The 5 Voices

www. giantworldwide.com

In this article, I’d like to introduce you to something that might make you want more. I’d like to help you start a journey of self-awareness. A journey of discovering your Leadership Voice. All of us have natural leadership Voice and that which we struggle with. We would rather not engage in it, but probably due to the nature of our work or daily engagement, we find ourselves stuck in it. We end up drained and exhausted with a continuous wish that someone would rescue us from what we do every day.

Let me start by stating this, everyone speaks, but not everyone is heard. Every now and then, someone is communicating something, either verbally or non-verbally. They are either avoiding something or engaging in it. Unfortunately, because of our personal biases, self-preservation or perceptions, we tend to ignore those speaking to us. Either we don't recognize how they are communicating, or we don't like it.

According to GiANT Worldwide, a company that is committed to raising the standards of leadership by building leaders worth following; Leaders we want to follow not the ones we have to follow, there are 5 Leadership Voices. These Voice are; Nurturer, Creative, Connector, Guardian, and Pioneer. Don’t be quick to assume you know what these words mean and you start labeling people. You have to put into consideration the fact that our behavior is composed of Nature, Nurture and Choice. So don’t think since you know someone’s nature or nurture, you can now predict their response every time. We have been in situations when people did things that shocked us, and we were left wondering where did that come from.

www. giantworldwide.com

So here there are briefly. Nurturer is champions of people, relational harmony, and values. Nurturers have a fear of conflict and often won’t speak out, they can be very silent. Creatives are champions of future ideas, innovation, and organizational integrity. Creatives can struggle to communicate effectively and have idealist perfectionist tendencies. Guardians are champions of due diligence, resources, and efficient systems and processes. Guardians are risk-averse, can be negative and bring excessive critique. Connectors are champion of relational networks, internal collaboration, and effective communication. Connectors always interpret the challenge of their ideas as personal. Pioneer are champions of strategic vision, results, and problem-solving. Pioneers lack sensitivity, can be unwilling to listen, and perceived as arrogant.

I don't know what kind of ideas come to mind about your leadership voice as you read the above. If you were to rank them, what order would yours be? My Leadership Voice is Nurturer, Creative, Connector, Guardian and last one that I struggle with so much is Pioneer. My natural tendency is always to be a Nurturer. Occasionally I am a Creative, and this is when I have a lot of ideas running through my little head, and I start wondering who I need to talk to. Who needs to know about my idea and how I can collaborate with someone to make the idea work, this is due to my 3^rd Connector Voice. I bet this is also driven by the fact that due to my Nurturer tendencies, I always feel my idea is not good enough until I struggle to appreciate it.

If you are wondering what all these means and would like to take a test to know your voice order, use this link https://5voices.com/assessment/. 

In case you want to understand more about your voice and what it means, do reach out to me. It's important that you learn to appreciate your tendencies and your voice and also appreciate other people's voices, so you know how to work together with people. I want to give a clear disclaimer here that, you won't know your voice by just one single online test. You will need to engage in a brutal self-examination continually. Ask the closest people to you what they think are your tendencies and keep being on the journey of self-awareness. Don’t always imagine you can reach a point where you fully know yourself. But it’s important that you start the journey of knowing yourself so that you can lead yourself and those around you.

www. giantworldwide.com

If this resonates with you, seek to discover your Leadership Voice. Look for a small community of friends who you can learn to do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journey of Self-Awareness.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a 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.

Image Credits: http://www.businessmalawi.com

By

Gabriel Odhiambo Achayo.

Leadership, Life and Growth Coach, certified by Lifeforming Leadership Coach (www.lifeformingcoach.com)

Senior Consultant, GiANT Worldwide (www.giantworldwide.com)

Gabriel.achayo@giantworldwide.com

Country Coordinator, Africa Youth Leadership Forum, AYLF, Kenya

Men Vs. Women

 

 Image Credits: Men Vs. Women

This is a contentious topic, and I am not sure even where to start giving my opinion on it. First, I believe all men and women are human beings worthy of respect and honor. Women, as well as men, are specially endowed with unique abilities to thrive in their fields of interests. Occasionally I get into a conversation about what men can do women can do better. While this has some truth to it, it's not entirely accurate and should not, in any case, be used to make either gender look disadvantaged.

I acknowledge that we come from a place where women have been disadvantaged, treated unfairly and to a greater extent abused. It’s needless to say that men have equally faced their share of challenges. I would also like to state that as much as there should be no clear mandatory roles for men and women but as nature has it, there are things that women and only women enjoy and find pleasure in doing while there are things that men equally will be affirmed and validated if they are engaged in such. So the battle between the sexes is a misleading battle that is meant to attack the fabric of what our society is. To attack the harmony that will only be realized if there is cooperation between the genders in making the society a better place.

When you have women fighting to be like men and perform what men can do, am tempted to ask, who will do those duties that naturally they are wired to do. Who will do them? In turn, you find a confusion because 50% of the population is trying to be like the other 50% and hence an imbalanced society. A confused society where we can’t realize value from each other’s contribution.

Image Credits: Men Vs. Women

It's obvious that if you have a group of 3yr olds; boys and girls, observe how they behave and play their games, you will see a clear difference. This speaks into how different they are. And so trying to make them like the other is shooting ourselves on foot. Is deciding to make your right hand do what your left hand is meant to do. We need both the hands to bring in their best unique, valuable contribution to make the task fun, rewarding and productive. Granted, women are wired differently from us. And I dare say; women are more conscious of the fact that they are growing old every day that passes on compared to men. Men would like to imagine they are young forever. That's why women think more about what the future has, what are we doing now to secure a better future. Men, on the other hand, find joy in the fact that they can do something to impress the woman. So, is it not evident that we are better together. Not against each other or making the other feel useless.

After being married for close to 8 years now and God blessing us with two amazing boys. I have come to appreciate how best we can bring value to each other. My wife is not trying to be me and me not trying to be my wife, but with a clear understanding that we are all in this to make each other win. We are all striving for 100X marriage, not 100+. We are both fighting for the highest possible good of each other. A fantastic part of us being together has been the synergy we experience when it comes to serving God in the way he has given us the opportunity to. I clearly wouldn't be where I am if not for my wife. I keep telling her that a lot of people are committed to AYLF because of her. If it were not for her, some people wouldn’t have found value in AYLF. Am not just saying this to be politically (marriagically) correct, but you could ask a lot of AYLF ladies about this, and I would like to know their answers. Clearly, there is something unique that only my wife can do, I can't even try to replicate her, even if you took me to seminars, or workshops to learn it. It’s wired in her. I believe there are also things in AYLF that am good at and I can do them well. This makes us win in AYLF.

I don’t know about you but instead of wasting time looking for ways of outsmarting the opposite gender, I’d rather we spend our time in understanding what contribution can we bring to complement each other and focus on bringing that. This calls for being a secure person.

Image Credit: Men Vs. Women

This is a conversation worth advancing so we don't lose out our society in the name of achieving an elusive idea of being like the other. It's unfortunate that most people who push these gender conversations are people who are either struggling with failed marriages, are divorced or are single; not yet married. A better understanding of the roles of men and women is clearly understood in the context of a working marriage. A marriage between two adults who know why they are married and are committed to each other. Two adults who are fighting for the highest possible good of each other. These conversations need to be advanced by married people who are finding joy in being with their spouses and letting their spouses bring their best into the marriage. Not the other way round. And no act or law can legislate it enough. It’s a conversation that people who appreciate it are the ones who need to engage in it in order to move the needle.

If this resonates with you, go ahead to evaluate your understanding of the opposite gender. Find a small community of friends who you can do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a 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.

Image Credits: Men Vs. Women 

 By Gabriel Achayo. 

Life is not a set of to-do-list

Image Credit: http://seroton.ponderresearch.co/dolist/

To many of us, probably due to the nature of our jobs, we thrive in to do list. We are happy when at the end of a “successful” day we can check off all the boxes and go home happy because we achieved something. Well, this is great, but the question I ask is to what end? A to-do list so what? Yeah, you are happy you checked off all the boxes right, so what?

I'm currently on a trip and I like these trips mostly because I get to meet friends who ask me hard questions. Questions that have nothing with my to-do list, but with who am becoming. One of them is a great friend I respect who has committed his life to working with student leaders in the US. He is a man I totally admire and respect. He’s is my mentor who as much as I don’t meet often and sometimes I never get to spend a lot of time with him as I would like to, I learn a lot from him.

On Tuesday 15th January 2019, I got a chance to meet him, after catching up, he asks me how is my marriage? This is a hard and easy question at the same time. But I have known him enough to know that just saying my marriage is “good” is not enough. So I start by saying my wife might have a different take on this question. I then go ahead and share with him a learning experience that I have been through. What my latest learning opportunities have been in order to make my wife happy and make our marriage what I hope it can be. I could have gone ahead and given him a list of things we have been doing, e.g. dinner dates, taking care of our boys, coming home early etcetera. As much as these are good and we probably need to be able to do them, but if it’s just a mental do to list where we are checking in boxes to say look how good a husband I am. I do this; I do that, I don't do this, I don't hurt my wife intentionally, I don't cheat on my wife etcetera, so what? Anyone can do that, and as Jesus said it, even the pagans do them.

Our conversation went further to reflect on how as Christians, we are always quick to answer a related question by a to-do list. How are you doing in your faith? We go ahead and list things; I pray, I attend a bible study, I don’t fornicate, I don’t steal and on and on. We can make a whole list. But the question is, so what? Anyone one can do that. This is a mental list. This list might have nothing to do with our hearts. Am not saying we don’t need to do them. They should be a manifestation of what is happening in our hearts. They should be as a result of what Jesus is doing in our lives. They should be the fruits of what we are becoming.

Following Jesus is not about a checklist of some nice things you are doing and those you are not doing. It’s a relationship. It’s about your heart, the core of who you are becoming rather than what you are doing. Now, this doesn't in any way mean you are perfect; it just means that our actions don’t make us righteous, but our broken and contrite spirit please Jesus, and that's righteousness. The good book says a righteous man falls seven times, but he rises up again. That makes Jesus come through and walk the journey with us. It moves the heart of Jesus because he knows we are seeking to relate with him is a deeper way. Not on a checklist.

How is your journey with Jesus like? Over and above the checklist that you may be avoiding to think of now, what has been your learning opportunity, your experience in growing in love with Jesus and those around you.

If this resonates with you, take time to evaluate how you live out your life. Look for a small community of friends who you can do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s life experiences.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a 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.

Image Credits: http://www.walkingwithgiants.net/church/small-groups/how-to-kill-a-small-group-discussion/

By Gabriel Achayo.

Title and Name

https://parallelcoaching.co.uk/fitness-business-names

I believe the best title to build is your name.

Titles are good. To some, they define who they are and give them meaning. To others, it’s a weapon to frustrate others. To some, it’s what gives them what they want. You’ve heard people ask, “Do you know who I am? Do you know who you are talking to?” The minute you have to remind people who you are in such a manner, there is a big problem. As we know, titles some of them may go away. The only constant everywhere you go is your name. A good name gives credibility to the title.

A good name is more desirable than great riches. If you have great riches and also a good name, you become credible. You become someone everyone admires. Your success is sustainable. The only sustainable legacy you can leave your children is a good name. A name they will be proud to associate with. A name they will want to pass on to the generations after them. To the people who love you for who you are, a good name means a lot for them. Working on gaining more titles is good and if you get a chance, please go for it, but a good name is eternally beneficial and I’d rather we spend a good amount of our time building a good name that will survive us.

Many people love to do things because they are craving for recognition. They are looking for people to know who they are. I meet a lot of people who struggle to market what they are doing but really looking into it, it’s all air. They work hard to blow their horns and they want to be called Director, Founder, CEO, Mheshimiwa etc. All these are good but if it’s just for a show, to prove a point to some people, then it’s empty and useless. I’d rather people know you for who you are, then discover in the course of your interaction that you bear the title instead of a title being forced down their throat. Remember if you enjoyed the sound of your title at the expense of your name, the day the title will go, you will have nothing to be proud of. Building pride in your name is what matters.

Someone who knows themselves well enough to know that they are not their title is a secure, confident and humble person. This is someone who even if they move from one place to another, will still be admired by those who know and love them for who they are. They will be consistent and this will inspire many who want to be like or better than them. I don’t know about you but I know a number of people who I often forget what their current title is but I cannot forget what their names mean. A mention of their names turns people heads. People wonder, how do you know that person and they wish they would know them or access them too. I want to be like such. I want to be someone who people know their name and love them for who they are not for the title they hold.

A lady who was a senior staff in the government of a country I will not mention was very busy. Let’s call her Jane, not her real name. She had a lot of people coming to her, a huge number of staff working for her. She was never alone as someone was always a few minutes or a sound a way to attend to whatever she needed to be done. She had so many invitations to choose which event to attend and which one not to. Jane was having a wonderful life that others envied. She was successful. Her personality was that of, let’s get things done, we have no time to waste. If you can’t make it happen, stop wasting our time. When her term came to an end, she walked out of the office alone. Little goodbye party and fake “we will miss you” comments. All of a sudden her busy phone was not ringing, she had no need for extra phones. Only one silent phone and no one to screen through her calls if anyone called. The invitations went to zero. No important emails, just spams. She got depressed and very lonely. It then hit her that all the experiences she had were due to her title, not her name, not who she really was. It was too late for her to correct this. Wishing for another experience to do it differently didn’t help much. Jane’s story could happen to any of us. But why wait till too late. You can start right now to focus on not being like Jane. It’s not easy because titles have a way of getting into our heads but I believe with consciousness and intentionality, it’s something possible and worth committing to. It’s all about focusing on people and having soft-skills. It’s about acting in the long term best interest of everyone around you. Let the title that is here today and is gone tomorrow not dominate your life.

From my experience with student leaders, I see a lot of them getting into confusion when their calls go unanswered by the people who used to look for them while they were in power. All they can say is am a former student leader in XY University and clearly, it means nothing to someone who has no idea what that is. I have committed myself through AYLF to provide a platform for these student leaders to build something that goes beyond their university life. Something they can build on and be leaders worth following in community and beyond.

If this resonates with you, seek to build your name. Look for a small community of friends who you can do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journey of building a name that goes beyond them.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a 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…

 

Gabriel Achayo.

Intellectual Follower of Jesus

https://www.cru.org/us/en/blog/spiritual-growth/devotionals-quiet-times/how-your-personality-connects-you-with-god.html

I believe being an intellectual follower of Jesus is more significant and rewarding.

I’ve met followers of Jesus who tend to ignore much education. I wonder whether it’s due to laziness or a belief that once we have Jesus, we don't need knowledge.

Paul was a great scholar and became a very influential follower of Jesus. I’d like to follow Jesus with my whole being; my heart, mind, and strength. Following Jesus with the heart is great, but without clear reasoning from the mind, we may miss the point. 

We are called upon to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. Nothing is left behind. A balanced love of God is more influential than a biased one. Most of the influential people I know, those who have changed their world were not biased on their following Jesus. They intentionally balanced their desire to love Jesus, and also share the love of Jesus to those around them. They did what it took to let their light shine and also be salt & light. If salt remained inside the salt shaker, we wouldn’t feel its impact.

A lot is going on around us, and we can't ignore and stay naïve. We can't hope and pray that things will change. We have to find our seat at the table and let all experience our love for Jesus. Instead of waiting for and hoping that things one day will miraculously get better, we who know and love Jesus, need to occupy the driving seat and be used to bring hope and love to those around us.

http://dioscg.org/index.php/re-program-your-brain-for-lent/

God gave us brains for a reason. He didn’t give us brains to waste it waiting and hoping that situations will magically change. Most of us tend to claim we are waiting for the will of God before we act or do anything. We sit and pray for God to come and show us what to do. I’m sorry this way you might wait till your last day in this world. If God wanted us not to use our brains, he wouldn't have given them to us. We would have been made as robots, which can be programmed and directed to execute but can't think or decide what to do. We need to be wise and strategic so we also don’t just keep doing things. Not everything that is good is necessarily meant for us to do. But by and large, whatever pleases God, whatever is noble, praiseworthy, and honors God, we are encouraged to do. Paul talks of the fact that something could be good and permissible but not necessarily beneficial.

As a follower of Jesus, how do you use your brain to know that which is beneficial to you and those around you? Talking time to reflect on what you can do that would be beneficial is very important as you figure out how to intellectually follow Jesus. Gaining a deeper understanding of how you are uniquely wired, how you respond to situations, what issues have mostly bothered you, what things have you done so well that people have given you affirmation on, how your past experiences have shaped you, what have been the circumstances beyond your control and many more. Looking at these issues will give you an indication of what God is guiding you to focus on. What the will of God is for you. Unfortunately, just sitting and praying for God to show you His will for your life might be a futile effort.

http://blog.fhfbc.org/2013/07/the-mystery-of-gods-will.html

Once you get an indication of what it is God is laying in your heart as his will for you, you need to dig deep into it, so you become the best at it. You become good at it. You go out of your way to make sure you equip yourself in the area so your light can shine in that area. Sometimes, we are tempted to be so wide, but shallow on so many things. I believe in obedience in a single direction as that in itself brings meaning and satisfaction to life. Once you lock into the direction, dig into it and become an oasis in that direction. Let people know you and trust you for that. Be consistent enough that people will know who to turn to when they need you.

If this resonates with you, seek to follow Jesus intellectually. Look for a small community of friends who you can learn to do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It's about building a community of friends to share each others' in following Jesus with their hearts, soul, mind, and strength. You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a 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.

http://www.walkingwithgiants.net/church/small-groups/how-to-kill-a-small-group-discussion/

By Gabriel Odhiambo Achayo

Senior Consultant, GiANT Worldwide (www.giantworldwide.com)

GiANT.TV/gabrielachayo

Nature, Nurture and Choice

   www.giantworldwide.com

I believe our behavior is as a result of a combination of nature, nurture, and choice. Every time we interact with someone or see a particular behavior, we are interacting with a combination of nature, nurture, and choice in different proportions. The question we have to ask ourselves is what of the three do we give power over us, nature, nurture or choice.

Nature is the personality type, the person we are, the person God has created us. We are either extroverted or introverted; we are either thinkers or feelers, Sensors or Intuitors. We are either judgers or perceiver. We have particular preferences which come easily to us due to who we are. We are uniquely gifted in particular ways. Personally, I am Introverted, Sensor, Feeler, and Judger. This makes me interact, take in information, process information and live my life in a particular way different from someone who has a different personality type. This speaks a lot to my preference. It doesn’t mean I can’t be the others; I can be, but it's a lot of effort for me. My preferred style comes naturally to me, but I have to be intentional on my least preferred style. It's got something to do with where I was born when I was born, and all these things that I might have no control over but in essence affect me a lot. They play a role in my life. Personality type doesn't dictate behavior, but it sure does influence. 

Nurture has got to do with how I was raised. Who have been my mentors, role models, spiritual guides? What are my dreams, my education, my faith, my parenting? Did I have strong intentional parenting and vice versa? What have I exposed myself to? What are the key lessons I have picked along the way? Who have been my friends, who have been those people that I have allowed to speak into my life? These have shaped my life and have given me a new paradigm, a different perspective, a different way of thinking and life. I see things differently because of my nurturing. I might have the same nature as someone, but due to my nurturing, I might have a different experience and life pattern. My desire to be a follower of Jesus and to nurture leaders who will commit to following Jesus have predisposed me to a different way of living. If I reflect back to the teenager me and the 37-year-old me, a lot has changed in my life, and all this is due to nurture.

www.giantworldwide.com

Most people have significantly used choice. Some people have misused it, others have taken advantage of it to achieve amazing results. There are two schools of thoughts; one is that we always have choices in every circumstance while another is our choices are not really choices but are limited by something beyond our control. Whatever school of thought you have, we can't ignore the role of choice in our lives. The choices we make help us override both nature and nurture. We may have two people with the same nature and nurture but how they respond to a particular situation will most probably be different. There are cases where our nature and nurture might limit the possibilities of choices we have. When I was getting married, I had to make hard choices on how the whole journey from negotiation to the actual wedding and finally how to bring up my family was going to be done. This was dictated much by my nature and nurture. My situation gave me different scenarios that I had to deal with compared to others 29-year-olds who were getting married seven years ago. So my ability to choose was within my prevailing circumstances brought about as a result of my nature and nurture.

An understanding of this is critical so that in your dealing with people and also living your life, you can understand what is really driving your behavior. To what level are you choosing or letting your nature and nurture drive your behavior.

www.giantworldwide.com

Are you aware of your tendencies that are as a result of a combination of nature, nurture, and choice? How are those tendencies influencing your actions, which is leading to some consequences and in turn has led to a particular reality you find yourself in now?

As a leader, who is intentional in following Jesus, how are nature, nurture, and choice affecting your behavior? How many times do you find yourself blaming your nature and nurture for your faults? How has following Jesus affected your nurturing and choices over the years? Are you intentional or accidental?

If this resonates with you, take time to reflect on your nature, nurture and choice. Look for a small community of friends who you can learn to do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It's about building a community of friends to share each other's journey of living an intentional life for better leadership behavior.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a 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…

Image Credits: http://www.businessmalawi.com

By Gabriel Odhiambo Achayo

Senior Consultant, GiANT Worldwide (www.giantworldwide.com)

GiANT.TV/gabrielachayo

INTEGRITY AND AYLF

In a society where greed and self-preservation have been sanitized and raised on a high platform, good values to live by become an ever-elusive mirage and the people slump even lower to a point of total desperation. Rules and regulations can only go so far in attempting to correct the situation. In essence, they serve as the hardware of which, without the proper software, they will only be left to gather dust and become a memorial of the good intentions a people once had.

Africa Youth Leadership Forum seeks to bring together a group of young people who share the same values and in the process become a living testimony that we as a people can change and hopefully form societal catalysts for character growth. One of the most critical values that we work around is integrity. For a long time in our country Kenya and Africa at large, we have painfully watched as our leaders use their positions to enrich themselves, ever so often displaying a callous dereliction of their God-given duties. 
Integrity has become so rare in our systems that our children are growing up in a world where the word only exists in a dictionary. They have watched as the few citizens who have tried to live honestly have been ruthlessly punished by a system that seeks to sustain itself by silencing any sane voice that dares to rear its head. Most of us are hardly familiar with the story of one David Munyakei. He did our country great good by whistleblowing on the infamous Goldenberg Scandal. According to the Daily Nation, Saturday, July 25, 2009, he lost his job and would eventually die of pneumonia, largely due to lack of drugs. With all the integrity he had displayed, this man ought to have been treated as a hero. It seemed though that his life got so miserable that he worked very hard to run away from the effects of what he had exposed, including relocating and changing his religion. Such can be the cost of integrity.

Sitting through some of our court sessions, one can’t help but feel like integrity is the main defendant who seems to be losing hard. I appeared in court twice in one week on January 2014 following some traffic violations and at the end of those two sessions, I was convinced that a greater percentage of those in court, especially for the traffic cases, was because they couldn’t bribe.  In some instances, integrity has proved to be a quicker route to prison than criminal activities.

With this backdrop, AYLF works hard to help keep the candle of integrity burning for as long as we can, or until such a time when integrity will be able to stand on its own. We seek to have conversations around this topic, using live examples of how and when we had to bear the brunt of honest living. At the same time, we offer our members a platform to share moments that they failed to uphold the same without being shamed. We have chosen to be our brother’s keepers so to speak.

We agree that even in the darkest moments, a light, however dim, more often than not does exist. There are Kenyans who have espoused a life of integrity for the greater part of their existence. AYLF has connected itself to these people and created a relationship that seeks to have the youth both challenged and encouraged to adopt this kind of living. We have senior friends who have become a valued library of good morals and character development. These friends have become mentors who have chosen to walk with the youth as they pour their golden selves into the ever-growing minds of the youth.

The need for integrity can never be underestimated. Lack of it affects all sectors of our economy. A member of parliament who has been entrusted with distributing education funds through the CDF dishonestly decides to divert the cash to other illegitimate uses. As a result, a student misses their education, they result in crime to cater for their needs, end up in jail where the government has to feed and take care of them. A contractor uses under the table means to win a road construction tender. They have to spend over 60% of the money on paying off their godfathers. They either never finish their work or do so to a substandard level and this leads to accidents, traffic jams, not to mention perennial repairs. I could go on but it is clear that without integrity, we are all stuck in a hamster wheel of poor standards of living for the majority of our people.

As we nurture the new breed of leaders, we hope that they shall be the ones to change the tide for good and make our country and continent the envy of the whole world as it should be.

By Allan Mwangi.