Baskadia

If there's one thing that you can touch and see results at scale, it is always the culture. However, culture is also the hardest thing to change. Because it is always so ingrained, we are locked in our cultures, we never even realize it.

You know that thing that you can tell a BUTICIAN or a Gungas babe. It is because in some schools, the cultures are too deep, and they're emphasized. You are conditioned to turn out a certain way.

Assume you were raised as a royal. There is a way you will behave. Even when life has battered a royal, there is always a way they will stand out. Something about them will communicate it. There is an aura, there is a way you will speak, a way you handle yourself.

And that's one of the things about Uganda, we don't have this clearly-cut out culture. Ours is a melange of many things. There are not so many things we agree on as Ugandans. And for that reason, almost anything can pass in Uganda. So I can walk out, go urinate on the road, and that will pass. Or I can get poor service at a restaurant, and the culture is that Ugandans rarely voice dissatisfaction. If we do, we always present it in a joking manner. We are not an assertive culture.

Ugandans are the easiest people to step on. Ugandans also worship foreign things. As long as you are not from Uganda, Ugandans will respect you a certain way. That's why Kenyan managers enjoy their moments in Uganda. Uganda is the market you come to and the people will take your word as gospel truth.

The first thing I always try to know about a place is usually the culture. And you can tell culture by the things people can speak about openly, the secrets of that society, the myths, you can pick it from the jokes, how people associate with those high up in hierarchy.

Culture is the biggest predictor of success in the long-term. If you go to any place, you can know where that place will be in the next 10 years based on the culture. Like if you go to the Ugandan housing estates such as Lubowa or Royal Palms or even Naalya, you read a certain culture. They have been organized to function a certain way. And architecture also influences culture. That's why open offices produce a certain culture compared to close offices. If you go to a place and realize an MD has a designated parking space, that is enough to tell you about the culture. Culture is also how people treat people such as maids, security guards, and drivers.

Cultures then produce certain kinds of leaders. And to succeed in certain cultures, it means you have to be a certain kind of person. And then it becomes a self-reinforcing thing. Because what gets rewarded, gets repeated. Cultures condition us to behave a certain way.

So the culture of Bugolobi is definitely not the culture of say Kyaliwajjala. The culture of Jinja is not the culture of Arua. For cultures to get better, they must always realize the retrogressive elements and work at changing them. Cultures should always be conscious. If you have a good biology background, you learn that disease thrives in a certain culture.

Most of my friends think the point of intervention in society is leadership. I partly agree but not fully. It is possible to have a good leader that fails at transforming a culture. Some cultures are extremely dysfunctional, changing them requires some super iron fist.

That brings you to the hardest thing. Change is hard. 70% of all change initiatives fail. To get people to stick to a new way is hard. People must first of all believe there is a need to change. And change is uncomfortable. Then you must sustain the change.

Culture is not just about inventing a rule and leaving it. People must also be convinced about the beauty of following that rule. Of course you can convince them based on sanctions. But cultures of sanctions are tiring. Think of cultures such as Japanese culture, they do it because they associate it with the dignity of being Japanese. Or think of the Germans and being sticklers for time and perfection.

You can start this process with the leadership. A new leadership comes in and commits to transforming the culture. But the people can also start at a micro level.

Imagine starting today, you say, look, personally I won't bribe a traffic officer. I will suffer the pain of that ticket but I won't contribute to that culture any longer. You can always set your own standard. It is like, choose to vote for the culture that you believe in.

Culture is what gets praised, what gets rewarded. You cry, oh there is corruption, but then the next day you are sliding the Ka 10K to the officer. That micro action of yours is contributing to the culture.

Sweep your circle of influence. In this world, there is no small action. Every action counts. If for example you told a child that they would never amount to anything, that can produce the next monster.

I know society always looks for scapegoats, but it is always important to check ourselves. And see how we individually contribute to the problem.