Context Matters: Understanding the Tony Elumelu First-Name Debate – Afanyi Dadzie writes

Yesterday, a viral video showed Nigerian billionaire and UBA Group Chairman Tony Elumelu unintentionally drawing attention from a young female mentee to the fact that she could not simply call him by his first name. The incident sparked a debate. During this discussion, footage of Tony Elumelu's interview at Stanford Business School surfaced.

In this video, the female interviewer addressed him as "Tony." As I had previously shared the initial video, someone asked for my opinion on the Stanford clip. I believe this video helps contextualize the original event and supports the stance of some supporters of Tony Elumelu. African and Asian societies are generally regarded as high-context cultures, while European and many Western societies are considered low-context.

If one moves through life without understanding cultural differences, they may unintentionally offend people. For example, in Ghana and many parts of Africa, it's disrespectful to interact with someone using your left hand. In Europe and other regions, the same action may go unnoticed or unchallenged. Comparing the Nigerian and UK videos, my argument is that this debate revolves around context, environment, philosophy, and familiarity.

After 21 years of working, the first place I encountered an HR policy enforcing first name usage was Multimedia Group. Initially, I struggled with this policy, especially when dealing with top executives. The first time I met UMG's Group CEO Kwasi Twum, he insisted that if I didn't call him Kwasi, he wouldn't respond. This was challenging for me as it wasn't the norm in Ghana, where I had never experienced such a philosophy in a corporate setting.

However, Kwasi Twum might not find it pleasant if, after his tenure at MGL, a young man of my age called him by his first name outside the corporate environment where that norm had been established. The environment has changed; the familiarity is absent. The context is different. The Stanford scenario took place in a university setting with an audience and a much older interviewer.

It was within a professional environment in the West, where first names are commonly used, both personally and professionally. In an African context, a young mentee calling a senior figure like Tony Elumelu by his first name, outside a corporate setting, may be seen as off and against etiquette. This comparison highlights the significance of understanding cultural nuances and appreciating the context in which behaviors occur.