Tuesday 5 May 2020

INNOVATION DRIVEN BY CAPITALISM



 What is a man capable of doing to make more money?”
It’s now a trend that new phone models are released before you even catch up with the new functionalities of the last phone you bought. All of a sudden, adverts are all over and you are being convinced that the new model is better than the one they sold you last month. Really now? Some of these companies have been very deliberate to release new models in shorter intervals to make more money out of our insatiable need of owning the latest. I am not a sadist and neither am I anti-tech. On the contrary, I appreciate the far technology has come and the way our lives have been bettered by these advancements in technology. From high tech illness, diagnostic equipment built by tech giants like General Electric (GE) and Philips to a simple video call that couldn't be imagined a while back. I appreciate the goodies technology has brought and the scientists, engineers and researchers who have made this possible. They invest a lot of resources in research and thinking to come up with solutions to solve world problems. However, I am concerned because innovation is slowly being swallowed whole by capitalism or in other words, ‘love of money’.
We all remember the March 2019 tragic plane crash of the Ethiopian airline flight 302 en route to Nairobi JKIA from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. The Boeing Company has been in the spotlight and the big question is whether the accident was preventable in the first place bearing in mind that a similar plane model (Boeing 737 max 8) operated by Lion Air (flight 610) had crashed in October 2018, just five months prior. Similar concerns of errors in flight control software called MCAs (Maneuvering characteristics Augmentation System) running in 737 max 8 avionics were raised when the crash of flight 610 occurred. Rumour has it that the Boeing Company has lowered its standards of safety in manufacturing and assembly of their planes to increase their profit margin by saving cost on materials, labour and time. The Boeing Company is a business and at the end of the day they have to make money but the uncontrolled chase for-profits could be interfering with engineering and scientific judgement at the Company. Former staff members, some of whom left the company voluntarily, have in the past expressed their concerns of what has been going on. William Boeing must be turning in his grave when he hears of a company that he founded and dearly loved becoming a joke. As an aviation enthusiast, I don’t think I will ever forgive Boeing.
Engineering has come of age and design philosophies have been refined and fewer assumptions are being made hence more reliability of designs. Engineers and scientist are able to predict how long their designs will perform and last and this is where knowledge is being abused in my opinion. We all know of the famous Land Rover Defender. This is a car that has maintained its reputation from world war one to date because of its reliability. It is said that three-quarters of all land rover defenders ever made are still in use or at least can be patched up and be up and running. Automotive designers back then used to over design because many assumptions were made and they wanted to be safe. Nowadays engineers and scientist are more enlightened due to advancements in technology and research. Some of the capitalist scientists know how best to make money by deliberately determining the design life and performance of their products. I am sure I am not the only one who has noticed that devices now break down faster than they used to a while back. These short-lived products are what are called ‘Chinku’ in my country Kenya. Any Kenyan reading this gets the joke. Not once have electronic devices broken down a month after expiry of the warranty. Wow! What a coincidence!
Gilead science is United States Company we have trusted to make HIV medication but is busy toying around to maintain their monotony. And we will keep telling sad stories of many companies that survive on lies and extortion with the hope things will change. It is also my hope that young innovators and small company start right and become consistent in principle as they grow.
The integrity question still remains- ’What is a man capable of doing to get more money?’ As we nurture the new breed of cooperate leaders, researchers, scientist and engineers we strive to instil values such as integrity and honesty in the lives of young people.
Money is an enabler of innovation. Yes, we need to grow the economy, create jobs and provide scientific and engineering solutions to world problems but we need a balance and to be more people-centred, otherwise, we will turn out to be a man eat man society which we already are.

By Kelvin Macharia

Tuesday 28 April 2020

Leading in Crisis



A crisis has been defined by different people differently, but I will highlight two that make a lot of sense during this season of COVID 19. A crisis (from the Greek κρίσις - krisis; plural: "crises"; adjectival form: "critical") is any event that is going (or is expected) to lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community, or whole society[1]. Another definition is; a time when a difficult or important decision must be made[2].
We live in such a difficult time. History is being written, and generations after us will look back into this season and might wonder how we managed to cop. How did we make the decisions we made? How did we respond to the situation? If you are a leader in any capacity, your decisions right now are being watched carefully. Some will be quick to critique your every move. Occasionally I ask myself what I would do if I were the President of a country during these tough times. It’s easy to point fingers and apportion blame if you don’t understand the gravity of the situation. They say you are always the best parent until your own kids arrive. You can always be the best leader until you get the opportunity to, then you realize the grass is always greener on the other side. It takes more than we think to lead and especially during such Crisis. If you have a team, during this season, some teams will abdicate, avoid the work, disconnect during this season. “None of it matters right now.” Others will stay connected, keep showing up, keep doing the work, keep growing. What you do now shapes the team you’ll have whenever the new normal is here.
For those who are working at home, it's another world of challenges. The balancing act. Considering you are now present throughout. You have no way to escape and then make a grand entry. How do you stay present and productive during this time? How do you avoid resenting everything and everyone? Recently, my wife decided to set me a space at home to serve as my office. She calls it jokingly, “my cave.” It has become a space I disappear into and then re-enter. This has given me some sense of “I can get something done as far as work is concerned.” But I realize it's not the same. Allow me to share a tool that has been very helpful to me during this season. The 5 Gears[3]. This tool has been very helpful to me as I work on being present with those I care about and productive to get something work done.



If you have driven a manual car, this will make a lot of sense to you. If you haven't, you have probably been in one. 
5th Gear, this is the Focus Mode, this is when you lock in on something that you need to get done. When you shut from the outside world and focus on one task, it could be a report, data work, writing an article, etc. At this time, someone will have to call your name two or three times before you can respond. Most of us live in this and others; this is not possible. We can't focus on one task. You need to make time for 5th Gear to get something done during this season. Planning, scheduling, and communicating it to everyone at home will help save you a lot of conflicts. Don't spend a whole day in 5th Gear.
4th Gear, this is the Multitasking Mode. It's where you are juggling a number of things—responding to emails, answering phone calls, responding to your child's question, etc. It's when you are giving room for anything to distract you, and it's ok. Some people are always here while others, they have to remind themselves that it's ok to be in this Gear. It's important to communicate this clearly to those around you that it’s ok they can approach if they need anything done. Again, you need to learn how to move out of it to 5th Gear if you need to.
3rd Gear, this is the Social Time. No work, no phones. It’s time for family or friends. Very important. This is when you are at the dinner table, and everyone knows it's time to socialize. Talk about everything that has been happening. Don't be hung-up on an email you didn't respond to, a call you need to make, or a report you didn't finish. Enjoy time with family, play a game with your family, and be there to enjoy each other. Others love this Gear and can spend a whole day on it. For some people, this is not their favourite time. They look for every chance to avoid it. Every excuse to look for alternative things to do. You can shift to 4th or 2nd Gear easily from 3rd Gear.
2nd Gear, the Connect Time. This is when you take the time to connect with your spouse, child, friend, etc. It's a one-on-one time when you go deeper. You ask personal questions and spend time to listen well and connect in a more personal way. Some people don't know how to do this very well, while others wish everyone would do this Gear. 
1st Gear, the Recharge Time. This is when you take time alone to recharge yourself. You need to ask yourself what recharges you. Recharge is not crushing. Recharge is planned. You choose to take time to refill your tank. Some people want to do this the whole day. Not appropriate. Others, they have no idea what this is until the experience burnout and crush. Don't wait to crush. Plan a time to recharge your battery. Find the time of the day when you can recharge and be faithful to it.
Reverse Gear, this is when you become responsive and apologize where necessary. In the course of our day, we always find that we wronged people knowingly or unknowingly. You need to apologize whenever you realize you need to. If you keep apologizing over the same issue throughout, then you need to address the issue that’s leading to that.
These 5 Gears are essential; especially during this time of Crisis when you are home, with the people you care about too much. Taking the time to teach everybody the 5 Gears helps in reducing drama, resentment, and conflict.
You need to plan out your day well. You can’t wake up on 4th Gear. Most of us do so. Recommended is; wake up and go back to bed at the end of the day in 1st Gear. Not 4th or 5th Gear. If you find yourself doing this, you need to re-evaluate your day.
In this time of Crisis, provide the right Leadership at home. Know your tendency based on the 5 Gears and see how to make a proper adjustment. Plan to be present and productive, especially with those you care about.

Gabriel Odhiambo Achayo is a Leadership, Life and Growth Coach, certified by Life forming Leadership Coach (www.lifeformingcoach.com). He also is a Certified Guide at GiANT Worldwide (www.Giant.tv/start/liberate) and is the current Country Coordinator for the Africa Youth Leadership Forum (AYLF), Kenya Chapter www.aylfkenya.org.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/, Facebook: Gabriel Achayo. 



[1] Wikipedia; 23rd April 2020; 7pm
[2] Google Search 23rd April 2020; 7pm
[3] GiANT Worldwide (www.giant.tv/start/liberate)



Friday 1 November 2019

Good Vs. Bad






I believe deep inside every human being lies some good.
We are God's creation. God's creation is marvelous. The joke goes that some of us are fearfully made than wonderfully. But the truth is, we are God's masterpiece. The best of his creation. In all of us, God put in something good. Something beautiful that, if harnessed well, can lead to better humanity. 
Unfortunately, due to the pressures and demands of this world, the good in us may never be seen or portrayed. All that we exhibit is the bad in us. When we continue to feed the bad in us, it grows into a huge monster, and the good is slowly overpowered or starved. It doesn't mean it's gone. It's just been given a backseat and silenced. Depending on which one we feed in us, we could either be the worst, toxic person or the most amazing person that people will ever experience. Daily, we start by making a choice on who we want to feed, who we want to exhibit. The challenge we go through in feeding the good or the bad defines who we are and who we become.

It's said we make our habits and our habits make us. We pick what to do in a situation. If we continuously do that, it becomes a habit, and before we realize, we are known in that way. The guy who comes late or the generous one. “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Our thoughts are very key. Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. If you dwell on bad thoughts, you will yield bad fruits. You can't focus on bad thoughts and yield the opposite. You are known by your fruits. Some of us are good at countering our thought patterns. We intentionally tell ourselves what to think by sieving the thoughts that come to us. This is very important. Imagine if everyone walked with a screenshot of what they are thinking all around them, you would be shocked at those around you. But we have to train our minds on what to dwell on. It's said you can't stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop the bird from building a nest over your head. There is the battle that we have to fight so that we can bear good fruits. So the good in us can be experienced.

There are a leader and a follower in each of us. The leader knows what you need to do to make your move to the next level in your life. The follower, on the other hand, has some ideas. Assume you need to lose weight, the leader in you has a clear plan. The follower will want a few more days to start the plan; maybe next year or a few more ice cream treat won't hurt etc. But until you empower the leader in you to take charge, then you may be at this for as long as you keep talking about it.

https://www.fotolia.com/id/163095533

We, therefore, need to watch out who we empower. We need to be careful who we pay much attention to. What are we sowing every day? The concept of Garbage In Garbage Out, GIGO, is so real. If you choose to be free, you then become a source of freedom to others. If you decide to liberate yourself and focus on the good in you, you become a liberator to others.

While it's always very easy to feed the bad in us, to invest in the good, you need a little more than the usual effort. You need to go the extra mile. You will need to be very intentional in why and how you do it.

Find a few friends and talk about this.

 


Thursday 24 October 2019

Difference, Destiny




I believe our difference is our destiny.
This article has been inspired by a session at the Global Leadership Summit 2019. In this session, Devon Franklin talks of how our difference is our destiny. The minute we start wanting to compromise on our uniqueness and be like everyone else or fit in, we lose out on our destiny. We are designed uniquely from everyone else around us. So we have to seek to discover that difference in us so we can work towards our destiny. There is a temptation to want to be like a particular role model or successful person. This is not advisable as it will rob you of your destiny. The greatest battle we have to face is in overcoming this temptation.
To overcome this temptation, I believe every so often you need to examine or evaluate your life and either start, restart or refocus, continue, clarify, etc. Some people do so by asking the question about what to start doing, what to keep doing, and what to stop doing. This could help you depending on what you are dealing with. I invite you to do this. 

Sometimes we get moving and not even sure how we are doing on the journey unless we take time to evaluate. In any given journey, there are three important times; when we start, when we finish, and when we evaluate. An evaluation like servicing a car gives you the capacity to keep you focused, going with motivation, encouragement, and enough energy to keep on the journey. It helps you to confront the question, "why?". This has got to do with your values, your uniqueness, and what’s important to you. It makes you clarify your bigger “Yes” so you say “No” to anything that doesn’t lead you to your destiny.
Occasionally we get opportunities to come our way. These opportunities might present themselves to us in a way that we can't let them go. We feel we have to take them, or else we will miss out. Most of us are victims of FOMO, Fear Of Missing Out. We don’t want to miss out. We would rather be where we don’t even feel like we need to or be with people who don’t value us because we don’t want to miss out. This, in many cases, might look harmless, but slowly, we start diverting our efforts, resources, time, etc. to something that we don't even believe in. We start climbing a ladder just to realize it's on the wrong wall. We create a habit of always wanting to be like everyone else. The habit could be harmless, but as they say, we make out habits, then our habits make us.

I wonder when was the last time you chose to be different. To be seen as the one who is not riding along. Sometimes you may even be rejected because they or you don’t fit in. I like this statement that rejection is someone's opinion about you. An opinion could vary from one person to another. In that case, you can't walk around projecting to everyone the effect of rejection. With clearly evaluating and examining your life, this could be the best decision ever. To choose to be different, no matter what. To overcome the pressure and bring your uniqueness. To be you, and do you. Not wanting to please everyone.
I call upon you to go discover your difference and pursue it. Own your difference. Don’t be caught up in trying to be like everyone else around you. You will get swallowed up. Don’t curtail your destiny because of an opportunity that looks good but doesn’t appreciate your difference. The journey of growing Africa Youth Leadership Forum has taught me that being unique pays in the long run. You need to have the bandwidth to keep you going as you build your own story. This bandwidth has to come from a point of true and genuine conviction on why you do what you do. It has to be internal.  If it's external, it might not be sustainable.
Find a few friends and talk about this.







Thursday 10 October 2019

Experiences and Choices




I believe the joy of life is derived from a combination of the transformation we have experienced and a desire/passion for sharing and continuing with that transformation.
We are a sum total of all the choices we have made to date. These choices play a huge role in how we live our lives moving forward. Our journey in this life is marked by a process of change or transformation. This could be positive or negative. This process is instrumental in who we become and how we experience that which we face. The journey ahead of us is largely pegged on how we draw from our past experiences and how we employ that wisdom to move forward. Therein lies the joys of life and the great opportunities to be who God wants us to be.
Life has a way of throwing things our way. Some of those things we encounter might be what we want or want we don't want. Life in itself has a way of just bringing them to us.

As I write this article, I'm in an annual men's Gathering. This is a great time where a group of men who really want to follow Jesus in their lives and be of service to self, family, teams, organization, and community come together to share their varied experiences on this journey. A wonderful time. What I can’t stop thinking about is the idea that instead of spending my time wishing for favourable experiences, I’d rather spend my time working on how I will face/experience whatever life brings my way. This has nothing to do with the external factors but everything to do with my inner being. My inner self. My attitude, my paradigm, my internal compass. How would I respond if everything I hold so dear comes down crumbling? If I woke up one morning and AYLF is no more. Right now, my mind can't comprehend how that would happen because it has grown beyond a few individuals; it's a movement of people. But, think with me for a moment, how will this affect me. Will I have the courage to move on. Or what if I woke up and AYLF is all I ever dreamt it could be, how will that affect me. Will that change me? How will it change me?
We all have diverse experiences we go through. Short but tremendous experiences that shift our lives to greater magnitudes. Or could be just a minor shift. No matter the case, how have you prepared yourself to face the experience you go through. This is about the heart. It’s not about knowing what to do, but it's about living that.

I’m also caught up wondering how to make a choice on what I want to spend my time in. I find myself getting pulled aside all over to think more of how to balance my time between AYLF and everything else I would like to do and have the opportunity to do. I have been on this AYLF journey for almost 12 years now. A lot has happened. 
The essential thing ‘in heaven and earth' is... that there should be long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living" Nietzsche
As I reflect on the above quote, I look back to what I have done in AYLF, and it's been worth it. My life is worth living, and I don't need to get worried about how to face what life brings ahead of me. So far, I have lived a worthy life by the grace of God. I have had amazing experiences that God in His own mercies have allowed me to go through. I'm no longer the timid, shy boy from a small village in Siaya County who had a struggle with low self-esteem; still a battle, but, I’m more aware of it now than I was ten years ago. I still have my own challenges and confusions, but I'm more aware now than I was. I have so many people looking up to me. Those who trust me with their lives. My words are no longer just words, but they carry much weight. This is to me is God at work in my life. All I have to do is to remain faithful to Him, who gave me a reason to live my life the way he enabled me to.
As you read this, what has been your journey like? What are your experiences? How would you respond if the worst or the best happened to you? Would it change you? How would it change you?
Find a few friends and talk about this.








Saturday 21 September 2019

Moral leadership: A tool for society transformation!



Introduction
I am a former student leader. A large chunk of my experience in leadership has been for service and volunteering. In my years as a bachelors’ student, I volunteered to serve students at Strathmore University. This is a University founded on strong principles of Ethics, Morality and Faith. I will, therefore, write this article based on my experiences in service as a voluntary leader within and outside Strathmore University for the period that I was in leadership within the past 4 years. I will also relate my experiences to my knowledge and divide the article into 4 subsections characterizing moral leadership which include:
1.      Culture
2.      Character and service
3.      Relationship between Power, Courage and Humility
4.      Altruism
Culture
This is far the most important section of the article. Culture is the core of a society. It is the basis of influence and persuasion. Culture is used to convince decisions in most circumstances; at home, work or in politics. Culture has always been and still is the reference foundation for persuasion. It, therefore, follows that it is the core of leadership in society too.
My past experiences have taught me that good things do not happen because of ‘good’ people; nor do bad things happen because of ‘bad’ people. Everything happens because of systems: The social systems we have grown from our culture. These systems are built by people. We build these systems ourselves or we adopt to them over time. As a fact, we show it in our decisions, choices, beliefs, history and relationships. More than often, the culture is subscribed to by a large number if not all members of the community, as a result, forming a system that shapes members of the community. Through the system the society is controlled. In other words, culture gives birth to the system that runs you in your society. Therefore, it follows that a faulty system will often produce bad results even with the involvement of ‘good’ people: Similarly, an excellent system will produce good results even with the involvement of ‘bad’ people. A system, more than often, become too powerful than individual influence, except in exceptional cases.
A characteristic of human beings is the ability to adapt (Ashcroft, 2013). You adapt easily. You can create and adapt to systems that you create or have found created. In other words; the culture of your environment shapes the system in which you operate under; which little by little moulds your character. This is explained by the fact that human beings become what they consistently practice and believe in. What you believe in is often what you learn or what you have been taught. Your individual effort to integrate certain principles and habits deep into your nature is limited to your knowledge and experiences. This knowledge and experience are derived from your environment which informs your desires. This desire is highly influenced by your environment and what you acquire from it.
Inasmuch as who we are is shaped by what we do, what we do makes us who we are (Durant, 1991). Hitherto, what we do is informed by what we have learnt. This means that to make a new culture, you have to unlearn the old, learn the new and desire to adopt a new culture. Integrating new principles and habits will only be made easier by a new desire informed from new learnings and practising the very habits you desire. Unlearning and learning, desiring and being, doing and becoming are pairs in a perfect system of exchange that involves a process of shaping your character and your culture. You learn by unlearning and you become after desiring. What you do shapes who you are and who you are determines what you do; the starting point being who you are. I like to refer to this as practical philosophy; you only get it right the moment you begin to practice it; until then, it’s always complex. The above introduction will be a pointer guide to help us understand the soul of this unique kind of leadership- Moral Leadership.
In the current prevailing world-conception where individualism is glorified, selfishness is ‘rewarded’ and competition for profits is admirable, I may not be celebrated as an advocate for ethics, moral leadership, common good, self-sacrifice and justice. The pattern of behaviors that were once considered a big success; including in leadership, are the cause of unending predicaments the world is facing today (A.C.Kapur, 1997). For example, exploitation through colonialism nowadays referred to as neocolonialism, divide and rule, ethnic politics and manipulation of the masses for selfish gain. These are just but some few examples. However difficult it is for me to write about moral leadership and get an applause, I will take the risk to tread on that narrow path; for it is the little things done cumulatively that ultimately result to the big change we all look for.

Character and service
Majority of the problems that cripple societies in the world today are consequence of a fundamental failure in leadership. Corruption, war, poverty, hunger, climate change and environmental degradation are all manifestations of the failure. These problems arise when a leader lose the Agenda of service to others and instead shift their focus to the pursuit of selfish interest. On the contrary, you will discover that leadership by definition is centred on others; not oneself. A leader is one who influence, guides and shows the way by example to a clear intellectual vision greater than himself/herself. This means that when you enter leadership, the focus shifts from you to the people you lead; this is where Moral leadership begins.
Leadership without morality is superficial (Covey, 2008). It is merely a short lived influence that cannot outlive an individual. Morality is central to leadership because of the long lasting influence it has compared to personality which is normally short lived. This means that moral leadership goes beyond an individual’s mere charisma and rhetoric expressions. It sinks deep into the heart of a leaders’ authentic character, which is manifested by his/her behavior. On the face of it, charisma and rhetoric can only be used as a quick fix to cover for your social image and to protect your temporary social brand (Covey, 2008). Your personality appeal cannot withstand the test of character; only your character will do it for you. As a replacement for seeking the gratification of oneself, Moral leadership seeks to serve others and to develop their capacity to achieve greater results. It therefore approaches others with a sense of unconditional worth and value. A moral leader takes up the duty to help others pursue their own legitimate interest and goals, treating them as an end in themselves; not as a means to an end. In that sense, leadership compels the leader to bring out the best from his followers using his good example.

Power, Courage and humility
Character is the source of power in moral leadership (Covey, 2008). It is the moral authority that earns your influence. Moral leadership has to do with the conduct of leaders. It is concerned with the nature of a leaders’ behavior and their virtuousness. It is about the amount of courage they have shown in doing what is right over that which is easy. Far beyond seeking to be followed, Moral Leadership aims to achieve a high moral goal, anchored on principal values, hence characterized by a deep sense of ethics. In a decision making scenario for example, the choices a leader makes and how they respond in a particular circumstance is informed and directed by their ethics. It therefore begins from an individual’s moral transformation to the overall societal transformation, hence humility is such a key virtue. Rather than seeking self-interest, Moral leadership guides you to think beyond yourself by prompting moral fiber continuous improvement process. You will need to understand that you are a person in progress in order to accept the concept of continuous improvement. Moral leadership not only places you against a virtuous mirror where you learn and practice virtue until you begin to become a virtuous person but also builds in the courage and capacity to transmit those virtues to others using your influence as a leader. This whole process is gradual and not merely for self-benefit but for the purpose of achieving a greater goal than yourself. It is solely in preparation of service to others. You must be a humble person enough to accept it.

Altruism
Moral leadership gets you exposed to the universal moral culture which harmonize the fragmentation of values across different cultures in the world. Unlike Ethical egoism and Utilitarianism, moral leadership is founded on the virtue based, authentic, transformational leadership principles of altruism which show concern and interest for others. For example, a leader who struggles to be honest and transparent is not doing so for himself but for the sake of the common good of the people who follow after him. The same applies to a leader who practices humility, justice, truth, love, respect, self-sacrifice, compassion and philanthropy. The works of Mother Teresa who gave her life to help the poor is a perfect example of authentic transformational moral leadership. Rather than seeking to find what is right outside yourself for your benefit, Moral leadership is about an inner moral conviction of choosing to do what is right for the benefit of others, amidst all odds in the prevailing environment. It is the system that will call on you to take up hard moral decisions to disrupt an immoral system.

Conclusion
Therefore, Moral leadership doesn’t require a position. It rather requires self-awareness, a moral conviction, the courage to step up for what is right and committed humility to serve others. This rare combination can sometimes require you to do things that are unpopular yet moral. It might sometimes cost you more than you would have predicted. Moral leadership will test the extent to which you can sacrifice self-interest for the sake of common good (Community interest). However, it always proves to be worth the sacrifice. A good example of Moral leadership without position is civil activism for good governance or justice such as the works of Martin Luther King Jr, the practice of citizens sharing love and compassion to the less fortunate through charity activities in the society, volunteering in community projects and giving back to communities. Some of these moral leadership practices may be accompanied by risks while others may not, but they all have a cost that the leader must be willing to pay. A leader who does not consistently seek to do what is right cannot achieve good in the society which he leads. If there are no values inside a leader, then there will be deficiency of the values in the community that follows the leader. So I say, little by little, a bird builds its nest; chose what is right, do what is moral and advocate for the truth!

References

A.C.Kapur. (1997). Principles of Political Science. S Chand Publishing.
Ashcroft, R. (Director). (2013). The four horsemen [Motion Picture].
Covey, S. (2008). 7 Habits of highly effective people. Success Magazine.
Durant, W. (1991). The Story of Philosohy. New York: Pocket Books.



Monday 9 September 2019

Planning Flexibly



I believe life should be lived with a strict Flexible plan.
It's good to plan every minute of your life. Know what next and why, and follow through with it. It's is said that failing to plan is planning to fail. In a happy world, this is 100% correct. Unfortunately, in real life, where we have to deal with people, and we have family and children involved, you need an attitude of flexibility. Your family will always need you sometime when you are right in the middle of your plan. If you value family as I do, when family comes calling, you can't delegate this. You can delegate other areas of your life but not when it comes to your most important part of your life; family.
Planning Flexibly or rather planning with an attitude of flexibility implies that everyone, including yourself, is fully aware of what you are trying to achieve, but also that the path is not curved on stone. Especially if it comes to dealing with third parties. You need to know your non-negotiables and know your negotiables. The non-negotiables should be what is inside of you, that which you have influence over. It could be your faith, your belief, your absolute truth about life, your absolute “WHY” in life. It should be about your core value systems. As much as your value system could be influenced over time by what you experience, but the core value system should be your guardrail. That which you hold on to dearly and is your filter to every negotiable you come across.

Your negotiables are more about the “HOW.” The structures, the resources, the what, the people you meet in this life, money, things that are more out of your control. More of your circle of concern. You need to know that which concerns you and that which you can influence. Our frustration comes when we can’t separate the two. The negotiables and the non-negotiables.  So many times, we make negotiables, non-negotiables, and vice versa. 
Don't spend time chasing a right answer or a right path, but instead spend time defining how you are going to approach whatever path you choose. What values most define you. What questions do you want to pursue? What is seems right now, might change tomorrow. If you have been engaged in anything in life, I believe you appreciate this fact. I call this relative truth. It makes sense to you now, but when things change, it will not hold as true. It could be the right path now, but with exposure and more information coming your way, you may look at it differently and be quick to embrace another path that will hold for as long as you operate in the same paradigm/situation. Remember, this is your negotiable. You approach is what will be your non-negotiable. This has to be very clear to you because it's about your core value system; it's about what your life is all about.

I love this quote by Tim McGraw; We should all reassess what we think and believe constantly - in politics, in life, and in our thinking. Otherwise, we get too rigid.
The more you get exposed, the more you are able to realize that somethings will not last and as such, they form part of your life experience. You develop a flexible attitude to life. The danger sometimes might be if you lose out on yourself. Continuously reassessing your absolutes and relative truths, negotiables, and non-negotiables, your level of flexibility is very key. Becoming too rigid in this life is very expensive and frustrating.
So as you plan your life goals, desires, and objectives, take into account that things will always not work the way you want them to, but don't lose your focus. Adopt a flexible attitude and enjoy the experience as you learn from it.
If this resonates with you, go ahead to evaluate your non-negotiables and negotiables, your absolute and relative truth. Look for a small community of friends who you can do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practising with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journey of life with, as you plan flexibly.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a support, encouragement, and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be as small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.
Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you.


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