It is easy to become a great leader with knowledge, even basic knowledge, of the game of Chess. For some reason, I gained access to a board game early in my life. But for some reason, we learned how to play draft, and not Chess. Unlike Chess, Draft is a basic game that lacks rigor, creativity, and strategy. Though I was so good at it. It was the wrong game! That is where nature makes a difference. The mentorship to young ones about the right moves and career choices to embrace. You can imagine my exasperation and disappointments, when later…
How to transform the company or person instantly
During a strategic retreat, the Chairman of the board was so impressed by my non-conventional approach to strategic planning that he labeled me Mr. Strategy. Here is what he said verbatim: “Mr. Strategy told us to focus on identifying our distinctive competence and developing capabilities to leverage it. I agree. He has also told us about focusing on a few things, by emphasizing that strategy is about making choices about how to win with customers and the stakeholders against the competition. And he is right. We have been trying to do so many things, which has made us lose our…
The consumer decision journey: always focus on the root cause
Before you spend a fortune on that branding project, first ask: what is the nature of your business and what do customers want? Any logo, and I mean, just any logo has the potential of becoming a memorable and powerful brand only if it represents a company that gives joy to users! People do not just love the logo. They only love what it represents! People are not usually fans of the sportsman or woman, they love the game s/he represents or plays specifically how they make the game exciting! Ronaldo or Messi would lose over 80% of their fans…
Are you focusing on what matters?
God set only 10 commandments to govern the world. These have remained the same for so many years. Equally, you do not need so many rules to win. Focus on what matters. The same applies to priorities. You need 2-3 priorities. A list with more items ceases being a priority list. Identify the top 3 tasks and their respective desired outcomes and KPIs that you must accomplish daily, to get you closer to your medium- and long-term ambition. You will start seeing the difference it makes. Are you focusing on what matters? Avoid writing thick documents. No one has time…
MTN Uganda, you can do better
Three days I go, while on a morning run, I came across MTN staff installing Fiber Optic Internet cable. I had a brief chat with one of the men, who connected me to their head office boss responsible for last-mile home Internet packages. Unlike other telecom companies, MTN does provide opportunities to local businesses through deliberate training under MTN Business solutions, as well as Women in Business initiatives, and several other corporate social responsibilities. So, the brand is close to my heart. And truth be told, MTN Kazi Bundle solution for SMEs is one of the most effective Internet solutions…
Some insights on risk-taking
Life is about risk-taking. For there is no such thing as risk-free. When you do not do something, you carry some risk. When you do something, you carry risk too depending on the decision at hand. The best decision is therefore to do something and increase your odds of success. There are four strategies of risk management – transfer, treat, terminate, or tolerate. All these aim at optimizing opportunities and minimizing losses. Every day, we must make choices. You want to maximize value and reduce losses. Do you stand for a political office, yes or no? First, what is the…
