Embracing a Vision for Newness in 2008

This being the last day of the year, I thought I should inspire you with a vision for 2008: It's going to be a marvelous year! I can see it. I can feel it. I personally sense new purpose breaking forth that will spill over into every area of my life. I hope that you are also experiencing the same. Life is so designed that we have periods of newness that allow us to expand ourselves in many different ways. Every day is a new day. Every month is a new month. The new period allows us to begin afresh and put aside the happenings of the previous period. As we inch into 2008, we have an opportunity to extend our destinies to another level as we build a legacy for future generations.

There are three crucial keys that will allow us to experience the newness that the new year offer us. I’d like to share these in anticipation of the fact that many people will be making new year’s resolutions again. Enjoying newness comes in three steps. We need to be able to conceptualize, then visualize and finally materialize the newness.

Conceptualize

This begins with vision. One might even say the need to have a dream to pursue. It takes a lot of optimism to conceptualize a future that is yet to made manifest. The key is to really believe that you can make it happen and you have all the resources to pursue that which you desire. Conceptualizing means birthing ideas of what’s possible. This is crucial.

Visualize

Beyond conceiving the dream, you need to be able to see yourself walking in it’s fulness. To visualize is simply to form mental pictures or images of something. It simply means imagining yourself being, doing and having that which you are dreaming of. It’s using the power of perception to transform what you have conceptualized into a vision of possibility.

Materialize

Dreams and visions reach their full term when they are materialized. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing your ideas go from concept to reality. As you pursue newness in 2008, your goal is to do just that - transform ideas into powerful results. Embrace newness and bring fresh results into every area of your life. 2008 is going to be an awesome year!

Thoughts Become Things!

Everything we see around us began as a thought. Everything that has been created, produced, manufctured or developed was first conceived as a thought in someone’s mind. This is a powerful realization because many times we fail to see that how we use our mind is very important. Your mind is really the factory of your experiences. Thoughts become things.

Many times we tend to describe our situationsbased on our current circumstances. I’ve learnt that our current circumstances are the result of our pst thinking. Our current thinking sets the pace for our future circumstances. The key to altering your life, then, is to change your thoughts. Our thoughts really attract the circumstances we go through into our lives. May this be a day of clean, noble and pure thoughts for you.

The SWISH (Strike While the Iron is Still Hot!) Factor: How SPEED can alter your destiny

When I was an elementary school kid, my English teacher introduced me to the old English saying, “Strike While the Iron is Still Hot” - I now call it the SWISH factor. This saying, along with another saying, “Make hay while the sun still shines”, became powerful guiding thoughts throughout my life as a young man growing up in Kenya. I would not have been able to complete my schooling had it not been for the perspective that these two sayings allowed me to develop. I would not be where I am today had it not been for the two sayings. When I saw the opportunity to come to the US, I decided to strike while the iron was still hot.

In my quest to continue living an effective life, I have developed an acrostic that enables me to “strike while the iron is still hot”. Hopefully, you will find it useful too and use it to make hay while the sun still shines. Here is the acrostic:

Start Right Now - You have to be action oriented. When an idea comes to you, do something about it right away. Is it a business idea? Write it down and read a book about that business. Is it someone you haven’t been in contact with for a long time? Write that letter right away. Is it a book that you think should be written? Create that outline right away. The idea is to do it with speed.

Prepare Every Day - One of the most important things you could ever do in life is to prepare for your time. Preparation should be a daily endeavor. What you do daily determines who you will become permanently. Nothing is more beautiful than a man or woman who is ready for his or her time when it comes. Preparation is the magical door that opens the gateway to your desires.

Expect Success Now - Your expectation is the key to you achieving or completing that which you desire. If you learn to expect success right now, you will start to attract that success immediately. Don’t push it off into the future. Expect to attain that which you want right now. That is the key to you being able to manifest all that you want or desire.

Execute Right Now - Procratination is the greatest enemy of success. You must learn to execute immediately. Do not postpone actions that you have to take in order to realize your desires. Learn to execute immediately. Get out of your comfort zone and just do it! Execute that idea right now! Execute that plan right now! Success comes to those who move with speed.

Deliver Results Now - Success is all about results. Can you deliver results? It’s not about talking about results, it’s about delivering results. Finish that project. Complete that paper. Give that speech. Write that book manuscript. Do it right now. It’a about results. If you can deliver results, you will experience the joy that speed can bring into your life.

Go the extra mile today. Be enthusiastic!

Author, Napoleon Hill once said, “When you deliver your work with enthusiasm, you are already going the extra mile. You create a success consciousness around you that inevitably affects others for the better. The more enthusiasm you direct into the world, the better you are preparing yourself to attain exactly what you want”. We already know that the extra mile already has less traffic. The simple conclusion then is that few people deliver their work with enthusiasm. Enthusiasm, particularly when it’s consistent and authentic, sets an individual apart. Being enthusiastic immediately changes one’s environment. It affects the people around you and creates an environment in which people can be at their very best. Go the extra mile today. Be enthusiastic!

Our output in life depends on our input

When I was a little kid my dad once bought me a beautiful wooden flute. It was my first time to ever see this nice bamboo flute. I had never seen one before so I didn’t quite know how to use it. I ran around the house with it for about five minutes before coming back to him and asking him what it’s purpose really was. He told me that it was a musical instrument and I immediately replied that it wasn’t playing any music. That’s when dad told me, “You’ve got to blow into the flute, son!”

Isn’t life very much like that flute? If you don’t put anything in it you won’t get anything out of it. Your output is directly related to your input. Many people stand around the corners of life with their hands in their pockets expecting a free hand-out. They keep demanding a lot from life but won’t even get their hands out of their pocket in expectation of the hand-out. If we are going to get anything out of life we’ve got to start putting something in. If you want to create some music in your life you’ve got to blow into the flute.

Being Confident in Your Capabilities

Philosopher Epictetus once said, “Unremarkable lives are marked by the fear of not looking capable when trying something new.” Remarkable lives, therefore, are marked by how confident one looks when trying something new. Confidence separates between the winners and losers. I’ve seen so many games where opponents are defeated simply because of the level of confidence demonstrated by an eventual winner.

The key to realizing your dreams is to walk in full confidence of your capabilities. Confidence is not the absence of nervousness but the mastery of it. There are many times when I’ve stood in front of audiences to speak and nervousness has gotten in the way. There are also those times when I’ve looked confident, even with little preparation, and delivered very good speeches. Demonstrating capability is the first step towards being remarkable.

The Key to Attaining Greater Results in Life

Nothing is more results-producing in life than focus. Focus enhances your ability to really concentrate and get things done. By removing distractions and having a single-minded focus on what needs to be done, we are able to get more results in life. Choose to be focused. Focus enhances your ability to solve problems and execute with speed. Your focus is the key to attaining greater results in life.

How to Stand Out and be Outstanding

Along with learning from our situations (previous post), we need to stay perpetually optimistic. Life has a way of making too many pessismists. We have to learn to swim against the current. If we want to make it upstream, where the source of everything is, we need to think and live differently - perpetual optimism. The key to being outstanding is your understanding. If you can truly grasp and understand the need for perpetual optimism, you will stand out of the crowd that is perpetually pessimistic.

Perpetual optimism improves your attitude and makes you a winner. Just as we learn any subject, we can learn to be perpetually optimistic. Part of it includes training ourselves to see the positive in every situation. This does not mean we lose touch with reality. It actually means that we are participating in shaping our reality. Choose to be perpetually optimistic.

Learning from Our Situations

Every day life offers us different situations. In our opinion, some of them may be good while others may be bad. The truth is that every situation that comes our way is a learning opportunity. Our objective in life should be to squeeze every lesson we can out of the situation so that we can better ourselves.

Someone once said that evaluated experience is the best teacher. Experience by itself does not lead to growth. We have to be able to expand from the experience. It is much easier for human beings to learn from positive experiences. Most people shrink in the face of negative experiences. Every experience has within it gems of personal development and growth. By unearthing these gems, we can put ourselves in a position to live better lives.

Serving Others - The Key to Winning

Everybody wants to win but few know how to win appropriately. We live in a day when people are stepping over others in their quest for a step-up the ladder. Such kind of people are driven by their egos rather than an honest desire to help others. We forget that the same people we step over on our way up are the same people we will need to help us on our way down. True winning comes from serving others first. It comes from helping other people attain and achieve that which they desire. Go ahead, be a true winner.

Conceptualize, Visualize and Materialize Your Purpose

There are three crucial keys that will allow us to experience the fulness of pursuing a life of purpose. Experiencing purpose comes in three steps. We need to be able to conceptualize, then visualize and finally materialize that which is our purpose.

Conceptualize

This begins with vision. One might even say the need to have a dream to pursue. It takes a lot of optimism to conceptualize a future that is yet to made manifest. The key is to believe that you can make it happen and you have all the resources to pursue that which you desire. Conceptualizing means birthing ideas of what’s possible.

Visualize

Beyond conceiving the dream, you need to be able to see yourself walking in it’s fulness. To visualize is simply to form mental pictures or images of something. It simply means imagining yourself being, doing and having that which you are dreaming of. It’s using the power of perception to transform what you have conceptualized into a vision of possibility.

Materialize

Dreams and visions reach their full term when they are materialized. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing your ideas go from concept to reality. As you pursue your purpose, your goal is to do just that - transform ideas into powerful results. Embrace newness and bring fresh results into your life as you pursue your purpose.

How to be Productive Today

We all want to have an impact in our lives. Human beings are created with a desire for productivity that leads to big achievements and acquisitions. One thing that we always forget is that the big things always come from little things. If we want to attain that big pay check, it will take doing many small things right. The other day I had an online conversation with a friend from Australia and she reminded me that “Inch by inch, it’s a cinch”. There is a Swahili saying that goes, “Kidogo kidogo hujaza kibaba”. The basic meaning of the saying is that little by little, we are able to attain the big thing that we seek. Allow little things to lead you towards big things today. Apply yourself and you will surely attain that which you seek.

Turn Your Concepts into Reality: The IDEA Matrix

Let us look at how concepts can be turned into reality. Here is an IDEA matrix that I developed earlier this year for doing this. The processes outlined below interact at so many levels and the lines are not clear-cut between them. It is possible to go from the I stage to the E stage, then back to the D stage then the A stage and vice-versa. That’s the beauty of nurturing ideas. Here we go:

The I Stage: Invest, invent and innovate

No idea can become reality unless you invest time and resources to it. Ideas grow in fertile ground. For your idea to expand you need to create an environment in which it can flourish and blossom. This could be an environment where you brainstorm with others on the idea or where you can study on the idea. Investing time and resources to the idea is key to being able to invent the idea. To invent is simply to create or produce something. Invention leads to innovation - the introduction of changes or new things in society. The idea has to become a dominant force in your life through the investing of time and resources towards it.

The D Stage: Discover, document and define

Once the idea has been invented, it provides you with the opportunity to discover and really define what the idea’s purpose is. When concept becomes reality, we begin to discover the full potential of our dreams. This should be carefully documented because it is the key to innovation. As long as the idea remains concept, we cannot be able to discover it’s full potential nor to clearly define it. When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, he couldn’t define it as we know it today at first. He knew that he had a device for transmitting speech. In his application filed on February 18, 2006, he mentioned “major improvements in telegraphy”. It wasn’t until much later that his invention was defined clearly. Through the many processes of this idea matrix, his concept has continued to be improved in so many ways.

The E Stage: Experiment, experience and evaluate

Ideas need to be experimented on a lot of times at the early stages. Ideas need to be implemented so that we can build on them. If ideas forever remain concepts, we cannot be able to fully experience them. We need to have tangible evidence of the ideas so that we can evaluate them and improve on them. It is the process of constant and continuous evaluation and reevaluation that results in winning ideas. It is through the process of experimentation and evaluation that we really learn about our ideas. When we become students of our ideas, we set in process a mechanism that allows us to actualize the ideas.

The A Stage: Actualize, advance and advertize

Once the ideas have been experimented on and evaluated, they allow us to go to the next level of actualizing them. By this time we have tangible goods and services that can be advanced to others. The key to the idea reaching it’s full potential is in your ability to advertize it. Advertizing is simply bringing your idea to the masses so that others can experience it’s power and purpose. Your idea could be the solution to so much hurt and difficulty that others have experienced. So, work on those ideas. Use the idea matrix to bring them to the forefront of your world.

Do Your Homework and Maximize on Opportunities

Every day life offers us myriads of opportunities to make a difference and have an impact on other people’s lives. These opportunities come largely through the interactions we have with those people. Our success in these situations depends largely on how we are prepared to engage and interact during those moments. The key to this is doing our homework.

When I was a kid my parent’s favorite words were, “Herman, have you done your homework?”. Even when I had completed my work from school, I knew that the day wouldn’t end without me hearing those words from them. I may not have liked the words that much then but I’m extremely grateful because those words served to shape a lot of good in me.

I think our success in life hinges pretty much on those words. So, have you done your homework? Before you go to meet that prospect, have you done your homework? Before you go for the interview, have you done your homework? Before you buy that new appliance or gadget, have you done your homework? Homework is cool. A healthy dose of daily homework results in a life of purpose and direction. Do your homework.

From personal development to personal empowerment

With all the hoopla over the past few months about The Secret DVD, there has been massive interest in personal development. This blog is about going beyond personal development to personal empowerment. Personal development is great. It enables you to acquire information that brings about growth in your life. Personal empowerment on the other hand is awesome because it enables you to utilize your skills to make an impact and a difference in society. The focus of personal development is on self - how you can be a better you. The focus of personal empowerment is on others - how you can use your talents to enable them to thrive in their lives.

The key to personal empowerment is engaging in personal growth with a view towards equipping others. Personal empowerment goes beyond self-actualization to people development. You have to be comfortable with getting out of your comfort zone. Most people are comfortable with developing themselves and growing for their personal ends. Few go beyond self-growth to people-growth. The truth is that true empowerment in life comes when you shift the focus from your own person to the development of others. That’s the hallmark of great leadership. Followers are great at personal development. Leaders are awesome at personal empowerment. Why? Because great leaders understand that their legacy is in developing others.

Let me provide a brief example that I hope will illustrate this better. In 2001 I was a leadership intern at the Honor Academy in Garden Valley, Texas. I arrived in Texas with a passion for personal development. I was an avid student of leadership. This resulted in my being asked to spearhead a new organization at the campus, Terra Nova, whose goal was to identify new initiatives, enhance community and cultivate a focus on the future of the Honor Academy. My responsibility as President of Terra Nova included developing my leadership council. My position gave me a title and authority but no relationship with my team. I had to build a relationship. This came through developing them as better leaders. As I focused on developing them, I became personally empowered in my leadership of the team. The quality of my personal growth was elevated since my goal wasn’t to become the best me but to enable others to become the best them. That’s personal empowerment.

Present Day Speed and the Future of Slowness

Early this year, France’s famous high-speed train, the TGV, showcased it’s high velocity in front of thousands of it’s own citizens and millions of TV watchers worldwide. Clocking up to 357 mph, the train created sparks on the rails as it blew dust on onlookers and astounded a captive global audience. Train driver Eric Pieczac said later on, “I’m delighted. It’s a mixed feeling of honor and pride to have been able to reach this speed.” His delight is understandable. We have come a long way from the 16th Century wagons that were drawn by single horses on wooden rails. We now have double-decker, powerful engines totalling up to 25,000 horse-power speeding across huge countries in short time! That’s major progress compared to the wagonways, tramways and steam engines that shaped the early days of locomotion.

However, before we start celebrating the “savior-faire” of French achievement and start wearing T-shirts with the words ”French Excellence” printed on the back, I want us to consider the implications of this. Society today is consumed with the idea of speed. All we want is the next fastest thing. We want “instant” information, “high-speed” internet, “fast” food, “rapid” results, “immediate” action, “accelerated” education, “expedited” mail, “supersonic” jets, “swift” change, even “quick” sex. What happened to slowness? The leisurely, sluggish and unhurried are branded names while the fast and quick is celebrated.

Melting Glaciers and the Future of Slow

Along with the Maglev of Japan, the world’s fastest train, which doesn’t even run on tracks but floats over a guideway in a magnetic field without touching the tracks, the TGV is a landmark of man’s progress. In this quest for faster and better, is there any future for slowness? What price are we paying in our quest for speed? It is reflected all over our society - on college campuses where students are running from class to class then to workplaces, in the corporate world where everyone’s favorite book is Business @ The Speed of Thought and in homes where fast-paced living has become the norm.

Slow should become the new fast. I was born and brought up in Africa where slow is the norm. No one has mastered the art of living slow like the people in my rural village on the shores of Lake Victoria in Western Kenya. Life is luxury for them. Their motto is “Hurry, hurry, has no blessing”. When I came to the United States in August 2001, I was astounded at the pace of life. I remember going to a grocery store during my first week when I was not yet familiar with the currency. I had a ton of coins and bills which I pulled out of my pocket and started counting slowly in front of the clerk. His look, and that of the customers behind me, could have melted a glacier! But the truth is that our fast-paced life is melting glaciers in real life. The industrial revolution, in it’s quest for better and faster, has hastened the melting of glaciers immensely (global warming is a real threat).

Embrace Your Inner Snail

Given all this, what is the future of mankind? We have a choice for high velocity or slowness. My position is that slow is cool. We all need to apply the brakes. Stress levels are rising because of the speed at which we drive our lives. Human contact has become fleeting, at best. We don’t connect any more because we are rushing for the next event. It’s time to embrace our “inner snail”. The inner snail’s motto is this: “slow and steady wins the race”. Let’s send more letters than emails, ride more bikes than drive cars, use the crock-pot rather than the microwave, visit friends and chat instead of sending text messages and make love with the person that we have chosen to take the time to slowly get to know instead of have rapid quickies.

After experiencing the fast pace of life in the US, I went back home (where the people have mastered the art of slow living) to visit in 2005. I had an opportunity to embrace my inner snail when I went to a local internet-cafe to check my email. It took me longer to open the internet and load the pages than it would have taken me to open a letter and read it. While this may be an indication of backwardness of Kenyan technology, for me it is a celebration of slowness. I had to learn the wisdom of taking a newspaper with me to the cyber-cafe and reading it as I waited for the pages to load. Oh the beauty of slow living! Slow should become the new fast. Have a slow day! (and really enjoy the slowness!).

How a Champion responds to a Challenge: Lessons from Tiger Woods, Rory Sabatini and the Bridgestone Invitational

Yesterday I had the chance to watch the World Golf Championship Bridgestone Invitational with my son. A lot of people were looking forward to the final round because Rory Sabbatini, a fiery South African had a one shot lead on Tiger and three months earlier (in May) had lost a one-shot lead to Woods in the Wachovia Championship, and then said that Woods looked "as beatable as ever." Once again, just as he did in May, Woods put on a clinic for Sabatini, clawing his way past him and finishing with an eight shot win! - the only player in red numbers at the end of the tournament! Tiger demonstrated that Rory's challenge was simply talk that could not back up. Tiger unleashed a bogey-free round that made him the first player in golf history to win the same tournament three-consecutive times, twice. Here are some ideas on how champions respond to a challenge:

Lessons from Tiger Woods, Rory Sabatini and the Bridgestone Invitational

1. Inch by Inch it’s a Cinch

Tiger won this tournament by playing consistently right from the beginning. Every hole he played counted as he advanced towards the last hole of the championship. Every inch of the course had to be played. In order to win in life you must realize that there are no short-cuts to winning. Every little effort you put into the quest for success counts. Keep plugging away.

2. Play your own game

At the end of the game, Sabatini said, "I never put any pressure on Tiger, never forced the issue, and he got far enough ahead so he could just cruise. In a sense, I played into his game." Hmm! Champions play their own game. You’ve got to play your own game. Don’t drive the ball down the fairway just because everyone else is doing that. The key to winning is to develop your own goals and timelines. This is your game, not someone else’s.

3. Don’t be intimidated

What everyone is going to talk about all week are Sabatini's words that Tiger looked as "beatable as ever." Everyone wanted to see how these words would impact Tiger. He was not moved all. He simply let his clubs do the talking for him. He stayed focused. If you are going to be a champion, you must choose to stay focused on your personal path. Let your skills do the talking.

4. Believe in your ability

Everyone has also been talking about whether Tiger can win now that he is a father. Well, he's answered that question. As everyone is wasting time talking about his abilities, Tiger is investing time in working on his game. To become a champion you must do the same. You must believe in yourself and your abilities. It doesn’t matter what may have happened to you in the past. What matters is what you believe right now. You can do it. As Norman Vincent Peale used to say, “You can if you think you can”.

5. Give yourself the best chance

Tiger gave himself the best chance by playing some really clean golf on the front nine. After the game, he said, "I just kept making par after par after par, and the weather kept changing, kept getting more difficult, and I felt if I could just keep making a bunch of pars, the guys were going to have to get greedy and aggressive to some of these pins and probably make a mistake." (Click here to read the entire interview) You have to up your game in the crucial moments of life. That’s how you give yourself the best chance to win.

Much kudos to Tiger; a great lesson for all of us.

Built to Last: It takes more than reputation; it's all about character!

The cycling world was rocked today (again) by news that one of the most popular riders at the Tour de France has tested positive of banned substances. As a result of this, the entire team was asked to leave the Tour de France, with two key riders in the top ten who had great chances of winning the entire race. This particular rider, Alexandre Vinokourov, and the entire team had already built quit a reputation for themselves at this year's tour. He won saturday's time trial and Monday's stage 15. The team was leading in the team standings. Sadly, all their hard work and reputation has amounted to nothing due to the doping discovery.

Reputation is simply what people think about a thing or person. Character is what the thing or person really is. When it comes to human performance therefore, character is the bedrock of achievement. Reputation is what precedes a person or thing while character is what outlasts the person or thing. Astana and Vinokourov had a great opportunity to stamp a positive mark on the Tour this year but instead they have left in disgrace. Had they focused on developing character more than reputation, things might have been very different now. Reputation changes but character does not. Reputation is like the shadow of a building. It moves in different directions throughout the day. Character on the other hand is like the building itself. It forever stays the same.

Today, I’d like to encourage you to be more focused on your character rather than your reputation. Your character will outlast your reputation.

It's July - Lessons from the Tour de France

I love the Tour de France. Yes, it's been critized a lot over the past couple of years but it's still a demonstration of power, focus, energy, stamina and dedication. This past weekend was the first stage of the 2007 Tour de France. The sprint was won by Robbie McEwen, even after a very bad crash that could easily have retired him from the competition. The second stage was won by Gert Steegmans with his teammate, Tom Boonen, coming in second. This was simply classic, over-the-top, A-game performance. A one-two result like this is usually very rare in cycling. So here are some early thoughts on how lessons from the first two days of the tour apply:

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

Your performance in the “race towards success” is very much dependent on what happens behind the scenes. All the tour cyclists didn’t just walk off the streets and grab their bikes. Thye practice hard during the off-season. You must do the same thing. In order to be an MP (Massive Producer), you have to act massively behind the scenes. It’s your behind the scenes work that brings you from obscurity and into the limelight.

2. Take immediate control of your mental state

The winner’s edge is in his mental attitude. You must approach every situation with a readiness to tackle it and win. You can’t shy away from displaying your skill when your moment of action comes. There were two terrible crashes on both days but the eventual winners chose to stay focused. Robie McEwen could easily have decided to quit after his very bad fall. In an interview later on, he said, "I gave it everything to be in the right place for the final 200 meters and it seems we did enough. I’m happy with that. I was fueled by frustration, anger and the thought of having nothing more to lose" (link). You can’t allow your mind to wander in hundreds of different directions. You’ve got to harness it.

3. Discover the power of team

No matter how good a cyclist is, he cannot win alone. It takes teamwork. Boonen said of his teammate, "Today it wasn’t possible for me to pass my team-mate but I think that if you’re in a situation like this then it’s the right thing to do to… if you have a guy who leads you out for the entire year and you’re able to give a present like this, then it’s not nice to pass him. “I’m more excited than when I won the stage myself. It’s great to achieve this when the finish line is in your own country. It was an impressive day for our team" (link). McEwen said of his teammates, "I you could see on television how much work guys like Wim Vansevenant and Johan van Summeren did trying to bring me back to the peloton after my crash. It took a very long time because, at the moment I crashed, that’s when the race really started going full gas. I don’t think it was any coincidence that they started riding a bit faster when I was off the back but… well, it’s just incredible how much work my team did to bring me back. This is the perfect way to repay them for their effort". (link). You’ve got to find those people who will elevate your performance. Teamwork makes the dream work. What’s your dream? Are you connected to people that can elevate your game? Discover the power of team and you will multiply your value. You can’t do it by yourself. The days of the lone ranger are over.

Enjoy the tour!

Celebrating July 4th: Lessons on Interdependence and Teamwork - Part 2

In today’s post I will briefly look at the last eight things we did with our team:

8. Paint pictures and mental images of possibilities
Every day in the morning, we had the opportunity to cast vision to the team and we made the best use of such avenues to ensure that everyone grasped the big picture of our entire purpose of being in Jamaica.

9. Employ a variety of people to help cast the vision
We had MAs (Mission Advisors) whom we selected to work with us in binding the team together and communicating our vision to the rest of the group.

10. Navigate through situations and circumstances as one unit
We made it a primary priority to stick together as a team and travel together. The leaders would always look out for our team members to ensure that we were all on one track.

11. Display an in-depth care and concern for one another
We emphasized on the need for great relationships with each other. John Maxwell once pointed out that people go the first mile because of duty, they go the second mile because of relationship. Good relationships were a vital concern for us.

12. Empower each other by relying on each other’s skills and abilities
Interdependence is impossible unless a team learns to rely on each other. By realizing that everyone is gifted to serve, we were in fact able to empower each other.

13. Nourish each other by equipping and elevating each other’s contribution
We advocated for placing individual rights below the team’s best interest. The other person’s contribution was considered as very important and this enabled us to achieve so much progress.

14. Communicate at all times, making everything clear and plain to the team
We made it a priority to always communicate with each other and went to great lengths to keep the entire team updated on our courses of action.

15. End every effort by sharing the benefits and rewards of teamwork
Instead of taking all the praise for our achievements, we would always credit the team with having made all things happen.

Celebrating July 4th: Lessons on Interdependence and Teamwork - Part 1

This week we will be celebrating Independence Day in the US. I want to look at the concept of interdependence, specifically, how teamwork elevates productivity. This post is simply a development of ideas that I developed a few years ago when I went to Jamaica as a team leader for a group of about 35 teenagers. This was a huge project and it required that every member of the team contribute their very best. My thoughts will be developed in the form of an acronym that I will be sharing over the course of the week.

Here is the acronym:

Identify every aspect of the operation that requires a team effort.
Notify every member of the team of his or her role.
Team up on the basis of the group’s vision and not individual interests.
Examine your dream together and let everyone capture a passion for it.
Resolve to all be focused on the team aspects of the organization.
Divide responsibilities fairly to every member of the team.
Engage the soul of every member of the team.
Paint pictures and mental images of possibilities.
Employ a variety of people to help cast the vision.
Navigate through situations and circumstances as one unit.
Display an in-depth care and concern for one another.
Empower each other by relying on each other’s skills and abilities.
Nourish each other by equipping and elevating each other’s contribution.
Communicate at all times, making everything clear and plain to the team.
End every effort by sharing the benefits and rewards of teamwork.

In today’s post I will briefly look at the first seven things we did with our team:

1. Identify every aspect of the operation that requires a team effort
As a team, we started off by pointing out every area in which we had to work together. We build into the team an understanding of the team concept by helping them see that one would be too small a number to achieve what we had set out to do.

2. Notify every member of the team of his or her role
As team leader, I notified every member of the team of what would be expected of them. We developed consensus on the things we wanted to see achieved. Every “got on the same page” regarding what they had to accomplish individually (there is no “I” in team but there is a “me”).

3. Team up on the basis of the group’s vision and not individual interests
Our team developed a vision that had meaning to each of us. This was clearly written and displayed so that everyone had access to it. We had to ensure that everyone understood the cause. We rallied the entire team together on this one cause and it worked so well.

4. Examine your dream together and let everyone capture a passion for it
Every morning we had meetings together which greatly helped us to continually harness the vision and hold onto it. Understanding the vision and buying into it as a corporate team was essential to our success. This made all of us to run in the same direction with the same goal in mind.

5. Resolve to all be focused on the team aspects of the organization
Each day there were many obstacles and distractions that threatened our progress as a team. We had to resolve to stay focused. There were team-members who lost motivation every once in a while. We had to encourage each member of the team to stay focused.

6. Divide responsibilities fairly to every member of the team
Each member on the team had different abilities and we divided responsibilities based on their skills and willingness to serve in particular capacities. In the division of labor, we had to ensure that there was specialization in terms of the skill sets of the team member.

7. Engage the soul of every member of the team
We endeavored to “click” with our team by coaching, mentoring and communicating the vision to them every single moment we had the opportunity to do so. Those who soared as leaders within the group contributed immensely in mentoring the others.

To be continued some time after July 4th…

Optimism: The Key to Success

No man demonstrated greater leadership in the 20th Century than Nelson Mandela - that icon of a man who was jailed for more than twenty years yet stayed focused and came out to break apartheid’s back, becoming his country’s first black president. In his book, Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela has a quote that I have always enjoyed reading. He says,

“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature of nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lay defeat and death". (p. 377)

Leaders face many unique situations. There are times when their vision is clouded by present circumstances and it is so easy to give up and throw in the towel. There are times when even driving the process of change becomes a weary task and their motives and judgements are brought into question. All leaders experience those times when they are surrounded by situations that don’t seem to align with their purposes and plans. It is in those situations that true leaders thrive. True leadership demands an optimistic attitude. If you are going to achieve that which you set out for, you must stay focused and continue to believe in the vision. That is the key to success as a leader.

Define Where You Are

It’s understandable that many organizations have vision statements that attempt to define and crystalize what the future will look like for them. However, many of these organizations fail to develop a clear idea of where they currently are. The present situation is the key to a future desired vision of where and what the organization will accomplish. Great leaders take the time to define the present as well as they define the future.

Someone once said that leadership is taking a group of people from where they are to where they should be. Based on this definition, it is clear to see that an understanding of where your people currently are is critical to the journey of taking them where they should be. Defining where they currently are means looking at their present successes and failures, clarifying the obstacles in their path, reviewing their resources, assessing their capabilities in light of past accomplishments and outlining what is being done that is bringing in desired results. Every journey has a starting point and an end. By starting with where you currently are, you are able to set in motion a process of advancement to where you want to be.

Passion Elevates Speaking Skills

Last week I was the guest speaker at a local organization that serves the elderly. I spoke for about an hour then invested about fifteen minutes chatting with the staff and residents at the home. They all had very nice things to say about my speaking. What came across from most of them was the fact that they enjoyed my passion for the subject. I have come to believe that passion is the most important ingredient in a great speech.

The last couple of years have seen a mushrooming in the quest for professional speaking skills. Organizations like Toastmasters and speaking courses like Dale Carnegie’s have continued to grow immensely as more and more people realize the need to enhance their speaking skills. This is great. People are realizing that it is not just enough to have language and content, you need to develop mastery in it’s use. Now, the development of mastery in many speaking organizations usually focuses on the technical aspects of speaking - how to stand, use of gestures, layout of notes, etc.

All the foremost speakers that we fondly remember have always demonstrated a passion that came from deep within their convictions. Martin Luther King Jr. (The greatest speaker of the 20th Century), Ronald Reagan (The Great Communicator), Zig Ziglar (The Greatest Motivational Speaker) and Les Brown (The World’s Leading Motivational Speaker) are good examples of very passionate speakers. If you will speak to change lives you must have passion. Passion elevates words from notes in ink to life-changing insights in the mind. Passion comes from conviction. You must believe in what you are saying deeply. Cultivate a deep passion and your speaking will be greatly rewarded.

Action Today ... Not Tomorrow!

A few years ago I heard someone talk about the need for Action TNT, meaning action Today, Not Tomorrow (Must have been either Zig Ziglar, Dennis Waitley or some famous motivational guru). I think the tape was on procrastination and how to avoid it. Today I would like to talk about three strategies for taking action TNT:

Take initiative

Initiative is the first step towards achievement. Many people lag in life because of procrastination. In order to realize our true potential, we must learn to take initiative when it comes to pursuing personal goals and objectives. Initiative separates the committed from the pretenders, it is the link that connects dreams with results.

Navigate decisions

Many people freeze when it comes to decision-making. Making a clear-cut decision is one of the toughest things any one could do. Decision-making stems from embracing change. Knowing how to navigate change is therefore a core competence that should be grasped completely. Learn to make good decisions and you will accomplish great things in life.

Take risks

Risk-taking is one of the most feared competencies but it must be mastered because there can never be reward unless risks are taken. When it comes to risk-taking, our only fear should be the fear of not taking risks. Having an intuitive ability for stepping out and taking risks is the key to attaining results.

Let’s take action Today … Not Tomorrow!

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

As a leadership intern at the Honor Academy in Garden Valley, Texas (2001-2002), I became involved in a program known as Knighthood in which the men on campus were challenged to develop character and be genuine leaders. One of the things that happened during my induction into the group was that I was given a Greek name to symbolize my new identity. The name meant vision and gave me a sense of great destiny and purpose. However, the best thing was the relationships that came out of the group. We, in a way, became a support team for one another.

In very much the same way, we need support teams for every day life. The age of the lone ranger is forever gone. Teaming up with others enables a shared sense of vision for the future. The team is able to develop goals that are bigger than individual goals and can easily be realized. Being part of a team builds confidence and spreads responsibility. It also allows people within the team to mentor each other.

Teamwork makes the future workable; it makes the dream work! Nothing generates more energy in an organization than a team that is cohesive. Embrace your team and lift it to a higher level!

The Legacy Challenge: Ten Choices That Will Revolutionize Your Life

Bob Buford once said, “None of us know when we will die, but all of us, if we wish, can select our own epitaph”. Man's greatest challenge is to live a life that leaves a solid legacy behind him. Life is short and we need to constantly be asking ourselves the question, "Am I living a life that is making a difference for those around me?" If not, here are ten trade-offs worth making that can qualitatively improve your life and a question after each to prompt your decision-making.

1. Affirmation for accomplishment

The idea of affirming people has been around for a long time. Dale Carnegie’s 1936 masterpiece, ‘How to Win Friends and influence People’, has helped so many people over the years to develop a people-centered perspective that has enabled them to empower others positively. I would highly suggest a reading of the book. When you focus on self, all you care about is personal accomplishments. But when you learn to affirm others, you empower them to accomplish great things.

Are you going to be one of the boys and get the affirmation of mediocrity or will you step out of the herd and blaze a trail of accomplishment?

2. Financial gain for future potential

Nothing excites me more than the person who gives up financial gain for the sake of developing his or her personal potential. When you live with such a philosophy, growth is never a problem. It’s potential-centered thinking that sets the pace for the kind of legacy a person will leave behind. Again, when one is not blossoming in life, the pre-dominant question is “What can I get (or receive) from this situation?” When one is in bloom, the pre-dominant question is “How can I grow in this situation?”

Which group are you in? Will you be enticed by the promises of wealth or will you live for an epic life based on your true capacity?

3. Immediate pleasure for personal growth

There are two kinds of people in life: eagles and turkeys. Let's start with turkeys. They are usually show-offs. Nothing pleasures them more than just having fun - 24/7. Then there are eagles. These are usually focused and goal-oriented people. They'd rather engage in something that enables them to grow and grow others than just play and have fun all the time.

Are you tempted by the life of ease and play now, or are you motivated by the desire for living your best life possible?

4. Security for significance

John F. Kennedy said, ” And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you -ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” Most people are looking for security from their leaders. Those who blossom in life find ways in which they can significantly contribute to their country.

Do you want to live a comfortable life of comfort and convenience or will you soar towards a better life in which you make an even greater difference in society?

5. Acceptance for excellence

Do you know what happens to crabs in a bucket? As one of them tries to make it's way out of the bucket, the others will always pull it down. Think of people now. Many people don't even attempt to climb out of the bucket because they enjoy the acceptance of mediocrity. They'd rather hang with the boys and girls rather than excel with the men and women who are making a difference.

Are you going to settle for the acceptance of your peers and friends or will you aim for the excellence that comes from the pursuit of a cause that is greater than your personal dreams?

6. Addition for multiplication

Value multipliers impact and influence other people greatly. The great thing about being a value multiplier is that you are able to empower people to be organized and do something positive. What a beauty! You multiply value by passing along the best in yourself to other people. I’m always pleased when I hear from people I led in high school and at the university. They always say things like, “Herman, that idea was awesome. It took our group to a whole new level.” While those short-term moves were great for whichever group I led, the best thing is that they felt empowered.

Are you satisfied with adding value to your community or will you go for the more rewarding joy of multiplying value to the world?

7. Many things for one thing

This is my pet peeve. We engage ourselves in too many things nowadays. I acknowledge that in life we have to wear many hats but it becomes a problem when those hats don't fit us! You've got to find the hats that fit you. You were born with purpose and potential inside you. The sun's rays do not burn unless brought to a point of focus. Find your magnifying glass and let those rays burn!

Will you be a jack of all trades and master of none or will you stand out from the pack and be a master of one thing?

8. Quantity for quality

Most people’s undoing is that they short-change themselves by being involved in too many things. Life for them is measured in numbers - how many activities, how many parties, how many friends, etc. They believe that the more events/activities they engage in, the better their lives will be. Wrong! We need to go for quality. It's not how much activity you engage in but the productivity you manifest! It's not how many parties you go to, but the quality of the parties. It's not how many friends you have but the richness of the friendships you have.

Are you going to fill up your life with things and events or will you go for the right things and events?

9. Stability for success

We live in a unique day and age. It's so easy to live a stable life by simply being mediocre. I think we need to go beyond stability to success. You may have seen the movie Click. I'll put my own spin on it. It's about this guy who wants to live a stable life and acquires a remote from Bed, Bath and Beyond that enables him to control virtually every aspect of his life. We can't control everything in life. Success comes when we engage with variables that we can't control. Let's go BEYOND stability. Let's strive for success.

Is your prime desire to have a stable life or are you willing to tap into the joy of adding?

10. Work for family

Nothing dominates life more than work. Every day we are working! Small wonder that the Sabbath was created for us. Even though we must work to keep in order to keep life moving, we must do so in the context of family. Work should not revolve around family but family around work. My family is my first priority, not my work. I am a family man, not a work horse!

Are you laboring at your work at the expense of your family or are you creating a legacy for those whom you love and society in general?

Mission, Goals and Strategy: Pushing Granaries into Huts and Firing Missiles from Canoes

There is a saying in Kenya that “A granary cannot be pushed into a hut”. This saying can help us learn a lot in the area of personal potential in the light of current capacity and the limitations that surround it. We all face moments when our ability to perform is limited by current structures that pose immense threat to the vision within us. What is one to do in those situations?

A granary is a storehouse for grain. It symbolizes the fruit of one’s labor, or the yield of one’s hard work. A hut on the other hand is a dwelling of simple construction that is the common living area for many in African rural areas. Most huts are usually made of mud and have grass thatched roofs. Granaries on the other hand are made of wood and have tin/aluminium roofs.

Let us think of organizations. Robert Schuller once said that “You can’t fire a missile from a canoe”. A leader’s vision for his organization may sometimes be limited by current structures in the organization. There are also times when vision may be limited by structures that are not present within the organization. The organization’s objectives play a great role in determining the results that will be yielded. There must be a solid foundation that ensures that any goals pursued will be achieved satisfactorily. A granary cannot be pushed into a hut.

How then do we ensure that our output will be measurable to our input without having to demolishing our present structures? How do we develop a system that allows us to fire missiles from canoes without toppling over into the water? Every vision needs to be strengthened by the underlying philosophies and values that guide the organization. You can’t expect to achieve a big vision when the guiding philosophies do not match up to the vision. You cannot expect to accomplish great things when your strategy is flawed. There are three key ideas that will empower us in this area:

1. Have a Mission that matches your Vision

A company’s daily undertakings need to fit into the bigger picture of it’s ultimate objectives. Many organizations have dropped the ball by engaging in activities that are outside the range of the company vision. Vision is guarded by staying on the critical path with the company mission. Do this and you will be able to fire missiles from your canoe. I guarantee it!

2. Develop Goals that align with your Philosophy

Company philosophy is crucial to the outcomes and output of an organization. Your goals should align with the values that the company holds dearest. Every organization needs to clarify what it is that it holds as fundamental to it’s existence. Enron failed because the leader’s activities veered off the course of the company’s core values. Your have to hold onto your core values. Do this and your granary may be able to fit into your hut.

3. Create a Strategy that builds on your Accomplishments

Strategy is the key to building value in an organization. Value is measured by an organization’s accomplishments. The more a company accomplishes, the more it acquires a competitive advantage over other companies within that industry. Strategy therefore is key to the long-term existence of a company.

These three keys, applied in an orderly manner, will not only ensure that you fire missiles from your canoe but also that your granary fits into your hut.

Growing Beyond Your "Go-Ceiling"

I'm just getting ready to leave for a Simulcast being offered by John Maxwell's mentoring organization, Maximum Impact. Click here for a preview of the event - The Influence Index. I once heard John Maxwell say that "if you don’t grow, you will go". The truth is that we all have a what I call a "go-ceiling" (I just coined this term this morning). A "go-ceiling" is that point of incompetence beyond which an organization or client cannot keep you any more. In order to continue providing value, we must grow beyond that "go-ceiling". Continued personal growth is a necessity in today’s world. The secret to any person’s future is hidden in their level of commitment to personal growth and development. This is particularly true for leaders. It’s your “inner” growth which sets the pace for your “outer” leadership. Here are some principles which can generate a life of continued growth:

1. Have a personal growth plan

Growth is not automatic. You have to make a conscious effort to commit to a daily growth plan. This could include reading books that enhance your understanding of your chosen field, listening to tapes and audio-books that elevate your understanding and subscribing to websites or newsletters that enhance your insight. This has to be a personal commitment. There’s a proverb that goes, “You’ve got to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather is”. Make that commitment. Develop a personal growth plan.

2. Stay out of your comfort zone

There’s a quote I learnt in college that I really like. Ron Osbourne said, “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow”. Many people get stuck in the rut of ”same old, same old”. You’ve got to stretch and expand yourself. Do something new. Do it in a different way. Some wag once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Stay out of that comfort zone. Comfort creates ease and ease is the greatest enemy of growth.

3. Grow for who you will be, not what you will get

You need a proper focus if your growth is to go the distance. You can’t just have the goal of acquiring stuff because once you acquire your motivation will wane. Growth should be geared towards becoming a better person, living a better life. Grow to become, not to have. Growth brings good things; good things don’t bring growth. It is more important to be a better person than to have better things. We win in life by being better people, not by having the biggest and the best of stuff. True success is really an intangible thing - it’s the quality of person that you are.

An Action Step

Define your personal "go-ceiling". What do you think is level of incompetence beyond which an employer or client will not keep you any more? Now, build on your skills beyond that level. Start working on things which will ensure that you have stick-ability.

Don't just start, commit to finishing the race

One of the most prestigious events of the Olympic Games is the Marathon - 26 miles - 385 yards of one of the most severe tests of human endurance. In the 1968 Summer Olympic Games, held in Mexico City, John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania started with the other runners but fell way behind the leaders. At the finish line - the 100,000 plus spectators packing Olympic Stadium - cheered the winners of the race. Other runners entered the stadium and crossed the finish line to the cheers of the crowd. The race was over. Other events took place. Thousands of spectators had left. Then, one lone runner entered the stadium - John Stephen Akhwari. Akhwari’s pace was slow. His steps were wobbly. His knee was bloody and bandaged from a fall earlier in the race. He looked terrible. As He entered the stadium and began to slowly complete that last lap around the track the few remaining spectators began to realize who he was and what he was doing. As Akhwari slowly - painfully - crossed the finish line - they cheered - saluting the man’s determination. After the race, Akhwari was asked - what kept you going? Why didn’t you quit? Akhwari said, “My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me here to finish”.

Here are two thoughts that hopefully will inspire and empower you to continue with your own race:

a). Relentless Dedication - In order to finish the race you must be relentlessly dedicated. What are you doing on a daily basis that is adding value to your ability to fully become who you were born to be? Are you being true to the voice within you that is calling you to perform at your optimum level?

b). Steady Focus - Steady Focus comes from always having your vision right in front of you. Think about why you have immense success driving every day - the windshield is right in front of you and you are always looking out through it! It’s the same thing with your dream. You must keep it right in front of you. There are many ways that you can do this. Write it down and recite it throughout the day. Design your environment to remind you of your vision every day.

You can do it! Finish the race!

Teamwork and Leadership

Being part of a team is the highest calling of leadership. Any leader within a team has the obligation to model mental maturity to his or her teammates. In order for the organization’s dream to be realized, there must be great teamwork amongst the members. Here are three thoughts to enhance your role within the team:

Think at a higher level - Your quality of thinking sets the tone for the rest of the team. In team meetings, it is important to think at a higher level by bringing something to the table. Be resourceful. Team dynamics improve when you contribute effectively. Share insights and ideas that will better the team. Be a team player and demonstrate mental maturity.

Admit it when you are wrong - Everyone falters every once in a while. It is a sign of great maturity when you can admit that you were wrong. Such an admission sends a great message to the team and enhances cohesiveness. This goes hand-in-hand with taking responsibility for your failures. Be a team player and demonstrate mental maturity.

Put others before your ’self’ - Teamwork is about togetherness - Together Everyone Accomplishes More. This calls upon every member to lay aside their personal desires and root for the team. Every single effort must be targeted towards making the team look great. Egos must be put aside. Being part of a team means being an uplifter. Be a team player and demonstrate mental maturity.

The LEARN strategy

There are moments when we are fully aware of our deficiencies or lack of training in certain skill areas. Our awareness of such incompetence should never freeze us from action, it should instead motivate us to acquire the training that we need. In order to motivate us towards this, I have developed a five-step strategy that can deliver results in such situations. Here is my LEARN strategy for conscious incompetence:

Let your incompetence motivate you towards learning

Empower yourself by reading about the skill area

Associate with people who have competence in that skill area

Redefine your understanding of your capacity in that skill

Nurture a passion for teaching others that particular skill

Be a peak performer. Never allow incompetence to stop you from accomplishing your objectives. Lack of training should not necessarily equate to lack of ability. You can learn what you need to in order to move ahead into action.

Staying Focused on Goals

Every day offers us the opportunity to either quit on our goals or continue working on them. Nothing comes easy in life. A mentor once told me that if I am tough on myself then life would be infinitely easier for me. What can we do to stay focused on our goals? Here's an acrostic that can help:

Pre-determine a course of action

This essentially means having a vision for your life. Visualizing that which you intend to attain is the first step towards being successful in pursuing it. You need to have a concise end for which you can measure your progress against. Develop a vision which will be your pre-determined course of action.

Layout your goals

Once you have pre-determined a course of action, the next step is to break it down into specific goals that can be realized. To empower your vision you need to write it down and define it clearly. Laying out your goals enables you to harness the power of visualization.

Adjust your priorities

You will need to make some changes in the new year if you hope to make it a different year from the past. This will mean being open to adjusting your priorities. Priorities are the pathway to success. Making adjustments is the key to reaching your goals.

Notify key people

We all have circles of support around us. In order to accomplish your goals you need to find those people who affirm your positive goals and share your goals with them. These people will encourage you, motivate you and keep you on the path towards success.

Allow time for your plans

Many times when we set goals we expect them to be realized within a certain time frame. While it is essential to set deadlines, we should never get married to the deadlines. Timelines should motivate us to work smartly towards our goals. If your goals are not attained within the timelines you set, don’t quit. Set new timelines and stay motivated.

Head into action

Action is the first step towards achievement. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Head into action. Inch by inch it’s a cinch. Action must start now! The greatest enemy of success is procrastination. In order to achieve your dreams you must be action-oriented.

Expect problems

Every endeavor that has ever been worth pursuing has always had it’s problems and challenges. Problems are a sign that you are on the right track. The absence of problems is very likely a sign that something is wrong. Problems should never cause you to lose sight of your ultimate goals. They should be a call towards being more creative.

Always point to your successes

It is easy to lose motivation when failure sets in. The key to staying focused is in pointing to your already realized successes. Your track record of past successes is the springboard for your future achievements. When failure threatens your progress, embrace the confidence that comes from your record of past achievements.

Daily review your planning

Planning is a dynamic process. Plans should be reviewed on a daily basis to ensure that you are on the right track. Change happens. You must be open to changing your plans daily. Flexibility is the key to success. You must be able to revisit your plans every day. Nothing ever dominates life unless it happens daily. It is the daily habit of reviewing your plans that will determine whether you realize them or not.

Six Elements of Talent

This afternoon I was baby-sitting and decided to go with my son to a local bookstore where I picked a book and read as I watched him play in the kids area. The book I picked was:

Talent Is Never Enough by John Maxwell
I didn't have much time to read it but after perusing a little I came up with an acrostic that represents the six elements of TALENT. Here we go:

Thinking cultivates talent - It’s one thing to have talent and it’s quite another to know how to exploit that talent. It’s the quality of thinking that separents talented achievers from talented underachievers. Learning how to think at a higher level is key to maximizing your talent.

Attitude sustains talent - Denis Waitley is fond of saying that the winner’s edge is in his attitude. Attitude shines and it is the key to maintaining a successful pursuit of one’s real talents. A great attitude will enable you to achieve so much more than you ever dreamt possible.

Leadership elevates talent - Talent can enable you to soar from obscurity into the limelight but it takes leadership to keep you in the limelight. Having a leadership bent and a mind for what it takes to stay at the top is key to utilizing talent efficiently. Your leadership skills will elevate your talent.

Excellence magnifies talent - A solid commitment to pure excellence is the foundation for the magnification of one’s talents. Doing everything with excellence creates room for you to extend your talents. Excellence also sets you apart from the crowd because most people are used to mediocrity.

Nature nurtures talents - Nothing is more natural than a person’s talents. The key to being able to develop your talent is to stay natural. Don’t be a cheap copy when you can be original! Your nature actually sets you apart and makes you a winner. You’ve got to stay connected to the essence of who you are as a person.

Trustworthiness secures talent - A lasting legacy comes from lasting qualities. Developing a reputation for trustworthiness enables you to secure the use of your talents. People want to be able to trust that you will deliver. The key to that is in being truthful and honest with them.

Talent Is Never Enough
It takes TALENT to realize the fulness of talent!

Vision to Vibration: Elevating Your Leadership

If you’ve seen the movie Click you may be able to discern how we need to go BEYOND vision in 2007 and into a vibration mode of life. The difference between visionary and vibrationary living is that whereas in visionary living, our path is guided and directed by the power of a compelling desire propelled by a glimpse of the future while in vibrationary living, we discern trends and read the pulse of society, enabling us to respond to the heartbeat of the real needs of people. Understanding the heartbeat of human need is more powerful than any vision we could ever have.

If we are going to be precise in the New Year, we must transition from visionary living to vibrationary living. A New Year requires a New Strategy. I suggest that we start responding to the needs of society rather than sitting in our own ‘vision cubicles’ to develop our own ideas.
Transitioning from vision to vibration is in essence shifting our focus from seeing to hearing. While it is essential that we be able to see where the needs are in society, it is also important that our ears be well turned up to be able to hear what the people are saying and what is vibrating in their hearts. This means that our ears should be close to the heart of the society. Sound is a series of vibrations moving as waves through air. Ringing a bell for example, sets off vibrations in the air. Detection of these vibrations or sound waves is called hearing. It is essential to understand how the ear works. Humans hear by bone conduction or primarily by detecting airborne sound waves, which are collected by the auricles. The auricles help locate the direction of sound. Then one turns to focus on the direction. Therefore hearing comes before seeing.

This transition will require a change from structure to rhythm. This will require a greater degree of sensitivity to the needs of society. Making the transition from visionary living to vibrationary living will require that we change from critical thinking to modulating. Make the big transition.

You 2008! The Race for Your Destiny!

Presidential politics have always been interesting. I think the thrill comes from the many dynamics of watching the race - personalities, philosophies, partnerships, passions, perspectives, promises, peculiarities, prejudices and people are all developed, exposed, shaped and redefined in so many different ways. This year's race for the White House is a very unique one. So many interesting dynamics come into the 2008 race for the White House - we have an African American among the leading contenders, we have a woman in the mix, religion might be a huge factor since there’s a Mormon running as a republican, then there's former New York mayor with quite a history of big moments and little moments in his life and so many other factors.

The other day one of the contenders came to Cincinnati - senator Barrack Obama - to meet the people. I like Senator Obama - not just because his heritage is from my birth country of Kenya - but because he is a sound leader. As a compelling public figure in America, I think he brings a lot of hope to many in the country. He is very thoughtful and has America at the center of his heart. While it is great to root for someone and champion their ideals, I think it is also essential we understand that we have our own race to run. How about championing your own passions and purposes every single day! I want you to consider campaigning for yourself in the greatest race of all time - the race to fulfill your potential and live your very best life! Seek for materials and products that will empower YOU with knowledge, skills, wisdom and resources that will enlighten, encourage, equip, embolden and enable YOU to embody the better life. I encourage you to focus on your own personal growth and development. Discover your true potential and unleash your maximum capabilities! Find what you were born to do and give it your very best shot.

What Leaders Should Follow

A few weeks ago I found myself stuck in traffic really close to a bakery. I wasn’t thinking of anything specific and allowed myself the pleasure of having my eyes roam about the neighborhood. Within a short time I learnt what had caused the traffic to build up. A bunch of people were standing in front of the bakery getting free bread for the holiday season. I could hear from the noise that they were excited. The smell of baked bread filled the area. I could easily see a crowd in the area right in front of the bakery and my gut feeling was that the bread was being given for free. Right at that moment I decided to be creative and use my time in traffic in developing some thoughts on leadership, based on what I was seeing in front of me. I was able to come up with the following four things that leaders should follow:

1. Follow your ear (I heard the noise)

Learn to act on what you hear your followers whisper. If you can act on the whispers, you won’t have to react to the screams later on. Sensitize your ear to the imperceptible cries of your people. Your ear should be able to vibrate with what is resounding from the lives of your followers. A leader should always have his ear on the ground but not all the time because if you are always bent on the ground and listening you can’t be able to see ahead. There must be a balance. The leaders ear must ring with the voices of the people.

2. Follow your nose (Oh the smell of bread!)

Strive to perfect your ability to smell what is coming. I learnt this from watching leopards hunt back home in the plains of Kenya. Their main advantage is that they can smell their prey from very far. Let us endeavor to smell the future before it arrives. The better your leadership smell buds, the more accurate you will be in anticipating inevitable happenings. The leadership nose is able to determine what is good and what is bad. We like what smells good isn’t it? Leaders should be able to sense the flavor before serving their followers. That’s the key to winning their hearts.

3. Follow your eyes (I saw the crowd)

This is where many leaders lose it. They leap before they look. In more adverse situations, they think before they look. I would like to change a very popular saying. They say “Look before you leap” but I say, “Look before you think and then think before you leap.” As a leader, you must be able to first analyse a situation, synthesise it and then pounce on it. Because leaders possess the big picture and see the whole view before their followers, they can easily be enticed by what looks appealing. Leaders should be able to see, then use their minds and determine the right course of action.

4. Follow your gut (I sensed they were getting free bread)

Intution is a leader’s best friend. This is something that many leaders have yet to fully grasp. You can’t teach anyone how to listen to the gut. It’s something that is cultivated personally. Just a little wisdom to help you as you do this: THE GUT SIGNAL is like red lights flashing within you. Leaders should be able to sense things so that they are not caught unawares.

Ear, nose, eyes and gut - the anatomy of leadership!

The Intoxication of Starting a New Business

In one of his blog entries, Dallas Mavericks owner and billionare Mark Cuban makes some interesting comments regarding starting a business and the spirit of entrepreneurship. He says, “There are few things more exciting than starting a business and getting things rolling. The fear, the adrenalin, the excitement, the hope that every entrepreneur feels, are all intoxicating. In fact, very often they are TOO intoxicating. Very often, along with some success comes the feeling of invincibility. I have been in situations where I have told myself that Im smart, I know what Im doing, that I will figure things out as I go, so its OK to take on this new opportunity.” (Emphasis mine).

I know what he is talking about because when I was in college at the University of Nairobi in Kenya, I started the Center of Knowledge as part of the SHEBA partnership (Stephen Herman Eternal Brotherhood Association). The Center of Knowledge was a resource unit that provided lots of personal growth materials to students at my college campus. Stephen was and still is a very close friend who worked with me in equipping so many young people back home in Kenya. Both organizations lost traction when I left Kenya and came to the United States but I can’t forget the feeling of invincibility I felt as I walked around the campus and toured the country speaking at high schools.

Mark Cuban’s article is very insightful. He talks about the ‘fear’ of starting a new business. One of the books that greatly influenced my thinking when I started the Center of Knowledge was “Feel the fear and do it anyway” by Susan Jeffers, PhD. This book helped me conquer so many fears in my life as I attempted to create at that time what was a huge undertaking for a college student. For me it was very much like a metamorphosis. When I was a kid growing up in Nairobi, Kenya, we had lots of ladybugs in our part of the country. I used to enjoy watching the process of change that happened as they metamorphosised into adult insects. At the larval stage, few people can tell that it will ever turn into anything that can fly. Soon it transforms itself into a pupa and makes a cocoon around itself. The final stage of maturity comes when changes happen INSIDE the cocoon. The larva BREAKS OUT of the cocoon and becomes a beautiful ladybug.

Nothing excites me more than embracing positive changes. Every single change I have embraced over the past seven years has completely revolutionized my life. I moved from Africa, to Texas, to Colorado, to Massachussets, to Tennessee, to Nebraska and now Cincinnati, Ohio. While this might seem like too much change, it’s been a journey towards the ultimate. I thrive on change! I’m intoxicated! Opportunity has knocked on my front door and I won’t be caught raking leaves in the back yard. I’m ready! All systems are tuned up and ready to fire. As Robert Schuller said, “You can’t fire a missile from a canoe!” If Mark Cuban will define my spirit as intoxication, I’ll accept his definition based on the context.

A Dream Whose Time Has Come

Early when I developed the dream for the Better Life Company, I came across a quote that greatly inspired my desire to work hard at formulating a concise strategy for realizing the dream. The quote was, “A dream is a goal given substance, direction and time”. I think I read the quote in a Fast Company magazine article around 1999 or 2000. My greatest labor over the past couple of years has been in developing the philosophical foundations of the company. My belief is that the bedrock of a solid mission, concrete core values, a lasting vision and achievable strategic objectives will become the source of true success for the organization.

Better Life Company is a living organism and it will adjust to changing times, environments and situations in order to stay on the cutting-edge of innovation. While the company currently exists as a single entity, it will grow and replicate in order to fully realize the extent of it’s potential. By starting off as a single entity we are able to develop a position in the market and harness leverage that will provide us with the momentum for realizing our true position.

It’s all about timing now. We have given substance to the dream and have a clear direction. Voltaire once said that an invasion of armies can be resisted but not a dream whose time has come!

Better Life

As a student at the University of Nairobi I always spent lots of time in solitude as I pondered about the future and what I wanted it to look like for me. The more I did this, the more it became clearer to me that I wanted to live a better life than what I had seen and experienced up till that time in my life. I never at that time desired to leave the third world and head for the industrialized West. I loved and still love my country but somehow as I began dreaming about a better life and developing my vision for life, it became imperative that I had to leave the country for a while.

Living and experiencing a better life does not have to mean that you leave your country. In some instances a change of location might be in order but it is more a matter of disposition than position. The idea of the Better Life Company was conceived after I had altered my disposition. I had to change my outlook on life and that elevated my thinking as I began to see myself as a more productive and visionary member of society. My whole purpose in life now is to empower others with knowledge, skills, wisdom and resources that will enlighten, encourage, equip, embolden and enable them to embody the better life. My vision deep down is a world in which all people are fully empowered with all they need to live a better life.

The idea of starting the Better Life Company has been in my creative womb for almost seven years (1999 - 2006). During this gestation period there have been many attempts at shaking off the dream and letting it go for the desire to work my way up the ranks of an already established company. The fact that the dream continued to live on clearly indicated to me that this was my destiny. The Better Life Company will be unveiled and nurtured into an excellent organization. As the organization grows, it will give birth to different susidiaries which will endeavor to realize this vision in many different areas of life. We can all achieve a better life. The best is yet to come. I want to encourage you to join me as we both give our very best in helping others attain a better life.