JOK Governance

The story of any place or country is shaped by its people. On 21 March 2025, Namibia will once again demonstrate its identity as the Land of the Brave by making history with the inauguration of its first female president. For the first time, leadership at the presidential level will bear the imprint of feminist governance. This milestone positions our country as a rule-maker in the global leadership arena, marking a significant shift in governance dynamics. I tell you now, even the so-called developed nations and the know-it-all, can draw valuable lessons from this historic moment. Surely, one can only understand something better through experience, and Namibia is about to contribute to this area both in practice and in literature.   As you read this piece, you will agree with me that Onamutai is will be one of the most village to be written about as it is the birthplace of Her Excellency Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, “our President” in just a matter of hours. For those of us who...

If you are familiar with the corporate world, you have likely seen companies unveiling grand strategies, outlining bold ambitions for the years ahead. Yet, despite these bold declarations, many fails to achieve desired outcomes.  If strategy is meant to drive success, why organisations and companies fail? As a practitioner, I witnessed well-crafted but more often than not, I find that firms have no real strategy at all. Instead, they have plans and ideas without a clear strategic direction. This fundamental misconception of strategy lies at the heart of poor performance and, ultimately, corporate failure. As a contemporary writer, I feel compelled to dissect this powerful concept; to clarify what strategy truly is and how firms should approach it.   On the onset, strategy is a powerful and transformative discipline that has occupied my thoughts for years. Its relevance has increased recently due to volatility and complexity of business landscape, where disruption and compe...

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, in November 2019, the holy grail for companies has been creativity and innovation. Many may agree with me that; these two words have become the most spoken and written phrases in the world of business. Of recent, each speech and dialogue to sound executive and forward-looking theses words should appears. In essence it demonstrates the appetite and admiration for novel ideas and fresh solutions has become both fashionable and apparent due to ever rising global risks and societal problems threatening our livelihoods and the survival of many companies.  But how often do we genuinely fuel, enable and nurture creativity in our workplaces? Let me tell you this: in my years of practicing strategic foresight, I have discovered that being weird is an untapped dynamic competence for companies seeking breakthrough solutions. Yet, weirdness is often overlooked and undervalued. I know many will size me up for a straight jacket but hear me out. Weirdness is yet ...

The corporate world is becoming interesting day-by-day! Not sure if many of you have observed that, the ability to speak up and challenge ideas and proposals as raised on floors of boardrooms and corridors of offices is more essential and this is attributed to insights and knowledge as emerging tools in steering companies and business. Yet, many of us, (both employees and leaders) find ourselves grappling with a common dilemma particularly how do you voice dissent with your superior without jeopardizing your professional standing? And is it always worth the risk? While agreeing with a superior may feel like the safest path, please take it from me; it is not always the best decision. Remember that the best approach to look at it is that we all owe loyalty to the juristic person (organisation) as opposed to an individual who may come and go, but a firm remains. “Ovanhu ohavai”! The purpose of dissent is to own your opinion and contribute to well-informed organisational decisions. Rec...

How often do you disagree at work? Is it something that worries see or you sense opportunities in in disagreement. Haiya ndimulombwele oshiima shimwe “Let me tell you something.” Over the years, I have observed that normally at work or even just in our homes under normal setting; disagreements may arise and generally they arise from two sources. First it may be attributed to differences in information and knowledge and secondly differences over fundamental assumptions or values; and these two are important sources of learning. In my years of practice Strategy and in helping teams to shape the future, I noticed that many times those with different views are excluded in process initiatives and planning by leaders and seen as rivals. This outlook may be attributed to many aspects including fears of stifling ideas, insubordination, and many others that you may think of; I mean this is no emerging topic. That as it may; in the field of visioning and projections, disagreement is viewe...