Key lessons from the President’s tears

As the beneficiaries of Equity Foundation’s ‘Wings to Fly’ scholarships narrated their stories of triumph over adversity, President Kibaki shed tears. The President said it was his “most joyous moment.”

It was a very interesting scenario that caught the attention of the morning radio talk hosts.

Maina Kageni and co-host King’angi of Classic FM joked that other leaders should also cry in public; they also created a debate about why women prefer men who are in touch with their emotions.

The incident reminded me of the struggles we go through in life. It occurred to me that maybe the President was reminded of his own experiences as he was growing up.

Equity Bank CEO James Mwangi also talks about education and the scholarships so passionately which suggests his genuine personal concern.

I remember the former US President Bill Clinton praised President Kibaki for the free primary education initiative.

There are lessons here on corporate social responsibility (CSR).

As Market Talk has informed you , future consumers are more likely to choose brands that do good things than brands that don’t.

This makes CSR a critical element for sustaining any business into the future.

CSR will play a central role in winning the hearts of the consumers. Consumers will be looking for brands that offer genuine, authentic promises. Window-dressing or superficial attempts to win the hearts of consumers will not work.

Equity Foundation’s scholarships have passed the authentic test with a testimony from none other than the President. Such scholarships may have the similar impact to the Tom Mboya air lifts many years ago that benefited the likes of Obama senior and Wangari Maathai.

How do you tell the world about your CSR efforts? While it is fine to do good things and keep quiet, in business it is not advisable. There is an analogy that equates marketing without advertising to winking at a girl in the dark; this applies to CSR.

You have to tell your story in an interesting and engaging way. This will keep you in the positive thought stations of your current and potential customers.

Leaders shedding tears in public reveal that they are as human as anyone else. It can also mean that they do not make decisions based on the spreadsheets and bottom line only.

The lessons here are on primal leadership which looks at leaders as human and thrives on emotional intelligence.