Pursue Your Dreams

Eight years ago (on August 21, 2001) I left my birth country of Kenya in pursuit of the dream of a better life in America. I won’t ever forget my younger brother’s words as he hugged me and bid me farewell at the Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. He said, “Don’t let your best dreams become your worst nightmares”. These words left a powerful imprint in my heart. Throughout my entire 17 hour flight from Nairobi to Dallas, TX, I kept on mulling over these words. In the process of mulling over the words I started developing for myself a strategy for actualizing my best dreams. My strategy is captured in my first book, The Road to Arrival: Ten Empowering Principles for Actualizing Your Dreams. (Link in the sidebar to the right of this post). In this book I focused on ten power-packed principles that are essential for making dreams come true. If dreams are not pursued with massive action, they can easily become nightmares.

What’s your dream? What’s that one thing you absolutely believe you were born to do? What keeps you up at night and keeps you dreaming during the day? What’s your greatest desire in terms of accomplishments? Each of us have been created with a desire for greatness. There is no human being who does not have the capability to dream big dreams. Greatness does not necessarily mean being rich and famous. Greatness is simply understanding what you were born to do and doing it to your utmost potential. All human beings have the potential to dream great dreams and achieve them. T.E. Lawrence, in Seven Pillars of Wisdom, said, “All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.” Don’t let your dreams become nightmares. Back them up with massive action and sound strategies. May your resolution for 2007 be simply: to make your dreams come true. Go for it!

Paradigm Shift: Think Legacy, …not The Next Level

People today are consumed with the idea of going to the next level in their lives, be it in their relationships, careers, finances or other area of life. While this is great because it motivates them, I find it to be an idea that can limit our true potential. My paradigm is that we need to be consumed with the idea of the kind of legacy we will leave behind at the end of the seasons of our lives.

Thinking about your legacy every day, rather than thinking about the next level only, makes you a better leader. I also believe that thinking about a legacy makes you other-people centered while thinking about going to the next level tends to make one self-centered.  In thinking about leaders, I’d like to compare two presidents of the United States – Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Bill Clinton took America to the next level. He improved the economy and developed great popularity for himself. George W. Bush has come under heavy criticism but he is developing a legacy that could, if successful, bring greater peace in the middle east.

How do you transition from thinking about the next level to thinking about developing a legacy?

1. Be more focused on other people rather yourself

The idea of being a ‘people person’ 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 leave great legacies. I would highly suggest a reading of the book. 

2. Ask how you can help rather than what others can do for you.

President John F. Kennedy immediately became a world figure with his acceptance speech in which he 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.” In order to leave a legacy you must ascend in thought to where you are asking what you can do for others rather than what they can do for you. 

3. Be a giver more than a receiver

Nothing shapes a legacy more than the spirit of giving. When you give of yourself to others you become a part of the solution. It’s solution-centered thinking that sets the pace for the kind of legacy a person will leave behind. Again, when one is thinking of going to the next level, the pre-dominant question is “What can I get (or receive) that will take me to the next level?” When one is thinking of leaving a legacy, the pre-dominant question is “What can I give that will help others?” Be more of a giver and your legacy will be unshakeable because the truth is that what we give is ours forever!

4. Be a leader more than a follower

Leaders impact and influence other people greatly. The great thing about being a leader is that you are able to take other people to the next level as you develop a legacy. What a beauty! Leaders pass along the best in themselves 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 a legacy was developed because even today they still talk about what we did.

Are you living for the next level or developing a legacy for and with other people? Start shaping your legacy today.

Master of Your Own Destiny: Your Vision is Key to Your Destiny

When I was much younger, my dad used to tell me this common quote: ”You are the master of your own destiny and the architect of your own fortune”. Thinking about this helped me a lot. Today we live in a society where very few youth are living in the truth of that statement.

The question on my mind today is, “What makes some people masters of greatness and architects of achievement while others languish in the obscurity of mediocrity?” My thinking is that the main thing that separates between those who soar and those who flop in life is vision. It has been said that where there is no vision, people perish. Vision is the primary ingredient of success, the seed of greatness and the foundation of accomplishment.

The Mastery of Vision

Superb winners always show a mastery of their vision way before their competence at a task is demonstrated.  As a young teen in the late ’80s I used to enjoy watching heaveyweight boxing fights. Those were the days of men like Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, George Foreman and Lennox Lewis. What enabled me to understand each fighter’s vision for a match-up was the press conferences right before a fight. I liked it even more when it was between the heavyweight champion and a contender. The boxers would vividly describe what they would do in the ring and then it was up to them to go out and show that they could back-up their words with action in the ring.

Winners in life have a mastery of vision that is undisputable. Mastery is defined as the command, grasp or control of a subject. We love sports because we can readily see mastery demonstrated before us. Look at a bike rider like Lance Armstrong. I’ve enjoyed watching him compete in the Tour-de-France year after year and I missed him in last year’s and this year’s races following his retirement. Lance was a master at teaching us the art of vision. He would train seriously in the off-season and then come out every July in-front of the world’s cameras and show that he had what it takes to win a grueling 21-day race. It’s going to be a delight to watch him come out of retirement next year.  

The Architecture of Vision

Architecture is simply the structure of anything. In construction circles, it is the act or process of building. The architecture of vision is therefore the act of giving structure to that which has been intangible – your vision of the future. Going back to our opening quote, we are the architects of our own fortune. Fortune is a child of vision. When it is said that where there is no vision people perish, what that really means is that where people lack hope in the future, there are no fortunes for them to reach for.

Let us briefly look at the work of an architect. An architect takes a user’s vision and brings it to life. He plans and designs that which had been conceived in the mind. Many architects are great visionaries.

One of my favorite visionary architects is R. Buckminster Fuller, the creator of the Geodesic Dome. His concepts were revolutionary. The dymaxion car (contracted from DYnamic MAXimum tensION), for instance. Fuller had a superb ability to dream big and develop audacious goals. 

Success and significance in life are directly proportional to how well we act on vision. Acting on vision requires strategy. Developing goals and objectives that bring the vision into clearer focus is essential. Having a team of people who will buy into the vision is key. It’s all about mastery and architecture. May your vision come to pass!

How to Develop Youth

Youth Development is not easy. Without a solid vision and a working strategy it’s easy for many to quit. Today I’d like to share some leadership principles for profitable interactions with youth. These are crucial keys that go a long way in enabling youth workers to empower their groups effectively. There are four key steps that leaders need in developing youth.    

1. Stimulate Development

Leaders are like gardeners. A gardener takes a seed, plants it in good soil, nurtures the young plant with water and/or fertilizer and takes care of it into its maturity. The first requirement in stimulating development in youth is being able to discern what their gifts and talents are. A person’s gifts and talents are the seed of his or her potential. 

2. Motivate Development

Good leaders find ways to motivate development in their followers. I have found that the easiest way to do this is by painting a picture of the future for youth. They want to be associated with success and when they see that they are headed towards maximizing their potential with you, they will jump aboard. Lasting motivation comes when your youth buy into your leadership. One thing that many leaders miss is that the youth must first buy into the leader before they can buy into the leader’s vision for them. Find what connects you and your youth and that will be the glue for your continued motivation of them.  

3. Encourage Development

When I was in college I read a quote that I have come to really love and appreciate a lot. I can’t remember who gave us the quote (…might have been Socrates or Plato … or one of those profoundly wise sages of the 16th Century). The quote was, “Encouragement is the oxygen of the heart”. In terms of youth development I’d say encouragement is the fuel of continued growth. Are you encouraging the youth in your life?

4. Celebrate Development

Enthusiasm is vital to continued practice of learnt behaviors. Practice makes permanent (not perfect). People need leaders that will celebrate good performance more often than they criticize or give feedback about shallow performance. Celebration means fun. When people are having fun, nothing hurts. Are you having fun with your youth?

Good Thinking: Key to Overcoming Peer Pressure

One of the things that keeps many youth from making progress in their lives is peer pressure - they go with the masses instead of using their quality of thinking to chart out a path that is truly theirs. While it might seem ‘cool’ to some people to be part of the “crew” and think like, talk like, behave like everyone else, that will not take you over the top in life.  To become a winner in life you must be a trailblazer. A true trailblazer is a pioneer – someone who goes his or her own way when all the pressure is driving him or her another way. The key to being a trailblazer is to be a good thinker.

A few years ago I really enjoyed reading John C. Maxwell’s book, Thinking for a Change. I had already been practicing some of the concepts he developed in the book but he added superb insight to my understaning of the essence of good thinking. Three of his ideas stood out:

1. Good Thinking Creates the Foundation for Good Results

What do you want to achieve in life? The key to that will be in developing a reservoir of good thoughts that are well implemented. Your progress in life is directly proportional to the quality of your thoughts.

2. Good Thinking Increases Your Potential

You need to understand your own full potential in life. Potential is simply the capacity that a person has for effectiveness in life. We can all attain our potential as we begin to elevate our thinking. Good thinking increases the level of results one can expect in life.

3. Good Thinking Produces More Good Thinking IF . . . You Make It a Habit

Nothing dominates life more than a habit. As you practice good thinking, you develop a foundation from which you can continue to harvest even better thinking. We have to continually raise our level of thinking – it takes a habit of good thinking to do that.

Will you climb out of the pile or will you stay rooted in it? As you climb out of the pile, remember the story of the crabs in a bucket. As one tries to climb out, the others will, without question, try to pull it back in. But know this one thing, there are encouragers who will make themselves available to push you out of the pile and I’m one of them.

Clawing Up the Leaderboard of Life

I love the game of golf. It gets me thinking and provides me with instant feedback and instant opportunities for self-correction. My vision is always great right before I tee off but somehow the execution never seems to be aligned to that which I had envisioned. I therefore have a lot of respect for a player like Tiger Woods, who has a way of making the game look like a Great Opportunity to Look Foolish (G.O.L.F) for many. What terrific rounds of golf he always plays! I always gasp in amazement as Tiger claws his way up the leaderboard! We also need CLAWs if we are to climb up the leaderboard of life. How does one avoid the cut and claw his way up the leaderboard of life? Here’s the key:

Create a powerful picture of your destiny – You have to see yourself as a champion. Tiger wins because he knows he is the best. Greatness comes to those who anticipate it because the world will stand aside and lets pass the man who knows where he is going. Winners start of with a powerful picture of their destiny.  

Leverage your potential by playing to win – Some people play not to lose. That is the prime recipe for failure. You have to play to win, not play to avoid losing. Mentality is the key to winning, perspective is the hand that turns the key. Play to win!

Adjust your swing using proven technique - Tiger makes constant adjustments. The key to winning in life is making adjustments. Change is not your enemy – change is your greatest friend. If you get stuck in one mode of doing things teh same way you’ve always done them, you will go insane. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again yet expecting different results.

Widen your vision by developing a BHAG – You need a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG). The quality of your vision depends on the magnitude of your BHAG. Think beyond your daily sustenance. Have a goal that will continously pull you into the future. A goal is simply a dream given substance, direction and timing (read my previous blogs).

My friend, you can CLAW your way up the leaderboard of life. Apply these techniques and I will see you over the top!!!!

Discover Your Destiny

Youth today have a hunger for fulfilling their life’s potential. Our generation is characterized by a deep desire to grow and develop one’s personal potential. This is an age of empowerment and those with a desire to live above the level of mediocrity are seeking ways and means in which they can live more meaningful lives. The key to this is to plot your own destiny.

In my book, Battling for Your Prophetic Desiny, I have written at length about  specific strategies that can be utilized in plotting one’s destiny. A couple of weeks ago, I developed an acrostic that is key to empowerment in the realization of personal destiny. These thoughts form the word DESTINY:

Determine your true passions

You have to find out exactly what makes you tick. Many people stop pursuing their true passions when they get a job. A job is your pre-occupation while your true passions are your true occupation. What gets you excited?

Embrace your assignment

Your true passions will reveal to you your assignment. Your assignment is that which you are meant to accomplish with your life that few others will be able to do as well as you could. Every human being has the capability of expertise. What are your talents? What do you enjoy doing most? That could be your assignment.

Start right NOW!

Life is lived in the now. Most people’s undoing is that they live either in the past or in the future and experience very little of the now. The company that you’ve always dreamt of starting, start it right now! That song that you always wanted to compose, write it right now!

Transform your thinking

Your thinking sets the pace for your doing. You can’t experience greatness if you continue to think in the same manner that you have always thought. Don’t allow yourself to get stuck in the rut of bad or poor thinking. Elevate your thinking by associating with good thinkers.

Identify your strengths

Winners play to their strengths. if you are going to be massively successful in life you have to start that journey of identifying your strengths. As you do this you will definitely uncover some opportunities for improvement in many areas of your life. Strengthen your areas that need improvement and you are well on your way to a great destiny.

Notify key personnel

You need a circle of support around you that will motivate, support and keep you accountable. Share your dreams with them. They may be the key to your ability to move to the next level. Find trusted people who will become your inner circle of confidence. Never under-estimate the power of your close associates.

Yoke with thought leaders

Someone once said that who you become five years from today is determined by the books you read and the company you keep. Yoke yourself with thought leaders. Find people who are leading in what you dream of doing and connect with them.

Eagle or Turkey: What kind of person are you?

Winners in life possess a different mentality. In this post I want to challenge you to consider what image you portray to the world. I would like to differentiate between an eagle and a turkey. Most people are turkeys, they don’t soar in life but spend a lot of time showing off their ‘beautiful feathers’. Those who become great leaders are eagles. Here are six marks of an eagle:

1. Eagles are catalysts of experiences – Eagles make things happen based on their skills and abilities. They walk the road less traveled, defying models in order to blaze new trails.

2. Eagles possess great vision and execution – Eagles don’t perch on a tree and wait for manna to fall from heaven. They go out and look for opportunities. They are not risk averse.

3. Eagles are change agents – Eagles influences others in positive ways. They are 360° influencers. Their influence is not restricted by attributes like age or profession.

4. Eagles are multipliers of value - Turkeys bring added value to the company but eagles are multiplier value. The average group has people who subtract value while the mediocre group has people who divide value.

5. Eagles empower eagles to lead – Birds of a feather flock together because only they have an uncanny ability to bring out the best in each other. Eagles don’t hang out with hawks.

6. Eagles are sources of creativity – Eagles hunt for ideas that result in rapid growth for any group they are involved in. Because of this, eagles will always be leaders of the pack.

Starting Off Right: Ten Choices That Will Revolutionize Your Life

The journey into adulthood is not an easy one. It must be navigated with skill if we are going to experience the significance that comes with living a life that is worthy to society. Any journey has intersections and those who win are the ones who make good trade-offs at the intersections of 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”. We select our own epitaph based on the kind of life we live. Are you pursuing a better life? If not, here are ten choices worth making that can qualitatively improve your life and a question after each to prompt your decision-making.

1. Choose accomplishment instead of affirmation – 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. Choose future potential instead fo financial gain- Will you be enticed by the promises of wealth or will you live for a life of significance based on your true capacity?

3. Choose personal growth instead of immediate pleasure - 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. Choose significance instead of security - 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?

5. Choose excellence instead of acceptance - 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 your dreams?

6. Choose multiplication instead of addition - 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. Choose one thing instead of many things - 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. Choose quality instead of quantity - Are you going to fill up your life with things and events or will you go for the right things and events?

9. Choose success instead of stability - Is your prime desire to have a stable life or are you willing to tap into the success of knowing and realizing your true passion?

10. Choose family instead of work - Are you laboring at your work at the expense of your family or are you creating a legacy for those whom you love?

Only through making wise choices can we truly reach our potential.

Followership Keys to Boost Your Leadership Skills

A couple of 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. I could hear from the noise that they were excited. The smell of baked bread filled the area (As I write this post, my wife is making some banana bread and oh the sweet smell! It’s filling up my home office and making it hard to concentrate. I’ll go take a quick peek and come back to the post in a few minutes).

Ok. Where were we? Oh, at the bakery! 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!