August 2017

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on August 29th, 2017 Business owners, business leaders and everyone is business often plans or strategizes. We plan how to run our business and how to align them to the environment. As businesses planned for 2017, most recognized our country’s elections as a potential external threat that needed mitigation. A few others such as those in printing and in advertising considered the elections a great opportunity to seize. Going through the elections period has not been easy for many business. It is evident that businesses especially small and medium sized enterprises have been disrupted by slow business and staff disorientation. It is from this premise that I share with you three ways we can spruce up our business moving forward. I consider these as quick wins that need not wait. Recognize Staff First, we need to recognize our staff. Recognizing our staff does not mean merely acknowledging their presence…

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on August 22nd, 2017 The workplace is said to be one of the most complex places on earth. The managers and colleagues we work with, our suppliers and partners and the customer we serve all have different personalities and backgrounds. When we are hired, the expectation is that we should be able to adjust accordingly. Many of us are able to quickly adjust and work effectively with each other irrespective of personality, race, religion, ethnicity, political views or gender. Unfortunately, many others struggle through out their work life. Unable to work effectively with others, they find themselves falling apart piece by piece. At the just concluded elections, many of us voted differently. Does that mean that we cannot work well together? Off course not, we can work well together even when our views differ. We need to be adaptable. Our experiences from the past come in handy in making…

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on August 15th, 2017 As Kenyans, we are passionate about many things. We are passionate about Nyama Choma, others are passionate about football yet others are passionate about their businesses and their jobs. Looking back last week, our passion to participate in the electoral process was evident. Not only did we came out in large numbers to vote but also we closely followed through the entire process. As we lined up to vote, the energy in the voters was evident. Besides the electoral process, are we passionate enough as business owners or as employees? Passion is considered as a strong feeling. Words such a zeal, energy, motivation, grit and enthusiasm are often used to describe passion. Besides our personality types, it is passion that drives us to act in certain ways. As a panelist at job interviews, some of my favourite questions are - What drives you? What are…

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on August 8th, 2017 Today is a special day in Kenya. It is a day that we choose our country’s and the counties’ leadership. As we choose these leaders, it is important that we appreciate the connection between leadership and service. This connection is not only important when selecting political leaders but it is also very important when we take up leadership roles. Leadership happens at home, in places of worship, in communities, in organizations and in governments. In all these spheres, service to others is a leadership responsibility of significant magnitude. Whilst many of us talk about leadership and about leaders, our understanding of these terms maybe debatable. Largely, leadership is considered a complex phenomenon that lacks a universal description. Renowned business strategy writers Pearce and Robinson consider leadership as a process and practice of shepherding people towards a vision. Other aspects central to leadership include influence, managing…

As it appeared in the Daily Nation on August 1st, 2017 In 2001, I signed up on Amazon.com to purchase used textbooks as I went through an MBA program in the USA. I do not quite remember how I learnt about Amazon. All that I recall is that I no longer needed to buy new expensive textbooks from bookstores. I could easily get the almost new textbooks at half price from amazon.com delivered to my doorstep. By that time, there was no mention of Amazon.com in business school textbooks or in case studies. Since then I have maintained an active account with Amazon and continued to make many more purchases. I find shopping at Amazon.com painless. When I got into consultancy 8 years ago, I started studying a number of leading organizations and their founders more closely. Specifically, organizations such as Zappos, Disney land, Walmart, Virgin Atlantic, General Electric, Nordstrom, The Ritz-carlton Hotels, Southwest Airlines and…