Monday 4 November 2024

Responsibility without Authority.

Responsibility without Authority:

“…sometimes I’ve seen someone with the responsibility for a task but little or no authority to execute. Some tactics to deal with this would be helpful.

In that article, I pointed out the difference between responsibility and accountability by stating that responsibility can be shared, but accountability cannot. In addition to being responsible for something, when you’re accountable you, and you alone, are also answerable for your actions. You own the results.

Perhaps I should start by defining these three words—responsibility, accountability, and authority—that are so often used interchangeably. You may disagree with my definitions, but experience has shown me that confusion around these words, and the implications of not managing for each of them purposefully, is a cause for dysfunction in many organizations. Defining each the way I have provides a framework to begin to create more effective communication, healthier leadership, and a culture of accountability within your organization.

Responsibility is the duty and ability to respond or act. Giving someone responsibility for a task, process, or service means that it is the role of that person to do the work. It may be assigned to multiple people.

Accountability is made up of “account,” meaning to report or describe an event or experience, and “ability,” the means or skill to do something. So, it literally means the ability to report on events or experiences. The job of being accountable for something should be assigned to a single individual whose duty it is to monitor the performance of a specific task, process, department, or KPI. But, they are not necessarily responsible to do the work.

Authority is “the power or right to give orders and make decisions.” Many people can have authority in an organization, and there’s usually someone at the top, the owner, CEO, or Board of Directors who has or have the highest level of authority.

To be accountable for something without having the necessary authority is demoralizing, unproductive, and potentially leads to a toxic work environment. So, how can you avoid this in your organization?

As the person in charge, the solution is relatively easy. When you delegate responsibility, or make someone accountable for something, make sure you empower them with an appropriate measure of authority. Ceding ownership for decision-making can be difficult, but unless you want to set your delegate up for failure, they must be provided commensurate authority for giving orders and making decisions. The extent, and limits of their authority should be discussed with them before expecting them to accept the assignment or position, and recorded for future reference.

If you’re not sure what constitutes commensurate authority, start with something that seems reasonable and regularly meet with your delegate to ask for feedback. Together, you need to agree on the extent of authority necessary for them to get the job done effectively and independently.

But what if you’re the delegate and find yourself assigned to a position of ultimate accountability for a job or KPI, but given only limited, or no authority?

The best thing is to avoid the situation in the first place by discussing the need for commensurate authority with your supervisor before accepting the job. But if that’s not possible, the following can help you manage this untenable situation.

1.     Don’t stop leading. It’s not time to throw in the towel because you’re being micro-managed. And, you especially don’t want to make matters worse by complaining to your colleagues about the constraints you’re dealing with. Look at the glass as half full and celebrate what you’ve been able to accomplish. Share this information with colleagues instead.

2.     Talk about it. Not with your colleagues. With your supervisors. I know, it sounds too simple, but they may not realize they’re holding you back. Be clear, concise, and thoughtful about the challenges and risks you’re dealing with.

3.     Ask for support. Asking for what you need is important. If you never speak up, not only will you be risking success, but people will invariably ask why you didn’t say anything. Even if the answer is ultimately no, you need to go on record as having made your concerns known.

4.     Articulate your plan. Ensure that the people you report to understand your vision, plan, and expected outcomes. In your plan, be sure to include potential risks, and document everything. Ask for approval for your plan. Once you have it, move forward confidently.

5.     Stop asking for permission. Have you considered you may be in your own way? Sometimes we find ourselves without authority because we seek approval from above too often. Find things you can independently act on, then do it with confidence and competence. If you need to make quick decisions, make them. Inform others after and see what happens. As the saying goes, it is often easier to seek forgiveness than ask permission.

6.     Create a new path. If you are not empowered to move forward on the big vision, find what you are able to do and do it. Big wins are paved with small successes along the way. What do you have the authority to move on? What decisions can you act on today?

To ensure that only one person is answerable for a given task, project, team, department, KPI or other responsibility is the right step toward creating a culture of accountability in your organization. But, without equipping them with sufficient authority to get the job done, you’re almost surely setting them up to fail. It’s effectively dysfunctional delegation, bad management practice, and a good way to undermine your organization’s culture and the morale of your people.

 

Dysfunctional delegation

Dysfunctional delegation is a delegation practice that can lead to confusion, poor work quality, and missed deadlines. It can include: 

Bypass delegation

  • When a manager directly handles tasks instead of delegating them to the designated person. This can also be called "undermining delegation" or "managerial interference". 
Displaced delegation
  • When a manager assigns a task to a peer instead of the employee who is directly responsible for it. 
Poor task delegation
  • When a manager assigns tasks without considering the team member's skills, interests, workload, or goals. 
Responsibility without authority
  • When a manager assigns responsibility to someone without giving them the authority to do the job. 
Other signs of ineffective delegation include: 
Micromanaging, Unclear instructions, Frequent reassignment of tasks, Lack of feedback or accountability, and Employees feeling overwhelmed.


Wednesday 9 August 2023

Is Woman for sale?

The average woman has the mind-set of a parasite. Her age-old scam is to live off a man's hard work, to con him into spending his assets to finance her lifestyle. The more resources he controls, and the more willing he is to part with his cash (her conscience-balming euphemism for this is "being generous"), the more attractive he becomes in her eyes. Good-looking young women do not marry fat, balding men twice their age because they're hopelessly in love, despite all their innocent protestations to the contrary. A woman is for sale and her body is her commodity. She packages it with make-up, perfume, and wire-girded bras and offers it to the highest bidder. A woman's entire concept of self-worth is determined by the price she can command for the use of her vagina.

Possessing an almost infinite capacity for self-adoration, she is obsessed with her appearance because she knows that this is what she is marketing to men. She measures her self-worth and status as a human being not by intelligence or significant accomplishments, but by how rich a man her looks can command. The more attractive she is, the more she is going to cost her partner. If a man doesn't have enough money to make him worth the time investment for exploitation, she will either dismiss him as a non-entity, or assign him to "friend" status (of course, he'll still be required to pay for her, but without any possibility of a sexual return on his investment).

But if a woman scents cash, her predatory instincts hum into action. She will dangle her sexuality as

bait, drawing her prey close with seductive eye contact, a glimpse of bare flesh, the smell of her body, and "accidental" touches of breast or thigh. He will be the most important person in her life, and as quickly as she can divine what matters to him, she will tell him exactly what he wants to hear. She is a master saleswoman. She will make him "feel like a man" every time he shells out dollars for her enjoyment. She'll coo and ooze and keep him so distracted with her body that the poor fool won't realize he's being bled white until it's far too late. To him, it's an exciting romance; to her, it's business as usual.

Because she is so skilled at manipulating men, a woman is a world-class con artist. In her mind, her body is simply a useful tool to extort money from the opposite sex, and so she cannot comprehend that a man can desire sex for pure pleasure, or even for the celebration of existence. These concepts are as foreign to her as facial hair. But she fully understands the tyranny of male biological drives, and she will capitalize on a man's passions without conscience or mercy. She knows very well that the promise of sex is an irresistible lure for men, that with a touch of her hand she can arouse a man to a frenzy of desire. This is true power, and she knows it, and she wields it coldly. The average man is a pawn to her sexual domination and abuse. He will buy her drinks, take her to dinner, pay for her vacations, and all she has to do is hint at the possibility of sex, even when she has no intention of going through with it. When she does decide to take her partner to bed-and the decision is always hers, and always after he's spent an appropriate amount of money so that she can assure herself that her vagina doesn't come cheap-it will be strictly on her terms. What he wants, what his needs are, is unimportant. He must play the game by her rules, if there is going to be a game at all.

Even though in some long-ago shuttered recess of her soul she might realize that she's prostituting herself, she will never admit this, and so she feels absolutely no obligation to fulfill her side of the implied sexual bargain. She believes that a man should pay for her just because she was born female, and should ask for nothing in return. When she scams drinks and meals from men, she calls it dating; if she did the same to a stranger, she'd be arrested for fraud. In a woman's mind, a man is merely a walking wallet, ripe for the picking. He should work hard for her benefit, so that she can enjoy a way of life she would never be able to afford herself. To this end, she will grant sex, or withhold it, only to suit her purposes, and always for her gain. And even though prostitution presupposes a completed bargain, she will take money from men even when sex is the furthest thing from her mind.

Thus, the average woman may be a whore, but she's a dishonest whore.

DISHONEST WHORES _Dating and courtship

The dishonesty of female prostitution is the central theme of this book. Few men object to paying for sex-in fact, society has trained them to accept this contract as a basic tenet of life-as long as this is an honest and equal transaction. In primitive cultures, where making love is considered as natural as eating or sleeping, a man often brings a present of beads to his partner before entering her bed. But sex is always guaranteed, never just implied. This is a simple and aboveboard business arrangement, with both parties in agreement.

So if a man spends his money on a woman, he wants sex in return, as naturally he should. But the woman, as we've seen, often fails to comprehend the logic of this scenario. She feels that no bargain has been broken when she allows a man to take her out, and then refuses to sleep with him, even though she has used her body and her femininity to lure him into wanting to spend time with her in the first place. She suffers no guilt or remorse or sense of debt when she flirts with men to buy her drinks or gifts. Such behavior is a flagrant abuse of sexual power, and women are such masters of duplicity that they have even manipulated men into feeling guilty for demanding a proper sexual payment.

Dating and courtship have become nothing more than a con game sanctioned by society, a society controlled, of course, by women.

Thursday 24 March 2022

Tricks to Melt Visceral Fat

 Visceral fat sits under the abdominal muscle, near vital organs like the liver, intestines and pancreas. It is metabolically active—some experts consider it an organ—and dangerous, raising your risk of heart disease, cancer, and other serious health conditions. If you need to burn visceral fat, diet and exercise are key. 

White fat (which is dangerous) and brown fat  (which actually helps your metabolism burn bad fat). 


If you're trying to lose weight or manage your weight, extra protein from shakes may help you feel less hungry, help you maintain muscle and metabolism, and lower the likelihood of regaining the lost fat, especially when combined with an exercise routine.

Common protein-rich foods include (30):

  • Eggs: 6 grams of protein in 1 large egg
  • Nuts: 6 grams of protein in 1 ounce (28 grams) of almonds
  • Chicken: 53 grams of protein in 1 chicken breast, cooked
  • Cottage cheese: 23 grams of protein in 1 cup (210 grams)
  • Cheese: 7 grams of protein in 1 ounce (28 grams) of cheddar cheese
  • Greek yogurt: 17 grams of protein in 6 ounces (170 grams)
  • Milk: 8 grams of protein in 1 cup
  • Lean beef: 22 grams of protein in 3 ounces (85 grams)
  • Fish: 39 grams in 1 cup (154 grams) of tuna
  • Quinoa: 8 grams of protein in 1 cup (185 grams), cooked
  • Lentils: 18 grams of protein in 1 cup (198 grams), cooked
SUMMARY

Boost your protein intake by including a variety of high-protein foods in your diet. Both plant- and animal-based protein sources are great for promoting weight loss. 


READ MORE ABOUT PROTEINS

Thursday 17 February 2022

WHY DEGREE HOLDERS ARE POOR

 

*1. THEY DON’T THINK BEYOND THEIR CERTIFICATES*


Albert Einstein said, “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” Have you ever heard  creativity term “Think outside the box”? One of the major reasons why most graduates are poor is simply because they can’t see and think beyond their certificates. 

I have seen engineering students work as bankers. I have seen medical doctors with great skills in web and graphic designs. I have seen lawyers that are very dexterous with finances. The list is endless!


The basic truth of life is that the skills that are needed to be much sought after and become more successful in life are not really found within the walls of the classrooms. Your certificate is just a proof that you are teachable, it does not suggest what you are totally capable of doing. You are full of possibilities when you think beyond your degrees and certificates.


*2. THEY PRIORITIZE THEIR CERTIFICATES MORE THAN THEIR GIFTS AND TALENTS*


I have often advised some of my colleagues, never to leave their gifts dormant while pursuing and hunting for jobs with their certificates. There must be a complementary balance in the pursuit of your passion and in the search for jobs.


Everybody is gifted for something, but the winning edge comes from our ability to work on our gifts and bless the world with it. The very best way to develop yourself is in the direction of your natural talents and interest. In order to live a fulfilled and impactful life, we need to work harder on our gift than our job. We need to discover our gift, develop it, and sell it. Don’t bury your TALENT with your certificates.


*3. THEIR CERTIFICATES PREPARE THEM FOR A WORLD THAT NO LONGER EXIST*


It has been found that most of the skills taught in schools are becoming obsolete in the present world. The world has changed a lot, and so are people’s need! It is imperative to know that the present form of university education does not prepare students for the future.


Graduates are becoming endangered species in the face of a changing world. Our archaic methods and approaches of learning are preparing graduates for a world that no longer exist, as we are churning out degree holders every year with certificates that have face value but no intrinsic worth. Most learning institutions are filled up with lecturers and pseudo-educators with lecture notes, methods and approaches that have lost relevance in a changing world.


*4. THEY KNOW LESS ABOUT THEMSELVES BUT MORE ABOUT THINGS*


Certificates and degrees don’t reveal people to themselves; they at most measure our IQ (Intelligent Quotient). I have often tell people that there is no Recovery without Discovery. A poor man is simply someone that has not discovered himself.


The more you discover yourself, the more you realize the treasures that are hidden deep within you. We carry inside ourselves latent treasures that can only be unveiled through self-discovery.


*5. CERTIFICATES AND DEGREES CAN KILL INITIATIVES*


Degrees and certificates can close up your minds to ideas while initiatives open it up. If you are not careful, your degrees and certificates can close up your mind. The purpose of education is to keep your mind perpetually opened towards limitless possibilities!


Fred Smith saw an opportunity for overnight delivery of anything anywhere in the USA, and ultra-fast delivery anywhere in the world, FedEx was born. It will be interesting to know that Fred Smith got a grade “C” in a Yale economics class for an idea that the professor belittled as unworkable. 

Fred Smith’s company became the first American business to make over ten billion dollars in annual profit. Beginning with just 186 packages delivered the first night, FedEx now delivers in over two hundred countries using over 6,030 aircraft, 46,000 vehicles and 141,000 employees.


*6. DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES POSITION YOU TO LOOK FOR JOBS AND NOT FOR OPPORTUNITIES*


Our certificates and degrees prepare graduates to look for jobs and not open our eyes to life-changing opportunities. You are not poor because you don’t have a job; you are poor because you are not seeing and seizing opportunities.


Being POOR is simply Passing Over Opportunities Repeatedly! What keeps people ahead in life is not their education or degrees, it is simply the opportunity that they seized. Jobs may be scarce but not opportunities.


As long as there is a problem to be solved, there will always be opportunities. It is a waste of our education, exposure, and experiences if after we graduate from school, all we think about is searching for a job. An enlightened and educated mind should be able to see and seize opportunities.


*7. CERTIFICATES AND DEGREES PREPARE PEOPLE TO LOOK FOR SECURITY AND NOT TO TAKE RISKS*


We must be willing to make mistakes and take breakthrough risks. Taking risks and learning from mistakes help us in knowing what works and what does not! When Thomas Edison was being questioned by a mischievous journalist on how he felt for having failed for 999 times before getting the idea of the light bulb, his response stunned the whole world when he confidently said, “I have not failed 999 times, I have only learned 999 ways of how not to make a light bulb”.


Many graduates and degree holders are becoming progressively poor because the skills required in the modern world to get rich are not taught in schools and institutions.


By 2025, we’ll lose over five million jobs to automation. This means that future jobs will look vastly different by the time many people graduate from the university.


*Future jobs will involve KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION/CREATION* and innovation, and people that are only equipped with skills found in the classroom will definitely be a misfit in an ever-changing world. Skills like critical thinking, creativity, people’s skill, STEM skills (e.g Coding), complex problem-solving skills etc. are central to living a more comprehensive and productive life.


THEREFORE, in conclusion, my humble and candid advice to graduates and students in institutions is to think wide, deep and outside the box. Take voluntary jobs, and don’t be afraid to navigate fields that are different from your field of learning. Your future career will require you to pull information from many different fields to come up with creative solutions to future problems. 

Start by reading as much as you can about anything and everything that interests you. Once you get to college, consider double majoring or minoring in completely different fields. Trust me, it’ll pay off in the long run.


Don’t limit yourself to the classroom. Do something practical. Take a leadership position. Start a business and fail; that’s a better entrepreneurship. Contest an election and lose. It will teach you something political science will not teach you. Attend a seminar. Read books outside the scope of your course.


Think less of becoming an excellent student, but think more of becoming an excellent person. Don’t make the classroom your world, but make the world your classroom. Step forward and try something extra.


Invest in something you believe! Real financial security and freedom is not in your job, but in your passion, gifts, talents, and your ability to see and seize opportunities.

Monday 26 July 2021

Business: Start small and learn

 One of my friends wanted to open a Spare parts shop. He did the unconventional. Woke up one day, took a month off his normal work and went on internship in Kisekka market.


For a month, he woke up every morning, and humbled himself at Kisekka market. He became a student. He learned the luganda names for most of these automotive parts. He learned about the fast moving and slow moving stocks. He learned to tell apart genuine and fake spares. 


After this internship/apprenticeship at Kisekka, he was now ready to open his Spares Parts shop. Of course learning continues but he was not the kind that wake up and simply throw money at a business idea.


Unfortunately most corporate people think that’s not how business works. A friend calls it; “doing business with a finger.” Many woke up one day, bought some chunks of land and then decided they were ready for agriculture. Every weekend, they they would be seen heading off to their farms. They pumped in money like crazy. Then they decided, it was also time to trust a farm manager. All they had to do now was get weekly updates about the farm and send money to solve any emerging issues. Fast forward, many abandoned the farms and are cursing agriculture. 


Your entire life you’ve never reared even one chicken, now you think because you have some money, you are ready to invest in the chicken business. 


Sacrifice some time and learn from the field. It costs you nothing to ask to volunteer at someone’s farm where they are rearing chicken. Learn about the chicken feeds. Learn about how to mix your own feeds. You think someone else will run your chicken business as you relax in the office. At least first understand the business so that you know the right questions to ask as you manage it remotely. 


The Baganda say; “Nanyini muffu yakwata awawunya.” You must know the smelly part of your business. Your employee cannot know your business better than you. And when your employee realizes that they understand the workings of the business better than you, then why would they continue working for you? Or why wouldn’t they cheat you? Anti yakutegelela! 


If you can’t become an apprentice in another person’s business, then start small. You who has never reared one chicken, what makes you start off with 1000? Be humble and start with 20! Don’t burn your cash, in business, what we have is time. Be patient enough to learn. Go slow but surely. Make your mistakes and learn from them. 


Anyway, many since then have returned to the tried and tested ways of building rentals! At least they only lose money to the builder. Until you meet Najjera tenants.... then you learn that rentals are not a walk in the park!