Read Chris every week in the African press.
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Category Archives: African ingenuity
Long Or Short Termism?
Flying to Dar this week, I overheard two Kenyan executives discussing the challenges they were facing. It was a familiar story – the last trading year (however strong) lay firmly in the past. The pressure was on to win in … Continue reading
Posted in African ingenuity, Behaviour change, Brand Marketing, Brand Reputation, Branded behaviours, Chris Harrison Africa, Culture change, Internal Communication, The Brand Inside
Tagged Africa, Businesses, CEO's, Company cultures, Dar, Kenyan executives, Market, UK Institute of Directors (IOD)
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Tone and manner
Last weekend we launched the latest year group in our leadership programme www.amalgamleadership.com. As usual, we asked participants to focus on their life and career journeys so far. We get them to identify moments that have mattered along the way … Continue reading
Posted in African Business, African ingenuity, African Leadership, African marketing, Behaviour change, Brand Marketing, Brand Reputation, Branded behaviours, Chris Harrison Africa, Culture change, Direct marketing, Internal brand, Social marketing, The Brand Inside
Tagged Audit team, brands, Business, Cape Town, Career journeys, Company, Inspiring subordinates, Leadership programme, Leading Others, Shaping customer experiences, Technology teams, www.amalgamleadership.com
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Culture becomes central
After decades of being a ‘nice to have’, the idea of a deliberately created corporate culture is finally moving closer to the top of Board agendas. Around the world, an ever-lengthening series of corporate scandals and audit and governance bloopers … Continue reading
Posted in Advertising, African Business, African ingenuity, Behaviour change, Brand Marketing, Brand Reputation, Branded behaviours, Chris Harrison Africa, Culture change, ICT, Internal brand, The Brand Inside
Tagged Bank, Board agendas, Corporate, Corporate culture, Culture, Customers, Institute of Business Ethics, Partners, Suppliers Stakeholders
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Let it shine
As every day passes there are fewer places to hide what a former American Vice President called ‘an inconvenient truth’. Al Gore was referring to climate change, but I’d like to put a fresh twist on his adage. It’s time … Continue reading
Posted in Advertising, African Business, African ingenuity, Behaviour change, Brand Marketing, Brand Reputation, Branded behaviours, Chris Harrison Africa, Culture change, Human Relations, Internal brand
Tagged advertising, American Vice President, Climate change, Consultants, Consumer rights, Corporate leader, Corporate value statements, Fair employer, Financial services industry, Market, Nation builder, Organisational culture change, social media, Trade Unions
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Conservation culture
I’ve just spent time inside a successful conservation business. Surprisingly it wasn’t full of do-gooders. Instead it has harnessed the energy, humanity and collaborative spirit of a very diverse set of people. It has built a unified and positive culture, … Continue reading
Posted in Advertising, Africa statistics, African Agriculture, African Business, African ingenuity, African marketing, Behaviour change, Brand Marketing, Brand Reputation, Branded behaviours, Chris Harrison Africa, Corporate Social Responsibility, Culture change, Internal brand, Local Brands, The Brand Inside
Tagged Agriculture, Collaborative spirit, Commercial revenues, Conservation business, Conservation culture, East African business, Education Healthcare programmes, Elephant, Energy, enterprise, finance, Game Rangers, Headquarters, Humanity, investments, Merchandise, Mount Kenya, National Police Reservist team, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Poachers, Rhino, Rhino Patrol Unit, Tourism, Tourism staff, Villagers, Wilderness
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Mind your language
We live and work in a region that uses language well. East Africans are not by nature profane people. Cursing in the workplace is frowned upon. Western expatriates are often surprised to discover that swearing at staff doesn’t work here. … Continue reading
Posted in Advertising, African Business, African entertainment, African ingenuity, Behaviour change, Billboards, Brand Marketing, Brand Reputation, Branded behaviours, Chris Harrison Africa, Culture change, Internal brand, The Brand Inside
Tagged advertising, Billboard, brand, Campaign, Company, East Africans, GA, Insurance, Language, Mobile phone, Region
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Diversity can produce dividends.
Recently I was with a large group of staff discussing the positive aspects of their work culture. They were emphatic about one thing: ‘We are a very diverse group.’ Indeed, there were men and women, old and young, Asian and … Continue reading
Posted in Advertising, African Business, African ingenuity, African marketing, Behaviour change, Brand Marketing, Brand Reputation, Branded behaviours, Chris Harrison Africa, Culture change, Direct marketing, Internal brand, Internal Communication, Market Research, Marketing Strategy, Talent Development, The Brand Inside, Workshops
Tagged advertising, African, Asian, brand, Business, Call centres, Campaign, CEO, Company, Culture, Diversity, east africa, Employee education, Environment, European, German, global, Italy, Journey, Magazine, Marketing, Organisation, Positive, Staff, Telecoms, UK, Vodafone, Workforce
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Have banks abandoned business?
In 2014 Ernst & Young released the results of a global study they had conducted into the nature of customer experience in banks. In our region, they reported that more than half of the banking customers in Kenya cited bad … Continue reading
Posted in African Business, African ingenuity, Behaviour change, Brand Marketing, Brand Reputation, Branded behaviours, Chris Harrison Africa, Crisis Management, Culture change, Kenyan Market, Market Research, Marketing Strategy, The Brand Inside
Tagged advertising, Banks, Business, Central Bank Governor, Credit card, Customer, Empowerment, financial, global, Kenya, Mombasa Port, Organisational, Overdrafts, Relationship Manager, Risk Committee, Technologies
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Respect for time
Time is precious, and it’s getting scarcer. Even here, on a Continent known for its relaxed approach to timekeeping. The relentless pressures and expectations of the western style of business are having a negative impact on daily behaviour. There’s no … Continue reading
Listen and learn
I saw a good meme the other day. It said ‘ Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching.’ This struck home with me after two months of unexpected loss, with an unwelcome number of friends and acquaintances passing on … Continue reading
