Mambo Kwa Ground.

This whole week, I’ve been feeling like a tsetse fly has bitten me. It’s as if I’ve been having sleeping sickness. Even while standing, I feel like taking a nap. Could it still be fatigue from the Kenya Open, or does my mind now need to rest after my body has recovered? Often, we overlook our mental and emotional strain and focus instead on physical fatigue. I have undergone some physiotherapy to relieve the tension in my body; however, could it be that my mind and heart are still charging?

Anyhow, life has to move on. When I was appointed Tournament Director for the Magical Kenya Open, I didn’t have a detailed plan. I figured I would start by learning as much as possible from my predecessor and the office staff. They were all quite helpful and continue to be. Come tournament week, I realised that the heat was on. It was time to put that learning into action. I also had to execute my tasks in a way that worked for me, since I had decided to go in wearing my own shoes rather than anyone else’s.

To my delight, I met a group of energetic contractors who had been engaged in previous years to help stage the event. There was Edu, who was in charge of the structures on the golf course and the entertainment village. Pato, who dealt with lighting the parking lots for spectators and volunteers, as well as the practice range facility. Dennis, from the ticketing company, ensured everyone entered correctly based on their ticket category while resolving any online glitches, and Mzee Njoroge, who tidied the stores and ensured all that merchandise was delivered correctly.

There were also Marto and his team, who set up all the branding on and off the golf course according to the branding matrix given to sponsors. I felt for him because he bore the brunt of the branding wars that would erupt as everyone pushed to maximise their sponsorship. We were present to wipe the blood that spilt on him accidentally, hehe. Emily, who designed all of our signage, was quite flexible regarding new demands and frequent changes in requirements. She kept pace and came through, all while maintaining the energy to crack a joke here and there.

Paul was in charge of vendors at the entertainment village. His cool demeanour helped calm tempers as vendors’ demands escalated and shouting matches broke out. Some pulled rank and called me directly as Tournament Director, but I quickly learned to refer them back to Paul. If your team knows you will sell them out when an outsider raises an issue, they will feel exposed and demoralised. It’s best to give them cover and correct them privately when the client is not present. Finally, there were Abigail and Esther, who were like the nerve centre, responding to countless emails, messages, and phone calls. If Kenya Open were an office, they would be at the reception handling queries, along with the PABX, forwarding all enquiries to the right departments.

At the beginning of tournament week, things didn’t go too well. Many balls were dropped, and blame games threatened to overshadow the actual game of golf. I could see the pressure was getting to everyone. These people genuinely wanted to deliver on their responsibilities, yet they were working in their own bubbles. I quickly had to find a way to bring down the silos and oil this machine so that it would stop squeaking loudly.

One needs a direct connection from above as a leader where some wisdom is dispensed just in time. In a whisper, I asked Sir God what to do. He instructed me to meet this team every morning for a short alignment call. I quickly realised that this team on the ground was the one that would determine success for me. We were in Showtime, and it was time to deliver what we had planned and discussed for so long. It was time to walk the talk.

Our first meeting was a bit weird; I guess this had not happened before. Perhaps the guys thought they were being called in to be reprimanded or even fired. I devised a simple way to run the meeting by asking everyone what their pain point was and what support they needed from the team—including me. That, I found, allowed us to appreciate the challenges each team member was facing. Just by sharing, we learned everyone’s concerns, and at times, solutions were even dished out right there in the meeting.

Many people go through private struggles at work, but when a safe environment is created, and they speak out, magic happens. The magic here was discovering that a teammate can solve a problem for you—or at the very least, you leave having found a new way to address the issue at hand. I really enjoyed how the meetings ran; I felt like folks would come in to be fuelled while venting at the same time. That way, we had enough gas to run throughout the day until the next morning’s meeting.

My job was to remain available to everyone for any support they needed in the course of delivery. John Maxwell says that the higher you go, the fewer decisions you should make. This was a practical test for me in that regard. I often found myself getting deep into the doing when one of my team members stumbled. Instead, I should’ve helped them get on their feet again and supported them in the direction they needed to go. For me, that felt like learning a new language, given that I am comfortable getting my hands dirty. I often make the same mistake with my baby sharks, where I intervene in their struggle and resolve it for them instead of letting them figure it out themselves. We were all learning, both the leader and the led.

At the end of the tournament, I was proud of what my team on the ground had accomplished. I even promised them a bash ya kuvunja committee, hehe. They did well, going beyond the call of duty. Folks, sometimes many of our team members give the bare minimum because they don’t feel supported or cared for. Perhaps the goal for leaders should be to create an environment where our teams are not afraid to fail, and to provide the assurance that we will have their backs—by supporting them appropriately—when they do. That way, we also find out quickly who is in the right seat on the bus and who is not, so we can make adjustments haraka and save time. A safe environment helps us travel light by being open, and that helps things move faster.

Hats off to my team kwa ground. Your heavy lifting ensured the magic happened at the Magical Kenya Open.