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…
The barber’s regret: money blinded me, part 1
He is 28. A barber. Exceptionally good barber. Customers line up for him. I too, when I find him busy, I wait for him. When I go to the saloon, I crack a few jokes and stories with the barber. It helps both of us to relax. Laugh and get even. Having some little money to drive a car and hold a good phone does not make anyone special. Not even being a CEO of a multi-national. All that matters are your ability to connect to people regardless of their station in life. Consider this: someone takes over your head.…
The three skills of outliers, part 2
Leaders want people who make their work light. The success of any company is directly related to the quality of the staff. Why do some companies, with fewer resources, connections, capital, and opportunities thrive while others with everything at their disposal fail miserably to grow? Why is a country like Israel without any natural resources like oil, minerals, and freshwater succeed tremendously while highly endowed countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, and many others continue to struggle and lose her people to curable diseases? The answer is the quality of people. For this reason, asked, what top three key…
