The first quarter of 2020 took us all by surprise but what tops this astonishment is that its range isn’t limited to Tanzania or Africa alone, but the world at large. While taking aggressive measures to curb the situation at hand, many people have fallen off from busy schedules which on the other hand comes as an opportunity to take a step back and evaluate life from different angles. As a leader, this has been a great time to channel my inner self in order to align my life’s purpose with organizational goals in hopes that despite the challenges, careers thrive. I have managed to magnify the purpose of what pushed me into building a brand that Smart Codes is today.

The following key points should help aspiring and fellow leaders in building impactful careers amidst and beyond these unfortunate times.

The Big Why: We started Smart Codes with a goal of solving African problems whilst staying on the frontline in the speedy adoption of innovative solutions that bring digital transformations. Smart Codes has grown into acting as a tool that meets the needs of its partners and its people and in turn help everyone succeed in their mission, dreams, and career path. Even in trying times like these, we remain centered on our ‘people’ philosophy that embraces togetherness in everything that we do. With the integration of our corporate goals and the people who are the driving force of our business, we are able to focus on optimal deliverance.

Aiming Above The Mark: To identify the big why is one thing but the limit(s) that we set for ourselves define the process and measures the achievements. Leading a company has taught me that while working in any position in life, its important to plan and work on a bigger vision. Despite starting small, one must always aim higher. For business, times like these prove that a bigger vision oversees uncertainties, and thus even us at Smart Codes, we are committed to delivering highly premium quality services and fresh innovations as part of our values that drive us to make a mark.

Solving African Challenges: The key to a successful business is to centre its investment around real-life challenges. Africa and the world are now exposed to needs that may be otherwise, could not pose as priorities. For businesses, it has sparked curiosity and infused the drive to develop new ideas and solutions that aim at tackling those needs. For Smart Codes, this is an opportunity for us to pioneer our mission to solving African challenges through the use of digital and innovative solutions. We are accustomed to taking every challenge as an opportunity to grow, for ourselves, but more importantly, for our partners. We aim at developing solutions that will impact communities at large as well as everyone who works around them. For our people, we make it our priority that SMARKERS align the impact with personal missions.

Investing in the vision: Whether you are running a personal business or employed, it is important to be a machine learner and constantly open to opportunities ahead. Since the very beginning, I saw a huge gap from the way African investors understand how startups operate. With that in mind, I have been driven to make continuous efforts and take extreme measures such as my attendance at Harvard Business School which exposed me with deep insight into the knowledge for Private Equity and Venture Capital. As a leader, I am challenged to make investments around the vision of the company. Through acquiring knowledge and skills from top schools around the world, I am a step closer to helping in the future investment for African businesses.

Health and Fitness: Like the famous quotation by the American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson says, “The first wealth is health”. As a dreamer, one can focus on the long term goals and plans ahead but fail to take gentle care and support of the body. Our bodies are mostly attacked due to the failure to take proper measures like engaging in physical exercise and healthy eating habits. I have personally redirected my focus on health and fitness and I can not wait to share more in the near future. As we invest in or dreams, may we not forget to invest immensely on good health.

By Edwin Bruno