“The most difficult conversation I’ve never had.” That’s how one African CEO described his relationship with the three executives who helped launch his now-dominant company. They were there in the cramped office with unreliable electricity, there when investors laughed them out of meeting rooms, there through the first impossible year when market share hovered at...Read More

While your competitors obsess over AI implementation, they’re missing the real threat: AI isn’t just changing how you operate – it’s invalidating why you exist. The true disruption isn’t technological but strategic. AI doesn’t just optimize your current business model; it questions its very premise. Your core value proposition—what customers actually pay for—is becoming obsolete...Read More

Starting as a new manager can be both exhilarating and terrifying. Recently, I shared these insights with Sophia (not her real name) joining one of our customer facing teams: 1.Listen before leading. Spend weeks observing before making changes. 2.Trust is earned, not assumed. Show genuine interest in your team as people, not just producers. 3.Clarify...Read More

Digital native or digitally distracted? Self-aware or self-absorbed? Independent thinkers or uncommitted job-hoppers? The Gen Z debate polarizes African workplaces with compelling arguments on both sides. Executives see employees constantly on smartphones and measure declining output. Gen Z workers counter that they deliver results differently, often faster. Both miss that productivity may need new definitions...Read More

“Good morning Coach B,” the message from a middle manager began. “You are indeed an Iconic legend in our generation. I am a beneficiary under your Coaching.” The journey of coaching rarely follows a straight path. This manager’s reflection illuminates the delicate art of guiding someone who initially resists the very guidance they need. “Initially...Read More

The resignation letter sits on my desk – another “japa” departure. Our third this month. Once, we planned development paths spanning years. Now, we wonder if investing in talent is pouring water into a leaking bucket. After watching our meticulously trained analyst leave for Canada with three days’ notice, the question haunts us: Why develop...Read More

When our top candidate withdrew after seeing basic anti-AI interview conditions during a virtual interview, it exposed a telling contradiction in today’s recruitment landscape. This swift retreat raises legitimate questions: Why walk away from demonstrating genuine capabilities? Even if the process wasn’t ideal, professional growth often comes from navigating various evaluation methods. The candidate missed...Read More

The remote work debate in Africa exposes contradictions on all sides. CEOs demand office attendance while ignoring the reality that their management models remain stuck in industrial era thinking. Employees champion flexibility while conveniently overlooking infrastructure challenges that make “working from home” a fundamentally different proposition in Nairobi than in New York. The infrastructure question...Read More

Woman with smart glasses png mockup futuristic technology Found on your desk—a letter from the MD who oversaw this company’s collapse. Would you trust it? “Dear Successor, Welcome to the ruins. Prioritize customer confidence restoration and team rebuilding simultaneously impossible, I know. West African markets forgive slowly. Two camps await you: loyalists who’ll defend my...Read More

Workplace bullying, depression and gossip of businessman with anxiety, mental health and pointing employees in office conflict. Lonely, depressed and harassment of sad victim in worker discrimination. Imagine this scene: Three executives approach you, the CEO, insisting a fellow executive needs emotional intelligence training. It seems straightforward – if someone lacks EI, get them trained,...Read More

My colleague Tom arrived in Lagos with his pristinely polished oxfords. Two weeks later, I spotted him in the market wearing locally made sandals. “The roads between meetings taught me humility,” he laughed. “And my dress shoes taught me about Lagos potholes.” The African proverb says, “When the music changes, so does the dance.” Nothing...Read More