Tag: corporate

Why Most Corporate-Startup Partnerships Fail—and How to Fix It! (My lessons from judging top corporate startup competitions)

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Having had the privilege of judging numerous business pitch competitions across various industries—including the USAID Armyworm Challenge, the MTN Challenge for several years, the Africa Engineering Prize, MIT Solve, the Ghana Government Presidential Pitch, GSMA GLOMO Awards, and most recently the Ecobank Fintech Challenge—I’ve gained deep insights into the intersection of corporate and startup worlds. These competitions are a testament to the corporate sector’s desire to stay attuned to emerging trends in technology and innovation, a vital step in avoiding irrelevance. However, beyond the excitement of the pitch, I’ve observed a consistent gap: many corporates struggle to effectively capitalize on the potential of startup partnerships to truly drive growth.

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The Art of Saying No: Escaping Non-Promotable Tasks at Work

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In every career journey you will encounter tasks that may not directly contribute to your upward mobility within an organization. These tasks, known as non-promotable tasks, can have implications for career advancement and job satisfaction. Let’s talk about the definition of non-promotable tasks, why it matters, provide examples, discuss their impact on careers, and offer strategies for saying NO .

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A Sponsor is better than a mentor for your career…

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A mentor is someone who provides guidance, advice, and support as you navigate your career. Mentors are typically more experienced than their mentees, and they can offer insights and perspectives that the mentee may not have considered. Mentors can help their mentees set goals, develop new skills, and build their networks.

A sponsor is someone who actively advocates for you, and who is willing to use their influence and networks to help you advance in your career. Unlike a mentor, a sponsor has a direct stake in your success, and is committed to helping you achieve your goals.

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Why we give women ‘bad’ advice in the corporate world ..

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Here is the dilemma I have when I talk to or speak on how women can thrive in corporate spaces.

The dilemma is between the work in the demolishing of the structural barriers, that make it difficult for, or at least slow women down in climbing the career ladder versus advising women on how to thrive and navigate within these structures and environments.

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