Post by fasil mesafint

Just finished watching the recent Meri Podcast episode featuring the brilliant Rita Tsehai, and it is an absolute masterclass in brand building and leadership! Her two decades of executive experience across Africa truly shine through—እጅግ በጣም አስተማሪ እና practical የሆነ dialogue ነው:: While she shared many invaluable insights, two critical takeaways deeply resonated with me, especially regarding our local market and management realities in Ethiopia: 📌 1. The Danger of Some KPIs (አንደንድ KPI የሚያመጣው አደጋ). Rita shared a powerful lesson from her time in Kenya. The team was given a KPI to transition local products into "global brands." However, pushing a global strategy without respecting local brand equity completely backfired—the rebranding cost them an astounding 80% of their local market share! The Lesson:Some KPIs drive wrong behaviors. አንድ ስትራቴጂ የሀገር ውስጥ ገበያን እና የደንበኛን ስነ-ልቦና (local context) ካላገናዘበ ውጤቱ ኪሳራ ሊሆን ይቻላል :: Metrics must serve the market reality, not just corporate vanity! በተለይ ቡዙ ሀገር የሚሰሩ ድርጅቶች they want to implement all KPI in all country and expect same 📈result! ለኔ ትክክል ያልሆነ approach. And it may be depend on the business nature, of course 🤷‍♂️ 📌 2. Culture, Collectivism & Employee Motivation (ማህበራዊ እሴት እና የሰራተኛ ቅጥር) Rita highlighted that African societies, particularly Ethiopia, are fundamentally communal, not individualistic. I immediately connected this to my own hiring and onboarding experiences, especially when recruiting at the Zone and Woreda levels. When I ask new team members about their 5-year vision, the overwhelming majority say: "ቤተሰቤን መርዳት" (To support my family). While this deep sense of duty and loyalty is admirable, it creates a unique leadership challenge. Many young professionals become demotivated or fed up in the early stages of their careers because entry-level salaries simply cannot immediately absorb the heavy short-term financial pressure of supporting an extended family. ❓ A Question to HR Professionals & Leaders: በአጭር ጊዜ ውስጥ ቤተሰብን የመርዳት ግፊት (short-term family financial pressure) ያለባቸውን ወጣቶች እንዴት keep motivated (Besides organization Purpose and Vision )ማድረግ እንችላለን? How can organizations balance this reality to help entry-level talent see the big picture—building a sustainable, long-term career future—without feeling like they are failing their immediate family obligations today? I would love to hear your advice, strategies, and experiences in the comments! 👇🏽 #HR Advice #Agribusiness #Employee #Leadership