It is OK for MNC Expatriate Leaders to acknowledge everything is not OK

My weekend post this week was provoked by a post from  Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe. which challenged what appeared to be a very perplexing decision of Government….

‘ “Why will you give those of us from the eastern part of Nigeria, from South-East, North-Central, North-East the archaic, old modern narrow gauge, then you are now spending a lot of money to do the modern standard gauge to another country [Niger Republic]. Are people from the South-East, North-Central and North-East not Nigerians? ‘

The main post was not actually what made me think.

Moving on from this, I decided to tag some other Nigerians who have generated regular traffic on LinkedIn relating to Nigeria’s rail improvements.

It is what came next, from Ndubuisi Ekekwe that actually got me thinking:

What occurred to me, is that my presence in Nigeria for multiple stints has been on an expatriate basis, and it got me thinking about what should responsible, moral  and ethical online engagement for an expatriate in a Nigerian context look like?

A week ago, George Senata had this to say:

And my reply was:

The thread drew the following supportive contribution from one Veronica Bridgewater:

And previously:

For sure, foreign MNC leaders in Nigeria have some limitations on what they can say based on Group SMO Policy. However, if that Policy is so straight jacketing, that it prevents them from expressing empathy, then perhaps they need to have a frank dialogue with HQ on changing it.

For MNC’s in particular, the celebrated columnist and expert on Globalization, Thomas Friedman, coined the phrase ‘Global Approach’, which combines  retention of the MNC’s ‘organisational DNA’ but equally importantly, , adapts itself to local strategic imperatives.

Frequently, MNC expatriate leaders incorrectly interpret ‘local strategic imperatives’ to mean product innovation, adherence to local legal and statutory requirements, and employment law.

Beyond that, they look at backwards integration in JV local projects and a few promo community gestures from time to time that has the kudos life flogged out of it by the PR Machine.

This is an ‘I’m OK Jack’ capsule looking out at a hurting land. This is not ‘local strategic imperatives’.

When an expatriate leads a local operation of hundreds and in some cases, thousands of local people, empathy is essential. An expatriate may deliver some of the best numbers in recent trade history.

But if it is so out of tune and oblivious to the general mood of the nation that they don’t acknowledge when their workforce is ‘hurting’, then that can leave years of brand damage.

REAL ‘local strategic imperatives’ involve an organic process.

The MNC needs to grow itself, through empathetic leadership so that it becomes a symbiotic organ in the body of a nations people as a unified form of life.

This is the anchor of the ‘local strategic imperatives’ concept.

There have been some stalwart expatriate leaders in Nigeria over time. People with such positive impact on a local situation that communities call areas after the company they led.

In Lagos, drive down the Ekpe Expressway towards Ajah. You will meet a place that has been named ‘Chevron’ Drive from Mile 2 as if you are headed to Apapa or Satellite Town, and you can reach a place known as ‘Volkswagen’. Do like you are travelling from Ikoyi to Surelere, you will encounter a place called ‘Costain’. Move between the Ogba and Alausa areas of Ikeja and you may find yourself in ‘Berger’.

Why? Empathy!

These companies had foreign leaders in a time of no Social Media, not even internet. If they observed disquiet and melancholy in their work forces, they took out their paper, they took out their pen, they wrote to Military Leaders, to Elected Leaders, to Tribal Leaders, to anyone who would listen.

In these times, we have so many tools to share opinion, we don’t need to have anybody’s ear to ensure we get peoples attention. Despite how easy it has become to execute on TRUE ‘local strategic imperatives’, nobody seems willing to take the plunge.

How many localities in Nigeria in the last twenty years have assumed the name of an MNC? None! And you wonder why?

How do we change this narrative? Expatriate MNC leaders need to engage with the debates. If extra-corporate authoring is too much exposure, there are still ways to contribute meaningfully. Rather than producing content, reacting to content is OK.

On LinkedIn, there are now multiple reaction options. When challenging content seems useful in parts, but there are individual narratives or conclusions that are difficult to support, the ‘curious’ option is a great choice.

It still means coming to the table.

I would say avoid making short comments that are dismissively simplistic. There is a big difference between something that can me misperceived as disparaging, demeaning and insulting , and the still small voice of genuine and honest concern.

Nobody needs to feel under the obligation that they need to be a major agent for change.

I am not trying to encourage a radicalized global expatriate movement weaponized by words.

What I am asking is that people bring their own juice of reason to the table. We don’t need waterfalls of activity. Sometimes it just takes one last drop to burst a dam of suppression and release floodwaters of positive change.

Some view Nigeria as broken, some don’t but if it is, so is the world. We have our religious belief systems that either believe in a life hereafter, in reincarnation, or some believe in some form of cosmic energy unity, but just because this earth is a temporary home in our eyes, there is no need to consider it a toilet.

Nothing is beyond repair and beyond fixing, but Nigeria needs the participation of EVERYBODY, and this means that EVERYBODY in the nations fabric needs to be willing to acknowledge ‘Everything is NOT OK’

Now let us all focus on one thing about Nigeria that we like, and lets add them up. Simply because we can find ugliness and damage, does not mean we can’t find beauty too.