others use the documents to get loans or equity. For example, a business seeking loan financing may hire any advisor to write a strategy and business plan for purposes of obtaining a loan. Once the loan is got, the document is usually parked or put in the drawer. In many companies, however, the strategic document is left to rot in the drawers because few people understand it. Many “strategic documents are written like research papers.” The documents are like literature reviews of business…
Are you doing your best, always?
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6 In whatever you do, keep that in mind. Do not sow sparingly. If it is work, put in 100%. The worst regret is usually “I wish I had done my best.” No leader wants to be in a company of folks who don’t put in their best. Also read: Mind your attitude, part 1 Consider partaking in a tug of war game, and some of your team members just hold the rope instead of adding effort. You could be injured…
Planning vs acting on the plans made
The year was 2007. I left my juicy job to swim in the deep waters of entrepreneurship. While at a big four audit firm, it was so easy to meet the managing directors and other C-level executives. All you needed was a display of your work identity card. “I am here to see the CEO.” To which, usually the Lady receptionist would ask, “are you on appointment?” Yes? “Where do you work?” With a big smile, you would look at the lady and say the name of the big four audit firm in which you work. Suddenly, you would receive…
Are you working from home or working at home? Part 2
To win, some employers have set minimum guidelines for home working. In this part 2, below are some tips and ideas you may consider adopting to make yourself productive. Read part 1, here. Be proactive. Do not wait to be guided. If in doubt, ask to be helped. Provide timely communication to your peers and supervisors. Many people working from home may lack the direction of what needs to be done. To win, take the initiative to write to your supervisor your daily priority tasks and remember to provide an update at the end of the day. If daily briefings…
Are you working from home or working at home?
Coronavirus has changed our lives. New ways of ‘working remotely’ or ‘virtual working’ have become the norm. In the past, remote working entailed a team of people working from the head office with the rest of the staff located in different parts of the world at subsidiary offices. When COVID-19 happened, social and physical distancing strategies to prevent the spread of the virus required people to stay at home. To keep their jobs, many were asked to work from home depending on their roles. And hence the new way of working was born – working from home. But this came…
Good attitude always wins
If you own a car, you have probably been advised to move with the battery jumper cables. When you ask why they usually say, “just in case.” In 2016, while traveling to Jinja, an 80-kilometer journey, I parked at a trading center and took time off to enjoy nature. When you travel by private means, you can afford such luxuries along the way. After about three hours of sightseeing and relaxation, I returned to my car. The battery could not start. I decided to stand by the roadside for a good Samaritan to come to my rescue. Fortunately, many cars…
