Standard Bank Malawi

I'm honored to be featured in Bankers Magazine, where I share my journey of balancing my career and passions.

One of the biggest problems in Malawi is the lack of accountability. In one of the most heated board meetings I have ever attended, Audrey Mwala asked me a question: “I understand the market has experienced a shock which has affected all stockbrokers, but what are you, as the Operations Manager for Alliance Stockbrokers Ltd, doing to ensure that the company grows?” In her conclusion, she emphasized that a negative market shock is not an excuse one can rely on for long. I must admit, at the time I did not fully understand her point. Like most human beings, we are quick to shift blame for every unfortunate situation to someone else or something else, instead of taking accountability for the circumstances and ensuring survival and growth. Take, for example, the story of Adam and Eve, when Adam sinned and was questioned, his immediate response was to blame Eve, and Eve in turn blamed the snake. When relationships or marriages break down, blame is always present. Rarely does anyone take accountability. Sadly, this same behavior is replicated at the national economic level. For instance, once a political party is voted into power, the first response is often to blame the previous government. For the next five years, every challenge becomes the problem of the former administration. The recent fuel price adjustments have been blamed on inefficiencies of the previous government and global fuel price increases. Poor road infrastructure is blamed on the former government and excessive rains. Foreign currency shortages are also blamed on the previous government. I have attended meetings involving government, the private sector, and NGOs, and I have observed that accountability is most evident in certain private sector environments, where individuals are held responsible within their specific spaces. Do not get me wrong, accountability and personal rights do not always coexist peacefully. Once questions are directed at your area of responsibility, they are often perceived as personal attacks. When similar accountability is demanded from government officials, one is either redirected endlessly from office to office, threatened, or worse. This happens despite the country having enacted the Access to Information Act, an act for which no one seems accountable either. We must stop shifting blame to the next person. Yes, that job loss may also be your responsibility. The broken relationship could also be your responsibility. That divorce might also be your responsibility. That car accident, yours as well. The moment you start identifying your own faults, you begin to correct them, and that is a game changer. Instead of blaming your boss for not promoting you, ask yourself why and what you can do differently to earn that promotion. This mindset should apply at the individual level, the family level, the national level, and even globally. Stop blaming. Start finding solutions. Then we will discuss the results.