The Growing Skills Gap The hospitality industry in Africa is growing rapidly, but the talent pipeline is struggling to keep pace. Hotels and service businesses across the continent face a consistent challenge: finding well-trained professionals who can deliver excellence day…
She built her career studying dishonesty.Then lost her exalted position—after allegedly practicing it.At one of the world’s most prestigious business schools. The irony is painful.But the lesson is powerful. Recently, the academic and professional world was shaken by the news…
I recently reflected on one of the most surprising lessons from my MBA: a session on personal grooming as part of a professional etiquette module. While most of my MBA courses explored models of strategy and finance, this particular session…
Chances are that you are a gainfully employed professional in a stable industry with good future prospects. However, there’s a germ of a business idea that has been niggling at the back of your mind for months. Perhaps you are…
Ode to Excellence When I was 16, I recall flipping through the pages of an old edition of the Harvard Business Reviewwhile waiting for my mother in her boutique in the suburbs of Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria. As…
As a business owner, your business model specifies how you plan to create, capture and deliver value. It’s your secret sauce, your competitive edge and the special formula that helps you succeed in the marketplace. To get your business model…
Last week, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (and indeed, the whole country) was in a furor because a plan to restructure the organization was announced without sufficient engagement of all impacted stakeholders. As a result, the proposed change was badly…
Improving the world usually takes extensive research (‘’What should we do?’’), a good strategy (‘’How should we do it?’’) and the support of leadership (‘’Who will approve it?’’). It’s the same formula regardless of whether you want to change a…
‘’A man without a vision for his future, always returns to his past.’’ Happy New Year! How I love beginnings! A wise man once remarked that ‘’the end of a matter is better than its beginning’’. However, there’s something about…
This weekend, I downloaded and read Nigeria’s poverty reduction strategy from the website of the World Bank. The full title of the document is NEEDS (National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy) and its development was spearheaded by the eminent Professor…
