KEY CONCEPTS I GATHERED FROM REFLECTIONS WITH MICHAEL JOSEPH #mjReflections
REFLECTIONS with Michael Joseph
This event occured at *iHub_ Nairobi and was organized by the Elimisha_us initiative . Michael Joseph, the CEO of Safaricom Ltd, is due to retire on November 1, 2010.
I was privileged to be part of the audience and gathered some points to reflect on..
Joseph was reflecting on various issues including his last decade at the helm of the most successful company in East Africa.
The few i gathered are:
1. ICT industry is the only industry that can create tremendous number of new jobs- Michael Joseph #MJReflections
2. Consistency of management is a contributing factor to the success of Safaricom- #MJReflections #10Years #Shujaa!
3. Government is supposed to play an enabling role & not a repressive role. – #MJReflections
4. #MPesa is accepted as a guarantee. Its highest transactions occur just before schools open – #MJReflections
5. Retail banking will disappear as we know them. Stuff is going to the mobile platform – Michael Joseph #mJreflections #Dinosaur
6. 700,000 new savings accounts || The number of accounts saved through #MKesho in 3 months am liking this!!- Michael Joseph #MjReflections
7. Sometimes you have to take the risk to launch a new product! Even though haters may try to stop you – Michael Joseph #MJReflections #MKesho
9. @swmaina I agree with u. In his own words he admits, “I was wrong”. I find his disposition pleasing and honest #MJReflections @SafaricomLtd
10. RT @iHubNairobi Safaricom has over 2000 base stations. #MJReflections
11. Do it because it is Right. Do it because it makes sense- Michael Joseph #MJReflections
12. 60 Sites || The number of safaricom stations (base stations) running on generators/windPower #MJReflections #GoingGreen #SmartBuildings
13. #KPLC is abhoring – Michael Joseph #MJReflections
14. @Marlmarly hi. we are at @iHubnairobi listening to Michael reflect on his 10 years as CEO of Safaricom. Live Stream http://elimisha.us/
15. We cant just rely on the fact that we speak English. BPO is a fragile market, we must get it right – Michael Joseph #MJReflections #V2030
16. If you outsource customer care or quality, you loose the opportunity to build your own capacity/infrastructure – #MjReflections
17. “We are in business so we innovate to make money. Innovation is a tool but to make more money” – Michael Joseph on #DisruptiveTechnology
18. Social Media gives people an excuse to be irresponsible. _ Michael Joseph speaking on SocialMedia || #MjReflections
19. As a manager, you must make decisions. If you get 7 decisions right out of 10, that is cool. Lead from the front – Michael Joseph
20. As a manager, you must make decisions. If you get 7 decisions right out of 10, thats cool. Lead from the front – Michael Joseph
21. 20-25% growth a year || The annual growth rate of Safaricom #MjReflections
22. “The link went down”, “the server is congested” etc the standard excuses of IT guys hahahaa- Michael Joseph #MJReflections
23. We encourage innovation. We have worked hard for this- Michael Joseph, CEO of a billion-dollar company says #MjReflections
24. 20,000 Agents || The success of the #MPesa service is the distribution network + technology behind it #MjReflections 100% integrity
25. #Okoajahazi 1.5million Ksenyans borrowed instant credit from safaricom even though they had their phones loaded = 15MillionProfit on the 1st day of its launch
26. #FreeCalls From 9.00Pm || The tragedy of this is that many subscribers wait till 8.59pm to make “that Call”!! – #Congestion #MjReflections
27. Congestion || Another language for saying “hey guyz we really dont have enough cash to beef up the network hahaaha – #MjRefflections
28. June 2001 || The year safaricom was ahead of Kencell in terms of Market share- Michael Joseph #Reflections Key Per second billing
29. 5 People & 55 former workers || The number of employees Michael Joseph started with #safaricom #reflections #Shujaa
30. June2000 The year MJ came to Kenya with a business plan #Reflections #Shujaa
Closing Word:
Be all you can be!
- @ujenziBora
This is the person we should be celebrating today. MJ had a vision and he executed it to within surgical precision. Safaricom, with all its problems is a truly good example of how to manage a business. Not only is it authentically Kenyan, but also one that has changed the Kenyan economy and touched the lives of many. Its a company that will for ever live in the hearts of Kenyans vicious competitors notwithstanding.
At 10years, very few companies have the kind of growth curve that Safcom has had all these years…. While MJ has remained as the only CEO of the company, Zain has had new CEO’s almost after every 18-20mths….. clearly, not a way to build a company…. and you ask why Safcom does well? Its right there before our very own eyes – consistency in management.
Just as all bad things end, so do all good things come to and end… MJ’s tenure is ending and he leaves with his head held high… with a legacy that very few Kenyan CEO’s can emulate and many can only dream about.
Thank you again, for the tweetfeed from the ‘action-zone’.
Tahnk you!.
Thank you so much for the informative insights. I don’t feel like I missed so much of MJreflections though I know much more was not documented.
Cheers bro
Very informative. Was following proceedings via Twitter, reading this without the scrolling TL is so much better. Ahsante.
Thanks for sharing.
‘…..If you outsource customer care or quality, you loose the opportunity to build your own capacity/infrastructure..’Wonder why then, they outsource guys to FB and Twitter for them?