[kictanet] The big Kwaheri: reflecting on 10 years on the MJ 10 yrsafari and his-tory - day 1
godera at skyweb.co.ke
godera at skyweb.co.ke
Tue Oct 19 15:50:37 EAT 2010
Michael,
A big thank you for your candid responses. All the best, God bless!
Kind regards,
Gilda
Quoting Michael Joseph <MJoseph at Safaricom.co.ke>:
> Thank you for all your kind wishes, appreciations and words of advice. I
> will attempt to respond as much as possible.
>
>
>
> Muriuki asked me to response to specific questions which are listed
> below and I will add other responses to comments expressed from other
> Listers.
>
>
>
> - What is behind the success; is it luck, ability to manipulate
> the environment around you?
>
> There are many factors behind the success of Safaricom, but I would sum
> it up as follows:
>
> We determined that our core market was going to be the man and woman in
> the street (matatu passengers if you will) and came up with prices,
> products and services that were accepted and used by this core market.
> We also make some wise (in hindsight) decisions like per-second billing,
> 24 hour 7-days a week free customer care, inexpensive handsets, pre-paid
> tariffs etc. We stressed our Kenyan roots both in our branding and our
> CSR programmes from the very beginning. It was a combination of
> knowledge and experience from the past (mostly what did not work), some
> knowledge of the local market, gut feel and luck.
>
>
>
> - What drives you and can this be ported to other managers to
> drive their enterprises to success like Safaricom
>
> I am very ambitious, competitive and firmly believe in doing the very
> best you can. I believe that we are all given great opportunities in
> life and it's up to us to take these opportunities and use them for the
> benefit of our fellow man. I believe in integrity, care for ones fellow
> man and hard work and these credos can be used by anyone. Very few of us
> are born with a silver spoon in their mouths and therefore to be
> successful takes some effort. It came to me late in life but
> nevertheless it came.
>
>
>
> - Is this specific to ICT sector or are these skills generic
> and can apply to other sectors?
>
> As above
>
>
>
> - How do you manage time to handle all demands on your time
>
> I handle stress quite well but I work quite long hours - I start at 6am
> and finish around 8pm and then usually I am required to attend some
> function. I use the hours of 6am to 8am to deal with all my emails and
> reading of documents and the rest of the day is for meetings both formal
> and informal. Weekends, wherever possible, belong to me and my family
>
>
>
> - Going forward , how will you use your time
>
> At this point, I have no idea. As the time gets closer I am getting a
> little more concerned. I will remain on the Board of Safaricom for
> another 2 years, will maintain an office at Safaricom and will also act
> an advisor to Bob Collymore the new CEO, and the CEO of the Vodacom
> Group.
>
>
>
> - And finally a chance to introduce the incoming CEO to the
> listers
>
> Bob is copied above and I have urged him to join this list.
>
>
>
> Other comments:
>
>
>
> 1. I do respond to all emails addressed to me. I am particularly
> concerned when complaints are made about our service and we do not
> respond. I find this unacceptable but it is sometimes like pushing a
> large boulder uphill to get people to change although we are making
> progress. I want our subscribers to be satisfied with our service and I
> take it very personally when they are not due to our own inability to
> get things right
> 2. I learnt early on to lead from the front. You need to be seen to
> be the leader and to act like one. The title of CEO or whatever does not
> make you a leader. When things are both bad and good you need to be seen
> and to take responsibility. I always admire people that when they get
> promoted, suddenly have the wisdom they never had the day before
> (perhaps it came through the walls like osmosis). Take our Ministers as
> a perfect example.
> 3. I agree with Sam - I need to achieve (it's a fixation) and I am
> the second born!
> 4. To the PS (to whom I am eternally grateful), I still think some
> of your ideas are wacky but are probably right! I apologize about the
> lawyer - no more can be said here!
> 5. To be clear: M-Pesa was developed by Vodafone using a co-grant
> from DFID. It was originally developed for the micro-finance industry
> for the disbursement and repayment of small loans. We were asked to
> trial it in 2006 which we did and then Safaricom and Vodafone suggested
> and made the changes that created M-Pesa. M-Kesho was my idea as
> expansion of M-Pesa. Sambaza and Okoa Jahazi were ideas borrowed from
> other Vodafone companies - Egypt mostly.
>
>
>
> The future:
>
>
>
> I have been urged to write a book, go in public service and or just fade
> into the background. I really have not decided yet. A book sounds
> interesting but somewhat arrogant from my side, but maybe it will be
> necessary. I would love to do more for Kenya but NOT as a politician.
> Lecturing would be great but I have yet to be asked. I will take some
> time to think about it and then decide. Life will for sure present me
> with my next opportunity and challenge.
>
>
>
> Thank you for allowing me to respond and once again thank you for the
> many positive comments.
>
>
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
> Michael
>
>
>
> CEO
>
> Safaricom Limited
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: kictanet-bounces+mjoseph=safaricom.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> [mailto:kictanet-bounces+mjoseph=safaricom.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke]
> On Behalf Of muriuki mureithi
> Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2010 9:58 AM
> To: Michael Joseph
> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> Subject: [kictanet] The big Kwaheri: reflecting on 10 years on the MJ 10
> yrsafari and his-tory - day 1
>
>
>
> Hi Listers
>
> As you are aware , Michael Joseph (MJ) leaves the office of CEO on 31st
> of this month after a 10 year career at Safaricom. As is tradition,
> we at KICTAnet bid our members welcome/ farewell and certainly
> this list is the tool of choice supplemented by a bash when feasible
> . this is what we want to do starting now - from 10 hrs today the 10th
> day of the 10th month of the 10 year of the new century we wish to take
> just 10 days to reflect on the MJ's 10 year safari ---- . As usual we
> expect fair and candid thoughts from our hearts and mind and the daily
> prompting questions will provide a structure for our discussion
>
> we shall present your candid views in style to MJ at a suitable time
> shortly after the closure of the list discussion----
>
>
>
> To kick-start discussion , first let's look back over your shoulder -
> just recall when he landed in Nairobi in June 2000 and went to work
> on/at Safaricom. At 17k customers , with barely 9 base stations , the
> operator was the smallest and in the eyes of the potential consumer,
> an appendage of the towering TKL of the day . that was then , it's no
> more
>
>
>
> * What still lingers in your mind of MJ early days at
> Safaricom, his interaction with you , the customers , the media, the
> regulator , competition etc?
>
> * What factors shaped MJ's and Safaricom's destiny - did he
> create the opportunities or was he just smart enough to take advantage
> of the situation?
>
> * In juggling between competing technologies, customer
> expectation, staff demands, government, market competition, what strikes
> you as MJ's character that produces the results we see
>
> * What do you think he could have done differently?
>
> * What actions did MJ take then that are still inexplicable and
> you would want MJ to explain now?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> cheers
>
>
>
> Muriuki Mureithi
>
>
>
>
>
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