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Strategic Thinking: 10 Lessons from 1...
Organisations worldwide make the common mistake of believing that their carefully crafted business strategies will work as a matter of course. Unfortunately, history teaches us otherwise and there are many case studies that reveal how the best laid plans go awry.
However, the words of Benjamin Franklin, ‘If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail,’ still resonate with experienced strategists. The world we live in is rapidly changing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital revolution and globalisation. It can be argued that the business world is evolving too rapidly for strategy to keep up. However, some of the best insights from historical case studies and anecdotes can still teach us lessons that are relevant today.
In his book, ‘Strategic Thinking, 10 Lessons from 1,000 Strategic Plans’ Dr. Frederick Ogola draws from historical lessons and his own wealth of experience as one of the most sought-after Strategy Consultants in Africa. In this book, you will find insights on the role of organisational culture, process and leadership in strategy formulation and execution.
Strategic planning requires a great deal of thinking, consultation and time. The idea of strategic planning has permeated all facets of society, from football strategies on the pitch to strategic game plans for careers and even strategic life plans. The concept of strategic planning became popular in the 1950s and 1960s in the corporate world. Enthusiasm then waned in the 1980s.
There was a resurgence in the 1990s, which has remained popular to this day. Strategic planning is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. In the world of business, there are many unanticipated opportunities and threats that require a response. History is replete with tales of strategy successes and failures of the world’s biggest and smallest companies. It can definitely be rewarding to have the right strategy and understand the concept of strategic planning.
Strategy affects every employee in an organization. Organisational culture can have a huge impact on employee happiness, performance and productivity. The culture consists of shared values and beliefs established by leaders and reinforced through various methods that shape employee perceptions, behaviours and understanding.
In his book, Dr. Ogola compares the performance and non-performance culture. As an employer, it is worth understanding the nuances of organisational culture to boost productivity and improve the retention of your staff. Dr. Ogola has worked with several organisations over the course of his career. The book highlights some of his experiences working to transform corporates in Kenya.
Korondo-Panic: A Satirized Diary of a...
“Articles in this book overflow with humour and thought provoking jokes. The way Araka twists and plays around with names of public figures, their actions and inactions, and blends it with the joys and disappointments of ‘ordinary’ citizens is on another level. The style is readable and appealing. The articles revolve around the novel Coronavirus disease. This is a time to be told and retold to present and future generations.” - Rose Kong’ani Keya, Book Editor and Teacher
“The author has banked on wordplay to offer his contribution in chronicling a critical moment in our lives when COVID-19 threw the world into panic and confusion. The book tells of humanity’s inadequacies, hits and misses. Through his trademark satire, Araka shows that as human beings, we deserve better and can do better even when caught up in difficulties. - Edna, Gutenbergschule, Leipzig
“Many occurrences happen in everyday life and can go unnoticed despite being significant. Araka is a gifted writer that makes such occurrences memorable through satire and humour. The themes in the articles including: political manipulations, exploitation, corruption, family relations, hypocrisy, traditions, and modern technology are well intertwined in the writer’s rich narrative style with vivid descriptions that capture the reader to achieve reading this collection in the shortest time possible. I recommend this collection to readers that wish to relive occurrences in their lives and surroundings in a laughable way.” - George Onkundi, Principal, Nyamira School.
About the Author: Joshua Nyangau Araka is a journalist, creative writer and biographer. His other published works include: Peppered Path, Chronicles of the Idler-Volume One, and Beaten Odds, a Biography of Stephen Mabea.
Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Tr...
Through artful prose and beautiful illustrations, Donna Jo Napoli and Kadir Nelson tell the true story of Wangari Muta Maathai, known as “Mama Miti,” who in 1977 founded the Green Belt Movement, an African grassroots organization that has empowered many people to mobilize and combat deforestation, soil erosion, and environmental degradation.
Today, more than 30 million trees have been planted throughout Mama Miti’s native Kenya, and in 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Wangari Muta Maathai has changed Kenya tree by tree—and with each page turned, children will realize their own ability to positively impact the future.
Take Control of Your Life Now, Create...
Contrary to popular belief that Vision Boards are all about pictures, this book seeks to debunk that. Creating your Vision Board is about helping you gain clarity on who you are becoming or what you want to do and what you want to have. It's about doing the hard inner work.
It's about asking the hard questions that we know we should be asking but don't. It's about helping you see what is possible for you.
This book will help you gain clarity on the kind of life you desire to create and also give you tips on how to get there.
The Beads of Slavery by Karanja M. Li...
Forgive Me Sunita by E.B. Ogalo
Sunita, a Standard Seven pupil at Nairobi Primary School finds herself in difficult situation. She is a student leader and is loved by both teachers and most of her colleague learners.
However, she notices that one of the student leaders is a bully and chooses to address the problem but what follows makes her come face to face with betrayal, hatred and the dire need to forgive.
Will she forgive the people who hurt her?
If You Dont Mind Me Saying: Your Ment...
Imagine a world where we normalize mental health conversations, prioritize self-care, and we are unashamed to go for therapy.
This world is possible. This is a MUST read, relatable book.
It's the kind of book that will inform, empower, educate and get you thinking, talking and prioritizing mental health--not in general, but yours. Because your mental health is immensely more important than your hustle, latest trends, politics or news.
Life Journeys Scaling Heights: Conver...
Raindrops and Roses by Patrick Lavince
Raindrops & Roses is a bouquet of poems – poems of discernment and love; governance and patriotism; law and societal indoctrination; mental health and affirmations; loss and grief – flowers of hope planted by the flowing waters beneath the white of eyes.
The book is a full-length poetry anthology and comprises of two books in one.
Book 1: Cancer Sun, Gemini Moon.
Book 2: Unsent Letters.
This anthology of poems ticks all boxes, colours the parts that were void of light and is the ultimate prize of love.
Evolve by Mary Njuguna
‘Evolve’ is an Award-Winning, short, and perhaps simplified book on transitions. The book was Nominated for the African Christian Authors Book Award 2022 and emerged winner in the Christian Fiction Category.
Navigating the waters of change may be a daunting task. The hallway in between needs to be managed to enable us to evolve into higher versions of ourselves.
Evolve aims at unveiling wins hidden in challenges that, if explored, reveal hidden treasures that require a willingness to change and grow.
Carving of a Firebrand: A journey of ...
Through a life filled with struggle, meaning, tragedy, and accomplishment, Irene Kendi has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era.
As the Deputy President of the Students Organisation of the University of Nairobi (SONU) — the first female student leader to serve in that role — she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive student leadership in Kenya’s student leadership history.
While at it, she established herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in Kenya and worldwide. She showed us a few dance moves along the way, regaled us with her pulsating humorous banter, raised a down-to-earth son, and kept her family dignity under an unforgiving media glare.
In this memoir, Kendi invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood in Maua, on the northwestern slopes of Nyambene Hills and west of Meru National Park, to her years as a trade unionist, civil servant, and advocate. She tells of balancing the demands of motherhood and work at Kenya’s most famous address - Nairobi.
With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her struggles, triumphs, and disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her terms.
Warm, wise, and revelatory, Carving of a Firebrand is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations — and whose story inspires us to do the same.
Teens Guide to the Constitution of Ke...
The Teens Guide to the Constitution helps the youth understand the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. The guide simplifies the technical language with which the Constitution is written and provides a colourful and age appropriate access to the Constitution. The activities at the end of each chapter, also allow a reader to test their comprehension with each read.
The guide is valuable to the public and even more, to teenagers, aspiring law students and young activists who are interested in making an impact in their communities. It helps them appreciate their rights and duties, as well as their roles both as a Kenyan citizens and young leaders.
Herding the Zebra by Peter Otieno
When Peter Otieno finally left formal employment to focus on his enterprises, he did not anticipate a world of politics and backstabbing the private sector. Leaving an illustrious career in a multinational organization that had systems firmly in place, Peter joins murky world of partnerships and weak governance structures.
The book gives a candid account of the behind the scenes shenanigans of partnership that we rarely glimpse in the private enterprises. Herding The Zebra is a unique corporate memoir; told with honesty that there is no room for sanitizing any elements of the drama that ensues once the idea of barcoding Kenya took root.
The ability to make bold decisions, often against the grain and embracing change, however uncomfortable, proves to be the key to success of GSI in East Africa.