Segment: We Don't Like Systems Thinking - Ego and Fear of Change Held Back My Business

Summary

Konnected Minds Podcast
Host: Derrick Abaitey
Episode Highlight: We Don't Like Systems Thinking – Ego and Fear of Change Held Back My Business
Date: March 31, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this introspective and candid episode, Derrick Abaitey engages in a powerful conversation with an accomplished Ghanaian events promoter (guest not named in the provided transcript) about the hidden costs of resisting structure and intentionality in business. They discuss how ego, fear of change, and cultural attitudes towards systems thinking have impacted their journeys—particularly in the African and Ghanaian community, both in the UK and Ghana. The conversation is rich with personal anecdotes, hard-won lessons, and advice for future generations.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Hidden Costs of "Going With the Flow"

Timestamps: 00:34–03:01

• The guest reflects on the financial and emotional toll of not owning more in his ventures, particularly in the context of pioneering December events in Ghana.
• Regret over not documenting achievements or being more intentional:
  "Everywhere I go, I move my children, my kids. And people hinted, 'oh, your dad did this, your dad did that.' …I feel like I've let you down because you don't really know my story." (01:09 – Guest)
• Nostalgia about introducing his son to cassettes, showing generational gaps in appreciation and storytelling.
• Admits to making mistakes due to "just going with the flow,” expressing some regret but emphasizing the necessity of learning from them.

2. The Cost of a Lack of Intentionality

Timestamps: 03:01–04:49

• Derrick points out the cost of not being intentional:
  "There's a cost to not being intentional about this, isn't it?" (03:01 – Derrick)
• Guest agrees, noting how others telling the story often erases the contributions of the pioneers, leading to feelings of disappointment.
• The difficulty in gaining corporate support and recognition for major events like "Ghana Party in the Park," despite sustained individual effort over decades.

3. Late Maturity and the Evolution of Business Mindset

Timestamps: 04:49–05:53

• Admits to late personal and business maturity:
  "I matured very late. Maturity came to me very late and I think it's the same thing as business." (04:53 – Guest)
• Finds new optimism in working with experienced partners and a motivated team in Ghana.

4. Corporate Partnerships in Ghana vs. the UK

Timestamps: 05:26–07:05

• Cultural and logistical challenges in bringing business into the entertainment space, especially in the UK vs. Ghana: *"A lot of our Ghanaian business at the time were not comfortable with the entertainment scene…" *(05:29 – Guest)
• Praises Ghanaian events (like Ghana Music Awards, Tidal Rave) for securing corporate investment from telcos and banks, which was not feasible for the Ghanaian diaspora in the UK due to demographic realities.
• Guest expresses openness to sponsorships but highlights the lack of consistent corporate support in the past compared to Ghana’s burgeoning scene today.

5. The Ghanaian Aversion to Systems Thinking

Timestamps: 07:05–07:49

• Derrick brings in a memorable quote from a friend:
  "A lot of us Ghanaians don’t like systems thinking. We just like to do things mostly. Sometimes it looks like it's ego." (07:07 – Derrick)
• Guest and Derrick use the church seating scenario to illustrate how default resistance to structure is common and can be counterproductive.

6. Fear of Change and Ego

Timestamps: 07:49–08:02

• Guest identifies fear of change and ego as root causes for resisting systems thinking:
  "We don't like system thinking. And also some of us, including myself, we were scared for change. Change is good. Honestly. Change is very good." (07:49 – Guest)

7. Event-Specific Lessons: Bisake Concert in Camden

Timestamps: 08:02–10:19

• The guest recounts the Bisake concert, a massive event that suffered from venue challenges due to both external and internal factors:
  • Discrimination and hostility in hiring venues for Black events in the UK.
  • Underestimating demand and lacking agility in scaling up.
  • Navigating new regulations meant to combat violence in nightlife (A696 risk assessments). "We could have sold the event twice, I'm telling you..." (09:31 – Guest) – Emphasis on learning through mistakes and the irretrievability of time:
    "You cannot recall time. You've got to deal with it now." (10:19 – Guest)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On generational legacy and missed documentation:
  "I feel like I've let you down because you don't really know my story. I keep saying that to them… It's taking other people to tell you, but I've never been that way anyway." (01:09 – Guest)

• On the pain of erasure and missed credit:
  "Because somebody was going to tell the story, other people take the credit. Other people sit down and tell you you've been lazy, other people tell you that you've been lazy. Do you know how that hurts for me?" (03:04 – Guest)

• On the Ghanaian attitude to planning/system:
  "A lot of us Ghanaians don’t like systems thinking. We just like to do things mostly. Sometimes it looks like it's ego." (07:07 – Derrick citing a friend)

• On resistance to change:
  "We don't like system thinking. And also some of us, including myself, we were scared for change. Change is good. Honestly. Change is very good." (07:49 – Guest)

• On learning from mistakes:
  "You've got to be able to make mistakes to be able to correct them as well. Absolutely, yeah. But I'm not going to be too hard on myself and I think of the challenge I faced at the time." (09:43 – Guest)

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Highlights by Timestamp

• 00:34–01:38: Regrets over ownership and legacy.
• 01:39–03:01: Admitting to unplanned path and its pros/cons.
• 03:01–04:49: Consequences of not being intentional in business.
• 04:50–05:53: Business maturity and the value of partnership.
• 05:26–07:05: The challenge and evolution of corporate support in Ghana vs. the UK.
• 07:05–07:49: Cultural aversion to systems thinking.
• 07:49–08:02: Ego and fear holding back change.
• 08:02–10:19: Difficulties in executing successful events, lessons from mistakes.

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is honest, self-critical, and encouraging—balancing vulnerability with pride in past accomplishments. A central message is the need for future founders, especially in the African diaspora, to adopt systems thinking, embrace structured change, and not let ego or fear limit growth. Listeners are left with insights not only into event promotion and entrepreneurship, but also into the cultural psychology that can make or break long-term success.

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For those who haven't listened, the episode offers a masterclass in post-hoc wisdom—sharing not just what went wrong or right, but the "why" behind pivotal decisions. The honesty and specificity make this a compelling listen for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, legacy-building, and cultural evolution in African business contexts.

Transcript

[A]

Because you have to service your sponsors, you have to issue ticket refunds, and then you're going to put a show back on again at exactly the same cost as the previous one. Some of the artists as well, I must mention the name, they're brilliant. Some of the especially R2Bs, they decide to stay with me in London through the whole time to support. I mean, there's other artists as well. Kwame mp, vip. The artists also play their role. You know, it's not, it's not with us and them as sometimes it looks like they, they, they stayed and then did what they had to do. We rescheduled the events and it went ahead a few weeks later on. And even till now, I still think about the money.

[B]

Yeah, I can imagine. Throughout your years of doing events, what has been your biggest regret?

[A]

Not owning a lot of things. Not owning a lot of things. Because like I said, when you start thinking of the stories and things that's been done, let's even. Let's just talk about December in Ghana. A lot of people think December in Ghana only started because of year of return, but that's not the case. A lot of people who live with December or what is actually happening right now to Dirty December, but that's not the case. There was a group of people that started this and we should have, you know, we should have maybe documented it or something. But those are some of the regrets that I've had thinking about it because I look at the contributions again. Everywhere I go, I move my children, my kids. And people hinted, oh, your dad did this, your dad did that. And I'm like, children, I feel like I've let you down because you don't really know my story. I keep saying that to them. I feel like I've let you down. It's taking other people to tell you, but I've never been that way anyway. I'm like, you know, I just go with the flow. But now life has taught me that you gotta.

[B]

I just go with the flow. Yes. I figured it out.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You had no plan. The only thing you wanted to do was just play football.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

And then you dropped out of school because you didn't like staying in school.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

Then you, you created this.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So my question was actually going to be, are you truly happy with the path you have taken even though it wasn't planned?

[A]

Yes, I am. I am. I'm not disappointed at all. I am. I'm happy he's giving me a beautiful family. I'm happy my kids are now seeing it because at the time, obviously I didn't have kids, but now my kids are seeing what I've done and then from, from within some of my, my peers, they give me the credit. In fact, some of them say, look, you need to speak up, you need to own half of what is happening. Because in a few years time, nobody is going to know what we're going through. Africans in the UK will be enjoying right now. Nobody's going to know what you did, the contributions, how you had to get African music being played on mainstream radio, which broke the camel's back. People don't know that. I showed the cassette to my son. It's like, wow, he hasn't even seen a cassette before. Yeah, he had not seen the cassette before and I said, I showed him, I got a pen and put in the middle classes and I was rewinding as a desire, you know. But these are lessons for him to, to know. I've made, I've made a lot of mistakes, but I made some of those mistakes because I was just going with the flow and I'm not proud of it, but what can I do?

[B]

There's a cost to not being intentional about this, isn't it?

[A]

Oh yeah, heavy cost. And because somebody was going to tell the story, other people take the credit. Other people sit down and tell you you've been lazy, other people tell you that you've been lazy. Do you know how that hurts for me? Aquaba90, we've not had that privilege. Why haven't you?

[B]

You've been in other rooms.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

From rocket label rooms to radio stations, pluggers, you've been in the rooms.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So why haven't Aquaba as a company, even one of your events, yes, Ghana Party Nepal, gotten support from these big companies.

[A]

We tried the Ghana part in the park. We, we did, we did have a very good interest and also we had a very good offer for Ghana parts in the park. This was covet came into, into while the discussion was going on. We started discussion January March Covid is coming and the conversation died down. But we had, we had a very good offer on the table for Ghana part in the park. And I was willing to sell at the time. I was other, other options came for to the partners, they had other options to go for. So I had to carry on with Ghana part in the park. And the way I also say what made me carry on is like it's still giving different generation. So many people have come through Ghana part in the park. So many people have been to Ghana parts in the park. I See ago I see expat and you know I see people even a big record labels were from Sony Music and everything else. People are big position. They used to come to Ghana part in a park. Some of the conversation I have with people there are laws of well known Ghanaians a high position right now in the music industry. They've all come through Ghana parts in the park. I'm not going to sit down here and blame myself. You know I, I'm not going to be hard on myself. I'm disappointed I didn't reach those highs. We've done a part in a park because it's a big brand. It's a very, very big brand. 20 years without a fail. Win, lose, draw, whatever it may be gonna put in a park still.

[B]

So is there an aspect of you that didn't put your business cap on early enough?

[A]

Yes, and I think that's me in general. I think I matured very late. Maturity came to me very late and I think it's the same thing as business. But now I'm surrounded with, I'm surrounded with some good people. If you look at this in my Ghana right now I have a partner here in Ghana, DJ Mensah bringing brilliant ideas. You know I have a full team here in Ghana that they're ready to take it to the next level and I'm happy for that. You know as a og, I could just use my, my, my experience.

[B]

If you really think about it during those times, what were the reasons why you didn't want to allow business to come in very quickly?

[A]

I wanted business to come in. Business was, wasn't coming. I mean look, let's, let's be frank. A lot of our Ghanaian business at the time were not comfortable with the, with the entertainment scene. I mean even here in Ghana I, I, I know that he had to take some of the telco company like MTN and Vodafone to actually invest heavily into Ghana music. Ghana Music Award big shout to Chatter House. You know they were doing what they were doing, you know, doing various Ghanaian Ghan Music Ghan Music Awards I'm sure to whatever revenue they got. But then when corporate came in, come on. You saw the beauty of what Ghana Music Awards was doing, saw the beat of what Chat House and all the various companies. I always say to, I say to friends of mine, I love what corporates are doing especially here in Ghana. If I look, I mentioned Chat house, I'm going to mention Echo House. They do tidy rave. If you see how banks are getting involved, drinks company Telco companies, they are getting involved in the uk, we don't get that. Obviously in the uk, the Ghanaian community plays a very small percentage. So I can't go to Barclays Bank, I can't go to Northwest, but I can't go to. Although they all have. All of them have corporate community responsibilities. All of these people, you go to them, you don't get. You don't get a fire.

[B]

But were you actually willing to partner initially?

[A]

Oh, yeah, I was.

[B]

You were open to the idea?

[A]

I was 100 open to the idea. Because when I seek sponsorship from the likes of Western Union MoneyGram at the time. You're smiling. Yes. It takes you back to me. I wish they even did more. They did well for us, don't get me wrong. But I wish they did more. And I like what a lot of the company and some of the business people are doing right now. It's something I wish 10, 15 years ago I had it, I would have done more and I've done more and I've done better.

[B]

So I was speaking to him, to one of my friends yesterday, David, and he said something that really, it really hit me. He says, a lot of us Ghanaians don't like systems thinking. We just like to do things mostly. Sometimes it looks like his ego.

[A]

Our default settings is something we. We picked up with, you know.

[B]

Yeah. So you come, for example, you go to a church. Right. Now, his example was really sweet. He goes, you walk into a church and the Asha says, please sit here. And you, you start looking funny.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because you've spotted somewhere you want to sit. But for the church and for her, she's thinking, this is going to align with where the camera position. But because we don't like systems thinking,

[A]

I think we didn't. We don't like system thinking. And also some of us, including myself, we were scared for change. Change is good. Honestly. Change is good. Yeah, change is very good. So at the end of the. I think we should have allowed change. But look, it is what it is.

[B]

At some point you did a show for an artist, Bisake.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

It was in Camden.

[A]

Camden. Camden Town. One of the greatest show of that. I put that as one of the greatest show of that. I put it. It's. It's not only because I remember it just like that. The ticket sales, the speed in which the ticket moved and I should have thought better about the venue. The choice of venue Bisaked was on the high, extremely high. The location was good. But also, I must say, to our defense at the time of doing Bisaked the black community in the uk, especially the nightlife. We also experiencing a challenge whereby to go to certain venues or to book certain venues were not being allowed because there was an. There's various incidents happening at most of the venues. So there's a new system that came in. You had to do what you call a696, meaning a risk assessment of everybody who's going to come to the event, especially the DJs. You're going to put their name down because, let's be honest, there's a knife culture. You know, people go to clubs, they were fighting bottles, you know, it was becoming nasty. So we all put in one bracket. So sometimes when you go to some of these venues, you want to use, in fact Bisake there. I wanted to use a venue called Scala, which is not far from Scala and Kings Cross, which is not far from the Camden Hall. But when I went there, they said, no, they don't want to do a black event. What do I do? So I had to look for the next alternative and that was the hall before the event.

[B]

We had a chat and then I told him that, look, this venue, we really should have pushed for a bigger venue. And we got to the venue and There were over 200 people outside. Inside was jam packed.

[A]

We could have saw the event twice, I'm telling you, we could have saw that.

[B]

But are these part of sometimes. Are these part of the. Your challenges change when you are maybe approaching artists. Are these sometimes?

[A]

Yeah, sometimes I'm very. Yeah, that one is always. Is always in the back of mine. But again, I will say that that's a mistake I've done. You've got to be able to make mistakes to be able to correct them as well. Absolutely, yeah. But I'm not going to be too hard on myself and I think of the challenge I faced at the time. Would I have done better? Yes. Can I do better? Yes. In life you can always do better. But what was facing me at the time, you had to put on B Day. Everybody wanted to see B Day, both in Europe and various parts of the world. Man's brother. Brother. Come on, hit. I had to do something, you know, or if not, let the time go. You cannot recall time.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You cannot record time. You've got to deal with it now. So everything I've done at the time, I'm happy for whatever decision I took. Some of them have been mistakes and I've learned from them.

[B]

If you are recounting, let's say you are 90 years old and you are recollecting memories.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

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