HIRING RIGHT: I am working late tonight – at the shipping company in Kampala. My days are mostly spent in meetings and this is when I get time to catch up on mail and do follow-ups.

(Don’t ask me about work-life balance. I believe in Fullness;-).

As I happily worked away, the sound of the back door opening startled me. It was this, my co-laborer. I’d bid him good night at 5 O’clock. But he got an urgent call that had him back peddle to the office. He’s been at it here for two hours – and is now winding up. I teased him – told him he needs to get a life. He said he was glad he came back; something about an almost-missed delivery deadline averted. He’s a customs guy and I’ve been gone too long to understand what he was doing on URA’s ASYCUDA system that he logged off a while ago.

My 20+ years’ entrepreneurial journey has convinced me that most businesses that never grow or scale have hirelings for workers – employees who tell customers, “I’ll talk to “them” and get back to you.” To these employees, “We” is a foreign construct. To them ownership is restricted to the actual owner of the business.

If you are going to grow your business, your employees are an indispensable resource that can take your idea and own your strategy to make it a thriving enterprise. Or conversely be the death of it.