George Odenyo: Judge my success by my worth

Odenyo is CEO of American Tower Company (ATC), a US real estate investment firm that owns, develops and operates wireless and broadcasting communications infrastructure – towers, telecommunications masts – in several countries. ATC owns about 4,000 towers in Kenya, which serve Telkom, Safaricom, Airtel and other small telecommunications companies on a common infrastructure platform.

His CV is as minimalist as his office; according to his LinkedIn profile, he has worked at two organisations. He spent 14 years at MTN Business, leaving as head of finance. Then five years at Eaton Towers as finance director before the company was acquired by ATC.

I have a proper team in the company, so my desk doesn’t have to look busy. Part of me is also against holding on to things, I try to get them out as quickly as possible. If I can’t do anything with it, I pass it on to the next person who can.

First, our client, the operator, has to determine where they want to put the tower, which is dictated by the needs, often determined by the population. Then we acquire the land and obtain the necessary permits from the National Environmental Management Authority, Kenya Civil Aviation and the district authorities. Once we acquire the land, we erect the tower and then feed it into the grid. The tower costs about $150,000 (19.3 million shillings), give or take.

Well, I appreciate that as a leader, you are only as strong as your people. I have led teams in my previous roles, so this is not entirely new. People can be difficult, but the trick is to figure out how to understand them. Everyone is motivated by something; a dream or an ambition, and it is up to you to connect that to whatever that is. So my job is to find how their dreams connect to the dreams of the company.

Make life better for me, my family and my community. I strive to be influential and valuable; to change the world.

Yes, I am. Our goal is to build a more connected Africa. The towers connect people, allowing them to communicate well. Most misunderstandings arise because people do not know how to communicate.

No, I didn’t find out about finance until later. When I was in high school, my late father invited someone to talk to me, a guy who had been brilliant in high school and was now at university. The conversation didn’t last more than five minutes. He talked a lot about CPA (Certified Public Accountant). He said it was something I could do while I was waiting for university. I was sold on the idea. Then I waited impatiently for KCA to advertise in the newspapers. Every week I pestered the principal (St Marys Yala) in the newspaper to see if the advertisement was already there. That’s how I came across Strathmore in the newspaper, applied and eventually got accepted.

Yeah, definitely. But in high school I was good at electricity and my dream was to be an electrical engineer. But this guy came along before that could happen. (Chuckles)

No, I’m in this environment anyway. I have so many engineers here. So I still like what I do, for that reason. In retrospect, I think there’s a reason why things happen the way they do. I don’t regret it.

I believe we are put in this world to make an impact, to make a difference. I believe that helping others is an integral part of our purpose. I have benefited from the generosity of others throughout my journey, some of whom were not even my relatives. So I do the same. I enjoy seeing others excel. My earlier years were instrumental in shaping who I have become.

When I joined the University of Nairobi, I had already completed the second part of my CPA, which allowed me to do an internship that eventually turned into a job. Against the wishes of my parents and the advice of others close to me, I decided to drop out of college. I later completed my CPA at Catholic University. I worked and studied, not the other way around.

I am 45 now. I was born in Pumwani but my dad moved to the village when I was about five. It is a place called Ugunja in Nyanza, you may know it. I had problems with my studies in my younger years until I was in sixth grade when I met a teacher who changed my approach to studies and helped me stand out. I am the only son in a family of three daughters and that did not help me during the years when I did not do well because my mom was obsessed with me.

Quite interesting. You learn a lot about women without realizing it. But maybe that made me more empathetic towards women. I wasn’t spared from household chores because I was the only boy, in fact sometimes I had to do a bit more. My dad believed in me. Unfortunately he passed away when I was 25.

When he died, I became the “father” in the family. My mother passed everything on to me. She died two years ago.

I have three: an 18-year-old, a 17-year-old, and a 10-year-old. A boy and two girls. This is the sign they gave me for Father’s Day.

(Laughter) Yes, I can. It’s because I started so young. I started working at 21 and that changed my life because when the money started coming in, my old man, to make sure I didn’t lose myself, encouraged me to find a wife and settle down. So by 25 I was married and had a family right away.

Because I grew up in a different time, it’s hard to appreciate the circumstances our children are growing up in. It’s often hard to relate to them and understand their situation. Everything is different and sometimes you want your child to see things the way you do, but they can’t. You have to accept that it’s their life and love them. You can’t control their life. But I try my best to make sure I’m passing the right baton to them.

I’m not talking about success. I’m talking about being valuable. Am I valuable? Yes, definitely. I believe that as long as you are valuable here, in the community, in society and in the family, success will follow you.

Because of what you can give. You are valuable because of what you give at work, at home, and in your community. I believe that as you grow, over time you become valuable. You become valuable because of the knowledge you can share and the guidance you can give. And that is how success can follow you in this season.

Everything is happening so fast and I wonder if I will achieve everything I set out to do. But other than that I think it’s a beautiful time to be alive, to be a father, to be a leader, to live and do the things that need to be done.

First, I’ll let him know that this is his decision, not mine, not his mother’s. This is his calling. So he has to take this responsibility on his own, with support, of course.

I would also like to know why he wants to marry this particular woman. What does he like about her? My son is at an age where women excite him and I would tell him that marriage is not about beauty or looks, there must be solid values ​​that influence the choice of a wife. There should be common values ​​with the woman he wants to marry. And I will also ask him to do it in church. Yes. Because he grew up in a spiritual family.