KOLADE, CADBURY AND THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

Simbo Olorunfemi pays tribute to Christopher Kolade, a broadcaster and administrator of repute

There was just that something, intangible as it was, about the Cadbury of the 1990s and early 2000s. It was in the minty air over its factory at Agidingbi in the capital of Lagos state. The ‘Buttermint’ fragrance clung to the air, dominating everything else made there, wafting beyond the premises to its immediate vicinity It was right there at the ever busy reception manned by Austin and another colleague of his, as they struggled to maintain their cool in spite of the flowing stream of visitors, and the noticeable restlessness on the part of many, frustrated at the inability to make it beyond the reception desk.

It was there in the Cadbury Boys and Girls, as Dr. Christopher Kolade, former Chairman and Managing Director of the company, fondly calls them, even now. With them was that sense of self-assuredness, a confidence that could be easily mistaken for cockiness. They interacted with one another on the basis of initials, with Dr. Kolade himself known as CK.

Once you meet one of those Cadbury Boys and Girls, chances are you have met most. Easy to tell you were dealing with men and women who have been carefully put through the crucible that socialised them into this peculiar corporate culture. The camaraderie was difficult to miss. This was a family that had been put through a process of deliberate acculturation, seemingly sworn to a set of values which guided their conduct and work ethic.

But as much as one tried decoding what it really was about the Cadbury Boys and Girls of those days and Cadbury itself, it was difficult. A knife through the sweet air which hung over Cadbury did not reveal much. It was not tangible but it was there. One was simply unable to cut through. It was difficult to decode what it was. One could feel it even if it was impossible to touch it.

It is not until you meet Dr. Christopher Kolade in person, that you things will fall in place and you are able to conclusively tell what it was about Cadbury and the Staff then. Their dedication to work, commitment to excellence, the high values which they stood for, their keen sense of integrity, the self-confidence they exuded, could all be found in that one man. That polite, no-nonsense attitude and fidelity to properly conducting oneself is what you will find in CK. The self-assurance in their gait is from him. That all-round comportment that set apart the Cadbury Boys and Girls is from Dr. Kolade. He largely personifies and embodies what we saw and felt then that we could not decode then.

Dr. Kolade belongs to that generation of gentlemen, many of whom have now sadly passed away. His record of service across the fields of broadcasting, management to diplomacy is one that would three lifetimes for many to accomplish. Yet, he is as self-effacing as you can ever find. A gentleman in every respect, his simplicity and humility, in spite of all that he has accomplished, is beyond belief. A master communicator and an excellent elocutionist, you cannot miss the ‘swagger’, even at 83 (Dr. Kolade will be 84 in December). He must have been on his feet for over an hour last week, delivering a lecture. One could have

IT DOES STRIKE ONE THAT THE CASE OF CADBURY, BACK THEN, WAS THAT OF A STRONG MAN WHO SET UP A STRUCTURE, BUILT A SYSTEM AND PROCESSES THAT DELIVERED VALUE BUT MOULDED YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN INTO CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONALS

said he looks really good for his age, but he has jokingly said that amounts to us saying he does not have to be that fit for his age. So, I won’t say that.

President Barack Obama had argued that Africa does not need strong men, but strong institutions. But we have wondered aloud if we do not, in fact, need strong men to be able to build strong institutions. It does strike one that the case of Cadbury, back then, was that of a strong man who set up a structure, built a system and processes that delivered value but moulded young men and women into consummate professionals. The management trainee programme he introduced at Cadbury as a means of recruiting young graduates to train as managers was highly regarded for its integrity that with time, it was taken for granted that there was no way external influence could be brought to corrupt the process.

Dr. Kolade recalls how some of the staff would come to thank him after promotion and he would say to them that they had only themselves to thank, because if they did not merit the promotion, there was no way they would have gotten it. Such was the thoroughness and integrity of the system he set up.

Such was the impact Dr. Christopher had on the young men and women recruited and trained under his watch that many years after, while both he and them had since moved on from the organisation, they found it necessary to come together and set up what is now known as the “Cadbury Nigeria Alumni Association”, under the leadership of Mr. Lampe Omoyele, one of the brightest minds in marketing in Nigeria. Many of them have moved on to great professional careers in different capacities and organisations, but they insist that Cadbury experience largely defined them. In Dr. Kolade’s words, it is obvious they “managed to bring something to life that is emotionally powerful.”

Last week, the Alumni Association organised its inaugural lecture at which Dr Kolade, as one would expect, spoke on “The Pursuit of Excellence”. As the Cadbury boys and girls mingled and reminisced, there for all to see what one man’s commitment to the right values could birth. That something that we struggled to decode was evident. It was the spirit of excellence, which Dr. Kolade reminded us, is not something you arrive at but what one must keep doing it and keep getting better at.

Dr. Kolade’s name rings a bell for integrity and all that he has accomplished in the fields of broadcasting, management and diplomacy, but it just might be that his greatest legacy is, in fact, these men and women, making giant strides here and there who see themselves as products of the Kolade school of excellence and are determined to ensure that what he stands for is shared with the world, for more far-reaching impact. As Dr. Kolade himself put it, “the real test of what you have done is the people who have experienced you.” Olorunfemi works for Hoofbeatdotcom, a Nigerian Communications Consultancy and publishers of Africa Enterprise