I once worked with a financial institution that proudly claimed 92% of its strategic initiatives were “on track.” The CFO & CEO beamed. The board applauded. The dashboard glowed, a sea of green. But on the ground? Staff morale was collapsing. Key investors were quietly withdrawing. The boardroom was fractured, divided along unseen battle lines. So, I asked: “On track… according to whom?” They pointed to the dashboard, bright green, immaculate. A Christmas tree of deception. When I get an opportunity to work with leaders and deep dive into a business, the starting point is by ripping apart the dashboard.…

A manufacturing CEO once told me, “We are too small for cybercriminals to notice.” He had forgotten that cybercrime is always a matter of when. And indeed, about three months later, ransomware locked up his factory systems. Production halted. Clients sued. His “small” business lost Ugx. 139 million in two weeks. He called our forensics institute in panic. Not for help, for survival. The hackers did not break in. They walked in. Through a forgotten server with a default password, “admin123.” Here is the real threat: most leaders believe cybersecurity is a technical issue. It is not. It is a…

Forget policies. Forget charters. The real governance of any organisation is shaped by one invisible force: boardroom culture. Boardroom culture refers to the unwritten code that governs how directors behave when no one is watching, including how they challenge, listen, and make decisions. It is the mood, the mindset, and how governance plays out around the board table. You can have a world-class governance manual… But if your boardroom is gripped by fear, apathy, or groupthink, it isn’t very worthy. Why boardroom culture defines governance In a toxic culture, tough questions are avoided. Bad news is sugar-coated. Real risks hide…

In leading organizations, fraud prevention is not a defensive move. It is a strategic advantage. It protects trust, reputation, and business value. The key is having every part of the leadership ecosystem play its role with foresight, not just compliance. The board of directors is the architects of risk-smart strategy. The Board must do more than approve policies. They must define a bold risk appetite that allows innovation without exposing the organisation to blind risks. They integrate fraud risk into strategic decisions, partnerships, digital transformation, and market entry, making fraud resilience part of value creation, not just protection. Audit committees…

In many boardrooms, I have had the chance to step in; one silent killer stalks board effectiveness: mandate drift. Boards begin with strategic intent but slowly slide into operational meddling, drowning in detail, or worse, and shadow-managing the CEO’s team. That is why I researched and developed the 5-item Board Mandate Brief, a straightforward and repeatable tool for onboarding and governance alignment. It is not a policy document buried in a manual. It is a living, breathing boardroom guide used every time a director joins, a mandate question arises, or governance boundaries are tested. The tool’s power lies in its…

A crocodile does not announce its bite. That is how culture eats strategy, execution, innovation, and even common sense, without you noticing. Consultants see a lot and sometimes feel bad for pocketing the cheque despite doing a lot for it. I once consulted for a growing fintech. On paper, they had it all: sharp strategy, aggressive investors, and a clear market gap. Yet, inside the company, a silent killer lurked. Meetings started late, always. Decisions dragged. People avoided accountability like the plague. Everyone smiled in public but whispered in corridors. When targets were missed, the executive committee blamed “market conditions.”…