Take your Business through a Hyper-Jump in 2021

 

Take your business through a hyper-jump in 2021

I am writing my final business article for 2020 and I am thinking what might be different for business in 2021. Why should it be different and how has it been different in 2020? We are now familiar with how COVID-19 disrupted business through social-distancing, travel bans and broken supply chains.  We had to quickly and immediately find out how to do things differently. What we may not be fully aware of is the significance of those “hyper-jumps” we were forced to make to adjust to the new conditions such as moving from offline to online and working from home instead of an office building. It has almost become second nature to call for home deliveries instead of going to the store. Less than a year ago, these hyper-jumps may have seemed surreal.

So what has all this got to do with 2021. Well, while these “little” shifts in behavior may have been considered as emergent and temporary, they are now beginning to assume a sense of permanence. In other words, we are getting used to doing things differently.  Some of those hyper-jumps have been so beneficial that many businesses are looking for ways to establish them in their normal operations. Indeed, industries are looking for ways to make further inspired hyper-jumps like moving from petrol to solar power and from labor to automation permanently! The gentle nudge by COVID-19 has set off a believable train of thought that things can actually be done differently. Is it possible that 2021 will trigger even bigger levels of innovation and creativity? Could professionals, companies and industries be looking for ways to regenerate themselves through beneficial hyper-jumps. Production may never be the same with the opportunities opening up for rebranding of careers, generation of new ideas and the need for new product designs. So why not take your business through a hyper-jump in 2021! God Speed!

Go for the Prize in 2021

 

Go for the Prize in 2021

Willey Jolley says, “a setback is a setup for a comeback”. Les Brown won’t let you park your car on the side of the road, just because you missed a turn. The great apostle Paul says, “forgetting what lies behind I press on to the goal that lies ahead”. It seems to me that we all come to earth to play a small part and then depart. That small part takes heart, mind and soul and is the only way we can leave the world a better place. A lot has been said about 2020 and perhaps the worst place to look for inspiration is in the past – you have already been there! Looking ahead is an awesome, fearsome and challenging undertaking that always raises the stakes. Perhaps a dream died in 2020 and maybe you almost died with it. Maybe and just maybe you have justifiable reason to give up on this whole “goal setting thing” because it has never worked for you all these years. But I have one more reason for you to rise up and try again as Jolley, Brown and the great apostle Paul would say – it’s a New Year! And because it is a new year it brings an opportunity for New Hope, New Joy and New Success. So set up those goals for 2021 again, yes, again and never ever give up your future for anything in your past.  Trust God, who made you and the universe, to bring it to pass and press on to the prize that lies ahead. What prize are you going for in 2021?

Agenda 2063 - Managing the Vision

Agenda 2063 - Managing the Vision

The turn of the century brought about a refocusing of global and national vision. It moved the world from short term thinking to long term action. The global focus on SDGs, grounded on the accomplishments of MDGs, is much more than rhetoric. Countries around the world stepped into the 21^st century committing themselves to pursue national transformation beyond the traditional medium term development plans confined to the administrative tenure of elected governments. Perhaps the World has borrowed a leaf of thought from the East considering the rise and rise of those economies over three generations in China, Japan, and of course, the ASEAN Tiger technological hub. The adoption of “far-sight” rather than foresight as an instrument of national development is an indication that short term planning is weak on deliverables. But perhaps, more important, is the revelation that long term planning generates better results – even in the short term!

Africarecently launched a 50-year vision – Agenda 2063. The vision is seven yearsold. It is a most commendable initiative of political leaders to outline afuture for at least three generations to come. Nonetheless, in the same season, individual African governments have launched 20-30 year national visions, many of which are losing steam midstream. These economies are accruing rising (foreign) debt as they acquire infrastructure to grasp at the dream of a developed nation. The cost of this transition strategy stretches long into the foreseeable future and begs the question of the sustainability of these initiatives. Does development really mean doubling debt?

In response, one might ask, “just what is development?”. The very essence of development needs to be turned on its head in the word transformation. Transformation is the internal generation of substance. Development, on the other hand, is the simple acquisition of capacity. Development is a word focused on the exo-skeleton of advancement. For example, the expansion of roads provides room for more cars and transport vehicles. This is not short sighted if the country produces cars. However, if the country does not create roads nor produce cars, this can hardly be considered advancement. Transformation is based on empowerment for growth and generation of wealth through the creative, collaborative reorganization of the internal capacity of a country to advance its wealth position. It does so by creating new value through social engineering, transformative education and value creating enterprise. In short, there are two roads to national advancement; borrow the money-import capacity-pay the debt-export wealth. The second is, empower the people- nurture capacity- establish competence - import wealth. You will notice that the model from the East is designed on the latter, the model in Africa is predicated on the former. The former is an instant, exciting and fundamentally unsustainable. The latter takes time, effort and initiative.

In order to fulfill a vision there is a need to manage its realization. Developing a vision, like realizing a goal, requires a process of managing priorities and reorganization of one’s current reality to align with a sustainable future possibility. That requires the deployment of transformative thinking, critique, creating and doing things differently to sustainably realize a new future. Managing a vision is a generative process of transformation that cannot be managed by politicians. Transformation requires dedicated teams of citizens and social entrepreneurs committed to sacrificing for and serving the interests ofthe next generation. The difference between those who get things done and those who don’t, is that the former do and the later don’t. 

 

HELP PUBLISH RESEARCH

 

HELP PUBLISH RESEARCH

The beauty with writing is that you get to touch and transform lives of people you will never meet with a few well-chosen words on a blog, paper or book. This year I ventured into academic writing. Frankly, I was not prepared for the amount of work required to generate such papers, especially when I found out that it costs between $500USD-3000$USD to get a paper published in a reputable journal! Anyway I braved the challenge and published three articles and I am asking for help to publish a few more.

Research is a public good that drives industry, technology, education and the advancement of society. We could do with a lot more research to improve livelihoods in Africa. The article, “How empathy, social contracts and deep conversations are helping companies in Kenya overcome the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, (October, 2020) garnered more than 800 reads in one month! The research is downloadable at no cost to readers. Anyone can utilize the findings to improve their circumstances.

CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE 

One of the greatest areas of need on the continent is transformative leadership. Availing research publications is one important way of empowering leaders, readers and organizations to; transform living standards, resolve pressing social concerns and design sustainable solutions to environmental problems. Though research costs be prohibitive, lets help get it published. Thanks in advance! 

Build Ecosystems @ KUSI Ideas Festival 2020

 

Build Ecosystems @ KUSI Ideas Festival 2020

While thanking the organizers, participants and promoters for the presidential engagement of the KUSI Ideas Festival 2020, I do hope that the discussion will move from Ideas to action in the immediate and short term.  The event was predicated on Post COVID scenarios and discussed Pre-COVID options, but was reminded firmly that proactive “In-COVID” initiatives are perhaps the most important things we can do with our time right now. Rather than draw up industry blueprints and grand recovery plans to be acted upon when COVID has passed, we must establish ecosystems that support the emergence of those industries and recovery plans. Building cotton factories is unsustainable if there are no farmers growing cotton and no ecosystem to support its passage from farmland to fashion house. You can ban used clothes imports today, but with no ecosystem to support the local clothing industry, you merely strike the used clothes market off the tax radar. Our In-COVID responsibility and action therefore is to establish the ecosystems that will support the grand plans we have for a post-COVID recovery. Ecosystems, however, take time to build. They are not installed like factories. Ecosystems are an association of ideas, initiatives, incentives, profit motives, livelihoods, entrepreneurial activity and connectivity provided by technology, protected by a legal environment that advances national interests. Ecosystems are the invisible networking of a confluence of initiatives, like a spider’s web, that guarantee and sustain the economic survival of all stakeholder in a food chain.   

Ideas to Action @ KUSI

Ideas to Action @ KUSI

If you did not attend yesterday’s session at KUSI, make sure you are on the front row today. The interesting mix of, “Pre-COVID, In-COVID- and Post COVID” suggestions and projections are an important melting pot for Eastern African entrepreneurs. COVID has evolved faster as an economic stimulus package than a medical crisis. What may be interesting for researchers to determine is how people define “disease” in our modern world. It would appear that a condition such as COVID-19 cannot be treated or “cured” by a medical vaccine alone or even the entire efforts of the pharmaceutical fraternity to resolve the threat to human life. Human life is much more than having an immune system. Human life consists of occupation, enterprise and socio-economic intercourse. COVID-19 has won attention of the media, politicians and the business community because it has “interfered” with the routine pursuits of a healthy humanity. It has therefore created a point of contemplation, reflection and regeneration. Before we can talk of a post-COVID economy, we need to capture the consummate lessons of the In-COVID-19 bubble. How do we cope, how do we emerge and WHAT CAN WE DO with it? To my fellow entrepreneurs, pre-COVID times are not coming back. Consider the data and dissect the political rhetoric. Rather than debate whether the glass is half full or half empty, think about what to do with the water, the glass- and the people looking at the glass! Consider the opportunity and cut through the ideas to action.

 

First Week of December 2020

First week of December 2020 @ Business Daily

I can empathize with the editor who suddenly realized that December is here and had to start summarizing the “remaining” stories to fit in the paper before the year ends. It is pretty difficult to isolate the top stories from the important ones and then establish which have the highest impact. COVID-19 has probably been the top story throughout the year, but the important stories are the lives impacted and livelihoods changed. John Creswell says research of the future is about “numbers and stories”. The data on layoffs, profit warnings, fatalities, tax and technology give us a heads up on the direction things seem to be taking, but the emerging stories of how people are coping and others moving on with life “regardless” of the pandemic are the ones that create the future. This second group have decided that life cannot be put on hold and therefore are planning, training, developing and working towards the future with hope and determination - whether they get the vaccine or not. Somehow life must go on and that seems to be the message. While scaling back and repositioning is now a major occupation of all industries bracing themselves to operate under depressed economic conditions, there are those who are taking on new challenges with the eyes of visionaries and see opportunity where others see problems. The numbers in 2020 tease and challenge us to examine whether the glass is half empty or if it is half full.

Allan Bukusi

Sources – Business Daily

Innovation & Enterprise @ Academia

 

Innovation & Enterprise @Academia

December always sparks a holiday season. Many minds have already moved out of town and headed to holiday destinations. Those who have to complete their school programs can’t wait for the term to end. But December is also tinged with a hint of hope for a new beginning. The business sector seems to have picked up some end year cheer with the hope of a COVID vaccine becoming available in the Western world. Under a depressed economic cloud, there is a new drive to bring on board technology and innovation to usher in the New Normal. Innovation, Tech conferences, agribusiness initiatives plus a loud discussion of how Kenya can close its Industry-Academia gap. This decades old debate does not seem to get much traction every time it is brought up. Unfortunately, HELB data shows 38,314 (more) education loan defaulters and blamed it on the limping economy. Perhaps it is time that HELB should become more innovative in generating money FROM education and generating money FOR education by appreciating that education is an enterprise that can only grow if it is profitable. Relate these comments to the Industry-Academia gap and you will appreciate that the education industry operates in isolation from economic reality. With treasury backing a plan to triple university fees the gap between Academia and Industry just got wider. It will only come together when Academia starts to feed industry with what it is asking for and when academia becomes an agent of enterprise.

Allan Bukusi

Sources – Business Daily

   

Minimum Tax @ Treasury

 

Minimum Tax @ Treasury

There is a proposal that every business is to pay a mandatory minimum tax of 1% of its turnover. Whichever way you look at that proposal; it does not create any incentive to do business, if I owe the government money for taking the initiative to feed my family. It is unlikely that the proposal was made by an entrepreneur. However, in this regard, I must offer a counter argument to advance the cause of fiscal prudence. One company CEO I worked with a few years ago offered his staff the following advice, “I would rather make 1 shilling from a billion transactions than make a 100 shillings from a thousand customers”. This may be the fundamental logic behind the MAT argument except for one crucial oversight. In the CEOs case, it was the company’s business to generate those transactions. In the government’s case it is not. Safaricom works hard to generate a billion transactions. The government may need to generate productivity before reaping a running harvest. The second nugget is that while a government needs money to run a country, high taxes do not spur economic growth. A survey of tax regimes in African nations indicates that there is a direct negative correlation between high tax rates and economic growth. The tipping point is 8%. Below this figure growth rises exponentially. Above this figure growth declines, stalls and falls between 16-38%. We can learn from available global statistics on tax vs economic growth.

Allan Bukusi

Sources – Business Daily

How to Negotiate Share-Share Outcomes - in 2021

 

COVID-19 has created a temperamental and insecure business negotiating environment in which, “Win-Win” outcomes are impractical and “Win-Loss” outcomes are unacceptable. You can’t have “Win-Win” because both parties won’t get what they want and you don’t want “Win-Loss”, because one party then takes advantage of the other. But there is s third option discussed in this book in which both parties work together for mutual success. To access that option you must think beyond yourself; think about what is good for you, but also what is good for your negotiating partners – and what is best for everyone in the environment.  But this book is not about COVID-19, it is about coming through a  crisis – any crisis! First, reflect on the nature of the crisis and carefully frame the issues that need to be addressed. Second; examine the ecosystem and empathize with how the situation affects all the stakeholders within it. Third; reach out and build a trusting relationship with your negotiating partners. Fourth; agree on the principles and strategies that will anchor “business continuity” for both parties. And fifth; negotiate and share responsibility for sustainable outcomes in the New Normal.

This book is based on the findings of a research study to establish how some business were able to remain open in spite of the harsh economic impact of the pandemic on society, trade and travel. The book offers important crisis survival and sustainability tool kits for individuals and businesses everywhere.  We are all going to need a whole new set of negotiating skills in the New Normal. The book launches in January 2021 @ Kshs1,000/=  (10USD) plus shipping rates outside Nairobi. Email the author for details.

Yes, Its December!

 

Yes, it’s December!

If you are like me, then this has been the longest year you have ever lived or can ever remember. I thought it would never end. For many it has been a year that has tested our faith in friends, family, finances and ultimately faith in God to the very core! There are many who may not have visited Church for most of the year. The English say that you need to call a spade a spade and not use euphemisms like a big spoon, if you want to deal with reality and move on with life. There has been plenty of pain all around. And this is not a griping post. First, I would like to help you see that you are no alone and that the challenges have actually been universal. That means many of the hopes, dreams and resolutions you had for the year may not have materialized. However, when I look back there were somethings I never would have done, had the year not turned out as it did. I picked up an exercise routine that moved me from an unfit, paltry 3 kilometers a week to a modest 8 Kilometers a day in 8 months! – bring on the marathon! (or at least the half-marathon). Sitting at home, without a job, I have written and published more papers than I have had the time, concentration and focus to come up with in the past decade! My prayers have shifted from “God I want this” and “God, I need that”, to “God, what would you have me do?”. Of course, I can’t remember the last time I was this broke. I don’t know how that can be counted as an achievement, but many rich people seem to think it is important to acknowledge the starting point. Look back, and you will see some of the good in you (or to you) too! So what has this got to do with December? Well it’s the season, a reminder that, no matter how rough the road or great has been the load, No Season Lasts Forever! And so my wish for you this year is to have a Happy Christmas.

Negotiate @ Chief Justice

 

Negotiate! @Chief Justice

Chief Justice David Maraga, shared some interesting data that indicates “out of court” settlements are the way to go. In one sense, the Chief Justice is happy to work himself out of a job if people can sit down and negotiate among themselves. This seems like a growing sense of maturity, but the data shows that it also makes huge business sense. 2905 cases settled out of court means that there were more than 11 cases settled for every business day of the year. Those cases turned over Shillings 33.9 Billion in value that would have been tied up in non-productive assets awaiting court direction for at least one year. That means the economy was injected with “liquidity agreements” of 2.83 Billion shillings a month. Money which would not have been available to anyone. This is a concept that is not always appreciated by those seeking justice, but clearly understood by entrepreneurs. It has been said that “justice delayed is justice denied”, but entrepreneurs know that “payments delayed is as good as business denied”. Thus, I laud the courts for offloading those cases from their corridors and roundly I applaud those citizens who chose not to put their lives on hold, and sat down to negotiate terms that helped everyone move on with life. Given the hurdles presented by COVID-19 in the prevailing economic season, I urge companies to take direction from the Chief Justice, polish their negotiation skills and agree on terms with business partners.

Allan Bukusi

Sources – Business Daily

Business & Social Progress

Business Daily @ Social progress

There is a great deal of discussion around money in today’s paper. It appears that financial discussion revolving around bad debt, COVID costs for employees and poor bank performance seem to be the biggest concern. However, apart from a corner headline on politics, it is refreshing to read Jeremy Awori discuss the need for companies to reconnect businesses success with social progress. However, “reconnect” may not be entirely the right word. Many companies, business schools and entrepreneurs have never “connected” and so to say that we need to re-connect is unlikely to turn any heads for attention or action. The nature of competition, tax and multiple statutory demands made on companies do not give a quarter to social progress. Indeed, the word that companies are familiar with is “exploit” the market. “Social progress” does not appear in any of the end year balance sheets of companies listed anywhere. Be that as it may, this response does not in any way downplay the role of advancing business success through social progress. We just have to find a way to ground the relationship between business profits and social progress into our cut throat enterprise ethos. Right now, business profits are made at the expense of society. The “connection” that needs to be made will take some reflection, innovation and creativity in the design, production, packaging and distribution of company products and services in society. We need more companies to take up the challenge.  

Allan Bukusi

Sources- Business Daily

Enterprise Kenya @ Kituyi

 Enterprise Kenya@Kituyi

 “Enterprise Kenya” as a descriptor of Dr. Kituyi’s understanding of the Kenyan condition provides us with powerful imagery of what we should actually be doing with our company. What profit is enterprise Kenya generating that would make me buy shares in the business. Three statements made by the UNTAD Secretary-General provide us with qualitative data to analyze this claim. First, “But much of that money actually comes back through VAT because of everything that they spent the money on”. This statement signals that tax alone may provide relief, but does not inspire the acceleration of entrepreneurial initiatives. Second, “The government has to know that recovering enterprise Kenya is the most important thing apart from saving people from Covid”, tells us that the fixation on COVID-19 pandemic, as a source of borrowing funds, is unsustainable and that Kenya should get back to the business of productivity as quickly as possible before it is mortgaged to the highest bidder in the global money market. A 63% debt portfolio does not inspire shareholder investments. Third, “The government should help create the ecosystem for this country to be a competitor in that area”. The reference to an “ecosystem” is an acknowledgement that profits can only be realized by a symbiotic balance in the economy. This means that enterprise Kenya needs to look at creating a sustainable balance of wealth generating initiatives across the economic landscape if it wants to pull out of the current impasse beginning with local production.

Allan Bukusi

Sources – Business Daily

Business Recovery @ KEPSA

 

Business Recovery @KEPSA

The current KEPSA data on business performance indicates an interesting trend that is still very much tied to the woes of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report that 51 % of businesses are operating at less than 50% levels is very similar to the concept of Radioactive material “half-life” in physics. To give this a business interpretation, it has taken seven months for half the companies to recover 50% of their operations. It should therefore take another seven months for 50% of the remaining companies to arrive at 50% operations. Following this logic, it should take another 14 months for 80% of the companies to recover 50% of their operations. That is assuming there are no major shocks in the economic environment. However, that timeline is just past the planned BBI referendum and into the 2022 General elections.  

While I am not surprised by the 12% that have yet to open, I am more intrigued by the 7% that are doing better business than before the pandemic. While it is indeed possible that COVID-19 posted a boom for them and that they are in the internet, online or service sector businesses, I am more inclined to believe that they have taken advantage of the environment the pandemic has facilitated and become more efficient and focused in their business development strategies by rationalizing their need for idle infrastructure, bloated staffing, offloading prestige oriented capital investments and redefining productivity by shedding fat and ensuring that production remains lean and fit!

Allan Bukusi

Reference: Business Daily

40-Year Low @ Bank interest rates

 40-year low @ Bank lending rates

Business Daily reports that Bank lending rates have hit a 40-year low, but there is no scramble for loans. Indeed, those that are obtaining loans have to provide securities and a guarantee before they are granted these affordable loans. However, looking back at the rate cap that was recently revoked, I wonder if this was the intended effect of rate capping – to make loans affordable. Ironically there are no takers. But what does this mean for an economy which still needs money to operate and yet is stuck “operating below potential”? While we tend to keep watch on the numbers as a guide to economic performance, banks have signaled that the data speaks of the COVID-19 pandemic effects being around for the next three years. With the government still big on spending with the BBI referendum and the General Elections scheduled within that time, that means tax collection is going to be squeezed out of every corner – no relief for Mwananchi. Loan rescheduling has bought time for the big players and the withdrawal of unsecured loans has dealt a big blow to cash flow, mortgage payment and wealth creation. It is no wonder that even with a 40-year low in cash flows, no one really wants to borrow. The focus for survival appears to be on cushioning unemployment. However, the real question might be how to get everyone, and I mean everyone, back into production? That is probably where the rubber meets the road.   

Allan Bukusi,

Reference - Business Daily

Moreforless@economyKe

 Moreforless@economyKe

Money matters, COVID-19 and Agriculture are the big three making the rounds in the economy. Despite the search for cheap sources of funds for development, the concern for rising debt is causing institutions to look for ways to make more money from less production. While this is of course unsustainable, COVID-19 has not helped by introducing social distancing, travel bans and disrupting supply chains. While analysts are eager to create a “Post-COVID” picture, the data shows that the financial effects of the crisis will be around for a long time as entrepreneurs and employees seek to establish other means of production and income generation.  The struggle to earn more with less income is a driver of creativity and innovation. But, more for less also means the development of new business models and operating paradigms that take time to be accepted, leave alone becoming profitable. This is a sacrifice entrepreneurs and now employees must make. However, Farming is a primary business that is pragmatically dealing with the present reality. While secondary goods companies face operational challenges and tertiary institutions such as universities face major declines in incomes and loss of customers, farmers, with a little skill at creating a localized customer base, are able to sell their products. This is not surprising as farmers provide full value products and are not making more for less effort. The secret of farming, if there is one, is that it “creates” value, all the secondary and tertiary businesses attempt to “add” value.   

Allan Bukusi

References - Business Daily  

Surviving not thriving @Banks don't make money

 

Surviving not thriving @Banks don’t make money

 

The weeks opening discussion of the role of banks during the COVID-19 crisis has its critics and cheer leaders. Mondays Business Daily is certainly an interesting read. But the truth is Banks do not make money, productive people who do. Banks move money around, gather it together and make it available at a fee. The suspension of defaulter listing on the CRB made banks unable to collect on digital cash loans, because people were not making money. The people were using loans on consumer goods – not good business sense. But then, there is a pandemic and production is at standstill. However, the World Bank and IMF have already indicated they want their money back! Six months later Banks confirmed that people were not making money, naming 2020 a year of “surviving not thriving” with 30-40% drop in profits. Other reports indicate that banks displayed heroism by rescheduling loans of those caught up in trade distress and this is laudable indeed, but I can guarantee that banks will want their money back!  Giving out money is certainly helpful to get over a crisis, but it is certainly not an incentive to be productive. Treasury’s Post COVID recovery strategy is to recover more money from anyone who might still have it. How do we move forward?  – Get the people working to make the money so they can put the money in the banks, who will give the money to the Treasury to pay the debt.

Dead Stock @ Kenya Power

 

DEAD STOCK @ KENYA POWER

The fact that Kenya Power has raised the alarm over its clients switch to solar (Business Daily 20, Nov. 2020) is not as much a problem for Kenya Power as it is a sign of the times. The data in the weekend article indicates that the shift to solar energy has been on since 2014. That would suggest that Kenya Power has been sleeping on the job. One might say it is a little too late for the “monopoly” not to have noticed the leakage on its income and where the income is leaking to. Kenya Power might benefit from NOT complaining to its customers and move quickly to get a piece of the pie in the sky. COVID-19 has only accentuated a derailed situation. My advice to Kenya Power is - act quickly! Because there are many more customers on that train that has already left the station. It is just that they don’t have big names like Moi International Airport or Kenyatta University to get published in the newspaper. If the big customers are dissatisfied with the pricing of power, how about the small customers who have no choice? It only makes sense that they will consume less electricity. That will simply magnify Kenya Power liquidity problems and add to the company’s “dead stock” power that it still has to pay for.  But, Kenya Power is not the only tree in the forest operating on old business algorithms. As I said, it is a sign of the times.

 

Here is What Transformative Leaders do

 

Here is What Transformative Leaders do

This paper examines the call for transformative leadership in the 21st century. It explores recent published articles on the subject matter in order to establish the expectations of a transformative leader. The turn of the century heralded a call for the adoption of a transformative agenda on the African continent. Nonetheless, the turbulent political, dynamic economic shifts and disruptive global events, such as posed by COVID-19, call for a new form of leadership to tackle these unconventional challenges. As an emerging area of study, transformative leadership is described and interpreted differently by leaders all over the world. This author reviews articles published in 2010 and later, to collate current perspectives and theory to equip leaders with a one stop reference document on the subject matter. The author answers the all-important question of, what do transformative leaders do? According to this study, transformative leaders are expected to do four important things namely; renew institutional vision and performance, advocate for ethical social advancement, empower individuals to make meaningful contribution to corporate goals, and sacrificially commit to realize the interests of those they serve. The paper equips policy makers, institutional leaders and business managers with insights on transformative leadership ethos and its potency to secure the benefits of ethical transformation for the well-being of wider society. DOWNLOAD THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

What are the rules of business transformation?

The Rules of Business Transformation

Business transformation initiatives update a company’s production methods and aim to ensure it operates more efficiently. However, the author suggests that a reactive, piece meal approach to needed change relegates a company to lagging behind its market and stagnates its growth. A proactive, holistic approach to business transformation ensures that a company is attuned to its evolving market environment. It secures the long term the survival, sustainability and success of a company. Findings from this study suggest that customer focus, transformative strategy, ethical practices and well executed growth metrics are essential for successful business transformation. The study shows that transformative leaders step away from limited competitor driven tactics to focus on securing long term growth, superior service delivery and stakeholder satisfaction. These companies use technology to unlock new markets and engage in open collaboration with their customers to create valuable new products. The study reviews metadata drawn from published interviews with transformative CEOs to derive the rules of business transformation. While there are many business development options to choose from in the 21st century, the author challenges company management teams to rethink their company strategy and adopt the essential rules of business transformation to secure their long term survival and success. The study suggests that business transformation is not about making a profit from a bottom-line business plan. Rather, it is about taking the lid off performance, ensuring company sustainability and relevance while fulfilling stakeholder expectations, today and into the future. DOWNLOAD THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Empathy is helping Companies deal with COVID-19

How empathy, social contracts and deep conversations are helping companies in Kenya overcome the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

 

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted market trading activity around the world. The pandemic has disabled supply chains and forced businesses to look for pragmatic ways to keep their doors open. Companies have suspended business commitments citing the force majeure clause. The resulting tension in companies is a hotbed for rising confusion and turmoil. With businesses facing imminent closure and potentially acrimonious court cases, pragmatic businesses have called for round table talks with stakeholders to resolve the crisis. This review suggests that the sensitive uses of conflict management and negotiation skills are crucial to obtaining shared responsibility agreements. Empathy, gently invoking a social contract and deep conversations are helping companies successfully navigate a path through this unprecedented season. Download full journal article here.

The Difference between Wisdom and Knowledge is a Dataset!

 The Dataset 

The dataset one has for decision making at 40, is greater than the information one has at 20 years of age - no matter the qualifications on hand.

Africa Today, needs Thinkers!

 Africa today, needs Thinkers more than Speakers

Your Career Success Address

Your Career Success Address

Hey, 

I am going to share with you six ideas, in less than six minutes, about career success that you can take to the Bank.

First, I would like you to know that you are a leader!

As a university graduate, you have joined the privileged two percent of the world’s population with a college education.

That means people are going to look up to you and depend on you for ideas and leadership!

People are going to expect you to know what to do in any situation.

Second, I want you to know that – A leader without a vision is like a child without a dream; Now you all know how problematic that can be.

What that means is that to develop your career, you have to keep dreaming! You may be surprised if I told you that most people your age stop dreaming and adopt an entitlement mentality. They believe the world owes them something.

But just remember how you got to where you are now – its because you had a dream! - and you worked hard to make it a reality. If you want to move on in life you’ve got to keep dreaming, you’ve got to have a vision and you’ve got to make it happen.

Third, I want to congratulate you because you have a high IQ. - Your IQ got you through school, but I also need to let you know that it is not going to get you through life. Your going to need Emotional intelligence, Social skills, Practical skills and a large dose of common sense!

But the big hitter for career success is delayed gratification. Develop the discipline to keep working today, for the things you want tomorrow. You see, many people don’t have that discipline, so they steal and take short cuts. Don’t do that!

The fourth thing about life is that it is made up of nodes. There will be high points and low points in your life. College graduation may be a high point, but losing a friend can be a really sad point in your life, your first job will be exciting, but your boss might be a real pain. You might have to go through a period of waiting, for something you really want, and if you are like me you might have to hawk your books on the streets and do odd jobs just to get by.

What is important is not that your life seems to be going up and down, but that you maintain an upward trajectory.

What that means is that you’ve got to hold on to your dreams and keep hope alive. But is also means you need to have goals and a road map to those goals. It means you have to be intentional about what you want in life, make plans, do the work that’s needed and make the necessary applications to get to those goals.  

Finally, I want to share with you some advice my father gave me about a house, a spouse and a cow.

He said build a house; It doesn’t make much sense until you realize that you are going to live in a house for the rest of your life. Now a lot of people enjoy paying rent to live in good places, but if you are going to live in a house for the rest of your life, you might as well own it.

Next, he said, get a good spouse; Now if you want to get a good spouse, you had better be one yourself. Having a companion to share the pain and good times in life is Gods great gift. It gives life a lot of meaning. A good spouse can double your income and half your expenditure - overnight!.. And you will also quickly find out that it is the most productive institution on earth.

Finally, my father told me to “get a cow”; Now you could get the kind of cow that gives you milk. That is a wise investment, but you should also get a cash cow like a business, a farm or investment in property that will give you returns in the days to come. The earlier you get these cows, the more wealth they will create for you and your family in the days to come.

If you want to read the rest of this story, click here to  go to google play, search for "How To Prosper" by Allan Bukusi and download the App today. The app is free, but the wisdom for life! God Bless you.   

 

A Leader without a Vision...

 A leader without a vision is like a child without a dream. Now you know how problematic that can be.

UKZN – PhD Winter School, 2020

UKZN – PhD Winter School, 2020

 

I had the privilege of attending the UKZN PhD Winter School Class of 2020, South Africa the last couple of weeks. I would like you to know that there are few things in life that come along, change your perspective, shake up your reality and give you courage to move on in life. This course was like that. It was a horizon to horizon experience that, like pilots say, allows you to see tomorrow. There is no way I could thank all those people enough who put all this together and Tembisa knows it is true. But to the Class of UKZN-PhD Winter School 2020, just know you are all the best! I wish I had a picture, a signature or certificate, but that don’t matter now because I got things in my head I can never forget. There is so much more I could tell, but here are 14 things every PhD student in the World should know;

1.  A PhD is a research degree, you are the PI, Langba
2. Buy a book, you are a PhD student, Langba
3. Do what your professor says; you can save the world later, Turnage
4. How did you generate this data? Smit
5. I don’t know everything, but I know enough to be dangerous, Paguyo
6. Immerse yourself in your topic, Perry
7. Look for a wedge in your topic to find the research question, Sundaram
8. Numbers don’t tell you everything, Richardson
9. The more you read, the better you write, Williams
10. The researcher IS the data collection tool, Dyson
11. What are you passionate about? do that! Marshall & McClinton
12. You are a scholar activist, Banks
13. You are an inside outsider, outside insider, Alexander
14. You just don’t write essays, you produce knowledge, Banks

The Law Cannot Save Us; Lets Make a Social Contract!

THE LAW CANNOT SAVE US

LET’S MAKE A SOCIAL CONTRACT

In a recent case in these COVID times, a widowed mother had to lock herself in the house and call the neighbors for help. The son, living in the outhouse on the compound, was in the habit of demanding money from his mother whenever he required it. The son, a college graduate, was not interested in doing any work for a living. As fate would have it, this time his mother did not have money. The neighbors came to the woman’s aid, in response to her call, saving her from a threatened beating. A few days later the mother came to plead for her son’s release from custody. He was released because she was not willing to make a statement convicting her son of any misdemeanour. Instead of having the matter dealt with in a substantive jail term as per the law, she staked her hope on society.

This story happening in many generic forms in these COVID times. The pressures of life have risen to “distress levels”. What kind of social contract can sustain us in times like this where we face rations and restrictions are imposed by a condition well beyond our control. Is this a special or unique time or are there lessons we can extract from this season to take us into the future? What will help us resolve our social crisis in times like these where the “law” is handicapped. The answer I believe lies in committing to a five-fold social contract.

The Fear of God

The first frame of this social contract is to acknowledge that God is overall and in control and that He has not lost control. This requires faith, but taking the law into your own hands is not to get even, but to deny and despise the presence of God. To take the law into your own hands is to advise God that He is not doing his job and that He needs a little help from you. To address the God of all creation on these lines is an effrontery if ever there was one. It is to challenge authority only slightly more powerful than a police station. You may not call upon him regularly, but it behoves all of creation to fear him for maintaining the Universe. If we all observed this law, we would resolve half the problems of the legislative universe.

Truth

The second frame is to observe the truth. Lies inflame and entangle and make a mess of relationships and life. They waste the jury’s time trying to find it and make a mockery of anyone who calls himself an upstanding member of society. Truth. Truth is absolute and it is liberating. If everyone told the truth we would not have these family innuendos between husband and wife, children and would be good neighbors. The Bible counsels that the truth will set you free. But it can also earn you forgiveness speedily, speed your way in business and in every endeavor in life. In truth you will not need to look back for anything. It will resolve the problem of integrity and chastity. You will only have to speak once. The next action in repentance will be to work out how to make things right. The truth is not the truth because you said it. The truth is the truth simply because it is the truth. It is a scholarly, enlightening and empowering discipline to pursue the truth. You will do well to make this your life’s call.

Wisdom

The third frame of conflict resolution is wisdom. All cultures are the accumulated wisdom of the ages condensed into practices that to negotiate and resolve issues in concert and character without loss of social standing with others. There were no jails. Your family culture will have a conflict resolution framework that will work for you and allow you to look wise if you follow it. Religious teaching offer plenty of advice. The Bible instructs a four-step process that if you exhaust you will be free of all sin in the matter. Wisdom is important because it helps you negotiate and resolve solve problems on a daily basis, before they become a crisis. When you become a wise, people will seek wisdom from you. Indeed, if you are wise you will have no problem with the law. But if you must be a fool then the fines you must pay to carry that title will wear you thin and grim.

Peace

The fourth is the frame of peace. Peace is not the absence of war, but it is the absence of violence against another. It is a conduit to prosperity of soul and the health of the body. It is the gift you receive when you do not give way to stress and chose to seek redress. Peace is a principle of life. It is sought after as a condition of success. Do not give up your peace on any account and in this you will rise to your full potential. While peace is challenged by the emotions of anger, regret and guilt - you know what you must do to release yourself from these false wizards of destiny. In as far as it depends on you live at peace with all men. It is possible to walk away.

Respect

Finally, respect. I do not have to love my neighbor to live next to him, but I can resolve to do him no harm by respecting the way that marks the boundary between my house and his. It is not the boundary wall that marks my respect, but the fact that I do not waste time to plot and plan to disturb his peace by my presence or agents of my presence. Respect is to acknowledge the good in others and respect good in yourself. To respect is to live above your passions and pride. It may require that you humble yourself and perhaps agree to humbled to the extent that good may come out of it. Incidentally you cannot respect others if do not respect yourself.  There is no justifiable reason to force respect. It does you and others no harm to stay in your space. Stay safe.

Education is an Industry!

Education is an enterprise

Education is an industry. You may look at it as a process of civilization, but unless you consider it to be an enterprise, it will not make you wealthy.

The New Normal: Adapt, Adopt, until you become Adept!

The New Normal: 
Adapt, Adopt, until you become Adept!

Many a business finds itself in challenging situations because their pre-COVID-19 customers, suppliers and work skills that they relied upon are simply not available and in many cases not there at all. Many of the old skill bases that were needed to run businesses depended on paradigms that have been collapsed by the pandemic and will take time to rebuild. Banks are having to reschedule loans; landlords have adjusted terms just to be able to keep their tenants. If they let them go and stuck to contract terms, they would not be able to get other tenants for the property, at least for the short term. The lack of customers and the changes in consumer priorities are forcing businesses to rethink their business models and develop strategies for new products, services and service delivery that fit into the new normal environment.

What does this mean for the average business? I call it “average” business, not because the business small, big or medium sized, but because every business must have a core strategy for survival that enables success. The average business will be thinking about the “basics” before it moves to thinking about competitiveness, growth and market share. In other words, the average business must first of all continue to exist before it can thrive in the future. The average business must adapt, adopt and become adept at meeting the demands of the New Normal. While most people will think of this as a short-term measure, it is a major organization success competence. James Oliver Rigney Jr, the American author said, “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived”.

When I put the question to a business seminar on which organizations would survive in the New Normal, 75% respondents said those that were flexible and open to restructuring, this was against options that included “innovation”, “customer focused” and “financially secure”. The business responses of the organizations described in the first paragraph do not make conventional business sense and rescheduling loans is not a profit generating activity. However, in the circumstances it does appear not only prudent, but very wise. Indeed, these businesses have bought themselves time while acting to reposition themselves in the New Normal market. As they adapt to the new conditions, they will adopt practices that will become part of their organization competencies, business repertoire, knowledge base and understanding of the market. In time they will become adept and gain superior and competitive skills at profiting from these sacrificial adjustments. They will succeed in the long term because they were willing to adapt, adopt until they became adept!  

How To become an Entrepreneurial Employee in the New Normal

The New Normal
 Entrepreneurial Employee

The term “entrepreneurial employee” sounds like some sort of paradox, but it need not be. During a training forum for employees on how to cope with the New Normal, it became clear that the dependent employee of the past would not fit into the New Normal environment. The old paradigm on the employee’s complete reliance, dependence and “allegiance” to an employer was put to question. The fact that the nature of employment has changed means that employees also need to change with the times. Depending on your employer to pay your rent, insurance, health care, mortgage payment and secure your bank loan has been put in serious jeopardy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided two signals that the New Normal employee needs to consider seriously. The first is that you can lose your job. In fact, the job is not yours and was not yours in the first place! Second, your terms of engagement can change. Indeed, many employees are either on a reduced pay structure just to allow them to keep a job. Two things emerge from this scenario. First the employee has more time on their hands and two, employees need to manage and supervise themselves. In other words, employee dependence on the employers has shifted to managing their own time and productive activity. If you haven’t got it yet, all I am saying is that employees have been forced into the realm of personal enterprise.

In the realm of enterprise, you must think for yourself, plan for yourself and work for yourself. A major shift from the old days of employment. In the world of enterprise, the employee thinks like an entrepreneur and plans his day, organizes his time and engages income generating activities. If you have a contractual obligation to work half-day, you can use the other half of the day to engage in other productive activity. You can plant a kitchen garden or “balcony garden” in couple of pots around the house to get some food on the table and help you spend less on groceries. You can engage in teaching and home schooling your children to read. You can also coach the neighbor's kids to play the violin at a fee. You can negotiate with your employer as an independent contractor to assign you other jobs apart from your previous position. You may, for example, take over the office cleaning contract or take up a commission sales assignment to drive your personal enterprise. This will require both humility and flexibility on your part. If you believe you are an accountant by birth, by design and by death you may never be able to humble yourself to a salesman position.

As an entrepreneur you must think about investment and multiply your sources of income. You must build your own house and look after your own enterprise to survive the long term. You must look after your own interests as much as you receive a wage for the services you provide to your former full-time employer. Many employees struggle with this form of “disloyalty”, but the reality is unless you look out for yourself no one else will. You simply must become an entrepreneurial employee.  

Click here to download the App and become and learn to be an entrepreneurial employee

Master Class: How to Lead Corporate Transformation, in the New Normal!

Master Class
How to Lead Corporate Transformation: 

The New Normal

Kindly accept my personal invitation to register for our Master Class on the principles and practice of transformation to equip you develop a “strategy to Success” model that will help your organization navigate the current global industrial slowdown occasioned by the corona virus pandemic. The Pandemic has ushered in a new and challenging economic season termed the “New Normal”. The Master Class is designed for Corporate leaders, Company and Organization managers, Institution administrators and Function supervisors responsible for initiating learning, change and innovation in a business.

Allan Bukusi will present practical business models based on his recent researched study on How to lead corporate transformation that are urgent and relevant in this season. Click here to register for the Master Class Thursday 18^th June 2020 from 10.00-1200 EAT on zoom. The Master Class will empower managers to design strategies and effective business models to move the business forward, successfully tackle the present and prepare for the future growth. You are encouraged to attend the Master Class with an office colleague so that you can share and determine how to follow up and implement ideas shared on the program in your organization.

Equipping Employees for the New Normal

Equipping Employees for the New Normal

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global trade and local business is reshaping the work environment. Employee – employer relations are becoming more plastic in the New Normal. Indeed, there have been significant job cuts and layoffs in markets around the world. The implementation of “social distancing” has forced employees to work from home and show proof of productivity before they are paid. What used to be “performance management” has become a “productivity challenge”. Yet, employees still have personal goals, career aspirations and development plans to achieve in their own lives!

Click here to register for our business forum on Thursday 11^th June 2020 from 10.00-1200 EAT on zoom. You will find out the core skills and key competencies you need to keep your career on course, prepare for your next work assignment and realize your personal aspirations in the New Normal employment environment.

Regards,

Allan Bukusi, 

Author of How To Prosper in Employment.

Four Business Defining Statements from COVID -19

FOUR BUSINESS DEFINING STATEMENTS FROM COVID-19

Here are four powerful statements I have picked up on our journey through this “impossible” season that will stay with us for a long time.

“To make a change something has to die or reach a dead end!”

The realization of the need to change may be understood and acknowledged for a long time. But is only when what you rely on is broken, lost or removed from your control that you begin to look for something else to take its place. Indeed, you have to finish college before you start thinking seriously about moving out of home. You may have to lose a job before you realize that you needed to upscale your skills to become more relevant and remain employable. No, COVID did not do this to us, it only served to bring it up.

“Re-invent yourself and make yourself relevant irrespective of what happens”

The fact that things are changing around you and that you are getting older and that the skills you learned long ago are getting out of date are a wake-up call for all of us to keep growing changing and becoming better at what we do. Enterprises know this and invest huge resources in developing business approaches and strategies to keep moving. Indeed, the market leaders always have several new products lined up for whatever season lies ahead. How much time do we take to re-invent ourselves, re-position ourselves in the market and adapt to changing conditions around us?  

“Professionals need to deconstruct what they know”

Many professionals have high qualifications and impressive certificates and can analyse anything in their field to the point of paralysis. Nonetheless, very few of them are able to deconstruct what they know into usable products, services and skill sets that can be consumed by the market or improve the society and environment in which they live. We call those special kind of people “innovators”, but they are really just professionals with the courage to apply what they know.

“reconnect with your customers”

COVID 19 has created a social distance between business and its customers. It was a self-serving relationship of needs and wants that was taken for granted. Now the relationship is being informed by “you simply cannot have it”. It is easy to say that this can be rectified by short dose “good” customer service. Nonetheless, you can be sure that it will not be business as usual in the days ahead. The customer is changing and making decisions about his relationship with business in the days ahead. But how can you reconnect with people you don’t even know. The struggle businesses will have in the long term is to show that they really cared for their customers when things were not so rosy and glossy.

Allan Bukusi