How NOT To Lead: Reflections on Leadership, Power and the Habits That Undermine Trust

Bad leadership rarely announces itself. It hides behind titles, authority, and tradition until organisations begin to fail.

In How Not to Lead, seasoned Human Resources practitioner Jacinta. W. Lwanga delivers a bold, experience-driven examination of the leadership mistakes that quietly destroy trust, morale, and performance. Drawing on over 30 years of cross-sectoral experience in East Africa she exposes the behaviors, decisions, and mindsets that leaders repeat, often unknowingly, with devastating consequences.

With clarity and conviction, Lwanga challenges the misuse of power, the neglect of people, and the ethical blind spots that derail organizations from within.

Written for executives, managers, board members, and aspiring leaders, How Not to Lead invites honest self-reflection and offers a necessary starting point for anyone serious about leading with integrity, accountability, and humanity.

Sometimes, the most powerful lessons in leadership begin with understanding what never to do.

About the Author

Jacinta Were Lwanga is a seasoned Human Resources consultant and leadership practitioner with over 30 years of experience across corporate, banking, NGO, consultancy, and parastatal institutions in East Africa.

She is the Founder and Director of SageApex Consultants Limited. A former Head of Human Resources at Consolidated Bank of Kenya and Group Human Resource Manager at CMC Holdings, she is respected for strengthening people practices and aligning HR strategy with organizational purpose and performance.

She holds an MBA, a Bachelor of Arts, and a Higher National Diploma in Human Resource Management, and is a member of the institute of Human Resource Management. A Certified Executive Coach and Mediator, she draws on deep professional experience in How NOT to Lead to confront harmful leadership practices.