Executive Vision - the standard 20160617

Page 35Friday, June 17, 2016 / The Standard

Visionary Leadership • Energized Teams

“People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision”

John C. Maxwell

EXCLUSIVESPECIAL REPORT

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Page 36 Friday, June 17, 2016 / The Standard


How Claudio Ranieri, Pizza and ‘Dilly Ding, Dilly Dong’ Put Leicester City on Road to Glory

Invaluable lessons of having an underdog mentality!

BY JOHN PERCY, COURTESY THE TELEGRAPH

It is quite a small room: plain white walls, two three-seater sofas, a couple of pot-plants. If it were not for the black-and-

white pictures of 19 Premier League managers hung on the walls, it could be a humdrum suite in a mid-ranking business hotel.

Instead, Claudio Ranieri’s offi ce at the King Power stadium has become the nerve-centre of the greatest fairytale English football has ever seen, the place where plots have been hatched and victories toasted.

Ranieri’s decision to adorn the wall with images of his peers was designed to make them feel at ease when they visited him after matches; instead, they have assumed the look of big-game trophies, all eclipsed by Ranieri and his remarkable band of title winners.

Rewind just over nine months, and that scenario would have been deemed laughable. It was at a time when negatives were threatening to darken the mood after Nigel Pearson’s messy departure, the controversial appointment of Ranieri as his successor and the impending exit of player of the year Esteban Cambiasso.

The message to supporters at Ranieri’s unveiling, delivered by the chief executive Susan Whelan, was “Trust in us” yet not even the most optimistic Leicester follower could have envisaged how the season would pan out. Bookmakers gave Sir Alex Ferguson winning Strictly Come Dancing shorter odds than Leicester claiming the league title but Ranieri has delivered the feel-good story of the decade, offering hope to clubs from the Premier League to park football that the underdog can rip up the script.

Yet when Pearson was dismissed in June, Ranieri was not even fi rst choice for the job. Martin O’Neill was approached by Leicester’s ambitious Thai owners and at one stage it appeared as if an emotional return was imminent, before he opted to stay with the Republic of Ireland. Leicester were considering Guus Hiddink but it was agent Steve Kutner who forwarded the CV of Ranieri, setting the wheels in motion.

Kutner has known Ranieri since 2001, when Chelsea signed his star client Frank Lampard, and believed the Italian’s record deserved scrutiny. Talks went well in London, where

BY FREDRICK KIRUI

At the beginning of August 2015, if someone had placed a bet of 1 dollar for Leicester City to win the Barclays English Premier league,

he/she would have comfortably made a cool 5,000 dollars at the end of the season (May 2016). I doubt there’s any business with such a high Return on Investment in less than one year (10 months to be precise). What the bookies didn’t have is the foresight of the pos-sibility of Leicester City winning the Barclays English Premier League. They (Leicester City) were considered as underdogs having been promoted to the English Premier League in 2014-2015. No team has ever won the Premier League one year after being promoted from the Championship.

From a management lens, I would like to draw simple parallels on how relatively smaller organizations can take advantage of their “smallness” to compete and eventually emerge victorious.

The fi rst and most important lesson for me has to be the importance of adopting and executing a vision of winning mentality.

Leicester City from the onset, understood that in as much as it is diffi cult to win the Eng-lish Premier League, it was not Impossible. The manager (Claudio Ranieri) is credited with instilling a sense of pride and one-ness amongst the team members. This vision was delivered consistently to the team members until they were convinced that they could do the unthinkable! From the beginning of the league, they knew they had an insurmount-able task to win the EPL but they converted this challenge into an opportunity. Modern day organizations can take this lesson on the importance of communicating and adopting, to all levels of staff, a winning mentality. “In life, as in football, you won’t go far unless you know where the goalposts are.” —Arnold H. Glasgow

The second lesson is the discipline to ex-ecute the strategy.

The manager is known to be someone who doesn’t tolerate indiscipline from the team. This was very important in guiding the team members towards achieving this vision. Any indiscipline was punished and at the same time the players who demonstrated enor-

mous compliance were greatly rewarded. This just affi rms the notion that human beings will respond positively to an issue that has a great and positive impact on them.

Modern day organizations can pick a lesson on the importance of adopting a discipline in execution of the strategy. Relatively smaller organizations have a better chance of effec-tively executing a strategy than a large or-ganization. “Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.” —Peter Drucker

The third lesson has to be teamwork. If you watched how the Leicester City team

played, it was evident that the players under-stood the importance of teamwork. The team was commendable in the way they played as a unit. This helped them to overcome the so called “The Big four” in the English Premier league (Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City). They were able to defeat the all “big four” in the domestic matches apart from Arsenal Football Club who beat them twice. The importance of teamwork has been attributed to success of organizations from General Electric to Safaricom in Kenya. Team-

work wins any-day! “Strategy execution is the responsibility that makes or breaks executives.” — Alan Branche and Sam Bodley-Scott.

The fourth lesson for me has to be the im-portance of celebrating small successes!

Being a sports fanatic, I watch the English Premier League religiously, and I was amazed at the effort that the Leicester City team and their manager put in celebrating any win. It was evident just from the camaraderie they showed when they won their fi rst game of the season that they were on a mission. They cel-ebrated the win together as a team and with their manager. This was important in laying a foundation of celebrating the small and early wins. Any organization should be able to cel-ebrate the small wins and learn from the mis-takes in their quest to succeed.

“Success is rarely the result of one swell swoop, but more often the culmination of many, many small victories.” Joseph M. Marshall III

The writer is a Business Manager at Stan-dard Media Group and an MBA student at Strathmore Business School

Email: [email protected]

There were few who

expressed support when

Ranieri was appointed

as manager last summer,

but there are few now who believe

Leicester could have achieved

the almost impossible

if not for the incredibly

popular Italian.

Ranieri still owns a property near Stamford Bridge with wife Rosanna, and Leicester’s plea for trust has been rewarded.

Whelan explained: “We went through a very extensive process in terms of looking at the managers available. We made sure it was a very good long term choice. It became very clear almost immediately that Claudio was our No1 target.”

Ranieri has been box offi ce for much of the season, his eccentricities lightening the mood and preventing the pressures of a title race from choking his players. He has entered a new phrase - ‘Dilly Ding, Dilly Dong’ - into the football lexicon, a reference to his method of ensuring his players are focused by ringing an imaginary bell in training sessions.

He has courted the media smartly, too. He shook the hand of all members of the press before his briefi ngs began – apart from before the West Ham game which Leicester nearly lost.

His genial, dotty persona extends to the training ground. He has an unprintable nickname for the talismanic Jamie Vardy and at one time ordered a standing ovation for Shinji Okazaki after the Japanese striker passed his English exam in London.

In October, he delivered on his promise to reward his players for clean sheets by taking them to Peter Pizzeria in Leicester city centre, while he was happy for them to fl y out to Copenhagen for their Christmas party dressed as superheroes and cartoon characters.

For his own part, the 64-year-old - who started the season as the favourite to be the fi rst top fl ight manager to be sacked but is now in line for a new contract - has embraced Leicestershire life to the full. A pub in the village of Little Bowden, the Cherry Trees, has become a favourite Sunday afternoon haunt when City are not playing.

Kasper Schmeichel, the goalkeeper, said: “The best compliment I can pay is that he resisted the urge to change everything. That is something a lot of managers want to do, they bring their own

PROJECT TEAM: Editor: Julius Mokaya n Commercial Director: Irene Kimani n Commercial Manager: Salim Bwika , Jacinta Awuor n Project Manager: John Wachira, n Business Managers: Fred Kirui, Betty Kuremwa, Lilian Njimu n Planning: Andrew Mukabana n Advertising: Richard Okiko, Tabitha Odhiambo, Gichuki Mwangi, Adelaide K.Anno, Sarah

Bosire n Project Writers: Peter Kiragu, Gardy Chacha, Kurian Musa n Project Creatives: Muli Fred D., Joseph Kabuchi, Titus Muendo, Timothy Njue, Ian Mbaya, Martina Nyangayi

His record goal scoring feat saw him given a shirt signed by the squad, and prompted a post-match visit to the dressing room from the Thai owners, when he was personally congratulated and later presented with a silver plate.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 40 >>



build up income by not less than 10 per cent.

Kenya Re currently operates in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The insurance penetration rate in Kenya is 3.5 per cent, which Mwarania admits is low, but remains optimistic

since others in Africa have only managed 2 and 3 per cent.

In Mwarania’s own words, “we are serious about expanding our market coverage: if we have 10 per cent share in a company in Uganda we want to increase that to 20 per cent; if we are not in Tunisian companies we want to be

there – in those companies.”As the man in charge, Mwarania

is well aware of new players sniffi ng at the borders, wanting a share of

the pie in the Kenyan market. A lot of multinationals from Europe and South Africa have expressed interest so far.

He won’t take it lying back. Riding on good work ethic and Kenya Re’s penchant for maven skills, the MD will seek to be ingenious with services: to make sure that their customers are catered for with satisfaction.

Kenya Re has in the recent times embarked on a journey

to hasten and improve service delivery, taking advantage of the

digital revolution to acquire state-of –the-art technologies. Last year, the fi rm invested in ERP, a management software used to collect, store, manage and interpret data and analyze product planning, purchase, manufacturing or service delivery.

“We are currently in the process of buying a world class re-insurance software system that will put us on the international platform,” Mwarania says. “We are also in the process of acquiring the latest IT technologies for storage to ease our work.”

The train – for keeping up to date with technology – has left the station and is gathering steam at Kenya Re. It will go beyond storage and management. It will encompass securing the organization’s documents and streamlining services.

And as the company builds its portfolio such improvements is at speed with staff growth.

To keep its employees motivated and yearning to perform, the organisation has propagated a culture that identifi es and rewards talent, good performance, ingenuity, and goodwill.

It is thus not surprising that Kenya Re is one among few – if any – re-insurance companies with a nearly non-existent employee turnover at between 2 and 3 per cent.

“We do appraisals every year. Those who deserve to be promoted will climb the ranks. Those who deserve to be rewarded for exemplary work will get it. And those who need to deliver more than they do will be

Kenya Re Chairman Mr. David Kemei (CENTRE) looks on as MD Mr. Jadiah Mwarania (LEFT) buys some stock items from one of the Niko Fiti benefi ciaries during a distribution in Kibera.

Kenya Re Success Defi ned by Skilled

Leadership and Meritocracy

motivated to aspire,” Mwarania points out.

The MD believes that Kenya Re’s employees are some of the best cared for. The fi rm has ensured that every staff enjoys a good medical cover offered at commercial rates as well as group personal and group life insurance schemes.

To the best of Mwarania’s knowledge every staff member owns a home: if they don’t then they have no reason not to.

In return the employees make sure that Kenya Re is the good performer that it is in the market. The fi rm has ensured its staff are frequently trained – locally and oversees – to equip them for modern challenges. The fi rm’s management has also ensured gender balance in staffi ng.

“Fifty two per cent of our employees are female; 48 per cent are male. The requirement is that no gender should be less than 30 per cent. In terms of diversity the government requires that no one ethnic group should make more than 30 per cent of our staff. The largest at Kenya Re is 21 per cent.”

To give back to society, Kenya Re has fostered the ‘Niko Fiti’ campaign to improve lives of those physically challenged. ‘Niko Fiti’ is the organization’s fl agship CSR project. However, money has also been channeled towards other projects: HIV, water availability, agriculture and food security.

When the spotlight shines on Kenya Re it is one man’s face that is seen. As the MD, Mwarania carries a lot on his shoulders. If business does not perform according to expectations then he takes the fl ack. His leadership has been paramount in steering Kenya Re towards the right path.

“It is a selfl ess job to be an MD. You can’t stick to the job description alone. You have to move out of the comfort zone; give out over and above what is expected of you,” he says.

The organization’s strategic document is hence the default Job Description of the Managing Director. In the same stride, Mwarania expects every staff at Kenya Re to go beyond the call of duty.

He believes that a leader has to have vision, accommodate views, be willing to learn from mistakes, and have an objective.

It is Mwarania’s objective that Kenya Re buttresses into every African country. It is his objective that the company acquires internationally acclaimed Basel-II (banking laws and regulations issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision). It is his objective that his team achieves at least 11 per cent investment returns.

The stakes have never been higher. New entrants are set to rattle the industry. This will increase competition, which Mwarania believes, with the right system in place; Kenya Re will weather through and emerge victorious.

This year alone Kenya Re will bring in at least 20 new employees. The fi rm wants to build capacity for underwriting as part of its risk management.

In the last fi ve years Kenya Re has grown its maturity index from 5 per cent to 69 per cent. This year the board wants to see it rise to 72 per cent. To add on that, the brand equity index has risen from 40 per cent to 75 per cent.

This is not to say that it has been a smooth ride, but rather a confi rmation that Kenya Re has remained malleable with the changing times. Not long

ago the shilling weakened from 85 to 107 to the dollar. Such decomposition, admits Mwarania, can easily cut profi t margins by billions of shillings.

Kenya Re’s revenue currently comes from re-insurance premiums, rental income, and investment in the stock markets. With an occupancy rate of over 95 per cent, the buildings – Re-Insurance plaza in Nairobi, Kenya Re towers, Anniversary towers and Reinsurance Plaza in Kisumu – have been a stable source of revenue.

The ground breaking and construction of the latest block in Upper Hill, Nairobi, is expected to start in 2017. “When it is done it will be a landmark. We want to beat all the infrastructural marvels currently in that landscape,” Mwarania reiterates.

What makes Mwarania even more proud of Kenya Re is its place in the history of insurance in the continent. The past decade has seen the company participate in the designing of micro insurance in the region. Kenya Re has also been instrumental in the realization of mobile phone insurance, working with its clients to design products that meet the needs of emerging markets.

Times have changed. Customers are increasingly more demanding. Competition is stiffening. And claims that were borderline yesterday are automatic payables today. It is such that keep Mwarania and his team vigil to the stakeholders the company owes success.

“WE DO APPRAISALS EVERY YEAR. THOSE WHO DESERVE TO BE PROMOTED WILL CLIMB THE RANKS. THOSE WHO DESERVE TO BE REWARDED FOR EXEMPLARY WORK WILL GET IT. AND THOSE WHO NEED TO DELIVER MORE THAN THEY DO WILL BE MOTIVATED TO ASPIRE,”

MR. JADIAH MWARANIAManaging Director

By GARDY CHACHA

Last year Kenya-Re outperformed other players in the Kenyan insurance

industry. The fi rm smashed past the single digits to 13 per cent.

Despite cutthroat competition, the company held its knuckle to outdo its peers and now is setting its eyes on the horizon, raring to continue the trend with more splendid performances in the coming years.

The fi rm’s modus operandi has been to toe the line on its strategic vision, which outlines fi nancial growth, business process improvement, risk management, enhanced business development, and institutional capacity development.

“Kenya-Re has to be there today and tomorrow. The reason why we are working so hard is because this fi rm will outlast us. In the next 10 or 20 years I want to see a world class re-insurance provider where anybody locally or from outside can get quality services,” says Jadiah Mwarania, the Managing Director of Kenya Re.

Mwarania and his team are constantly looking for novel ways to grow shares, grow profi ts – by not less than 17 per cent annually – and


Visionary Leadership • Energized TeamsVisionary Leadership • Energized Teams

Why Savannah Cement is the company to watch in the near future

As far as building and construction goes, cement is everything. That is why when a

certain brand of cement is chosen over another for a particular mega project, that specifi c manufacturer must be doing something right.

Driven by its outstanding quality and a high acceptance rate in the market, Savannah Cement has won several major contracts in the East African region the hallmark being chosen among the four privileged cement suppliers for the multi-billion Standard Gauge Railway project. Savannah Cement was also the exclusive supplier for the high-end Garden City Mall on Thika Road. So accepted has Savannah Cement become in the market that it managed to beat all the other big cement makers in the region to become the appointed exclusive supplier for Uganda’s largest power project, the 600 MW Karuma Hydro power Dam. In addition, Savannah Cement was also the exclusive supplier of cement for

the construction of the University of Nairobi Towers.

“If the engineers of the University of Nairobi choose your cement over the others, that is a mark of endorsement,” says Savannah Cement managing director Ronald Ndegwa in an interview.

Savannah was also the supplier for the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport’s Greenfi eld Terminal as well as the airport’s Unit Four. The company has also won lucrative tenders to supply to various sewerage projects in places like Dandora, Ruiru, Eldoret and many road projects like the ongoing Outering Road.

“Project managers are usually very strict when it comes to the choice of key raw materials like cement, steel, sand and they look at quality and value for money because they know cheap is expensive,” explains Mr. Ndegwa.

These are not mean achievements for a company that was started just slightly over three years ago and now fi ghting

head-on with competitors who have been in the market for decades.

On July 19, 2012, the fi rst bag of a new cement brand named Savannah was manufactured and packed. This one bag of cement was not sold and is up to date kept as a souvenir. Three and a half years down the line, millions of bags of Savannah Cement have been manufactured and sold both locally and regionally.

How it all started Savannah cement has been in

operation for only three years having started full operations in 2013.Previously the company was set up as an Export Processing Zone and as such was restricted on how much it could sell locally with requirement being to export 80 percent of production. At the beginning of 2013, the company was degazzeted from the EPZ status to become a fully-fl edged local entity that could sell cement anywhere.

This ranks the cement maker as the 6th company to enter the market. Being the latest entrant however presented a unique opportunity for the cement manufacturer. This meant it was able to invest in the latest technology as well as being strategically placed to fi ll existing gaps in the market.

“This way you are able to do your homework and identify which products are on offer, what gaps exist and what customers are yearning for and provide that as a solution,” he explains.

Today, the company is highly respected in the industry, representing one of Kenya’s most successful stories in the building and construction as well as manufacturing sectors.

So what has enabled the company to grow so fast?

On top of the things that have made Savannah Cement such an instant hit lies in the quality of its cement. “All our sales people do when they go to a construction site is to leave a sample and tell them test it and let us have a discussion after,” he adds. “Our rate of acceptance is very high…we have been very well received in the Kenyan market.”

The growth has been so phenomenal that the company is now investing in a new production line to double its current capacity which stands at just over one million tones. “We have run out of head room…everything we

manufacture just goes,” he says.

The traditional cement distribution model is one where a cement manufacturer opens up shop, appoints regional distributors and goes to the

market through these distributors. Savannah Cement chose a different path. Instead of engaging regional distributors, it appointed retailers as distributors opening up an avenue for most businesspeople who would otherwise not enjoy a direct relationship with the manufacturer. In addition, the company did not introduce the common practice of zoning with the suppliers being allowed to sell everywhere they can.

“We are also very close with our customers,” he explains adding that the company also has constant informal bonding sessions with the retailers and their key customers.

And with masons or fundi’s being key decision makers in the

Today, the company is ranked number four in the market,

representing one of Kenya’s most successful stories in the building and construction as

well as manufacturing sectors.

Ronald Ndegwa, Chief Executive Offi cer, Savannah Cement



Building perfection with people

From left, Savannah Cement Limited Managing Director Ronald Ndegwa, Personal Assistant Sally Munene and Marketing Manager Joseph Mugambi display one of the trophies awarded to the fi rm by SAP. [PHOTO: DAVID NJAAGA/STANDARD]

Our Vision

We seek to provide a quality and di� erentiated experience to all in the construction industry. At Savannah Cement, we are driven by a promise of a di� erentiated and intentional customer experience, best value in terms of price and consistent quality coupled with a strong distribution footprint to assure constant availability.

Savannah Cement, Athi River, o� Namanga RoadP.O Box 27910, 00100, Nairobi Kenya

Tel: 0725 999 035/6 0735 999 035Email: [email protected]

This pre-grinding process enables the company to save on energy costs, one of the biggest expenses for cement makers. This way, Savannah has been able to remain afl oat in a highly competitive environment.

Savannah cement believes that cement can be manufactured without polluting the environment and has put measures in place to have an eco-friendly plant.

I consider that a total failure,” he reiterates.

He explains that a good leader must have a succession plan which ideally should have three tiers namely; Ready Now, Ready One and Ready Two. The Ready Now is someone who can take over from you now if you were to exit the company. Ready One and Ready Two defi nes someone who is potentially able but needs like one or two year of training and coaching before they can take over the leadership position.

“The fi rst responsibility of a leader is to identify those people,” he explains. “In our case, we don’t have a vacuum.”

That way, Mr. Ndegwa has identifi ed senior managers who can take over from him. These are the same people who stand in for him whenever he is away from the company. “When I go on leave

I don’t get called because they are more than competent to handle the role,” he adds proudly.

Through this succession planning, managers at various levels are also able to get promoted from one position to the next because there is no fear of a vacuum.

Leadership and return on investment

For Mr. Ndegwa, a business must generate results and return on investments is one of the key measures. To achieve this, Savannah Cement has strived to operate within the lowest costs possible through adoption of appropriate technologies. The company prides itself as being the only cement manufacturer that has a coal fi red pozzolana drier. Savannah is also the only cement maker that uses the combination of a roller press and a ball mill.

expected to take between 12 and18 months to complete.

In the next two or three years we expect to invest $ 250 to 350 million in the capacity expansion and clinkerisation plant projects. This will not only create employment but also make us more competitive.

In terms of innovation, Savannah has been on the forefront and is proud to be the fi rst to introduce special cement for soil stabilization in road construction called Savannah hydraulic road binder (HRB). This product has undergone testing by relevant authorities and is ready to be rolled out to the market.

With the new production line, Savannah aims to join the top league of cement manufacturers in Kenya and the region.

Some of the leadership lessons to learn from Savannah Cement

For Mr. Ndegwa, an engineer by profession, results are usually achieved through people. “I try to develop every member of the team so that they can share in the pride of the success,” he says. “You see the success of a leader through the success of the people they lead.”

Describing himself as a quietly-aggressive manager, Mr. Ndegwa describes a successful leader as one who is able to push his team to do more than they think they are capable of doing. A good leader is also one that gives his people a chance to excel and succeed in their roles, he says.

“If somebody is in a leadership position for more than three years and he or she has no ready successor, then

construction sector, Savannah runs a programme to train them on some of the best practices in construction with graduates getting a certifi cate at the end which has really boosted their chances of getting jobs. These seminars are done in conjunction with the National Construction Authority.

Savannah has also partnered with key higher learning institutions like the universities to share knowledge and also mentor young professionals.

New production line to double capacity

Bogged down by increasing demand but the same level of supply, plans are at an advanced stage to set up a second production line to double capacity. The intention is to break ground for the project this year with the same



Leicester City on Road To Glory

BY SAM WALLACE, CHIEF FOOTBALL WRITER

There was another helicopter journey last month for Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his son

Top from Battersea heliport up to the King Power Stadium, although this time they were not going up to see their Leicester City team play, but to take them out for lunch at the kind of pizza restaurant that rarely welcomes billionaire customers.

The Thai owners of Leicester, and the men behind arguably the most astonishing story in modern British sport, have never courted publicity and when they could have commanded airtime just about anywhere, they once again chose to let their manager and players do the talking. They had spent the previous Monday evening at Stamford Bridge to see the game that crowned their club the Premier league champions.

Vichai and his son Top, a serious polo player and the vice-chairman at Leicester, fi rst watched football at Stamford Bridge around 10 years ago when they took an executive box in the west stand, the same side Roman Abramovich sits on matchdays. Back in 2006, they chose box No 8 because of the Chinese tradition that the number has lucky properties and were regulars at the ground until they bought Leicester from Milan Mandaric in August 2010.

The family are of Thai Chinese heritage and, as owners of one of the world’s biggest duty-free empires, King Power, have run Leicester with the same care and attention that their most inspired appointment, Claudio Ranieri, has applied to the team. They have brought in their own specialists, including the Irish chief executive Susan Whelan, who worked for them previously at King Power, as well keeping those who had grown up with the club and the city.

The Srivaddhanaprabhas spend their time between Bangkok, their home in west London and their major estate in Berkshire where they keep stables of polo ponies and base their all-conquering King Power Foxes team. Whelan also splits her time between London and Leicester. In Leicester they rely on Jon Rudkin, promoted to director of football in December 2014 having previously run

people and do everything their own way. “He came in the fi rst week, he introduced

himself and then didn’t say anything the following week because he just watched us and how we work. He recognised that he had a squad that worked well with each other, got on really well, played well and trained hard.”

Alan Birchenall, the club ambassador whose association with Leicester stretches over 40 years, puts it more strongly. “People say it’s been a fairy story but if Walt Disney had this script on his desk he’d have thrown it away and said it was too over the top,” he said. “Claudio Ranieri should be getting a statue in the city and a bloody knighthood for what he’s done this season.”

Ranieri would be the fi rst to admit that he inherited a strong set-up and squad from Pearson but he has turned good players into superstars. Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante fi gured on every wish-list among Europe’s top clubs and their emergence is a triumph for diligent recruitment, led by assistant manager Steve Walsh.

Ranieri jokes about Walsh’s doggedness in his pursuit of players - “He kept saying Kante, Claudio, Kante” - but they have been perfect additions, blending supreme footballing gifts with the kind of clubbable personalities that Ranieri can blend into a team. One moment, in particular, sums up the selfl essness of this squad. It was in the 2-1 win over Watford in November: Leicester had just been awarded a penalty and Mahrez, the string-puller who has sprinkled stardust across the country, is about to take it.

“The manager said at the beginning of the season that I was the designated penalty taker,” Mahrez recalls. “I took the ball but ‘Vards’ came to me and said ‘Riyad please give me the ball, I want to get the ninth goal in a row’. I was going to take it but then I thought no he’s right, so I gave him the ball to continue his run.

“I could have taken the penalty but it would have been no good to him. I would expect the same from him if I’d been on such a run! It shows why we are together. We are all like brothers.”

Vardy did score that penalty and later that month shattered the 12-year old record held by Ruud Van Nistlerooy by scoring in 11 successive league games. The England international has been the talisman all season, but there is no suggestion of resentment at his success.

His record goalscoring feat saw him given a shirt signed by the squad, and prompted a post-match visit to the dressing room from the Thai owners, when he was personally congratulated and later presented with a silver plate. Tellingly, there were also no complaints from within when the club decided to dismantle their strict wage structure and hand him a new £75,000-a-week contract.

Can they keep this going next season? There are already the doom-mongers predicting a completely different campaign, possibly without Kante. The Parisian is the one star expected to leave after a stunning season that nobody expected. He is understood to have a £20million buy-out clause but with Champions League football assured, surely nobody wants to jump off the ride.

It would be interesting to hear the thoughts of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the chairman who famously targeted a top-fi ve fi nish within three years in 2014. Yet the Thai billionaire is notoriously shy of publicity and prefers to let his actions do the talking for him.

The only sign of extravagance are his fl ights to and from games in his helicopter, but he will not rest now. Funds will be made available for Ranieri this summer while the majority of the squad are in line for lucrative new deals.

“Trust in us”, indeed.

<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36

How Leicester City’s quiet Thai owners turned the Foxes into the

best team in the UK

Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha has transformed the club [PHOTO: REUTERS]

the club’s academy.Rudkin, 51, is another of the unsung

heroes of the Leicester operation, along with Steve Walsh, the head of recruitment and assistant manager and Craig Shakespeare, another assistant. Rudkin was promoted by the Srivaddhanaprabhas because of his experience but also because a lifetime spent working at Leicester, having been a schoolboy player there has proved invaluable. He understands the club and the people who support Leicester, and the family trust him.

Rudkin played a key role in the appointment of Ranieri last summer, presenting the Srivaddhanaprabhas with three options, including Martin O’Neill and Neil Lennon. Ranieri was Vichai’s preferred choice and it is he – referred to as “the boss” at the club – who had the fi nal say. It was a decision approved of by the Buddhist monks from the Wat Traimit Withayaram Woraviharn (Golden Buddha) Temple, in Bangkok, who are fl own in by Vichai for many of the home games.

While Nigel Pearson’s contribution in getting Leicester promoted and then keeping them in the Premier League last season was not overlooked, his departure in the summer was, many believe, the turning point for the club.

Although the catalyst was his son James’s part in the Thai sex scandal, Pearson’s

general unpredictability means the club’s owners were ready for a change and Ranieri’s approach was deemed just what was necessary.

The family attention now turns to retaining their two major polo titles won last year, the Queen’s Cup and the Gold Cup. The King Power Foxes are understood to have polo’s equivalent of Jamie Vardy ready to play in their title defence. Football and polo share equal billing in the Srivaddhanaprabha household and their success means they are the most successful multi-sport ownership family in Britain.

The polo circuit has exposed them to the British establishment, including the Royal family which is no bad thing at the level of business at which they operate. Yet it is nothing like the public profi le that Leicester City have given the family. They bought the club when they had just fi nished fi fth in the Championship and have, with investment of around £100 million, turned them into the best team in the country in just six years.

By comparison, it took Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Manchester City four years to win his fi rst Premier League title and he bought a club, in August 2008, that had fi nished ninth in the Premier League two months previous. Even for a man as accustomed to success as Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, it is hard to think of a more remarkable achievement.

The helicopter [ABOVE] belonging to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his son, [PHOTO: AP] [LEFT] The Peter Pizza Restaurant where Claudio Ranieri took his squad in Leicester. [PHOTO: REUTERS]




KMTC Remains the Training Ground of Choice for Healthcare Workers in Kenya

KMTC has been able to do that through a number of strategic decisions like reviewing the curriculum from time to time.

“With these new courses, we have been able to come up with the skills that a trainee requires before going out to the fi eld,” explains Mr. Tum in an interview. “We are very dynamic as a college…we ensure we know what is happening.”

As such, KMTC’s contribution to health-care provision in Kenya is undoubtedly being felt in all corners of the world.

The college selects students based on set criteria that include; gender, Sub-county population and poverty index. Affi rmative action based on disability and disadvantaged regions are also taken into account.

KMTC ranks among the most spread out institutions in the country and has established 56 campuses spread in 35 counties. The institution is also putting in place mechanisms to establish at least one campus in each of the remaining 12 counties.

Some County governments among them Laikipia and Narok have set aside resources to establish campuses in their counties. The requests are being considered for next academic year 2017.

The economic goals anticipated in Vision 2030 blueprint, requires the health sector to play a supportive role in maintaining a healthy, working population. “The existing equity gap in the distribution of health personnel can only be bridged by creating more training opportunities that guarantee production of competent health workforce,” Mr. Tum explains further.

LeadershipTo Mr. Tum, leadership is about having

a vision and having everybody working towards the same goals. This is one of the principles that have helped KMTC reach the milestones they have achieved so far.

“So as a leader you must ensure that your people are motivated and then provide direction so that people know exactly where they are going and why they are going and what the achievement is going to be in the long run and the short term,” he explains.

Wealth of Experience Mr. Tum was appointed by the KMTC

Board of Directors in November last year to head the institution.

Prior to this, Mr. Tum was the immediate Principal of KMTC Nakuru,

one of the largest campuses in the college.

He holds a Masters Degree from the University of Nairobi, a Bachelor from Egerton University and a post- graduate diploma in Medical electronics from the University of London.

Mr. Tum brings a wealth of experience having held several positions as Principal of KMTC Nakuru and several high ranking positions at KMTC Nairobi campus.

Contribution of the BoardThe board plays an oversight role

providing the much needed eye to ensure the institution is at all times headed in the right direction with the management bestowed with the responsibility to ensure that everything is done according to plan.

“I would describe the current board as very visionary…it is full of people who understand academia, the healthcare needs in this country and people who have had experience in other organizations of higher learning like this one,” Mr. Tum says of the current Board of Directors.

He adds that the board has been able to provide policies that now drive KMTC which he describes as not only well thought-out but also anchored on Vision 2030, Sustainable Development Goals as well as the Kenya Health Policy of the Ministry of Health.

Reform AgendaUnder his watch, Mr Tum, and in an

effort to re-engineer KMTC’s operations and to keep pace with the global trends in health training, the college has embarked

The newly constructed Kenya Medical Training College Kapenguria Campus in West Pokot.

Health CS Dr. Cleopa Mailu (In a red tie), KMTC Director Peter Tum (Standing to the right of CS in a purple tie) and KMTC Board Chairman Prof. Philip Kaloki (standing to the left of CS) listen keenly to a student during the KMTC Open Day in Nairobi.

with the best institutions locally and internationally in line with its mission to produce competent health professionals through training and research, and provision of consultancy services.

The coveted ISO 9001:2008 certifi cation represents the college’s commitment to continuous improvement of service effi ciency and effectiveness, customer satisfaction and superior performance in all its operations.

This perhaps explains why KMTC, a government-owned institution started over 80 years ago, has remained the training ground of choice for a majority of Kenyans with the number of students applying for vacancies each year exceeding the available spaces.

At the heart of these achievements is the able leadership of the board led by the chairman Prof. Philip Kaloki and Mr. Tum as the man in charge of the day-to-day running of the institution.

“Now, more than ever before, KMTC is aggressively seeking to provide the world, and especially Kenya and other African countries, with the relevant and critical human resource needed to effectively address the immediate health challenges of the countries,” explains Mr. Tum indicating the crucial role being played by KMTC in bridging the ever-existing gap of skills in the medical profession.

Under his helm, KMTC has been able to make remarkable achievements and continues to do so each passing day. For instance, the college student population has grown from four in 1927 to 25,481 as at December 2015. KMTC student population was 22,000 in 2013 and 23,000 in 2014. The population rose to an impressive fi gure of 26, 000 as at March, 2016, thanks to the ongoing expansion program. At the same time, the college released 7,501 graduates to the job market during the last graduation ceremony. In the previous two years, the number of graduands for 2013 and 2014 were 6,394 and 6,876 respectively. During this academic year, the college has been able to admit 8,383 students.

The healthcare sector is one full of dynamics and challenges particularly because of new and emerging diseases. As such, training institutions like KMTC must ensure that the human resource personnel churned into the market are well versed with the existing challenges.

By PETER KIRAGU

As far as the training of health care professionals in Kenya and the region is concerned, KMTC is

clearly second to none. That is why eight out of 10 medical

care professionals in all the hospitals or 80 percent of all health care workers in Kenya’s health care sector have been trained at the KMTC, placing the college as a captain of the healthcare training industry.

“KMTC is held in very high esteem not just because the College is pivotal in health service delivery in the world but also because of the professional way in which its graduates carry on the country’s mission of providing effi cient and high-quality care that is accessible, equitable and affordable to all,” opens Mr. Peter Tum, the director and chief executive offi cer of the Kenya Medical Training College in a strong statement that confi rms the position of KMTC as the captain of the medical training sector.

What’s more, KMTC is ISO certifi ed with the quality management system enabling the organization to benchmark

PETER K. TUM – KMTC DIRECTOR

KMTC IS ISO CERTIFIED WITH THE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ENABLING THE ORGANIZATION TO BENCHMARK WITH THE BEST INSTITUTIONS LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY IN LINE WITH ITS MISSION TO PRODUCE COMPETENT HEALTH PROFESSIONALS THROUGH TRAINING AND RESEARCH AND PROVISION OF CONSULTANCY SERVICES.



COURSES OFFERED AT KMTC

Students pose with KMTC Director Peter Tum (in red tie) and Board Chairman Prof. Kaloki during the offi cial opening of Nyandarua campus by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

on a reform agenda.Working closely with the

Board, Mr Tum says the reform agenda will involve review of the Instruments of Governance. The Board, he says, is currently reviewing the KMTC Act, the Statutes, Strategic Plan and some policies to align them with the Constitution, the Code of Governance (Mwongozo) and the devolved system of governance. The aim is to refl ect the current changes and developments in the College, while encompassing the wider reforms in the Government with a view to improving service delivery. The reform agenda will also see some non-core functions outsourced such as cleaning, security and catering.

“Aspiring to be the best is not a mere dream. It is a goal that will require hard work and overcoming our weaknesses at a very challenging time in our College. The college expansion strategy and the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) projects remain on course to help bridge the existing gap in health care personnel,” says Mr. Tum. “With a great team of both academic and non-academic staff and excellent students,

I expect a continuous and sustainable advancement in learning and teaching as well as in achieving fi nancial sustainability for the college.”

Use of ICTIn an effort to increase

effi ciency and effectiveness, and for ease of doing business, the college has embraced the use of ICT in provision of the following;

• Online applicationand admission module for courses installed which is integrated with M-pesa payment.

• Establishment ofcomputer labs in most of the campuses.

• The Local Area Networkbandwidth speed has been increased from 9Mbps to 20Mbps in Nairobi.

• Installation of Wi-Fi inmajority of the campuses.

Skills LabAccording to Mr. Tum,

KMTC will establish regional centers of excellence in skills labs at KMTC campuses located next to the former Provincial General Hospitals and National ReferralHospitals. These centers will offer training in a variety of skills in support of Managed EquipmentService (MES) program.Discussions are ongoing between KMTC and General Electric (GE) health serviceon offering capacity building for health care personnel in MES beneficiaryhospitals and students. Through the collaboration, the curricula will be reviewed to address the gaps in the management of these new equipments.

ResearchThe Kenya Health Policy

2013-2030 places a lot of emphasis on research to generate evidence for use in policy decision making, programmatic planning and practice. In response, the college has allocated Ksh17 million for

research in this fi nancial year. The 4th Scientifi c Conference, which was held between 8th and 10th June, 2016 in Nairobi,is part of the efforts to advance research in the health sector.

Human Resource AffairsAs part of its commitment to

quality in service delivery and retention of staff, the college has implemented the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) as negotiated with the staff union. Improvement of salaries for the management staff who had not benefi ted from the CBA, is at an advanced stage. This is in addition to improvement of transport services for students and staff. Staff and students have also been sensitized on disaster and security information management. Among the faculty, a generational turnover is currently underway. This is also a nationwide trend.

“A number of our great lecturers are transitioning to retirement in the next one year. Despite the transitions, the quality of our faculty remains strong,” says Mr. Tum. “We are working hard to make it even stronger by bringing in a new generation of dynamic, young lecturers.”

As a result, KMTC has employed 12 new lecturers in Medical Imaging Sciences and Health Records and Information Technology. The institution is also in the process of recruiting 54 more lecturers; 24 for the Enrolled Community HealthNursing (ECHN) program and 30for other specialties to replace those leaving the services.

Key Stakeholders and Partners

The college continues to strengthen working collaborations with Development Partners such as Management Sciences for Health (MSH), the World Bank, the World Health Organization(WHO), Fred Hollows Foundation,Jackson Clinics Foundationfrom the USA, JHpiego, Capacity Kenya, and FUNZO Kenya amongothers. For instance, through apartnership with the World Bank, KMTC is currently training 400 nurses drawn from twenty Arid and Semi-Arid counties with the aim of addressing the healthcare challenges in these regions.

KMTC has also signed various MoUs with county governments to train for their specifi c needs. As such, the county governments provide the training facilities while KMTC provides the faculty as well as the students.

To further strengthen this partnership with counties, KMTC has established the offi ce of Intergovernmental Relations to strengthen the coordination mechanism between KMTC, the Ministry of Health and county governments.

In addition, various constituencies and county governments continue to support projects at KMTC’s campuses through Constituency Development Fund (CDF) anddirect investment in specifi c projects. Other funds/charitableorganizations like Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) andRattansi Foundation among otherscontinue to assist needy students to access KMTC programs.

Mr. Tum is also full of praise for the government’s support to the institution which pays the salaries of all the employees of the College. “The government has really been with us every step of our growth,” he adds.

Sports and Extra-Curricular Activities

National sports competitionand other extra-curricular activities have been embraced in the College to enhance national values and national cohesion. In addition, students in all campuses participate in various medical outreaches as part of the college corporate social responsibility activities.

“This brings cohesiveness and exchange of ideas and that general feeling that they belong to one institution called KMTC”, offers Mr. Tum.

KMTC of the FutureGoing forward, Mr. Tum

anticipates that training institutions must keep upgrading themselves to provide the training requirements of the nation. Forhim, he sees KMTC becoming a regional training facility in the next few years that will be a point of call for the region.

“We want to see in the next three or four years that we have set up courses that are very competitive and attractive and are able to provide for the needs of this country and the region,” he expounds further.

Being a mid-level training institution, KMTC is positioning itself to become a degree-awarding institution in the near future. This will motivate students joining the institution knowing that they can achieve the highest qualifi cations in their fi elds of study.

“We are involving all the stakeholders including the Ministry of Health and the regional regulatory bodies to see what their challenges are and therefore how we can be able to meet their needs,” he explains.

“The Board and management will double their efforts to lobby the government for additional funding and mobilize resources from its key stakeholders, for staff recruitment and retention and capital development,” concludes Mr. Tum.

The college o� ers a wide range of courses all tailor-made to meet the health care needs of the Health Sector. The courses are o� ered at Certi� cate, Diploma and Higher Diploma levels. These include:1. Clinical Medicine (basic and higher

diploma)2. Community nutrition (certi� cate and

basic diploma)3. Nursing (certi� cate, basic diploma and

higher diploma)4. Pharmacy (basic and higher diploma)5. Medical Laboratory Sciences (basic and

higher diploma)6. Physiotherapy (basic and higher diploma)7. Medical Imaging Sciences (basic and

higher diploma)8. Health Records & Information (certi� cate

and basic diploma)9. Medical Engineering (certi� cate, basic

diploma and higher diploma)10. Occupational Therapy (basic diploma)11. Orthopaedic Technology (certi� cate,

basic diploma)12. Dental Technology (basic diploma)13. Community Health and HIV/AIDS Care

(Higher Diploma)14. Environmental Health Sciences

(certi� cate, basic diploma and higher diploma)

15. Health Promotion and education (basic diploma and higher diploma)

16. Health Systems Management (higher diploma)

17. Community Oral Health (basic diploma)18. Medical Education (certi� cate and basic

diploma)19. Optometry (basic diploma)20. Registered Nursing Mental Health and

Psychiatry (basic diploma)

New ProgramsThe college has also started some new

programs in line with goals of Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals as well as to respond to emerging and re-emerging health needs. These new programs include

• Nurse Anesthesia• Nephrology Nursing• Orthopedic trauma medicine• Community based rehabilitation• Diploma in Health Promotion

The College has also reviewed its curricula in line with changing needs of the health sector. As such new courses have been introduced while others have been re-introduced including:

• Higher National Diploma in Health Systems Management – Distance learning

• Certifi cate in Environmental Sciences (Public Health Technician)

• Enrolled Community Health Nursing targeting students from Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) Counties, minority populations and other marginalized

A KMTC student explains a point to President Uhuru Kenyatta when he offi cially opened Mwingi campus on June 11, 2016.



BY XN IRAKI

We know the current business leaders today by name, the sectors they are in and even

how they made their money. Some are local icons and we all aspire to be like them, living on the fast lane and getting public attention. Some current leaders made money by working hard or riding on market changes. Who made money from Internet and money transfer? What will be the next big thing?

Some business leaders made money through inheritance while others made use of their close proximity to political power to amass wealth. Will it always be this way? Will business leaders of tomorrow be so different from today’s?

We may not have the hindsight of a prophet, but we can extrapolate into the future and characterize the future business leaders.

One, they must be able to connect the dots.

Internet and mobile phones were always there, but it needed creative business leaders to connect the dots and create a whole business in electronic money transfer. Mpesa was born. Coca Cola was able to see the health consciousness of Kenyans and move to water and juice markets. Equity connected the dots between poverty and banking. Excloosive connected the dots between biological processes and money. Facebook is not build on internet, but our natural instinct to talk to each other, share truth, half-truths or rumours.

Future business leaders will deal with more variables and getting their relationships will make a big difference.

How did the postal service fail to

see the threat of email? How did Kodak fail to see the rise of digital photography? How does celebrating Valentine in UK affect fl ower farmers in Naivasha? How does the USA Federal Bank report affect your pocket?

Future business leaders will be global; they must not only deal with local issues but outside their borders. It is no wonder lots of business schools have included a module abroad. Lots of transnational corporations make more profi t abroad than at home. How can you lead such an organization without good understanding of other cultures, stereotypes and prejudices?

Tomorrow’s business leaders will be multi-disciplinary.

Contrary to what every Kenyan is demanding- that our kids should specialize early in school, the hard truth is that future business leaders must tolerate different perspectives from different disciplines. Accountants and economists think differently, and so are marketers and engineers. Future leaders will deal with all these different perspectives.Specializing will make them narrow and less effective in confronting fl exibility.

If the disciplines cut across socio-technical fi elds the better. Why do engineers seem to make such great business leaders? With their technical background, they can easily master the social part of organizations. Social scientists do not have the luxury of crossing over to sciences, which constraints them and perhaps makes them so defensive and I must say at times emotional. A scientist can take an MBA, but a historian will not go for an M.Sc. The social part of business leadership is more complex than the technical part where algorithms and

apps exist.

Future business leaders must understand people.

Business leadership is about people. Perhaps the most important course you will study in business school is organizational behaviour or behavioural science which helps you understand people, including yourself. What motivates people from different social economic backgrounds, ages, genders etc? How do you deal with generation Y and Z?

Business leaders of tomorrow must deal with new power relationships.

In the past, power came from age and experience. It is slowly being taken over by expertise, particularly in technology. The fi nancial sector is one area where expertise has really shifted power. Chief Information Offi cer (CIO) is now a more prestigious position than in the past. Pricing derivatives or currency dealing need mathematical skills that can give you mental blisters.

Future business leaders will have to put up with another constant, uncertainty.

Even science has come to admit that its currency is not certainty but doubt. How can you thrive in uncertainty, yet we love certainty?

Future business leaders must nurture creativity and innovations, which are key drivers of uncertainty.

These two enemies of traditional leaders often come from the most unlikely places, lower down the organization, from outside the fi rm, and from the youngest employees. In addition, they will be more transparent and ethical.

Finally, business leaders of tomorrow are likely to be self made.

They will need a steeper learning curve, getting experience in the

shortest time possible. You can’t be a successful business leader tomorrow if you live in the shadow of parents, sponsors or even fear. Social engineering will have no place in future leadership. That is not good news for parents who invest millions in private tutoring, coaching and other facets of social engineering. How many CEOs in the NSE listed fi rms grew up in the leafy suburbs? Will business leaders of tomorrow come from an international school or day school in Shamakhoko or Ekalakala?

Do you think you have what it takes to be a future business leader? If yes, do you have a characteristic I have left out? Share it with me. Needless to say, the same characteristics applies to political leaders who will always enjoy two additional, but unenviable characteristics; the belief that something can be right and wrong at the same time and telling people what they want to hear.

Who are the business leaders of tomorrow?

In the past, power came

from age and experience.

It is slowly being taken

over by expertise,

particularly in technology.

The fi nancial sector is one

area where expertise has really shifted power. Chief

Information O� cer (CIO)

is now a more prestigious

position than in the past.

BY PETER KIRAGU

According to Charles Omondi, the chief executive offi cer of integrated security solutions fi rm 911 Group, a leader must

fi rst recognize his team and help them to look ahead in terms of where the organization is supposed to go.

To him, the people in any organization represent one of the most important pillars that enable organizations achieve their objectives. That way, you are able to appeal to the inner being or the soul of the people working under you which makes a great difference when the entire group moves in

one direction because they understand the course isn’t for the boss but theirs as well.

“Trust issues go away, control issues go away because people know what they are supposed to do,” explains Mr. Omondi in an interview. “Leaders who are able to appeal to that are actually leaders who do best in management.”

In his words, this does not however mean the leader will be the most popular or the most liked but at the end of the day, he is doing what actually makes sense to the organization.

In addition, a leader must be in a position to recognize that the success of the organization is not theirs. “This

means putting your people at the forefront of whatever successes the organization achieves,” he explains.

This stems from the fact that in most of the circumstances, the achievements and successes of an organization are not attained by what a leader does but what the team delivers.

According to Mr. Omondi, a person in leadership must be ready for many tests as well as moments of self-doubt. Therefore, leaders must be very resilient. “You can imagine what presidents go through,” he quips. “If you pay attention to disruptions that you get along the way, you might lose it yourself.”

What makes a great leader? Views from 911 Group CEO

CHARLES OMONDICEO, Nine One One Group Limited

The author is a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi

Business leadership is about people. Perhaps the most important course you will study in business school is organizational behaviour or behavioural science which helps you understand people, including yourself.




What it Takes to Build and Sustain Energized Teams

BY GORETTI KIMANI

Every organization plans and focuses all its resources towards the achievement of its bottom

line. Human resources is one without which no organization can exist. It is said that a great company is the sum total of all the abilities and skills of its workforce. How an organization utilizes its human resources will determine the direction the business takes. Interestingly, people are not inherently or naturally motivated to work, they need a push or a reason, something to drive them out of their comfort zones. It is for this reason that organizations focus on placing a great leader at the helm of their business with the sole task of building and sustaining energized teams that will propel the business forward.

An energized team is one with momentum, drive, motivation, focus and with a sense of excellence in their productivity. Any business that keeps the teamwork concept at the forefront of how they operate will reap great benefi ts. Teamwork is what keeps all parts of the business machine running smoothly. The word TEAM is an acronym for ‘Together Everyone Achieves More’. This simply means that Teamwork is unity, and unity is strength.

What are the advantages of building energized teams? Top on the list is individual support whereby utilizing teamwork in a business bolsters the weaknesses of some with the strengths of others. Every employee’s specialized skills add value to the team. For example, if one person excels in marketing, while another is great at clerical work, then each can support the other with the talent that would be lacking if each were forced to work solo. The motivation that the team members give each other creates greater camaraderie, leading to greater fulfi llment within relationships at work and consequently leading to work ownership by each of the workers involved in the team.

Another advantage of teamwork is accountability where there is a creation of an environment in which workers are accountable for what they produce, because other team members are counting on each individual piece to make the project work to everyone’s satisfaction. When all workers do their part, it lends them a sense of pride and belonging, as well as elevated status among the team members. An individual’s

accomplishment is an indispensable input that will affect the fi nal output.

Development of ingenious creative solutions is another advantage of great teamwork. As the old saying goes, ‘two heads are better than one’. Solutions to problems and fresh ideas are generated by the brainstorming that teamwork fosters. Teams allow skills, knowledge, opinions and experiences to be pooled together for the benefi t of the business as a whole. This leads to better productivity for every member of the team, and every task completed by each worker leads to one noticeable outcome that the whole team and company at large can be proud of.

Failure to foster teamwork can have undesirable consequences where an organization ends up with fragmented pieces of work from workers who do not seem to appreciate how their individual efforts contribute to the overall business objectives. Lack of properly developed teams is largely responsible for the high attrition rate experienced by some organizations. This is due to loneliness created by seemingly disjointed Job Descriptions and everyone is on his own.

Organizations that barely conduct staff training or staff meetings are likely to experience higher turnover compared to those who regularly conduct meetings where the company’s mission, visions and also organizational goals and objectives are discussed. Meeting the employees together gives them the message ‘we are one’ more strongly than if they were to read the content on an email or notice board.

DEPRESSED PROFITABILITYAnother consequence of poorly

built teams is low productivity and the corresponding depressed profi tability. An organization cannot expect to grow when its work force is not pulling towards the same direction. Customers and clients become dissatisfi ed and migrate to competitors.

How can an organization build and sustain a motivated and an energized team? Firstly, the organization must defi ne its identity and fi nd its place in its market segment. What products and services is your organization offering? What is your fi ve year strategic plan? Develop your mission and also your vision. You cannot build a team when you are not clear what you will be selling to the customers. Develop a slogan which

will be a reminder to all as to the goals and objectives of the organizations. When the road ahead is clear, chances are high are that those expected walk on it are likely to do so without inhibitions.

Secondly, set out to get the right hires that are skills-fi t for your organization? If the team is to remain energized, then the staff should be qualifi ed with hard and soft skills. Soft skills like leadership, communication, creative and innovative, problem solving skills, imaginative, intuition, positive mental attitude, discipline, and also emotional intelligence should be factored in when conducting the recruitment and selection exercise. Once the organization has the right employees on board, the tough job of providing the employee with a precise job description sets in. Some organizations have outdated standard JDs, which they give any employee that is hired to take up a particular position. They forget that a 10-year old JD cannot give current or expected out-put. JDs must be evaluated regularly to ensure that they help both the organization and the job-holder attain the goals set. The world of work changes every other day, and so should organizations that are keen on becoming successful in the 21st century.

Having a clear and elaborate organizational structure is crucial if the team being built is to retain focus on work energetically. This is because, an elaborate organization structure allows the employee to understand his/her position in the organization and also appreciate the opportunities for career growth that are

available in the particular organization, inspiring them to work hard for the organization as they work for themselves. Effective communication is also a major aspect in building and retaining energized teams. Communication channels, which also offer room for feedback from the team members should be encouraged. A suggestion box works best especially when employees want to remain anonymous.

Developing and communicating policies and procedures manual is another plus in the quest of building energized teams. Nothing should be left to chance and all employees must receive and acknowledge receipt of the same by appending their signatures.

GRIEVANCE HANDLINGGrievance handling

procedure is a team’s thorn in the fl esh if not properly handled. Team builders must remember that as long as employees feel that they have no right to be heard should they feel aggrieved, then the team cohesiveness will continue to be remote. It is therefore important that, team builders utilize their human resource personnel to develop a grievance handling chart and ensure that the same is communicated to all employees. A counseling and a mentorship department is also encouraged to enable employees serve customers well as they now have a place to release their stress.

Having a healthy working environment will also earn the organization the loyalty of all team members. Incidences of favoritism should be

eliminated if sustained energy in the team is to be achieved. As such, team leaders should promote fairness regardless of race, tribe, marital status, or even skin colour. Promotions should also be transparent and should be based purely on merits and competency as opposed to ‘who knows who’ or any other subjective biases.

Hard work and poor performance must be rewarded accordingly. While hard workers are recognized and efforts expended to retain them, poor performers who fail to improve despite the organizational effort to support them must be relieved of their duties. This is because poor performers are momentum breakers and they have the capacity to crumble an organization.

THINK TANKSTo keep the team current

and relevant, team builders must create ‘think tanks’ and promote the sharing of ideas by all the team members. This will make everyone in the team develop a sense of ownership and pride as what they think of matters. It will also go a long way in curing the disconnect normally exhibited by a majority of employees. Team building events can work well in this regards.

Building and sustaining energized teams is no mean feat and it takes visionary and focused business leaders to achieve the same. My very best wishes.

The Writer is a Human Resource Specialist and a Co-Author of ‘The Career Code’. Email: [email protected]

Teams allow skills, knowledge, opinions and experiences to be pooled together for the benefi t of the business as a

whole. This leads to better productivity for every member of the team, and every task completed by each worker

leads to one noticeable outcome that the whole team and company at large can be proud of.



BY PETER KIRAGUMost major corporations struggle

with developing a business strategy that works, according to a new global research by PriceWaterHouse Coopers.

Accordingly, 50 percent of business leaders don’t believe they have a winning strategy to begin with and almost all report missing major opportunities in the market. About two-thirds of business executives say their company’s capabilities don’t support the way they create value in the market. And 80 percent of senior executives say that their overall strategy is not well understood – even within their own company.

Interestingly, these problems are not caused by external forces. They are the outcome of the way most companies are managed.

The survey was conducted by Strategy& Partner, PWC’s strategy consulting capability.

“Worldwide and across the African continent, we are seeing companies battle with how to develop strategies that keep them competitive in an increasingly complex global marketplace. All too often companies don’t think about strategy and execution together,” says Jorge Camarate of Strategy& Partner. “We have a number of business leaders who understand this problem, but very few who know how to overcome this.”

According to this report, there are few companies that are successfully closing the gap between their strategy and execution. Those successful – referred to as ‘coherent’ companies

– are the ones that are able to bridge this strategy-to-execution gap by applying the unique capabilities that distinguish them from their peers.Coherent companies usually have the ability to align their value proposition with their distinctive capabilities and their portfolio of products and services. These elements shape a company’s identity, culture and approach to managing resources, the report says in part.

Traditionally, fi rms formulate a strategy by looking for growth opportunities in the market. For large enterprises, such an approach would include expansion into Africa. However, attempts to build businesses in Africa frequently result in value destruction. A recent study conducted by Strategy& on M&A activity in Africa, shows that of the business expansions into Africa, as many as 66 percent resulted in negative shareholder returns. The study also shows that deals with no capability alignment (32 percent of the total number) signifi cantly underperform compared to those that a have a clear capability alignment.

The results of the study suggested a need for a new growth strategy that builds on and enhances companies’ existing capabilities. This will create more shareholder value than purely seeking out markets based on their intrinsic attractiveness.It is critical that companies expanding into Africa should focus on their own capabilities, it adds further. They need to align their efforts in order to successfully execute their strategy with what they are best at.

PWC adds that one of the key success factors is that it takes unconventional leadership to foster the behavior required of coherent companies.

“In other words, organisations need to bridge the gap between strategy and execution,” a statement released by PWC noted. “Our independent research of multinationals that have expanded across the African continent demonstrates how the effective execution of a winning strategy is what sets successful companies apart.”

The research has identifi ed fi ve acts of unconventional leadership that are of critical importance:

1. Commit to an identity: A true identity expresses what a company does best and why it matters. Choosing and developing an identity requires some refl ection, where your company can go in the market- what products and services you can offer and to whom – is a function of who you are and what you do well. Companies should only compete in those markets where they believe their identity and distinctive capabilities will give them the edge over their competitors.

2. Translate the strategic plan into the everyday life: In order to achieve its targeted identity, an organization must create a blueprint of its capabilities. It must integrate diverse processes and technologies while preserving the strategic value of the enterprise.

3. Put culture to work: An organization’s culture is multidimensional, complex and infl uential. Most business leaders understand the power of a company’s culture – but it’s not always clear how to harness that culture. A company’s culture should reinforce the distinctive capabilities and strengths that differentiate it from the competition. Africa poses some challenges when it comes to culture, as labour markets usually lack people with the necessary technical skills and relevant industry experience. Consequently, companies have to develop their own talent. Since relying heavily on expatriates is not fi nancially sustainable or positively viewed by African governments, fi nding local human capital is essential.

4. Cut costs to grow stronger: Coherent companies tend to invest heavily in activities that support their identity and distinctive capabilities. They will need to regard costs as an investment and focus on investing in those areas that are necessary for executing strategy. In middle-income African countries with strong institutions, aspirational customers demand premium products and services – but these need to be delivered at a lower cost point.

5. Shape the future: Coherent companies acknowledge that their value proposition is never fully achieved and their capabilities system should always be open for further progression.

Secrets Of Closing The Gap Between Strategy And Execution

BY GORETTI KIMANI

A leader infl uences the thinking of others and commands a group of people referred to as followers.

A visionary person envisions the future and chats the way towards the attainment of that which he/she see ahead of him/her. Visionary persons are world changers, they are very dynamic and do not believe in the ‘impossible’, they have a strong believe that ‘impossible’ is a vocabulary for day dreamers and those who wade in mediocrity. If visionary leaders fail to fi nd a way, they create the way, no wonder critics fi nd them unrealistic.

Visionary business leaders, therefore, are persons who steer their organizations to heights beyond any one’s imagination. They are always on the lookout for better ways to meet their customers’ changing needs and wants.

Though visionary business leaders are ordinary people, they exhibit different qualities and traits that make them stand out. How can one identify visionary leaders? Visionary leaders have excellent communication skills; eloquently articulate

their issues and ensure they are successful in selling their ideas to their listeners. Visionary leaders are also excellent listeners; they appreciate the fact that, for you to remain a person of excellence, you must maintain a learner’s attitude.

Visionary leaders are charismatic as they execute their duties; they are energetic and full of passion for their work. Their charisma is un-doubtingly contagious as the teams they lead normally exhibit the same energy, propelling their organizations to great heights. Visionary leaders never give ups, they learn from their mistakes and re-strategize until their vision is realized.

RISK TAKERSVisionary leaders are risk-takers who

venture in ideas where no one else would dare trend, this creates innovators, inventors and creators out of themselves and their teams. A visionary leader’s career life is simply adventurous. They are excellent in strategic planning and continuously evaluate the progress. They surround themselves with intelligent like-

minded think-tanks that can help them achieve their goals and objectives for the organization.

Visionary leaders are SMART planners. SMART is an acronym for Specifi c, Measurable, Achievable/Attainable, Realistic, Time bound. This means that all goals that these leaders set out to achieve are specifi c and they clearly defi ne the kind of needs they want to satisfy for their customers. They determine evaluation criteria to aid them in measuring progress, to ensure that the project is attainable and real. Finally, they set a time frame for the achievement of their goals.

Most visionary leaders are approachable by their juniors as they encourage the growth of the ideas forum, meaning that they exercise openness to information and are always grateful to those who share ideas on how to improve customer experience and thus improving on productivity as they gain customer loyalty. Visionary leaders are gifted with persistence and perseverance. They appreciate the fact that ‘Rome was not built in a day’. As such, they allow their ideas to incubate, pilot them before selling

them to the team for implementation.Some of the qualities of visionary

business leaders are; they execute all their undertakings with confi dence, believe in themselves and what they sell to the employees, customers and the shareholders. Visionary leaders are self-created and see opportunities and rise up to seize them.

They always devise new ways to achieve goals, organize and build teams’ efforts and embrace change instead of shrinking from it and achieve their targets through obstacles to create success. Visionary leaders make things happen, they are courageous and tenacious.

Visionary leaders normally delegate to others in the organization. They abhor micro management as this will not only clip the wings of their juniors, but will divert valuable time for working towards the realization of their visions. Consequently, employees who work under the leadership of visionaries grow their careers tremendously.

Visionary business leaders, normally,

Who Is A Visionary Leader?

CONTINUED ON PAGE 48 >>



Who Is A Visionary Leader

BY XN IRAKI

Social investment also called impact investment strengthens people’s skills and capacity

and supports them to fully participate in employment and social life, says European Union. Key areas popular with social investment includes education, healthcare, childcare, training, job search assistance and rehabilitation.

Unlike other investments like physical investments from buildings to highways, the results of social investment are not easy to see or publicize. It will take years before a kid grows up going through several nannies before graduating, getting a job and breaking the cycle of dependency. In developed countries, childcare is so expensive that one parent often stops working once kids come by. Building rooms for breast feeding or nurseries for kids is a great investment.

Returns from health like increased productivity are hard to measure. Training and rehabilitation may not have immediate results, except for the chief caught drinking.

But the returns of social investment are more long lasting; they even cross generations. Once you educate a person, chances are his children and grandchildren will also go to school and become better citizens. Rehabilitated alcoholics and drug addicts are cheaper to the society in the long run. Jobless youths can easily be attracted to crime or even militias.

The high returns from the social investments results from the fact the benefi ciaries start from low level. They include children and

young people, job seekers, women, the elderly, homeless and disabled. Without social investment such people would remain in the periphery of the society. Interestingly, traditional societies had their social investments. Was dowry not one of them- ensured security in old age and never paid at once?

But even non vulnerable members of the society benefi t too. Employers and society at large benefi t through better health, social inclusion for vulnerable members of the society, higher productivity and better life for all of us. Some benefi ts like happiness are hard to quantify.

Social investment, like all other investments is more effective if it is sustainable. Such sustainability strengthen current and future capacity to participate in society and labour markets, helps people throughout their lives, and stresses prevention rather than cure, and increases opportunities throughout life.

How do we create sustainable social investment?

The starting pointing is appreciating its benefi ts. Too many people think it is wastage of money. Some shareholders may feel it reduces their net worth. Why should some profi ts be given to those who did not invest and are not shareholders? Once individuals, corporates and institutions see the benefi ts, they will easily invest in social causes.

Others argue they do enough social investment by paying progressive taxes. That could make lots of sense in developed countries, where employment rate is high and

wastage is kept to minimum. Am not suggesting we should pay for government waste.

In Kenya, the dependency rate is high and social investment is rarely enough. Health services are often crowed and so are schools. Lots of youths got wrong skills and lots of elderly are not aging gracefully. Any supplement from individuals and corporations would go a long way in making a difference to the vast majority of citizens.

The beauty about business and corporate leaders investing in social causes is that unlike the governments, they channel their investment to the sectors where the returns are highest. Never mind that such decisions are often crowded out by PR. Should a corporation put money in scholarships or in waste management?

In most countries, government incentivize social investment by giving tax breaks. In Kenya?

Corporate and business leaders can create sustainable social investment by going beyond tax breaks. Cooperative unions in most sectors can be seen as a form of social investment. By getting cheaper loans, individuals can improve their lives making the whole country better. Corporate leaders can ensure that the money contributed by members is prudently managed.

I was surprised the other day to fi nd that caddies in golf courses contribute money to bail their members in case of arrest or other misfortunes. Even chamas are forms of social investment. Banks have even set up special accounts for them. Why not set up Chamas bank?

Business and corporate leaders can link fi nancial returns to social returns, even in their books of accounts.

Sophisticated business leaders and corporations can package social investments into manageable investments. We can have green bonds or funds that target climate change, what of education funds or scholarship funds. There are always people with some money willing to invest it causes dear to them. Noted the rise of foundations in Kenya?

Interestingly, social investment often makes other investment easier and we all benefi t in the long run. Chamas, cooperative Unions and merry go round reduce demand for bank loans, lower the interest rates and make it easier to borrow money for would be investors. The borrowed money is invested or consumed and create demand in the economy and growth.

With good leadership, such investments complement those of brick and motor, the create emotional connection that increase customer loyalty and sustainability. We can even spin them off social investments into independent entities. Lots of foundations are self sustaining; they advance social causes while making money. Grameen bank makes money but uplifts the standards of living for millions.

Social investment should not be an afterthought. It should be part of any sustainable business. After all any business is ran by the people, through people and for the people. It makes economic sense to invest in them, particularly those likely to fall through the cracks.

Creating sustainable social investment to make a difference in society

have very high expectations regarding the businesses that they lead and their capacity to lead successfully. They take responsibility for team performance and also give credit to the team when success is realized.

Visionary business leaders are well balanced individuals; this means that their mental, emotional and physical well-being is healthy. This is because one cannot achieve greatness when he/she is a poor time manager. They are organized and understand well how to prioritize their work to ensure that they still have a social life as they excel in their careers.

History shows that most visionary leaders are extroverts and givers of knowledge and wisdom. They offer mentorship and coaching to others, especially the young.

MENTORSHIPMentoring is an essential leadership skill.

In addition to managing and motivating people, it’s also important that you can help others learn, grow and become more effective in their jobs. They do this through a

mentoring partnerships, which is arranged within the organization or through a personal or professional network.

Visionary business leaders regularly conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis to ensure the enterprise is well positioned in its market segment and that even as he/she implement the vision, the business remains profi table and productive.

A SWOT analysis is an integral part of a company’s strategic planning process because it provides a good all-around view of the company’s current and forward-looking situation. The strengths (S) and weaknesses (W) sections provide a look at the company’s current position. The opportunities (O) and threats (T) sections help the company project possibilities and challenges going forward.

Some of the examples of Known Visionary leaders in Kenya includes:-

MR VIMAL SHAHVimal Shah is one of Kenya and East

Africa’s eminent and most respected business leader. Together with his father

and brother, Mr. Shah has transformed Bidco from a humble soap manufacturing enterprise into a Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) giant. Bidco is presently East Africa’s leading manufacturer of edible oils and personal hygiene care products with over 40 brands and a footprint in 16 African countries and still counting. Shah is regarded as one of Africa’s most distinguished and visionary business leaders and was named as a fi nalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011. He is a much sought-after speaker and mentor on entrepreneurship, leadership and manufacturing and has given talks all over the world. Vimal is an avid reader and his favorite subjects include philosophy, spirituality, leadership, innovation, business excellence and mentoring.

DR JAMES MWANGIDr James Mwangi is the Chief Executive

Offi cer and Managing Director of Equity Group and the chairman of Equity group foundation. He is a model of visionary leadership with exceptional transformational leadership skills in all

his career life. He is daring and tenacious, always creating innovative ideas to uplift ordinary people economically. Top on the list of his many achievements is the transformation of Equity Building society into what it is today. Another one is the introduction of mobile banking namely Mkesho and agency bank which ensured that the unbanked is now banked.

Dr. Mwangi is a philanthropist, as the Chairman of Equity Group Foundation, which was established to create the fi nancial and operational infrastructure for social programs aimed at low-income populations. EGF is the focal point for partnerships with Equity Bank on programs aimed at low-income populations. Its goal is to transform the socioeconomic status of people in Africa

CONCLUSION Kenya’s Vision 2030 pillars namely

economic, social and political pillar can only be achieved by visionary leaders.

The Writer is a Career Coach and the Co-Author of ‘The Career Code’. [email protected]

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