One of the reasons one young lady made a lasting impact on me at our very first meeting is her confidence and a glass full of motivation she was willing to share. We meet so many people, but few encourage us to become better. At the time I was teaching ACCA financial reporting paper at Makerere University Business School. I did not know that she was one of the students in my class. Two days later, I went to the MUBS professional courses department. At the time, there was a man called Richard. He had a great smile. I entered…
Why do change initiatives fail and what to do about it?
The coronavirus pandemic has changed our strategies and plans forever. Life has been disrupted. So have our business models and strategic imperatives to win. But how do you lead change during times like these? Download the Free Template Here Regardless of your business, Table 1 is a simple template to help you record change initiatives. Just copy and paste in Microsoft Office word document and create a clear record and details of planned changes being experienced in your organization. It does not matter the size of the company or organization you lead, what matters is having some form of change…
Internal audit, CFO, Legal, or IT: which role is the most critical?
Which department or professional is the most critical to the business? Is it Internal audit, finance, legal, or IT? When coronavirus happened, all professionals, but health workers could work without restrictions. Others like finance and procurement professionals continued to work in the background. When it comes to the business, which professional is more important than the other? Is it true to say that health workers are more important than other professionals? Who is who? These kinds of debates help one to remember stories our teachers used to tell us while in primary school. One such story was the monkey and…
It is official: #covid19 is here to stay – so allow places of worship asap
World leaders seem to have accepted the new reality: coronavirus is here to stay just like HIV/AIDS and the earlier we learn to live with it and not without it the better. Today 6th June 2020, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases stands at 557. A total of 319 are under admission. No death has been reported as yet in Uganda. Despite the increasing number of confirmed cases, governments have continued to ease the lockdown restrictions. As of today, many of the businesses have been allowed to re-open; including manufacturing companies, markets, retail shops, and cars – both private…
The changing role of a Chief Finance Officer
If Legal is a key pillar of corporate governance in any institution, Finance is the Ring Beam that holds the entire structure together. Yet, many finance officers continue to occupy the seats at the edges of the high table, instead of centre stage. This has not only alienated the finance function as a support role, instead of a mission-critical one that is given all the resources -in terms of skills and tools – it requires to transform the business or enterprise. In this era of VUCAP – volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, and pandemic, the role of the finance department under…
George Floyd: the man who ignited a revolution with “I can’t breathe” last words
It is never too late to make a difference. After 46 years on earth, the world got to George Floyd in 2020 following his untimely death in the hands of a one, Derek Chauvin, the man who continued to increase pressure on George Floyd’s neck as the victim begged for breath for 8 minutes and 26 seconds. And who would have imagined that a mere black American, a bouncer, would become the face of a revolution and activism against racial injustices not only in America but globally? George Floyd memorial was held on 4th June 2020. It featured great speakers…
