You may need the HR department, yes, but not for hiring. The biggest mistake most companies make is delegating the hiring decision to HR. Most of the folks in HR think very high of themselves as most informed and intelligent. They are wrong. In most businesses, HR manager does not just support the hiring process, they make the hiring decision. That approach is very bad for business success. The final hiring decision should ideally be made by the CEO/managing director regardless of the size of the business. As CEO, it is your business to have a right team to deliver…

On 28th October 2014, I was asked to speak to a group of 210 staff about ethics and integrity. So, how do you effectively teach over 210 staff about ethics and integrity? My approach was to use a case study — how would they handle an ethical dilemma situation. And that is how my recent case of Paul [not my real client’s name] came handy. Below is the ethical dilemma. I would appreciate your comments. In Kampala, a woman (someone’s wife) was near death from a new kind of opportunist diseases that attacks HIV patients. There was one drug that…

It is a two letter word, but it is the most important, if you are to reclaim your life and spend your time with those who matter. As a leader or someone interested in getting ahead, you don’t have to attend to each and everything that comes on your table. To effectively decongest your life, do the following. 1. Have few principles to guide your decisions. Other people may call them culture. I call them your personal credo. What values guide your decisions? As a consultant, I – (i) focus on the customer; (ii) don’t lie, (iii) empower others to…

Are you ambitious but not greedy? Do you look at the future NOT instant gratification? Are you a tech geek (web technologies), but also long term focused? Or are you open to be mentored how to make money (but you know php, coding, open source platforms and modifications of code or very passionate about the subject – Internet, www and websites generally including e-commerce)? Are you a fresh IT graduate ready to start the journey as an entrepreneur or you have something you have started in the area of applications design and ecommerce and want to take it to the…

On 8th October 2014, while at Café Javas located at City Tyres Kamwokya, waiting for my order to be served, I witnessed exceptional customer service in action. This lady entered Café Javas with three kids aged about 4-7.  Just after taking the order, the lady waiter brought a shading board, colours and ‘assemble the pieces puzzle’ for the kids. Within minutes, the kids got focused on shedding and assembling the puzzle, and giving some time for the lady to relax. This kind of service shows that great customer service is deliberate. You must plan to make the customer’s experience better…

I asked this question to some of my friends and it attracted different answers. There is no consensus about what Uganda’s key problem is. Some say the problem is poor leadership. Others think lack of value addition and poor infrastructure.  Many others say it is the lack of nationalism. For you, what exactly do you think is Uganda’s major problem? Clear problem definition is a critical step in turning around our economy. Imagine going to your doctor and being diagnosed with a wrong disease! You risk getting ineffective treatment. Indeed stories of patients being subjected to unnecessary procedures have been…