#Mindspark Caller: Is this Mustapha B. Mugisa? x 2 Me: Who is this? x 2 Caller: This xx bank. Did you know these payments?? Me: Yes, I know those payments. Why have they delayed. We approved on Monday 27 July? Caller: We could not get you on phone? Me: What if I had travelled? Do you know those are staff salaries? And today is 1st August? Why not use WhatsApp or Email or SMS? Why not enable online banking and I approve electronically? Caller: We shall be there… Me: Ok, stay on the road. Keep moving in circles. We…

The number one reason many banks do not publish total expenses related to staff is to hide their staff inefficiency. A company with total revenue of say US $1,000,000 and total staff costs of US $300,000, can efficiently compute productivity as a ratio of staff costs to income. In this case, the total staff costs associated with staffing – basic salaries, bonus, allowances, benefits, and all costs incidental to staffing represent the input. In this case, you have an average staff productivity rate of about 30%. In reality, some staff are more productive than others. As a leader, you need…

The general belief in Uganda is that opportunities knock several times, and therefore no need to worry or hurry. You can always find and grab the opportunity! This belief manifests daily. You see young people screwing up chances and taking life so lightly oblivious of the many other people looking at their opportunities. I work with many chief executives of big and small businesses. The common complaint is the generally poor quality of staff in terms of work ethics and lousy attitude, leading to low productivity. Once someone gets a job, they relax and expect free lunch. You will see…

Do you sometimes feel stuck and confused? You are not alone. In late 1998, I had just completed Senior Six. I looked for a job and failed to get one. That is when I heard about the British American Tobacco (BAT) recruitments for bailing clerks and casual workers. At the time, BAT’s business model was supporting tobacco out-growers farmers and guaranteeing the market. BAT had established several offices across the country as Tobacco buying and processing centres. All these offices were centrally controlled at the head office in Kampala, then located next to the Immigrations offices, opposite the Meat Packers,…

The last time (on 30th June 2020 to be exact), I went to Face Technologies to process my driving permit.  I arrived at 9:20 a.m., and found gates closed, as people were already so many, and they could not allow any more inside.  On that day, I was stopped at the entrance and advised to return the following day before 8:00 a.m. I wouldn’t say I liked the experience and even wrote about it here. I did not return to the place the following day, as had been advised. However, today, 24th July 2020, I made the trip again. I…