If you want to be a good business advisor, you must continuously exercise your brain including doing lots of reading, crossword puzzles, and of course playing chess and any other game you love. You must be curious and stay ready. My experience shows that generalists consultants are more engaging and empower the client more. Many companies already have experts and specialist professionals in their ranks. All they need is a facilitator who challenges them to think deeper about their context, current challenges and how to solve them. Working with many clients allows you to learn about many things. And the…
Strategy and culture need decision rights and empowerment
Battle-hardened, decorated Army Generals always advise their upcoming colleagues that “the best commander makes sure his soldiers know the target and the strategy to win.” Wars are won and lost on the frontline. The foot soldiers are the folks who must remember and make the right calls amidst gunfire and fighting for survival. When you sit down with a battle-hardened soldier you appreciate the importance of teamwork and swift communication across the board. The messages must be short, clear, and crisp. People at the frontline do not have the advantage of reading long memos or instructions. They need something specific…
How to nurture the innovative spirit?
Many leaders ask: how do we nurture the spirit of innovation to stay a step ahead of the competition? When Micheline, one of the leading global tyre manufacturers, wanted to stay relevant and create customer loyalty, it asked: how do we create a great travel experience while deepening customer engagement. The answer was effective execution of the idea of publishing authoritative a travel guide, with detailed information about car tyre repair centres, mechanics locations, good restaurants, and other directions of where to find what. With the invention of mobile phones and the yellow book, the Micheline travel guide started losing…
The Football strategy and business transformation: Occupying the empty spaces
Are you fighting for space or do you focus on empty spaces? What is your competitive focus? I used to play No. 9 during my Primary school times. One day, the new school football coach came to our class, which was Primary Five. He said; “if you know football, raise your hand.” All the boys in the classroom raised their hands. He added, “If you know football and how to play it, stand up.” Half of the boys in the class stood up, including me. Unknown to us, the new coach had already talked to pupils in Primary Four and…
BOU’s Mutebile: replacing the emperor?
He is arguably one of the oldest serving governors. A day off at the office is noticed by all and sundry. That is how Bank of Uganda governor, Prof. Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile (“ETM” or “Mutebile”) has established himself at the central bank. However, recent happenings point to his possible exit. The issue at hand now is the timing? Will he be let go before the elections or after? The governor’s contract will be expiring in January 2016. There are two options: it is renewed before the end of 2015 or the process of finding a replacement is commenced as soon as…
Headache and testicles
Joe had suffered from really bad headaches for the last 20 years. He eventually decides to go and see a Doctor. The Doctor says, ‘Joe, the good news is I can cure your headaches. The bad news is that it will require removing your testicles. You have a very rare condition, which causes your testicles to press on your spine and the pressure creates one hell of a headache.The only way to relieve the pressure is to remove the testicles.’ Joe is shocked and depressed. He wondered if he had anything to live for. He had no choice but to…
