One reason you should become a member of the Institute of Corporate Governance of Uganda (ICGU) is access to boardrooms, leaders, and top executives of companies. A few years ago, I got an opportunity through the Institute to facilitate a strategy retreat attended by both the board and exco members for a manufacturing firm that had recently expanded into regional markets.

It was supposed to be a “refresh and reset” session. But fifteen minutes in, it became obvious I wasn’t walking into a retreat, I was walking into a war zone. Directors sat in factions. Side-eyes flew like drones. One director pulled me aside during tea break and whispered, “We are not here to plan the future, we’re here to stop him from becoming chairman.” Read more >>

“Complacency is like high blood pressure. You don’t feel it immediately. But slowly, it chokes your organization’s agility, your customer focus, and your innovation engine”

Start with diagnosis, not checklists

Once, I was asked to conduct a board strategy retreat for a financial institution that had just suffered a silent cyberattack. Silent because they didn’t even know it happened until an anonymous tipster sent proof of client data, board emails, and KYC files, leaked online. That’s when I realised something worrying. The board didn’t even know what “phishing” meant. But here they were, approving a multimillion-dollar digital transformation strategy, yet they didn’t know what zero trust architecture entailed. The blind approve the digital roadmap for the blind.

Boards do not need cybersecurity literacy, but they need cyber fluency.

Cyber is not an IT problem, it’s a survival issue. Read more >>

The graveyard of good ideas

Sometime in 2024, I was invited to sit in on an “innovation committee” of a top-tier manufacturing firm. On the agenda? Reviewing a proposal to invest in a new AI-enabled production line. Sounds exciting, right?

Until I walked into the room and realised this so-called innovation committee was made up of the same people on the finance and procurement committees, just wearing different hats. No young minds, no customers, no real thinkers, just spreadsheets, policies, and a loud obsession with ROI.

After 90 minutes, they shelved the proposal citing “lack of budget clarity.” What they didn’t know: a mid-sized competitor launched a similar line six months later and captured a niche market worth $2.2 million annually. That’s the thing about innovation committees. They’re usually where good ideas go to die. Read more >>

Your workplace may be broken. It’s time to fix it.

Most organizations struggle with the same problems high turnover, low productivity, disengaged employees, and leadership that feels stuck. You think the issue is strategy, hiring, or motivation. It’s not.

The real problem is your culture.

Introducing the Culture Mastery Series by Mr Strategy, the author of “7Tools to Get to the Board and Add Value”, and “Execution is the Strategy” Newsletter series on LinkedIn.

This is not another leadership seminar. It is a culture transformation program designed for CEOs, HR leaders, managers, and employees who are ready to fix what is broken and build a workplace where results matter.

No theories. No generic advice. Only proven frameworks, practical solutions, and tools you can apply immediately. Read more >>

This thought-provoking book offers an incisive examination of corporate governance from both a historical and contemporary point of view…I highly recommend it for your useful and sustainable leadership benefit” – Michael Mugabi, Former President, Institute of Corporate Governance of Uganda.