The year was 2007. I left my juicy job to swim in the deep waters of entrepreneurship. While at a big four audit firm, it was so easy to meet the managing directors and other C-level executives. All you needed was a display of your work identity card. “I am here to see the CEO.” To which, usually the Lady receptionist would ask, “are you on appointment?” Yes? “Where do you work?” With a big smile, you would look at the lady and say the name of the big four audit firm in which you work. Suddenly, you would receive…
Are you working from home or working at home? Part 2
To win, some employers have set minimum guidelines for home working. In this part 2, below are some tips and ideas you may consider adopting to make yourself productive. Read part 1, here. Be proactive. Do not wait to be guided. If in doubt, ask to be helped. Provide timely communication to your peers and supervisors. Many people working from home may lack the direction of what needs to be done. To win, take the initiative to write to your supervisor your daily priority tasks and remember to provide an update at the end of the day. If daily briefings…
Are you working from home or working at home?
Coronavirus has changed our lives. New ways of ‘working remotely’ or ‘virtual working’ have become the norm. In the past, remote working entailed a team of people working from the head office with the rest of the staff located in different parts of the world at subsidiary offices. When COVID-19 happened, social and physical distancing strategies to prevent the spread of the virus required people to stay at home. To keep their jobs, many were asked to work from home depending on their roles. And hence the new way of working was born – working from home. But this came…
Good attitude always wins
If you own a car, you have probably been advised to move with the battery jumper cables. When you ask why they usually say, “just in case.” In 2016, while traveling to Jinja, an 80-kilometer journey, I parked at a trading center and took time off to enjoy nature. When you travel by private means, you can afford such luxuries along the way. After about three hours of sightseeing and relaxation, I returned to my car. The battery could not start. I decided to stand by the roadside for a good Samaritan to come to my rescue. Fortunately, many cars…
US Presidential election is over, what next?
Life goes on regardless of who occupies the White House. Unlike in the situation in many African countries where a change of the country’s President means sweeping changes across all government institutions, that is not the case in the US. Visible leadership changes happen just within the White House! The leadership in technical departments of government like the Military, Prisons, Public Service, Education, Health, Energy, Infrastructure, Judiciary, etc. remain unchanged. Job holders are appointed on merit and that is what matters. The 2020 Presidential Election has been a very tight one, underscoring the popularity and strengths of both candidates. When…
Are you using data as a strategic resource?
What is your data strategy? Is it aligned with your corporate strategy? How do you plan to win with data? Every enterprise collects massive amounts of data daily. Yet over 90% continue to make decisions based on hearsay, opinion, and guesswork instead of data-driven insights. Wining companies now see data as a strategic asset that must be optimized and leveraged daily. Because over 80% of data in many companies is unstructured, winners make use of all the 20% structured data and the greatest extent of unstructured data. Whoever taps into the 80% unstructured data to inform decisions, gains a strategic…