For the first 12 years of my career I worked for a British IT multinational, in both field offices and in the head office, and it was in the late 70s, for the last two of these, that I came to Kenya to manage its local subsidiary here. So from different perspectives I was able […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2021-04-01 12:19:002021-04-01 12:20:34Who rises to the top of pyramid?
Like each of you, I experience both wonderful and dreadful customer journeys. And like my fellow columnist Sunny Bindra, from time to time I write about them. I enjoy recognising and celebrating the good by name, while venting about those at the other end of the spectrum, usually without revealing their identity. Today I want […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2021-03-18 14:04:352021-03-18 14:04:35The good guys and bad guys in customer service
From time to time I have been asked to speak at the Kenya School of Government’s Strategic Leadership Development Programme (SLDP), and late last year I was invited to close its 224th iteration, virtually hosted by the Mombasa campus. The participants were informed that I was to be their “motivational speaker” but, as I did […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/mikeeldon02_280.jpg404280artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2021-03-04 15:57:232021-03-04 15:57:23Leadership messages for public servants
Last month the Kianda Foundation celebrated its 60th anniversary through a virtual event at which the keynote speaker was the chairperson of the Foundation, Olga Marlin. No one could have been better placed to play that role, as she was one of the four determined ladies who launched this pioneering initiative for educating African girls […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2021-02-18 10:25:572021-02-18 10:25:57Kianda at 60 is a story of empowerment of girls
In my last article I analysed Donald Trump’s ego state, describing him as a deeply insecure man who was formed by his unhappy childhood where he was bullied by his domineering father and neglected by his absent mother. Trump’s “I’m OK, You’re not OK” behaviour, I wrote, masks his “I’m not OK, You’re OK” interior; […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2021-01-22 13:41:032021-01-22 13:41:03Obama the “Adult”
As I have written in several previous articles in this column – the most recent of which was my opening one for 2012 – in much of what I do I refer to the pioneering Transactional Analysis work of Eric Berne, which he laid out in his 1964 book, Games People Play. I am also […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2021-01-11 10:05:192021-01-11 10:05:19Analysing impact of spoilt child in Trump
A few months ago I wrote a column about my session at a Women On Boards Network (WOBN) event on building one’s brand as a board member, and today I share the views I expressed at the recent WOBN annual conference on how the presence of women on boards influences board governance and performance. Over […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-12-25 12:53:552020-12-25 12:53:55Do women in boardroom improve performance?
My favourite line from President-Elect Joe Biden’s November 7 acceptance speech following the American election is this one, on the refusal over the last few years of Democrats and Republicans to cooperate with one another: “It’s not some mysterious force beyond our control,” he declared, “It’s a decision, a choice. So if we can decide […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-11-26 09:32:002020-11-26 09:32:00Embracing change is a choice we can make
Four years ago I wrote a column on the intergenerational challenges facing family businesses, admiring the way those who overcame such challenges did so while noting how too often the founder was reluctant to empower subsequent generations. I want to return to that topic today, thanks to the opportunity I have benefited from over the […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/mikeeldon02_280.jpg404280artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-11-13 12:15:292020-11-17 08:31:37Professionalising family businesses
I was recently invited to be the guest speaker at a Toastmasters event, and perhaps not surprisingly it was on the subject of public speaking. For those not familiar with Toastmasters Clubs — of which there are 16,800 in 142 countries around the world, with around 250,000 members — they develop them as communicators and […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/mikeeldon02_280.jpg404280artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-10-29 08:10:222020-10-29 08:10:22Toastmasters and the art of effective speech delivery
Even as many organisations continue asking for help with teambuilding, more recently change management has also gone mainstream. While the massive Covid disruption has brought change yet further front and centre, even before the pandemic spread around the world, the 21st century VUCA phenomenon of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity had confirmed constant change as […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-10-15 09:52:552020-10-15 09:52:55How to lead people in embracing change
As my readers are aware I am a great advocate for emotional intelligence, in which context I often talk about how we are sometimes challenged to separate how we feel from how we behave. This allows us to act in ways that keep our interactions and relationships positive, by finding the strength to overcome feelings […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-10-03 09:46:072020-10-03 09:46:07It’s wise to accept that you don’t have all the answers
OK, so you’ve served your two terms as a director, and now it’s time to give way to someone else. You’ve enjoyed being in all those board committee meetings with your fellow directors, and you have developed close relations with several of them. You also feel good about the value you have been adding to […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-09-17 10:32:172020-09-17 10:32:17How to make your board exit as smooth as possible
Just before all public events were cancelled earlier this year I was invited by the Women on Boards Network to run a session on building one’s brand as a board member. It was, as I expected it would be, a lively evening with over 50 bright, engaged women in the room. How fortunate we are […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-09-03 11:38:212020-09-03 14:29:04Building your brand for boardroom role
Ah yes, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) – they’re the hate speech guys aren’t they? The ones who hear our politicians stir up their supporters against those of their opponents, and then slap their wrists. Yes they are in business to hammer hate speech, and it’s definitely what the media love reporting on […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/mikeeldon02_280.jpg404280artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-08-20 09:15:472020-08-20 09:15:47NCIC deals with much more than hate speech
As the government continues to work out an adequate and fair response to the huge rise in virus infections and accelerating death rate, out of the box thinking is required. Complete area lockdowns hurt socio-economic development, while clearly helping to reduce Covid-19 infections. Yet reduced development devastates incomes, especially of the poor who even find […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-08-10 10:21:202020-08-10 10:21:20Basic income, free face masks needed in the slums urgently
Over 40 percent of Kenyans have a bank account, and when one includes the use of mobile money over 80 percent enjoy access to formal financial services. Yet the penetration of insurance in Kenya stands at under 3 percent – and it is not rising. Understandably, many commentators therefore see huge potential for developing this […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-08-06 09:33:372020-08-06 09:33:37Hurdles that hinder growth of insurance scene
In my last column I wrote about John Ngumi’s quest for a vision of Kenya, one that will help us emerge from our national malaise and offer a national goal and purpose that can excite and focus us. Mr Ngumi worried that we live in a time of great cynicism and scepticism, with disbelief in […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-07-24 14:16:352020-07-24 14:16:35Let’s return to quest for a new vision
From time to time I am fortunate to be exposed to the highly thoughtful, well-informed and articulate WhatsApps of John Ngumi, and his most recent was one of his best. In it he asked for “an idea, a vision of Kenya, that will help get us out of our national malaise, will give us a […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-07-14 12:25:292020-07-14 12:25:29Why Kenya needs brand new vision
Last week I was invited by Prof Michael Hopkins to speak at one of his CSR Meetup events, these days inevitably online. Prof Hopkins has been running these for over ten years, and in different countries around the world. Now they are being co-hosted by Globethics, the Geneva-based global ethics network, and my topic was […]
https://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/mike.jpg400306artkenyahttps://mike-eldon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/logo.pngartkenya2020-06-11 09:02:502020-06-11 09:05:18Going about CSR in the tough time of Covid-19
Who rises to the top of pyramid?
/in My Articles /by artkenyaFor the first 12 years of my career I worked for a British IT multinational, in both field offices and in the head office, and it was in the late 70s, for the last two of these, that I came to Kenya to manage its local subsidiary here. So from different perspectives I was able […]
The good guys and bad guys in customer service
/in My Articles /by artkenyaLike each of you, I experience both wonderful and dreadful customer journeys. And like my fellow columnist Sunny Bindra, from time to time I write about them. I enjoy recognising and celebrating the good by name, while venting about those at the other end of the spectrum, usually without revealing their identity. Today I want […]
Leadership messages for public servants
/in My Articles /by artkenyaFrom time to time I have been asked to speak at the Kenya School of Government’s Strategic Leadership Development Programme (SLDP), and late last year I was invited to close its 224th iteration, virtually hosted by the Mombasa campus. The participants were informed that I was to be their “motivational speaker” but, as I did […]
Kianda at 60 is a story of empowerment of girls
/in My Articles /by artkenyaLast month the Kianda Foundation celebrated its 60th anniversary through a virtual event at which the keynote speaker was the chairperson of the Foundation, Olga Marlin. No one could have been better placed to play that role, as she was one of the four determined ladies who launched this pioneering initiative for educating African girls […]
Obama the “Adult”
/in My Articles /by artkenyaIn my last article I analysed Donald Trump’s ego state, describing him as a deeply insecure man who was formed by his unhappy childhood where he was bullied by his domineering father and neglected by his absent mother. Trump’s “I’m OK, You’re not OK” behaviour, I wrote, masks his “I’m not OK, You’re OK” interior; […]
Analysing impact of spoilt child in Trump
/in My Articles /by artkenyaAs I have written in several previous articles in this column – the most recent of which was my opening one for 2012 – in much of what I do I refer to the pioneering Transactional Analysis work of Eric Berne, which he laid out in his 1964 book, Games People Play. I am also […]
Do women in boardroom improve performance?
/in My Articles /by artkenyaA few months ago I wrote a column about my session at a Women On Boards Network (WOBN) event on building one’s brand as a board member, and today I share the views I expressed at the recent WOBN annual conference on how the presence of women on boards influences board governance and performance. Over […]
Embracing change is a choice we can make
/in My Articles /by artkenyaMy favourite line from President-Elect Joe Biden’s November 7 acceptance speech following the American election is this one, on the refusal over the last few years of Democrats and Republicans to cooperate with one another: “It’s not some mysterious force beyond our control,” he declared, “It’s a decision, a choice. So if we can decide […]
Professionalising family businesses
/in My Articles /by artkenyaFour years ago I wrote a column on the intergenerational challenges facing family businesses, admiring the way those who overcame such challenges did so while noting how too often the founder was reluctant to empower subsequent generations. I want to return to that topic today, thanks to the opportunity I have benefited from over the […]
Toastmasters and the art of effective speech delivery
/in My Articles /by artkenyaI was recently invited to be the guest speaker at a Toastmasters event, and perhaps not surprisingly it was on the subject of public speaking. For those not familiar with Toastmasters Clubs — of which there are 16,800 in 142 countries around the world, with around 250,000 members — they develop them as communicators and […]
How to lead people in embracing change
/in My Articles /by artkenyaEven as many organisations continue asking for help with teambuilding, more recently change management has also gone mainstream. While the massive Covid disruption has brought change yet further front and centre, even before the pandemic spread around the world, the 21st century VUCA phenomenon of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity had confirmed constant change as […]
It’s wise to accept that you don’t have all the answers
/in My Articles /by artkenyaAs my readers are aware I am a great advocate for emotional intelligence, in which context I often talk about how we are sometimes challenged to separate how we feel from how we behave. This allows us to act in ways that keep our interactions and relationships positive, by finding the strength to overcome feelings […]
How to make your board exit as smooth as possible
/in My Articles /by artkenyaOK, so you’ve served your two terms as a director, and now it’s time to give way to someone else. You’ve enjoyed being in all those board committee meetings with your fellow directors, and you have developed close relations with several of them. You also feel good about the value you have been adding to […]
Building your brand for boardroom role
/in My Articles /by artkenyaJust before all public events were cancelled earlier this year I was invited by the Women on Boards Network to run a session on building one’s brand as a board member. It was, as I expected it would be, a lively evening with over 50 bright, engaged women in the room. How fortunate we are […]
NCIC deals with much more than hate speech
/in My Articles /by artkenyaAh yes, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) – they’re the hate speech guys aren’t they? The ones who hear our politicians stir up their supporters against those of their opponents, and then slap their wrists. Yes they are in business to hammer hate speech, and it’s definitely what the media love reporting on […]
Basic income, free face masks needed in the slums urgently
/in My Articles /by artkenyaAs the government continues to work out an adequate and fair response to the huge rise in virus infections and accelerating death rate, out of the box thinking is required. Complete area lockdowns hurt socio-economic development, while clearly helping to reduce Covid-19 infections. Yet reduced development devastates incomes, especially of the poor who even find […]
Hurdles that hinder growth of insurance scene
/in My Articles /by artkenyaOver 40 percent of Kenyans have a bank account, and when one includes the use of mobile money over 80 percent enjoy access to formal financial services. Yet the penetration of insurance in Kenya stands at under 3 percent – and it is not rising. Understandably, many commentators therefore see huge potential for developing this […]
Let’s return to quest for a new vision
/in My Articles /by artkenyaIn my last column I wrote about John Ngumi’s quest for a vision of Kenya, one that will help us emerge from our national malaise and offer a national goal and purpose that can excite and focus us. Mr Ngumi worried that we live in a time of great cynicism and scepticism, with disbelief in […]
Why Kenya needs brand new vision
/in My Articles, News /by artkenyaFrom time to time I am fortunate to be exposed to the highly thoughtful, well-informed and articulate WhatsApps of John Ngumi, and his most recent was one of his best. In it he asked for “an idea, a vision of Kenya, that will help get us out of our national malaise, will give us a […]
Going about CSR in the tough time of Covid-19
/in My Articles /by artkenyaLast week I was invited by Prof Michael Hopkins to speak at one of his CSR Meetup events, these days inevitably online. Prof Hopkins has been running these for over ten years, and in different countries around the world. Now they are being co-hosted by Globethics, the Geneva-based global ethics network, and my topic was […]