Prime
Do a good job and people will recommend you
Njuki respects a team player who is innovative, has a work ethic, is respectful of self and others
What you need to know:
- Emmanuel Njuki: He is the country lead, Legal & Corporate Affairs at NBL, a job that involves among other roles, ensuring that business is well known among those it impacts and those who take decisions about the company.
How did you get to where you are today?
Through constant self-improvement. I read quite a bit. To grow, I have figured that one needs the technical knowledge which we normally obtain through formal education and practice but also other skills such as problem-solving, communication, self-leadership and managing other people and situations.
I challenge myself often to solve bigger and more impactful problems and that is how I choose my opportunities. Most importunately, however, it has been through the grace of God. He has cut my path and directed my steps.
What work ethics do you uphold?
I always challenge myself to get the job done no matter the circumstances. I purpose to show up on time and to make a fair contribution. I remind myself to always be agreeable and treat people the same way I would like to be treated. I am constantly asking myself what the best way to get the job done is. Prioritisation, preparation and consultation are super powers.
Who has been your mentor in this corporate life?
I have had the pleasure of having mentors both dead and alive through reading. But I have also observed that people I admire solve problems and perform their roles many times without being aware that I am observing. At most of my jobs, I have also been blessed to find more experienced people who have taught me what I know and guided me on how to grow on my own. I regard all those as mentors.
How have you mentored other people?
Whenever I am in a role of leadership, I have been deliberate to be useful to my team. I share tips, stories, and scenarios which I believe will guide and inform but I have also given assignments with the intention that their completion would challenge and teach. I take an active interest in the career growth of my teammates and reports past and present and I keep challenging them to be better than they are today. I am quite happy with many of them.
I have challenged a good number to purpose to take my job, which then challenges me too to seek higher opportunities and challenges fully confident that transition management will be smooth.
Who is your ideal team player?
A curious one. One who looks at challenges as an adventure. I like a team player who is innovative, who has a work ethic, is respectful of self and others and tries to be good to others. Someone who is dependable.
What tips can you share on rising up the corporate ladder?
Be honest. Everyone likes a truthful person. Be dependable. Get the work done. Be curious. Improve yourself whether in technical knowledge or in soft skills. Take calculated risks.
Be ambitious. When you do a good job but are also an easy person to lift, people will recommend you from rooms where you are not. In a situation where everyone being considered is technically competent, the question then will be; will he fit in? Is he just about results or about people too?
What would you consider your biggest mistake on a job and what lesson did you learn from it?
In a past role, I disagreed with my boss because I was the subject matter expert. I had insisted on my way, a little too much that he got upset. I then realised that my job is really to support him do his and after presenting my opinion, the final call is really his.
I apologised for my approach and reassured him that I was there to support him. His direction did not work and he called me in to try my way. This only worked because I realised my position and corrected my attitude quickly.
What keeps you awake?
There are some busy seasons where I choose to work late into the night. Otherwise, I sleep quite soundly. I do wake up early to plan and strategise for both my personal and professional life, but not due to lack of sleep.
I have achieved some level of self-management that allows me to contextualise and segment challenges that I am not flustered. In my type of trade, it pays to be calm when everyone else is losing their cool.
What calms you after a tedious day or week of work?
A lengthy walk will do the trick. I love the beauty in nature, so I hike often, and it is so refreshing. I also meditate, in the morning when I wake after prayer and sometimes before I sleep. Light banter is another.
Walk us through your education journey…
I hold an MBA from Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi, a diploma in Marketing Communications from The Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences from Makerere University.
I started my education from St. Jude Buyijja-Kabira Primary School in Buwama Sub-country, Mpigi District, but moved to St Aloysius Mitala-Maria where I sat my PLE. I then moved to Kisubi Minor Seminary for my O-Level and then to St Henry’s College Kitovu where I completed my secondary education. It is from here that I joined Makerere University.
