July - September 2017 •
The Lion King
• 43
new UBA. It has created an environ-
ment where everyone is the customer
of someone, and collectively serve
the customer; a culture of responsive-
ness, accountability and collective
confidence. This created a momen-
tum of free and objective interaction,
respect for all and non-violation of
work ethics, which are some of the
requirements for institutional sustain-
ability.
3. Priority and Focus:
Everyone in the bank knows the focus.
It is all about the customers served by
motivated and productive people. KU
has given career options and second
opportunity to people. His focus led
to various organizational alignment
and leadership repositioning in the last
twelve months. Thus we consistently
hear and align with the new realities
in phrases like: 'the customer is the
employer,’ ‘putting the customer first
always.’ ‘We are here because of our
customers and our CPV, Customer;
People and Value.’
No doubt, our share prices will con-
tinue to increase given the focus on
the customers, employees and prof-
itability-driven business behaviour. In
KU’s inaugural speech, items 5 to 9
focused on the welfare and mental
well-being of the most important tool
for achieving his mission. I see his
desire to make people (emphasizing
work-life balance in agenda 6) the
core of his winning strategy.
4. Sincerity of Purpose:
In the last twelve months, we have wit-
nessed actions that match the words
and intent of the GMD. Some of the
employee-oriented actions include
the workforce model for changing
the disparity in leadership and service
tracks, the staff car loan, promotion
of 25% of the workforce and the man-
datory compliance with the annual
leave plan at all levels. At the share-
holders’ level are the actions that
birthed the results highlighted under
growth and results. KU is taking the
time out to engage employees in all
the countries emphasizing the need to
make UBA an enduring institution we
will all be proud of. I still resonate with
some of his words that show sincerity
of purpose - ‘call me Kennedy, don’t
move back, ride on the same lift with
me…,’ ‘If I am the stumbling block,
remove me.’
5. Clear and Inspiring
Communication:
The GMD and his team lived up to the
billing of item 6 in his first communica-
tion. He wants communications to be
simple without abusive and disrespect-
ful language and to inform, persuade
and inspire action. All the commu-
nications since the beginning of this
era have been inspiring with specific
action points and devoid of leader-
ship and organisation arrogance. The
communication intent is in line with the
quote “If your actions inspire others
to dream more, learn more, do more
and become more, you are a leader”
by John Quincy Adams
.
We all deserve kudos for being in this
great institution at this time and for
supporting the Board of Directors and
the management in the journey to
making UBA the best bank in Africa.
With all the changes in the last one
year, the UBA leadership has touched
the heart; it is time for all of us to use
our energy and hands to make the
bank’s aspiration a reality.
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