Edwin's Corner

We are living in a world where rhetoric is rife especially around women empowerment. It's a world where women only hold 4.4% of the CEO positions in Fortune 1000 companies. This contradiction was clearly evident recently at Davos 2014, a World Economic Forum meeting of world leaders, where there was a clear underrepresentation of women. This is despite the forum investing in programmes to promote the participation of women leaders in its activities. The male leaders at the event, in response to this inequality, gave a standard well rehearsed response pledging to empower and give a better standing for women in their communities in the coming days and years. There are a number of questions that need to be asked about the empowerment quagmire. Are there instances in history where women rose as a corporate body of people and became equal to their male counterparts in society? Does it benefit women to be given a footing in society so as to rise and be equal? Are there...

People are known to achieve exceeding levels of success when faced with adversity. The Helots, a subjugated group of people in ancient Greece, caused the collapse of the revered Spartan nation when they eventually rose up against their masters who habitually tortured and slaughtered them.   Creating and managing a super team, can be a daunting task that requires extreme patience. In pursuit of the best, there is need to define what great means and who an ideal team member should be.   Steve Jobs famously quipped "It's too easy, as a team grows, to put up with a few B players, they then attract a few more B players, and soon you will even have some C players....A players like to work only with other A players, which means you can't indulge B players. From the onset what this means is ensure that all the required skills are known, and have a blend in the team of different backgrounds, perspectives and personalities. Not everyone should be modeled in the leader’s image. ...

Adversity has a sure way of bringing about progress and advancement. The UK SAS regiment recruits its members exclusively from the UK military and takes candidates through such a dire selection process, that only 15% succeed and transfer to the regiment. The result is that the SAS regiment is arguably the best in world. UK SAS The Jewish State of Israel has 95% of its landmass termed as arid or semi-arid; it has no natural resources and is surrounded by hostile Arab neighbors. The result; it has extensive inventions in agro-technology that have transformed its arid areas into fertile sources of food for both Israel and the rest of the world. Israel, one of the most innovative and entrepreneurial country in the world, has more companies listed in the NASDAQ than Korea, Japan, Singapore, India and all of Europe combined.    There are lessons to be learned from both Israel and the UK SAS regiment that can be used by any CIO who wishes to create and lead super teams that ...

In ancient times a man who could call upon the rain and turn the sun-scorched ground into a haven of water was considered a man of supreme abilities. This man was seen as a negotiator between man and God. Looked upon as a sage; full of wisdom and able to bring solutions to every foreseeable problem. This assumption was arrived at primarily because he could save lives when death seemed inevitable. In other words, if he could solve this conundrum that faced their livelihood, what could he not solve? While the traditional definition has changed dramatically over time the principle of a rainmaker still survives in today’s organizations. Today he is the person who brings in revenues to the organization, be it a profit or a not-for profit organization. Rain Maker in an organization For the purpose of this article let us widen this definition to encompass a person who is able to offer solutions that strengthen or advance the firm he works for in ways that directly or indirectly b...

    How do you stand apart? How do you raise your own voice in a stadium of fanatics? How do you become remarkable, unique and indispensable in the world today?   One of the most inspiring speeches of all time was less than 300 words and was delivered to a crowd that scarcely heard it due to the resounding noise all around. It went on to inspire millions around the world over the last 150 years. This was the stuff of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address.      Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address I dare say that to be remarkable, simplicity and focus are key components.   Very few people know Kia Silverbrook, the most prolific inventor in the world today. But all of us know about Thomas Edison, because of the centrality of his innovations to our everyday life. Unless in their industry hardly many people know BASF the largest chemical company in the world, but all of us instinctively know the BMW marque. Why?   Because bei...

CLARITY IN A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF EAST AFRICAN COUNTRIES: A STORY OF BUDGETS, ECONOMIES AND INFORMATION COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY. Global economy As the global economy sways like a tanker in high seas, I would like to imagine a domino player stacking domino chips evenly spaced on a straight line, each preferably representing a European country, starting with Greece and ending with the most stable Nordic country, then I would imagine if the first domino was pushed over depending on the prevailing global situation, they would all fall, with or without austerity measures. Such a picture may be crude, but there is credence in it, according to the World Economic Outlook April 2012, published by the IMF, global economic growth is expected to constrict from 4 % in 2011, to about 3.5% in 2012, mainly due to the sliding pendulum oscillating between the meltdown in Europe and the momentous growth prevailing in some Asian economies, having said that the optimism is contagious in...