Changing landscape of CEOs

Clad in a black trouser and jacket with a grey shirt, Mr Mark Ocitti, managing director Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL), entered a fully-packed conference room in one of the hotels in Kampala.
Armed with more than two decades of experience in top management positions, Mr Ocitti explains the relevance of dressing down as a CEO.
In his presentation during a CEO apprenticeship programme organised by Strathmore Business School recently, having more than two decades of experience in top office positions.
“You need to connect with the people and culture of your organisation. This could be by having lunch with them,” he says.
Effective leadership behaviour
A CEO, Mr Ocitti says, is irrelevant without support staff. A CEO should have strong coaching and communication skills, be a great motivator and above all, award good performance of staff.
“A CEO is supposed to grow people and the organisation by encouraging strengths, mentoring and being understanding. It is important to be able to read people. Everyone has a unique strength and weakness,” he says.
Building quality relationships for the good of your organization is very paramount especially as a marketing tool. This should be followed by research and feedback from the staff and public so as to correct and improve any unhinged relationships.

Few Ugandan CEOs
Mr Felix Rwanyarare, programmes and operations manager Strathmore Business School, says the programme was organized to empower and train the ‘would be’ local CEO’s in Uganda, where most are expatriates.
To become a CEO, you ought to grow your path to where you think your destination is. It is essential to attain more education making you a likely candidate for the position.
“Board members are comfortable picking within an organisation because of the track record and knowledge of company politics,” he says stressing that experience and personal characteristics will give you a boost.
Also, getting people to know what you do without necessarily seeming overly aggressive could be a nudge in the right direction, do not disappear in the crowds.

Why CEOs fail
An arrogant and aloof CEO is most likely to fail. Mr Ocitti says a CEO not to isolate him or herself from people, thus eliminating any chance of receiving advice.
“Hiding mistakes for a first time CEO is bad, we are al human and should learn from them and not pretend we know everything,” he cautions.
Decision and Strategy should not all independently be made by the CEO. Failure to understand the culture of the organization and its staff is a recipe for failure.
Hanging onto the past for instance comparing your previous employer and staff to your new team is detrimental to operations of the organisation.
To become the best, CEO’s Mr Ocitti says need to learn to ask, prioritise, focus on values, set high goals and only scale down and also learn to develop thickness because vulnerability is a sign of weakness to the staff.

Milennial syndrome

Hoping from job to job is a characteristic in millennials, Mr Rwanyarare believes stems from the need for more money and satisfying jobs.
“Millenials have to understand the ability to start something and finish it. Some move because they think people do not understand them. They need to be introspective to know it is not about leaving when you are bored or because you want a nice car,” he says.
However, having a longer working period for one employer, Mr Ocitti says is a sign of commitment and builds confidence in another employer that you are reliable.