Richard Bekyi Receives High Performance Recognition

We have said time and time over that outstanding is not the same as normal—in fact they are opposites. This is actually a tautology of a sort. But often even those who think they understand end up confusing the idea. They have managed to convince themselves that different means getting out of line or perhaps start heading in the very opposite direction. You are different of course when you do that but different is not always useful. In a situation where everyone wants to live those commit suicide can also claim to be different. Those who rip off their clothes in public too are different of course but only because most of us want to keep our clothes on.

To address this conundrum we must first postulate a direction or perhaps a destination that will define progress for the larger society. When this is done, being outstanding will then mean you lead the pack in the set direction towards the destination. When you lead, you are different because the majority of people tend to hover around the middle bracket doing what it called normal, average or good enough. When they cook, you can eat it because it is ok. It has just about enough salt and pepper to give a fair taste. Those who are outstanding cook something that you can eat too, except you are left with a strong urge to indulge in infantile art of finger licking. It is just too damn good. Such persons are rare and we have found they are driven by a performance conscious mindset. Ripping off your clothes and heading in the regressive direction is the easy way out to different—way of the miscreant. Real performance takes more.

Mr. Richard Bekyi, a recipient of the SPID-UP® Performance Recognition Awards is one of such personalities who give you that strong urge to lick your fingers. He does this through graphic designing and printing. Richard’s customers are not ordinary folks either. They have a consuming appetite for outstanding. If you are normal you will have a tough time understanding this man. As one customer told us;

“I thought this guy was weird… I was sure he did not understand what we wanted and he won’t even compromise. He is very stubborn about quality and you cannot persuade him to do simple things. In the end I realized I really did not understand where he was coming from. You really have to stop thinking and let him lead the way because he wants to take you to new level”

Mr. Bekyi and his team at Iseeworks Limited craft some life-transforming designs and they are not going to sit around and let some printer make a mess of it. He controls the process from start to finish making sure their customer get exactly what he promised them if not more. It is easy to confuse his work with something that was crafted a Hollywood design studio. But that is not all there is to this man and his team. Anyone who knows anything about the printing business will tell you that it’s major plague in not only quality of work. There is also a severe case of untimely delivery and Richard Bekyi seems to have developed an antidote for this blight.

For us at SPiD-UP® that is hope. We are capable as a people to produce high quality only if we decide to and one of our many examples is Mr. Richard Bekyi. We hope he is inspires you to be performance conscious enough to give your best. Regardless of what you do, you ought to activate the urge to indulge in the art of finger licking in your patrons. Mr. Beckyi will be speaking at the Upcoming SPiD-UP® workshop on performance where he will share some thoughts on the importance of performance. We look forward to seeing you there. #spidup 

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10 Branding Tips for CEOs

To begin with note that where the CEOs personal vision doesn't align with the company's vision the brand will eventually fail.

1. You are the first brand ambassador of your firm

2. Your personal brand is as important as your corporate brand

3. Communicate your brand's value in simple English. (Simplify) succinctly

4. Wear your brand daily

5. Find out how consumers perceive your brand

6. Know what people like most and dislike about your brand

7. Invest in Employer Branding

8. Never neglect Social Media as part of your brand LinkedIn is a MUST for CEOs)

9. Your private and public life are interrelated as long as you are the head.

10. Stay transparent, stay trusted!

Bernard Kelvin Clive is Personal Branding Coach/ Amazon bestselling author of “How to Repair Your Broken Brand & Manage Your Reputation” plus over twenty-five published books.

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Blakk ID’s modest groundbreaking launch

Product launches must soon become a collector’s item in the very near future. Brands try to outclass each other; innovating their way to mass attention leaving in their wake creative landmarks that sometimes even outlive the brand itself. Some of the activities can be that extreme. One worthy of note in recent times is the Star FM launch that featured camels and the works. Now that was a launch in a class by itself and it did get national attention. Perhaps it was all worth it as it seems to have worked miracles for the Star FM brand. I suppose it is what you can call a successful launch because it had the knock-punch effect—you couldn’t have missed it.

But is there an ethical question to be addressed in running these campaigns? Are the brands simply looking for attention or are they offering more. The world has gone past just doing things for your benefit only. Beyond that, phones now have cameras and flash lights. Some even have radio and TV. Innovation is when you can give more than your core promise in a creative way. A brand that seems to have captured this idea and is presenting what we think is bound to be a trend-setter is Blakk ID.

What if a fashion brand can sprinkle dashes of CSR over the launch even before they are fully in the market? Now, that will be a new way of thinking that also presents the full manifestation of the win-win-win idea. It also demonstrates that they are not just in the market to sell clothes; they also care about society they operate in. We can be sure then, that when they make a billion, they will give some of it back to help improve the lot of their fellow humans. Now that is a trait of a modern brand and the guys at Blakk ID clearly understand the dynamics of this thinking. So what are they doing exactly? They are going to the Akropong School for the blind to stage a fashion show as part of the launch of their fashion brand in an event dubbed Colours of Black. You might think there is nothing innovative about that until I tell you that all the models will be blind students. To answer your question, YES! Visually impaired people can model too. You may be familiar with the maxim “disability is not inability”. What it simply means is that, people you think are disabled may be abled in other departments and these blind students are going to demonstrate this idea in its fullness through fashion all made possible by Blakk ID.

YES! They have the materials; long legs, slender waist, muscular torsos — the whole works and Blakk ID is going to put them all to work on the 21^st of May at the Akropong School for the blind. If you want to support a blind student, witness a trendsetting launch, experience top-end fashion and be inspired, let’s see you there on the 21^stof May.

Blakk ID is an Accra based fashion brand run by Berima Kenneth Kobina Mensah; a Takoradi polytechnic trained fashion designer who has been passionately involved in clothing and dress making since his junior high school years.  

Blakk ID formerly known as Color Blakk is set to take African fashion to the next level. At SPiD-UP®, we are excited about the quality of their output and believe the future is bright for the Blakk ID team. It will be exciting to see you at Akropong on the 21^st.  Whatever you do, be the best you can be. #spidup 

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Edward Effah leads Fidelity to 79% Profit increase

In March 2001, Edward Effah was selected as one of the best twenty young leaders in Ghana for the inaugural class of the Ghana chapter of the Africa Leadership Initiative. Since then his name has never left the top performers list. Fidelity Bank under his leadership has recorded some phenomenal successes over the years and shows promise of continuous growth. In the industry, the bank has won several awards including the prestigious Best Bank- Customer Care for the Ghana Banking Awards under his leadership. He is by all standards a high performing individual.

In 2014, the nation was faced with an economic downturn that presented a turbulent period to the financial sector. In spite of this challenge Fidelity Bank recorded an appreciable performance under the leadership of Mr. Edward Effah in 2014 when profits increased by about 79% from the previous year’s GH¢63 million to GH¢112.5 million in 2014.

At the bank’s annual general meeting, Mr. Effeh said; “In the year under review, operating income was GH¢326 million, representing a growth of 67 percent over last year’s figure of GH¢195 million. Growth in operating income was as a result of a 59 percent growth in the net interest income from GH¢117 million in 2013 to GH¢186 million in 2014. Growth in fees and commission on the other hand increased but was below expectation due to the shortage in foreign currency and decreased international trade activities in the year”. He said that effective cost savings, notwithstanding the higher inflationary environment, supported the profit performance, saying “operating expense for the year came to GH¢183 million, 57 percent above that of the previous year.”

According to a news item published on the company’s website; assets of the group soared significantly by 85 per cent from GH¢1.69 billion in 2013 to GH¢3.14 billion in 2014. The bank’s profit after tax increased by about 90 per cent from GH¢43.86 million in 2013 to GH¢83.38 million at the end of last year, buoyed by about a 71 per cent growth in operating income from GH¢197.1 million in 2013 to GH¢336.7 million in 2014.

Mr. Effah attributes the Bank’s performance to improved internal processes substantially, enhanced delivery of service to customers and increased footprint in the Ghanaian banking landscape. He said the bank brought on board IBM, a leading IT company to provide the latest technology platform to serve its customers, invested in a state-of-the-art contact center to serve customers as well as the acquired ProCredit Savings and Loans Limited to ensure expansion of its activities. These factors are largely responsible for the growth. Mr. Edward Effah noted that the integration has been very smooth and that Fidelity currently has the best combination of Human Resources in the sector.

Board Chairman of the Bank, Dr. William Panford Bray, touching on the acquisition of ProCredit noted that the acquisition of ProCredit had helped the bank to increase its footprint across the country with an extended network of 80 branches and 110 ATMs. With the integration of processes and credit methodology well integrated, The bank can now boast of customer base increase from 485,000 to 621,829 helping to improve deposit base by 31 per cent to GH¢1.8 billion.

High performance in the financial sector enables high performance in all other sectors of an economy. With the likes of Edward Effah at the helm of affairs, there is light at the end of the tunnel for Africa as the Cheetahs, slowly move to the front-line. Mr. Effah is a classic example of high performance; a person who’s very presence in any group forces change in the upward direction.  Team SPiD-UP is working hard to find out what his driving philosophy is and when this is done, we hope to bring you an inspiring article that will encourage you towards being the best you can be. In the meantime, keep brightening your corner. #SPiD-UP

If you know other high performers, nominate someone into the performance recognition Program

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"YOU CAN RAISE CAPITAL IN THIRTEEN DIFFERENT WAYS" CALEB AYIKU

The guest for the second edition of the Role Model Africa Corporate Dialogue addressed the theme “Financing the African Business”. Caleb Ayiku, who is a corporate trainer, business coach and entrepreneur drew insight from his rich experience in business in addressing the concerns of participants. He has strong business development skill; he is a strong leader with exceptional strategic, communication and networking skills capable of building teams for flawless execution of business strategies. He is the founder of the renowned management consultancy, Breakthrough Consult and a co-founder of the Camarie Group and Rex Oil, an Oil Marketing Company in Ghana. Caleb has worked in a number of corporations across the continent, where he has gained key experiences and knowledge in business. He is a former Managing Director of Engen Ghana, Engen Kenya, Engen Tanzania, Herbalife and Oando Ghana. He is a Chemical Engineer by profession and offers career and life coaching to young and aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs. Caleb is also a Management Consultant, and has trained and consulted with several corporations including Barclays Bank, Citi FM, Enterprise Insurance and FEDEX. He is also an author books covering the areas of business, motivation and health.

Caleb, during the dialogue, educated the audience on the nuances of entrepreneurship and business. He emphatically stated that, the path to financial success requires a multiple stream of income. Hence, the need for entrepreneurship, exploring new ideas and transforming the ideas into profitable ventures. He postulated that, every business must have a business plan. He described a business plan as a document that spells out how you want to implement your business ideas. “As one who wants to start a business it is imperative to have a business plan.” He added that a business a business plan is the surest and best way to secure way to secure credit.

He further took the participants through some ways of securing funding to start a business and expanding it. According to him, raising capital as an entrepreneur is one of the many challenges faced and not the only one. The sources of funding, he mentioned include: one’s own money, through partnerships, free money from family and friends, loans form family and friends, loans from financial institutions, venture capitalists and private equity funds, angel investors, listing on the Ghana Stock Exchange and benefitting from government programs and from donors.

Caleb, in the course of the dialogue spoke against the Ghanaian mentality of wanting to own a business solely. He thus encourages partnerships among businesses. He urged the youth to learn to collaborate in partnerships in doing business. He stated that, “There is magic in partnership” he said as the discussion came to a close, stressing that, “credibility is the currency of business”. In a more compelling tone, he instructed all who have business ideas to start their businesses. He encouraged them not to be afraid of failure, but rather embrace it in order to learn new ways of doing things.

The Role Model Africa project comprises a variety of packages including an Exclusive One-on-One mentoring session, the Business Mentoring Class, the Mentoring Hubs on the various tertiary institution campuses and the Corporate Dialogue. The maiden edition of the Role Model Corporate Dialogue was held on Sunday 27^th September 2015 under the theme, “Doing business with Integrity”. Dr. Samuel Onwona, an Ex-World Bank official was the role model for the first edition.

Role Model Africa, is a mentoring platform that seeks to engage African personalities whose influence span beyond Africa. The initiative, a project organized by INVENTS on a quarterly basis is designed to identify African personalities whose contributions to the continent and beyond are worth emulating. In a story telling format, a guest (role model) is engaged in a discussion by a host to a live audience. The dialogue engages the personality of the individual together with their corporate experiences.

The dialogue was moderated by Dr. William Okyere-Frempong a medical doctor by training and the country Chief Executive Officer of the HuD. The Co-founder and C.E.O. of Galaxy Capital, Mr. Samuel Bright-Kaitoo delivered the keynote address to start off the dialogue. He emphasized in his address, the role of mentorship in national development. He cited examples of some noteworthy individuals who attained notable feats by reason of their association with mentors. He mentioned Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg was mentored by Apple founder Steve Jobs. In a similar fashion Bill Gates was mentored by Warren Buffet. He further encouraged the participants to submit to role models in humility.

There were other high profile individuals present at the Corporate Dialogue, they included Mr. Martin Luther King (C.E.O., Journalist for Regional Integration), Henry Afrifa (Migrations Officer, British High Commission), Johannes Akuffo (C.E.O., ASN Financial Services), John Ntim Fordjour (2016 Parliamentary candidate), Edem Adzaho (C.E.O., Spec Consults) among others.

INVENTS Co-founder, Samuel Agyeman-Prempeh expressed excitement at the many young people who were present at the dialogue. He also announced that plans are underway to connect young people with mentors of different backgrounds. Mr. Agyeman Prempeh used the opportunity to award some executives who have been dedicated in their service to raising magnates and dynamic leaders across the continent. In concluding, he excitedly announced the date for the next edition to be on Sunday, 22^nd May, 2016. Further details will be made available in the press, he assured.  The date for the next edition was announced to be on Sunday, 22nd May, 2016 at 3pm under the theme “Employing the media to sustain the African Business”.

Role Model Africa is an initiative by INVENTS, a mentoring organization that focuses on raising young people as Leaders and Entrepreneurs before they turn 25. Since October 2007, Invents has been consistent in using personal Leadership models and projects to reach out to millions of young people. Our flagship programs include: She Magnate Project and Ideas Pulpit. Our events have attracted remarkable personalities such as Bishop N.A. Tackie-Yarboi; Founder and Presiding Bishop of VBCI, Dr. Yaw Perbi; Global C.E.O. of the HuD Group, Dr. Mrs. Ellen Hagan; Founder and C.E.O. of L’aine Services, Mrs. Comfort Ocran; Co-Founder of Legacy & Legacy, Dr. Samuel Onwona; Former World Bank Official, and Mr. Caleb Ayiku: Co-founder of Rex Oil..

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