Embracing a Vision for Newness in 2010

This being the last day of the year, I thought I should inspire you with a vision for 2010: It’s going to be a marvelous year! I can see it. I can feel it. I personally sense new purpose breaking forth that will spill over into every area of my life. I hope that you are also experiencing the same. Life is so designed that we have periods of newness that allow us to expand ourselves in many different ways. Every day is a new day. Every month is a new month. The new period allows us to begin afresh and put aside the happenings of the previous period. As we inch into 2010, we have an opportunity to extend our destinies to another level as we build a legacy for future generations.There are three crucial keys that will allow us to experience the newness that the new year offer us. I’d like to share these in anticipation of the fact that many people will be making new year’s resolutions again. Enjoying newness comes in three steps. We need to be able to conceptualize, then visualize and finally materialize the newness.

Conceptualize

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

Visualize

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

Materialize

Dreams and visions reach their full term when they are materialized. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing your ideas go from concept to reality. As you pursue newness in 2010, your goal is to do just that – transform ideas into powerful results. Embrace newness and bring fresh results into every area of your life. 2010 is going to be an awesome year!

Starting the New Year Right – You must have a vision

After many years of research being done and business books being written, the jury is out on the idea of personal and organizational vision: people and companies must have a vision. Over the past two or three decades many different individuals and companies have done a lot in terms of developing their vision/mission statements along with core values that guide them towards that vision. Go to any personal or company website and nine out of ten times you will find some form of a mission statement, vision statement, guiding philosophy or core values.

While it is commendable that many individuals and organizations have a vision to justify their existence, it is worth noting that most of these visions are short-range in nature. The vision enables them to get on track with their plans but it is not sufficient enough to take them into the future. Let me use the analogy of a train going through a tunnel. Physical vision (along with the train’s lights) enables the train operator or engine driver to see as he goes through the tunnel. An experienced driver, however, has the mental vision that enables him to see beyond the tunnel. I would also venture to use an example from the nation of South Africa. Nelson Mandela had the vision to take the people out of apartheid. Thabo Mbeki had the vision to take the country into reconciliation and a future of mutual existence. Actually, Mandela did initiate the reconciliation but it took Mbeki’s leadership to sustain it beyond the euphoria of excitement.

Here are some thoughts on how long-range vision can transform you and your business:

1. Provides a focus beyond “tomorrow”

Vision is great because it provides you with a general strategy for handling tomorrow. Beyond tomorrow though, you need to be able to handle “the future”. Tomorrow belongs to those organizations that have a vision of what is coming ahead. The future belongs to those organizations that can shape what is coming. We see what’s ahead through vision; but we shape what’s coming through long-range perspective.  

2. Ensures the continuity of the group or organization

Vision gives power to an organization’s mission. Long-range vision, on the other hand, breathes life into the organization’s mission. Any organization can make it a couple of years but it takes long-range thinking to survive a future that threatens the very life of organizations. Vision can sometimes guide an organization to it’s level of incompetence. The Swiss watch making companies for example, were overtaken by Japanese digital watch companies because they did not have long-range vision. They had vision, yes, but that alone could not take them into the future.  

3. Envisions potential pitfalls and their solutions 

Henry Ford is noted for saying that the masses could have any car they wanted so long as it was black in color. Ford had great vision for the automobile industry but he could not see beyond the tunnel. He could clearly see the light at the end of the tunnel but little did he know that it was the headlight of an on-coming train. Now, he had experience and should have been able to see beyond the tunnel. However, he didn’t. If organizations are going to make it into the future, they must have long-range vision, rather than just “a vision of tomorrow”. They must be on the cutting-edge of shaping the direction in which society is going rather than putting themselves in a place where they will have to play catch-up.

How’s you doing? How about your organization? Do you have a long-range vision?

Be Creative, not Reactive!

Events and circumstances in our lives tend to elicit a desire to react to them. In order to be empowered we need to be able to see things differently. Many people see events and circumstances as barriers rather than opportunities for progress. A recent unfortunate incident in which my child was being mistreated by a babysitter and her daughter elicited in me a desire to react rather than be creative. The bulk of niceness prevented me from doing so, only to end up being falsely accused by the sitter in a strange twist of events. Despite this, I chose to be creative and glean lessons that would inspire me towards an elevated existence. A friend once told me that when an eagle is attacked by crows it does not fight back but soars higher and higher until it reaches a point where the hawks are completely unable to attack it anymore. That’s what I chose to do.  

In our every day dealings, do we spend too much time on the horizontal that we fail to see our potential in the vertical? Is life all about what’s happening around us? Should events and circumstances govern our existence? Think about this. In a meeting, when you are horizontal you are sitting down but when you are vertical you are standing up. By getting vertical we can gain a bird’s eye view so that we have a bigger picture of what’s possible. In the vertical we have an opportunity to be creative while in the horizontal we are always reactive. Creativity comes when we can ’C’ things differently. Notice that the difference between creative and reactive is in where you place the ‘c’. In being creative you ‘c’ first and then develop a game plan. In being reactive you ‘c’ in the midst of the situation. How do you ’c’ (see)? Are you seated down wallowing in everyday events or are you standing up and doing something about your destiny? Are you creative or reactive? Choose to C first!

Merry Christmas!

Fantastic day to sit back and reflect on the reason for the season. May celestial joy fill each heart today and the love of a merciful heavenly Father be appropriated by all. Merry Christmas!

Clawing Up the Leaderboard of Life

I enjoy watching NFL football. A few years back my wife and I lived in Nashville, TN and enjoyed watching the Titans play. This year I’ve been mesmerized as watched the team start their regular season with six loses before coming back strong and clawing their way into a playoff contender. Just like teh Titans, we also need CLAWs if we are to climb up and become real contenders. How does one rebound and claw his way up the power rankings of life? Here’s the key:

Create a powerful picture of your destiny – You have to see yourself as a champion. The Titans, with a new quarterback, knew that they were 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! The Titans played to win every game of the second half of their season.

Adjust your approach - When the Titans saw that they were losing, they made quarterback 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 the 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 power rankings of life. It doesn’t matter what people throw at you. You were born to win and engineered for greatness. Success is your birth right! It’s not about your location, district, county, or country! Whether you live in Cincinnati, OH; Lodwar, Kenya; or Saskatchewan, Canada; you have within you the keys to your destiny. Apply these techniques and I will see you over the top!!!!

Followership Keys to Boost Your Leadership Skills

A while back 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. 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!

Change your Stories and Learn to Thrive

The key to staying motivated towards achieving our goals is the inspiration that comes from the stories we encounter on a daily basis. Learning to listen to the good, powerful and life-changing stories that life offers us enables us to soar above mediocrity and live life at a higher level. Our purpose is clarified and our power is harnessed when we share in positive, life-changing stories.We are used to listening to the stories of people involved in crime, accusations of criminal involvement, sexual assault, terrorism, accidents and negative things in the news media. I think it is essential to turn off the negative news and start finding the positive things that are being done in society and highlighting them. I am usually greatly inspired to continue working in my community when I read positive stories of people making a difference in their communities.

We get inspired so that we can aspire to higher ideals. Our aspirations provide us with the motivation that we need to stay focused. Being inspired therefore, is foundational to our personal growth and development. Since my family moved to Cincinnati, we have found tremendous joy in service to those around us. This past month proved the toughest with a false accusation of imposition that resulted in an unfortunate police involvement. Despite this, my family’s and my personal vision remains to thrive in the city of Cincinnati. I look at and define myself as an inspirational teacher and in a couple of days I will be crystallizing lessons learned from last month’s report. My life story is to inspire people so that they can find the motivation to do what they need to do. Motivation may provide people with information that generates good feelings within them but inspiration sparks a fire within them that they can act upon. Thrive and stay inspired by being connected to the essence of you!

Embracing Slowness and Subtracting Noise

We live in a world that is increasingly becoming faster and faster and noisier and noisier. This is evidenced in many areas of life ranging from business to family and social events. Business is now being conducted “at the speed of thought”. Politicians are becoming noisier and noisier in their clamor for air-time. People are striving to out-smart and out-think one another. Basically, there have been many voices calling for faster processes, faster thinking, faster living and faster everything.

This quest for faster and faster and louder and louder has in many ways ended up hurting society. Stress levels have increased and a lot of damage has been done to people, organizations and institutions in society. We have a saying back home that ”we operate on African time”. In America people say that time is money. These two sayings depict two different paradigms on the idea of time. There are advantages and disadvantages to both paradigms but I believe there is a lot that the West can learn from “African time” in terms of time management and slowing down the pace of life. I am in the process of writing down some thoughts, but of course I’m working on “African time”. 

Perhaps there is a kind of life that embraces the slow and subtracts from the noise. If we are going to be achieve lives of significance and purpose, we will have to slow down and shut out most of the noise from today’s society. Life is designed to be a journey that is enjoyable but we have made it an excruciatingly painful experience. Modernization, with it’s many advantages, also has demerits. Gone are the days when life was an interaction with nature. Today life is an interaction with machines and gadgets. Let us go back to a slower and quieter way of life.

Three Crucial Traits for Winning in Life

There are many different traits that are essential for a better life but when it comes to truly winning in life, there are three crucial traits that one must embody. These are knowledge, passion and humor. Let’s take a quick look at each of these: 

Knowledge

Knowledge is the key quality that enables a man or woman to realize his or her true personal potential. Knowledge sets one apart since it enables you to demonstrate higher capacities and capabilities. The difference between one’s current state and a future desired state is normally bridged by the quality of one’s knowledge. Knowledge lifts you up from the pit to the pinnacle of your desires. 

Passion

Passion separates between the committed and the non-committed. Passion is the one essential quality that enables the realization of dreams and desires. Passion births zealous commitment in an individual and enables him or her to stay focused on the quest for a better life. All revolutions throughout the history of mankind have always been brought about by passion individuals.

Humor

Humor is an essential trait because it provides us with the motivation to continue striving through situations that may not fully be desirable. Having a sense of humor about life is essential. Fun, excitement, enjoyment, laughter and happiness are key pieces in teh puzzle of life. Life offers us many unique experiences and challenges. Humor enables us to ride these unique experiences and challenges without losing motivation.

Taking Care of Little Things

Richard Carlson contributed immensely to de-stressing the human race in his masterpiece, Don’t sweat the small stuff. I personally have benefited immensely from his work. There have been many situations when I would get close to allowing small stuff to ruin my attitude. In those moments I’ve thought of his work and the potential of stress always ended up dissipating.

But then I would also like us to consider getting serious about the little things that, if not properly handled, can derail our purposes, marriages and organizations. As I advocate for getting serious about small stuff, I’m not saying that you should sweat the small stuff. Sweat is a waste of energy (mere rearrangement of the letters) while getting serious is conservation of energy.

Think about your home, your job or your schooling. Supposing you decided not to be serious about the little things, what would happen? Would your home be successful? Would you continue working at your job for long? Would you do well in school and graduate? Little things do matter. Small stuff may not matter but little things can become big things.

Think of the nanotechnology industry. Something extremely small is rapidly becoming a big thing. Nanotechnology is simply the manipulation of atoms and molecules. The particles that are produced are a thousand times smaller than the width of hair, a hundred times smaller than a red blood cell - small stuff, huh!? Yet in the next few years nanotechnology will be driving almost everything – from computer chips to fuel cells. When the entire process of manipulating this small particles is fully undertood we might have robots creating things out of nothing. Picture a car or a hamburger appear out of thin air as the molecules are arranged by nano-scale robots!

Let’s get serious about the little things. Little things become big things. Don’t sweat the small stuff but get serious about the little things.