By Pearson Mbendera
What does it take to build a successful company? I ask the question because when I look around right here in Zimbabwe all I see are failing companies that are on the verge of closing.
I have read a lot of stories about managers that have turned around the fortunes of struggling companies, like Warren Buffet when he became the interim Chairman of Salomon Inc.
After the company was involved in a scandal involving its CEO, John Gutfreund or the second coming of Steven Jobs at Apple after a 10 year absence that saw the company reaching greater heights.
The list is endless, but we don’t have that many stories here in Zimbabwe. What we have most are corrupt executives making newspaper headlines weekly with the salarygate scandal the most recent and prominent scandal.
The economy of Zimbabwe has been under performing for long now. For that reason a lot of companies aren’t expected to perform well.
Many companies closed down, some have failed to pay their employees monthly salaries, and creditors don’t get paid. It’s a mess, a financial mess. On the other hand other companies like Econet, Delta and various Tobacco companies to name a few have been doing so well despite the harsh economic environment they are operating in.
While it’s easy to blame the economy for the problems faced by individual companies, the fact that other companies are succeeding means that they can succeed too, which means maybe there is something that some managers aren’t doing well. Maybe there is something that they just don’t get.
I’m yet to meet a manager who doesn’t have an excuse for poor financial results. One once said “The shareholders aren’t supporting me well enough; they know I need more working capital.”
The other one said, “The economy is not viable enough, there is no way we can make it.” The excuses are many and sometimes they are valid, but the big question is, “what have you done to circumvent the harsh conditions you were operating under?”
Happison Muchechetere once complained about sanctions after failing to acquire some state of the art equipment for ZBC, but he is the same guy who was getting paid a lot of money from the same coffers that failed to upgrade the company equipment.
Albert Einstein once said, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level we were at when we created them.” The statement alone means that there is need to step up your game to solve the problems that you are facing.
The mindset that made a loss in the last financial year shouldn’t be the same mindset responsible for turning around the fortunes of the company. There is need for change, more like an upgrade. A paradigm shift is what’s needed if you ask me.
Being a manager is more than just having power over your employees, having e better social status and getting a hefty paycheck at the end of the month. It means you are responsible for the future of the company.
It also encompass being responsible for the welfare of all company stakeholders and their dependents. The employees’ families look upon the salaries for survival. Just because your family (the manager) is well fed doesn’t mean your job is well done.
But in a country marred with miracles, I fear that our managers have become too much religious over being practical. Just waiting for a miracle to happen without taking a practical step towards changing their situation, waiting for the economy to turnaround hasn’t produced any positive results for our industry yet. Even the bible says Faith without action is dead; believing that things will change in Zimbabwe without moving towards a better economic standpoint won’t yield us anything good either.
1) Focus on the people.
Many managers make the mistake of focusing on the wrong stuff when it comes to business. They focus on the assets, the money and other resources and systems, when in fact business start and end on people.
They form the employees, the customers, the creditors, the investors impacting the company in every area. Meet each and every need and the company will succeed. If you think about the sales volume and not the customer and the consumer, you will end up with nothing, no sales and no consumers of your product either.
Writing on & ways to save a sinking company, Karsten Strauss said, “So many people make the mistake of looking at the software, looking at the hardware, looking at their reports, looking at all of the assets and not the most important asset initially, which is human capital—the human asset. All of those systems, procedures and protocols are only as good as the people driving them and that is infinitely more important.”
2) Do not hide the truth
The bible says, “The truth shall set you free.” There is nothing worse than a lying manager promising what he cannot deliver. The situation in Zimbabwe is bad already; there is no need to make it worse by lying to your employees or your clients. While the truth may hurt, but it clears out a lot
3) Allow others to grow.
There is nothing worse than a manager who sabotages those under him. There is need to collaborate with everyone in an organization for the betterment of the organization. There are many people with brilliant ideas but their positions don’t allow them to put those ideas into effect. A manager must also be nurturing to those under him.
4) Admit failure
It takes someone big to admit failure and take responsibility. I’m yet to meet an employee who doesn’t think there is something wrong being done by his boss. And I’m yet to meet any boss who claims to have failed at his job. Well they may talk of past failure but not about the job they are currently doing. My question then is who is lying between the two? Admitting failure doesn’t mean you are quitting, it means you have recognized the problem and you are willing to find solutions to move forward. It also brings about the opportunity to learn from the past.
I don’t have anything against our managers, but sometimes I think they just don’t get it. Economic sanctions and the economic hardship the country is facing right now don’t warrant poor organizational performance. Maybe instead of making headlines of collecting hefty bonuses and allowances, they can make headlines for being responsible for turning around their companies.
We are in a difficult economic position right now. It’s going to take a lot of creative contribution from every one of us, especially from those in positions of power. They have what it takes to change the economic situation. Let’s start with our companies.
To all the managers out there, the ball is in your court, only you can decide to kick it or hold it in your hands. You decide whether to play defense or to play offensive. That’s your decision, but the whole country is watching.
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