Focus less on micromanaging employees

What does it mean to oversee an individual’s career growth?

It is hard yet meaningful work that often pushes you to dig deep and find new ways to reach individuals who show promise but lack the structure and discipline that is not taught in our education system.

What is your typical day like?

I start the day with a top management check in meeting followed by a coffee shop or bar location visit. On alternative days I will delve into partner meetings, mentorship sessions with managers, new recruit screening and additional administrative work.

What has been your secret to getting here?

There is no secret to getting results. It is an age-old recipe that is experienced in solitude; hard work, passion, dedication and resilience in the face of great adversity and limited resources.

I have also been fortunate to be given an opportunity to prove myself in circumstances where I was not the clear front runner. I had the raw materials but not the experience, “not the right fit” as they say nowadays. This in turn pushed me to double down, defy the status quo and outperform the obvious front runners during the interview phase.

Who has been pivotal in shaping the marketeer in you?

I cannot name a specific person but rather the desire to understand and develop myself as a professional and grow my technical capacity. My varied industry experience and particularly the Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing opened my mind to a more strategic way of thinking, a step away from the usual “growing a brand” to a more measurable and result-oriented approach of work. If it is not written down and measurable, then it will not get done and therefore performance cannot be improved.

How are you able to bring out the best in your tea?

My leadership style is empowerment. My process is partly setting structural parametres and then allowing the individuals I mentor to fill out the remaining mould and get comfortable at pushing themselves to achieve set targets.

As leaders, we need to focus less on micromanagement but set clear objectives and allow qualified and motivated staff to perform. Start by training, then hand hold as you show them what you want done then let them take the lead as you give feedback.

From then on, set targets and allow them to come up with various means to achieve those targets as you provide wise counsel. As an employer, be an organisation of your word even when it gets tough. Do not change goal posts to suit your convenience. You will lose good talent with these double standards.

When you hire the right talent, motivate and mentor them and they will get the job done. Sometimes this means not hiring the most qualified person in the interview.

What do you find most challenging about your job?

The biggest challenge is finding candidates who understand what it means to be employed, professional and deliver in the workplace. Too often, many show up and want to do the bare minimum and get paid at the end of the month.

So, I often come across intelligent young people with immense talent who slack and do not exert themselves, only to leave us and a few months later wish to come back.

How do you convey feedback to your team or bosses without ruffling feathers?

Feedback, especially negative, is always extremely difficult to pass on. I always focus on communicating facts. However, the tone of voice in the communication also matters. Communication can be lost on someone if they feel attacked due to the use of strong language.

Always relay feedback professionally regardless of how hard it is or who is right or wrong. The two guiding principles have served me well and allowed me to communicate both impactfully and effectively.

What do you want now at this stage in your life?

As a professional woman in the workplace, I want fairness in business practice and employment opportunities. The table is not yet leveled, with biases on hiring women still prevalent in our workplace.

Therefore, I want to show the next generation of women what is possible in the professional workspace even when the odds are stacked against them.

 I want to show them that we can also thrive and rise to the occasion and be impactful, effective leaders leading with empathy and compassion.

Education and career

I attended Kitante Primary school up to Primary Five then went on to Lohana Academy to complete my Primary Living Examinations.

For O Level, I started at Nabisunsa Girls School up to my Senior 4 and then London College of St Lawrence for my A Level. I did a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and I studied a foundational Bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Fine Art from the Margaret Trowel School of Industrial and Fine Art Makerere University.