Letting a fool lead family business leads to destruction

A business leader meets his team. Having a fool at the helm of a family business puts it in great danger of sudden collapse. PHOTO | FILE 

By PETER MUTUA

Posted  Monday, June 22  2015 at  18:24

In Summary

• Human beings are bent towards foolishness; it tends to come naturally.
• Foolishness is easily seen in people’s demeanour and more obviously through what they say. Listening carefully allows one to identify a fool.
• Leaders of Family Business can be both foolish and successful in the short term.

In May, a lawyer offered 50 cows in addition to other livestock and gifts for Malia Obama’s hand in marriage.

In what seems to have degenerated into a public auction, another man offered no less than 500 cows in exchange for the right to marry young Malia and take her back with him to Suswa.

It remains unclear where they would live since the warrior has committed to sell all his earthly belongings to raise the money for bride-price.

Both men seem oblivious to the fact that Malia is underage and that they are most unlikely to ever meet her in person. They (and their followers) are waiting expectantly for President Obama to respond.

Recently, a local university student leader wrote to President Uhuru Kenyatta requesting action against clinics offering illegal abortions.

The note ended with a request for permission to burn down all clinics suspected to offer abortions in Nairobi and for the president to provide the petrol required to accomplish the task.

The letter was copied to the deputy president, Cabinet secretaries, the chief justice and top politicians. The president has not, to my knowledge, responded.

These were dramatic announcements designed to bring public attention to the individuals in question. And they worked.

Reactions have since come in fast and furious; a young woman has offered herself to the lawyer as a suitable replacement for Malia.

All the concerned individuals have experienced a rise in their social profiles. Given recent Kenyan trends, they may soon ascend to the coveted position of sought-after socialites. It is, however, to both presidents’ credit that they have not responded to the statements.

It must be said that all these individuals are, in all likelihood, extremely hard working, focused and diligent in what their do. They are tenacious, purposeful and results oriented; they are getting exactly the kinds of outcome they set out to achieve from the onset.

However, the aftermath of their proposals are doubtful at best and catastrophic at worst. Burning buildings down as a strategy to contain illegal abortions is unwise.

Marrying an individual one does not know purely on account of their looks or prominent social status sets the stage for lives of misery and unmet expectations.

Leaders of Family Business should acquaint themselves with the reality that there are rich or successful fools out there; the individuals who accumulate wealth through unscrupulous means or who ascend to leadership through their followers’ poverty of values. Because there is a large number of such individuals competing for public attention, they tend to be the loudest and most audacious members of society.

Having a fool at the head of a family business puts it in great danger of sudden destruction. The tendency towards foolishness is ingrained in people; it is a consequence of being born human.

There are no schools that specifically set out to teach foolishness (though some end up delivering this as their content through their dubious practices) while foolish tendencies are accentuated and built upon by keeping the company of other fools.

Foolishness is clearly evident through one’s actions in private and in public; it makes itself obvious through one’s speech (silent fools are so rare that they are thought wise — till they open their mouths to speak), conduct and in the company one keeps.

While foolish Leaders of Family Business can be immensely wealthy and successful in the short term, their lifestyles and decision patterns set the venture up for spectacular failure in the medium and long terms.

Those who do business with them should be careful to clearly define what they will and will not do in order to insulate themselves against future losses in money and reputation.

Mr Mutua is a Humphrey Fellow, leadership development consultant and author of the book “The African Prince” available on Amazon Kindle. His email address is p.m.mutua@googlemail.com