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     Newtimes Monthly Newsletter (Since Sept 2006)

 

Article of the month – June 2008

 

LEADERSIP IN A DIFFERENT LEAGUE

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MANAGEMENT  - KIM

APRIL 08   

 

Editorial Comment: Most of the problems that bedevil us right from the individual through organizational right up-to the national perspective revolve around poor leadership. How can we disentangle ourselves from this spider web-like situation? Apparently, this can only happen through becoming global leaders or better still, the best in whatever we do, at whatever level. But, how can you become the best? If ready to change your way of doing things read right on. If not, accept the editor’s sympathies.

Written by Mwangi Wanjumbi   

 

The good book says that we shall eat what we sow. However, the opposite is the norm – we often eat where we have not sown. Mugo Kibati, the (now former) Chief Executive Officer of East African Cables and one of the 2008 Global leaders calls it “eating what you have not killed.”

During a Kenya Institute of Management Public Lecture held last month Kibati gave an inspiring presentation, on what it takes to be a global corporate leader. Kibati highlighted several issues that are important in leadership which include benchmarking, inspiring change, integrity, people and balance.

 

Graft as is officially known is a big issue in Kenya. You can also call it corruption or sleaze. It simply means acquiring benefits from no efforts at all. More often than not, the benefits involve accumulation of wealth which cannot be legally or ethically accounted for. Why is this phenomenon so entrenched in our country? The answer is simple and precise.

 

It is without doubt poor leadership, from national perspective cascading all the way down to the organizational and finally individual level. It does not matter whether big or small organizations. Big organizations outsource corruption from small organizations or individuals. This is so because results have to be achieved which must reflect improved share holder value. Nevertheless, this sleaze monster is certainly feared. It is no wonder that walking around the city, you are likely to notice huge bill or sign boards inscribed “this is a non corruption building (or zone).” Sometimes that is the best and only effort of fighting corruption in the organizations concerned. This is seemingly a situation of shadow boxing corruption. Why is this seemingly so?

 

Fighting corruption requires structures and systems which not only prevent it from happening but also provide punitive measures whenever it happens. Billboards and suggestion boxes for reporting corruption on their own cannot achieve much in addressing this monster. How then does poor leadership contribute to this menace? Even without going into intricate leadership lessons, we must realize that lack of integrity; poor performance standards coupled with poor work ethics contribute greatly to this scenario. To this we should add limited global leadership knowledge or thinking amongst ourselves. Integrity is one of the seven pillars of leadership character. It involves being truthful to ourselves and to others. That way, we can effortlessly influence others to do as we do. It should be noted here that influencing is a great tool of leadership. 

 

In reality however, most people especially those in leadership positions are incurable liars, even to themselves. Such people cannot be expected to inculcate the value of honesty to their followers. Poor standards of performance are another great undoing to leadership in whatever you do. There is no attention to detail whatsoever. This is so because most people are able to manipulate their way out of mediocrity. Even where performance standards are set particularly in the government, no attempts are made to reinforce the requisite performance. Notably, poor quality goods and services are not sustainable for long anywhere. Their market eventually diminishes leading to all manner of manipulations to ensure continuity which again must naturally come to an end.

 

Poor work ethics is on the other hand a great undoing in our society. Americans for example have well developed work ethics. People are known by what they do for a profession, a trade or occupation.  In our society, people are mostly known by what they have or own. What they do or how they acquire what they have is irrelevant in our circumstances. In simple terms we can say that people live not to work but to acquire wealth. And the faster, the better. No wonder an incurable disease called “grabiosis” struck us many years ago. Others were bitten by the corruption burg. Many are therefore suffering in one way or the other. Can these societal imbalances in our country be cured through leadership? Yes, they can indeed.

 

Global thinking is one major step that would address some of our ills as advocated by Mugo Kibati. We must learn what others are doing out there in the global village. We must bench mark from the rest and apply what they are doing to our own circumstances. We need not be globe trotters to do that. We only need to adopt a culture of learning what is happening out there, through reading. We must read books and more books about the world. Let us learn how the World’s richest men like Warren Buffet acquire their wealth. Apparently, none of them gets rich through corruption. They get rich as they help others to become rich too.

 

 Let us learn what fortune 500 companies are doing and even how the developed countries have managed to overcome their problems. Let us learn how to take bold decisions which may seem risky today but with great payoffs in the future. A great example is borrowing to develop our infrastructure. Let us be visionary- we must work towards achieving cherished goals and dreams. Let us be creative and therefore stop copying one another. Through this we can in fact overcome scarcity mentality.

 

This mentality entails rushing into doing the same things, the same businesses sometimes elbowing one another into irrelevance, as if there is not enough for everybody. Let us be tenacious. We must stay on the course in whatever we do. We must patiently but aggressively pursue the rewards of our efforts. Doing this persistently will ensure that we reap from where we sow or eating what we kill to quote from Mugo Kibati. Apparently, this could gradually push the corruption monster into irrelevance.

 

Meanwhile, we should all take the initiative of implementing those bold steps. We should not wait to be instructed by anybody, not Condi Rice, not Kofi Anan, not our political leaders or even our bosses at work. We will in any case eventually be responsible for our own destiny. Let us strive to be global leaders even from humble beginnings. Small beginnings eventually lead to big endings. In fact, grab leadership by becoming the best in whatever you are doing today. In any case, leadership can never be handed over to you. Without doubt, you must earn it.

 

Mwangi Wanjumbi is a Management/Entrepreneurship Trainer and Strategist based in Nairobi.   

Thought For the Month – June 2008

What is the difference between the Xenophobia phenomenon now highly synonymous with South Africa and our own upheavals associated with the early months of 2008 coupled with the so called tribal clashes that occur every 5 years especially around electioneering periods? There is hardly any difference at all. They are both driven by opportunism and inability of the respective governments to apply the rule of law. Any leadership worth the mantle must ensure respect of right to property and life for all. It is even more painful when the victims have acquired the now disputed property and wealth legally. How can a country attract foreign investments if it cannot protect already existing investments that are within its own borders? (Watch out in this editor’s soon coming Sunday Nation Weekly Column for more details.)

MEMORABLE QUOTES

“Organizations that do not build capacity of their staff do not have any future in a knowledge based economy in the 21st Century,” Director of Industrial Training - 24th April 2008 at the DIT Stakeholders’ Seminar

HOW ELSE CAN YOU BENEFIT FROM US?

We provide Holistic Corporate Training Solutions on Diverse Management areas

Our Flagship program is the  innovative Staff Motivation and Capacity Building Training

This course forms the building block of Our Unique bottoms up staff and Management Development Program

Others in the entwined program include

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  • Team Building and Management
  • Managing Change Successively
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Any company that goes through our entwined programs will naturally qualify to be a knowledge organization in line with the desired knowledge based economy in the 21st century

It is only through embracing this fundamental foundation knowledge that a company will be in a position to effectively apply new and continually upcoming management concepts and ideas.

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What others say

Staff MOTIVATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING TRAINING
For the longest time I know, majority of staff have always had the impression that the company they are working for should be the one to motivate them.  Far from it and I personally write to commend you by the way you clearly put it across our members of staff in the above training. Staff are now more aware that the relationship with the Company is of mutual benefit to both parties. It is evident that within the short period of time since the training, there is change of attitude.  Staff now feel they ‘own’ the company and are in full agreement that motivation must come from self. mgonah@cic.com HR CIC Ltd (This was after our very initial training in the company which has subsequently been followed by two others. In fact  plans for  one for the  Company Managers are already under way )
(Reproduced with full permission of the Author)

 

PICTORIAL NEWS

1.      Change Management Training of outplaced staff of Telkom Kenya Ltd. - January 2008 KCCT

2.      Staff motivation and Capacity building Graduates of Corporate Insurance Company Ltd. receive certificates. The company HR (in red) looks on – February 2008

 

PAST AND CURRENT CLIENTS

Corporate Sector                                                                                  SME Sector

Barclays Bank Kenya ltd                                                       Centro Food Industries – Thika

Telkom Kenya Ltd                                                                   Wida Hotel Ltd

Equity Bank Kenya Ltd                                                           Alfa Paints Kenya ltd

Fresha Daily Products Ltd                                                     SME Solutions Centre (Back Office Int.)                      

Dunlop Industries Ltd                                                             etc etc

Corporate Insurance Company ltd

                                                                                               

Inspiration for the month

Barack Obama is from 4th June 2008, the official Democratic Party Nominee of the 2008 American Presidential elections. The immediate lesson is that, “Men and women are limited not by the place of their birth, not by the color of their skin, but by the size of their hope.” John Johnson

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Our Motto: Inspiring Change

 

This Communication is from The Desk Of the Managing Consultant

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