#mindspark Many people who invest in agriculture do so for the satisfaction it brings. I have found out that investments in intellectual property are unbeatable. Other investments pay off if you can scale, but also leverage your specialist skills to stay a step ahead of the competition in the same industry. If you studied agriculture, and go into the same, you have higher chances of succeeding than those who did not. But if you studied medicine, for example, you have more chances of succeeding as a subject matter expert with limited capital input. My experience interacting with many commercial farmers…
Three ways to overcome case backlog and speed up the wheels of justice.
They say if you want to lie or confuse, use statistics. All the arms of governance play a critical role in service delivery by enabling a conducive business environment and offering equal opportunities for everyone to succeed. However, an inefficient Judiciary (Supreme court and all lower courts), slows down the whole system in a way that is more pervasive than the other two arms (executive and legislative) combined. In my experience, there are three major causes of case backlog in Uganda: Poor quality investigations Inadequate incentives to the current judicial officers, and Judicial processes bureaucracy Before I explore each…
Here is why you must identify and close revenue leakages
A leaking container cannot hold water for long. In 1992, my grandfather taught me a leadership lesson, that I never grasped well at the time, until I was of age to relate it to life events that I got to understand. I am sure you too have lessons you grasp, as you grow older. It is normal. Mzee Ataanansi Komunjara Akiiki was a religious man of integrity. He always said two things i) trust after controls, and ii) a leaking container cannot hold water. One day, he took me on a lesson on why I should always take time to…
To win, always go the extra mile
There is nothing that beats always going the extra mile. That should be your mindset in everything you get involved in. A Board Chairman called me saying: “Mustapha, I read your 7 Tools of an effective board member book”, and I found it practical and very relevant. Thanks to that book, I was appointed a Board Chairman. But I need hands-on support. The previous Chairman had organized an induction training. Unfortunately, the consultant is unable to make it. The bad news is the training is due tomorrow. Is it possible to be with us just to share experiences about board dynamics…
When should you hold onto your fixed Asset?
Owning an asset is the greatest achievement for most income earners especially the youth who have just started working and are trying to establish themselves. However, we should always ask ourselves what do we benefit from owning such? Recently, a friend was crying about not having enough money to cater for rent and loans. He earns just Uganda shillings one million (Ugx1m). As he narrated to me how the times had been bad for more than five months, I discovered that he owns more than one piece of land in one of the most well-established residential areas in Kampala. Having…
Common mistakes to avoid during strategic planning
There are two things you must know – what strategy is and what it is not. “Strategy is about making choices of how to win with your customers and key stakeholders against the competition.” Every day, the competition is looking at your bread. They want to eat it and take all of it. This bread represents the customers who bring the money for the services you offer or products you sell. When leaders fail to make strategic choices, they have failed at strategic planning. This increases the chances of someone else having their dinner or taking over their target customers.…
