Life Lessons!

Recently my favourite author Seth Godin shared some remarkable ideas on dysfunctional organizations and the trade off given to those who deliver but have zero people skills. Here is the excerpt " Here's how you end up with a bully in a position of authority at an organization: Someone points out that the bully is a real problem. And the boss says, "I know he's a bully, but he's really productive and we can't afford to replace him." And here's how you end up with a naysayer, or a toxic co-worker: Someone points out that people are afraid to work with this person. And the boss says, "I know, but we really need her expertise." And, person by person, trait by trait, we build a broken organization because we believe that function trumps cooperation, inspiration and care. Until it doesn't, and then, all we've got left is a mess. The negative people who do nothing functional are an easy decision. It's the little...

Creativity is one thing that is currently lacking in many organizations and people. Look at Apple they were once the master of creativity and it seems they've reached their limit. Creativity is the key in the current changing economic and business environment, and that's why we need more people who can  bring new ways to perform duties and execute  strategies. We need more people who can figure things out, people who can see what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought. According to research, creativity can be learned and developed, that's why I suggest a new habit which can help you flex the idea muscle and build on the ideas you need to figure your way. The 10 idea rule (Idea Machine) This a new concept I want to share with you, I have found it very interesting and a way to exercise your mind, as we all know reading and thinking creatively is exercise to the brain just as exercise is important to the body Every morning...

We are always looking for a balance, yet this balance will lead us to average. Work-life balance is a myth created by those who do not know how to priories what is important. The popular aphorism which goes as follows; “ Imagine your life was a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you are keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls- Family, health, friends, integrity are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered ’ It is through balance that we become average and as we already know being average is mediocre. We cannot balance both sides of work and family and expect to be the best in our chosen area of expertise. It is only by knowing our priorities that we can achieve greatness. Knowing what’s import...

There is this story that I once came across during my research on productivity. Charles Swabb a famous business man in 1918 once hired a productivity consultant Ivy Lee to help him get more things done and push the business forward. When Ivy Lee visited Charles in his office he had only 15 minutes to convince Charles on how to get more things done be more productive. During his 15 minutes with Charles, Lee explained his simple method for achieving peak productivity as follow: At the end of each workday, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Do not write down more than six tasks. Prioritize those six items in order of their true importance. When you arrive tomorrow, concentrate only on the first task. Work until the first task is finished before moving on to the second task. Approach the rest of your list in the same fashion. At the end of the day, move any unfinished items to a new list of six tasks for the following day...

The dip is a term popularized by the author Seth Godin. " The Dip refers to "the long slog between starting and mastery." Extraordinary benefits accrue to the tiny minority who are able to get through The Dip by persisting longer than most . To be the best at anything you have to quit. You have to quit the right stuff at the right time. From his analysis and research, all of us always end up with moments when we want to quit. Either because the stuff you might be doing is boring, not worth the time, or stressful. The key to knowing when to quit is through understanding moments when we are in a dip, because such moments will later define our lives in future. We have to understand that before making a decision to quit we have to look into the long term. We have to ask ourselves what is the ultimate reward? Because when we are out of the dip, we are more empowered and no other situation will hamper our progress. We should neve...

We are all programmed. Since birth, all the actions and decisions we have made are as a result of our the environment that we grew up in and the beliefs/paradigms that we have been exposed to. That's why the Jesuits always boast  "Give me a child for his first seven years and I'll give you the man", It is easier for children to acquire habits at a younger age than when they are older. Habits are ways through which we minimize our brain from making choices for the simple daily life activities. It is the way our brain automates making choices. If you can think of the routine you have every morning, it is always the same, even at times you might be surprised how you've arrived at home since this a daily routine which has become a habit. And that's why we keep getting the same results over and over again. The habits that we choose is directly proportional to the results that we get in life, that...

When you buy a  car  you only look for the best. When organizations hire their new staff, they only look out for the best and brightest. In politics,only those with the best strategy will eventually win. When looking for partners we only check the one who will be the best from our perspective. Everyone will not pass an opportunity to work for the Fortune 500 companies, why? Because they are the best companies. When you think of google, IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook what comes to your mind,? "They are the best we have" Why do we adore and take every opportunity to buy Apple products? Because they are the best. No one will choose the interviewee who performed averagely. No one will  go to the market to look for an average product. No one will remember an average product. There is a limited choice where the "Average" will come out on top There is only one choice, we always look for the best. When we know that ...

Many want to be enterprenure, but end up being wanterprenures. Many want to exercise but gain weight with time, Many want to be the best in their area of expertise but settle for average, Many want to improve their livelihood but end up conforming to their circumstances, Many set goals at the beginning of the year  but stops pursuing them after three month. Yet the sad thing is that none of these people are willing to pay the price to make this aims come true. Bottom line you can't expect something to happen without taking action that will get you there. One key lesson I have learnt is that it only through taking the right steps each day will eventually get us where we want.  Even a baby when learning to walk has to try and take the first step and with time they become a master and see them running around, but it all started with just one step. Your level of achievement will rarely exceed our level of personal development because...

According to the latest economic statistics, Africa Is currently the fastest growing economy in the world, by 2030 Africa will have the largest workforce greater than China and by 2050 Africa will have the largest workforce in the world. In other words by 2050 around 1 billion people in Africa will need jobs. With this statistic, Africa is at a high tipping point, and we really need solutions to address these new challenges that we are about to face. I believe that for us to address these challenges we need to have transformational leaders and visionary entrepreneurs who will be able to inspire and lead this continent by building the right ethics in government institutions and creating jobs that will enable us to sustain this growth projected. In Africa we are missing transformational leaders to lead the current generation and the power with which one leader can have is immense in creating a lasting change in Africa and that is why my dream is to build these great institution...

THE STRANGEST SECRET This has been one of the most revealing and exceptional ideas that I have come across in a long time. It has been a phenomenal idea that was by the famous Earl Nightingale, and it has revolutionised my thinking and my perception on success and if you can get hold of this 12 page book and internalize the teaching, it would be a phenomenal idea that will shape your thinking to the right direction. The way we think about success is very different for each one of us, however the strangest secret captures all this differences in one statement. So what does this say? There was this survey that was done in the 60s, whereby a group of 10 young guys in their mid twenties were asked what they want to do in their future and what was their expectation  in life. From the survey all the young people who were queried had ambitions and were aiming to be a success in life, they hand the burning desire to be the best and have a successful life. Afte...