The 4th Industrial Revolution (4thIR) has given rise to a new term in the business speak – a Unicorn. The dictionary defines a Unicorn, thus: “a mythical animal typically represented as a horse with a single straight horn projecting from its forehead. OR something that is highly desirable but difficult to find or obtain.” an album like this is something of a unicorn” In the 4th IR lingo, a unicorn is any company whose market capitalization is more than the US $1 billion. Before the Internet and the networked web, companies owned several square meters of farms, but could hardly…
Leadership is not about titles. It is about action.
Who is a leader? Would you say you are a leader? Do not wait to lead until you are given the title “Leader”, “Manager”, “CEO.” Etc. Start leading now. Act. Stop looking at the flow charts. Look at what needs to be done. Find solutions to the challenges of the time. What is not working? Who is not working? What is causing negative energy? And provide practical solutions. The cheaper the recommended solution, the more novel it is. All great leaders we know of took action. They did not just sit. They went out and made things happen. They were…
Don’t be a selfish player
Are you a team player or a selfish one? In whatever business you are in, do learn that you sell fast turnaround time, and not phones, beer or air ticketing service. You sell innovation and great ideas, and not personal ego or laziness. When a client email goes unanswered for more than 1 hour, know that you are failing. The company you work for is failing. The people can make or break the business. Much as they may not suffer the financial losses, they will ultimately suffer the bad reputation that they made a profitable company to collapse! That is…
“Forensic Audit” vs “Independent Organisation Audit or Review”
You are a board member or shareholder of an organization. You receive certain information on possible revenue leakages or poor governance that you did not expect. How do you react? Do you suspend or terminate the incumbent managers immediately or you first undertake a thorough independent review to obtain all facts to inform your next course of action? Great leaders first obtain all facts to inform their decisions. That is called facts and data-driven decision making. You must avoid making decisions on hearsay or opinions at all costs. You need to undertake either a forensic audit or an independent organization…
Are you concerned about putting money on the table or asking who removed it?
Is your work about putting money on the table or finding out who removed it from the table? Everyone can remove money from the table. Spending is easy. The challenge is always how to put money on the table. Granted, managing the procurement process requires skill. But not to the level needed when it comes to finding opportunities and optimizing them. It is not easy to sell and put money on the table. If you are an auditor, investigator, or finance, you are likely to focus on how “keep money on the table and who removed money from the table.”…
The barber’s regret: money blinded me, part 2
Here is the barber. To enjoy this story, first read part 1 “Chaali [boy], you see me. I enjoyed Secondary School. Man, when you have money, it is difficult to notice that others are suffering. This life is bad. I used to be loaded while at school. I did not know that after school life is different. I wish I had focused on my books. Our dad was like a soldier. He sat us down – my brother and I – and said ‘I will take you to good schools. If you blow your chances, you will suffer in your…
