Insight for Smart Living

There’s no ‘i’ in ‘Team’, but there are two in ‘Winning’

Herman Jumba Najoli — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:22:04 +0000

It has been fascinating to watch the development of Lebron James since he left the Cleveland Cavaliers and joined the Miami Heat. I want to uncover a leadership principle that can tremendously boost any team, be it in sports, business, at school or even in the home. I’d like to suggest that with the Cavaliers Lebron was more of an “i” player and failed to grasp the full essence of being part of a winning team. It is likely that the Heat will win the NBA championship this year but there are still major obstacles ahead.

Intermission Disclaimer: Winning in this article (and in my personal philosophy) is simply pursuing your personal potential and measuring yourself against what you could do. It is not about beating your competition, coming out first or measuring yourself against other people.

Let’s find our leadership principle - ”There are two ‘i’s in winning”. Michael Jordan once said that “there’s no ‘i’ in team but there is in win”. I want to take it a notch further. It takes more than one ‘i’ for a team to win. A team with one ‘i’ can win every now and then, but for a team to continue winning, there must be at least two ‘i’s. For you to win as a leader you need to align yourself to other ’i's who will enable you to leverage your potential. Rather than aim to win, you need to produce a winning combination. Look at the combination of Lebron, Wade, and Bosh. Egos have to be set aside.

No single initiative, quality, person, idea or other factor will bring you the ultimate level of success you are destined for. You’ve got to find the winning combinations that will guarantee you victory. Start thinking outside the box. You’ve got to find a way of aligning any competing ideas, people or resources into one unit that fits and works together.

The key to winning therefore is in having an arsenal of ideas, initiatives, strategies and resources and then knowing when to use which. You’ve got to have a bag of tricks up your sleeve, so to speak. You have to build your organization or business around a solid vision (your ultimate goal), have a driving mission (winning) and execute both the vision and the mission flawlessly (aligning with great ‘i’s). There’s no ‘i’ in ‘Team’, but there are two in ‘Winning’!

How to Manage Friction

Herman Jumba Najoli — Fri, 06 May 2011 15:10:36 +0000

Many years ago, a mentor told me that “motion causes friction.” The truth is that friction takes place everwhere – it occurs inside our organizations, it occurs between different organizations, it occurs on sports teams, it occurs in the family, it occurs in organizations, it occurs between countries and many other areas of life. At one point or another, we will all encounter friction in life. Friction between human systems is defined as conflict. Understanding how to manage conflict is therefore essential.

There are five approaches that can be utilized in the management of conflict:

1. Accomodating – This is where one group places emphasis on the needs of the other group while minimizing it’s own concerns. In essence, one group allows the other to win – a win-lose situation. While it may seem as if the group is giving in, it might be a beneficial approach when the other group has a huge stake in the matter at hand.

2. Dominating – This is when one group focuses completely on it’s own cares and concerns and closes the door to the other group. The dominating group “forces” it’s power and resolutions on the other group. This again is a win-lose situation.The group with the higher balance of power wins over the other group.

3. Avoiding – It’s unfortunate that this happens but there are times when one group may avoid another. This may not be the best strategy but it sometimes helps to cool the situation so that the time may be used to gather additional information.

4. Compromising – When two groups compromise, none of them emerges as a winner. There must be some giving up of value in order for compromising to be effective. Compromise can lead to more conflict later because teh groups might still harbour a feeling that their needs were never met.

5. Collaboration – When groups collaborate, both of them come out of the conflict situation as winners. Collaboration is solution-centered thinking. By working together to solve the conflict the two groups demonstrate immense respect for each other.

Creating Opportunities for Personal Growth

Herman Jumba Najoli — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:41:34 +0000

Life is all about growth. Every day we are faced with situations and circumstances that provide us with two choices – grow or go! Having a menatlity of growth is the first step towards being able to maximize your life and live above the level of mediocrity that plagues most of society. If you don’t grow, you will go! No question about that. I call this “Life’s two constant choices”. What choice will you make today? Will you make every circumstance that comes your way an opportunity for personal growth or will you shrink away from growth and give in to mediocrity? Life’s two constant choices are right before you today. Make the better choice – a choice for better life!

Three Keys to Massive Productivity

Herman Jumba Najoli — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:22:51 +0000

The key to continued success in life is massive productivity. I would like to borrow some lessons from ball players and illustrate how we can be massively productive. Here are three keys to massive productivity that hopefully will elevate your results in life:

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

Your performance is very much dependent on what happens behind the scenes. Ball players don’t just walk off the streets and deliver a great performance. It takes years of practice to get to that level of playing. Same thing with you. In order to be an MP (Massive Producer), you have to act massively behind the scenes. It’s your behind the scenes work that brings you from obscurity and into the limelight.

2. Take immediate control of your mental state

The winner’s edge is in his mental attitude. You must approach every situation with a readiness to tackle it and win. You can’t shy away from displaying your skill when your moment of action comes. The moment a player steps onto the court, he is focused and ready to do battle. You can’t allow your mind to wander in hundreds of different directions. You’ve got to harness it.

3. Discover the power of team

No matter how good a player is, he cannot play alone against a team of five and expect to win. You’ve got to find those people who will elevate your performance. Teamwork makes the dream work. What’s your dream? Are you connected to people that can elevate your game? Discover the power of team and you will multiply your value. You can’t do it by yourself. The days of the lone ranger are over.

Speaking to Change Lives: How Passion Makes A Difference

Herman Jumba Najoli — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:50:52 +0000

The last couple of years have seen a mushrooming in the quest for professional speaking skills. Organizations like Toastmasters and speaking courses like Dale Carnegie’s have continued to grow immensely as more and more people realize the need to enhance their speaking skills. This is great. People are realizing that it is not just enough to have language, you need to develop mastery in it’s use. Now, the development of mastery in many speaking organizations usually focuses on the technical aspects of speaking – how to stand, use of gestures, layout of notes, etc. But then, there’s another aspect of speaking that I think is the most imporatnt ingredient. This is passion.

All the foremost speakers that we fondly remember have always demonstrated a passion that came from deep within their convictions. Martin Luther King Jr. (The greatest speaker of the 20th Century), Ronald Reagan (The Great Communicator), Zig Ziglar (The Greatest Motivational Speaker) and Les Brown (The World’s Leading Motivational Speaker) are good examples of very passionate speakers. If you will speak to change lives you must have passion. Passion elevates words from notes in ink to life-changing insights in the mind. Passion comes from conviction. You must believe in what you are saying deeply. Cultivate a deep passion and your speaking will be greatly rewarded.

Three Crucial Keys for Success in Life

Herman Jumba Najoli — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:48:41 +0000

Last week I wrote about three essential traits that I would like to follow up on. One could argue for so many different traits and keys as being essential or crucial to life. My choice for these particular qualities and keys is driven by the fact that they have worked very well for me. Here are the crucial keys for success in life:

Imagination

No one ever changed their circumstances in life without some measure of imagination. Imagination births vision and empowers one’s motivations. Good imagination is a sign of an awakened mind. An awakened mind is the factory of ideas and insights. Ideas and insights are the raw materials for a better life.

Commitment

Commitment, whether to a purpose, a person, faith or any other pursuit in life, is essential for success in that particular pursuit. Commitment is the magnet that draws one closer to the realization of his or her ambitions and aspirations. Show me a person who is committed to what he or she is pursuing and I will show you a person who will achieve tremendous success.

Joy

Joy is that quality that births within us a sense of amazement about life. Joy enables us to enjoy what we do and find meaning in the daily routine of life. Having a joyous attitude is crucial to life. It neutralizes the pain of life and enables us to tap into the abundance of life. Joy enables us to experience the fulness of every day life.

Initiative, Decisions and Risks: The Power of Action TNT

Herman Jumba Najoli — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 17:18:15 +0000

A few years ago I heard someone talk about the need for Action TNT, meaning action Today, Not Tomorrow. I think the tape was on procrastination and how to avoid it. Today I would like to talk about three strategies for taking action TNT:

Take initiative

Initiative is the first step towards achievement. Many people lag in life because of procrastination. In order to realize our true potential, we must learn to take initiative when it comes to pursuing personal goals and objectives. Initiative separates the committed from the pretenders, it is the link that connects dreams with results.

Navigate decisions

Many people freeze when it comes to decision-making. Making a clear-cut decision is one of the toughest things any one could do. Decision-making stems from embracing change. Knowing how to navigate change is therefore a core competence that should be grasped completely. Learn to make good decisions and you will accomplish great things in life.

Take risks

Risk-taking is one of the most feared competencies but it must be mastered because there can never be reward unless risks are taken. When it comes to risk-taking, our only fear should be the fear of not taking risks. Having an intuitive ability for stepping out and taking risks is the key to attaining results.

Let’s take action Today … Not Tomorrow!

Navigating Transitions Successfully

Herman Jumba Najoli — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 09:33:14 +0000

Life is full of transitions. We all experience moments in life when we have to make transitional changes. Right from birth to our final resting, it’s all about transition. It’s the transition from the womb to the world, from the bassinet to the crib, from home to school, from high school to college, college to career and so on. The successful navigation of transitions is a tough thing. Transitions can either lead to an abyss or bliss. It all depends on how you handle it.

Transitions are difficult. Understanding the three elements of trnsition is the key to moving on. These are closure, limbo and advancement.

Closure signifies the end of one stage. It is the point at which we have to let go of the former. Many people have a hard time handling closures but it is important to understand that everything changes. That knowledge itself guarantees you two-thirds of the victory during transitions. The other third is found in understanding the other two elements.

The second element is limbo. This is a trying time because you haven’t quite moved out of closure and are yet to experience the new thing. The most important skill here is that of letting go of the former. New attitudes have to be shaped. New concepts need to be grasped. If this is done well, then your progress to the third element of transition – advancement – is secure.

Advancement is when you have completely put behind the old and have successfully navigated your way to a better life. At this stage, you can look back and say, “Wow! I’m glad I made that change!” May your transitions be fruitful!

Shared Vision and Teamwork

Herman Jumba Najoli — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:12:36 +0000

When I was six years old my parents took me from the city to the country where I had to undergo a traditional African circumcision ceremony. I learnt so much during that initiation and I share most of it through my speech, The Hero’s Journey. One of the things that happened was that the entire “class” of initiates was given a name to identify them. The name gave the entire class a sense of oneness and purpose. We, in a way, became a support team for one another.

In very much the same way, we need support teams for every day life. The age of the lone ranger is forever gone. Teaming up with others enables a shared sense of vision for the future. The team is able to develop goals that are bigger than individual goals and can easily be realized. Being part of a team builds confidence and spreads responsibility. It also allows people within the team to mentor each other.

Teamwork makes the future workable; it makes the dream work! Nothing generates more energy in an organization than a team that is cohesive. It’s true that there is no “I” in team but there is a “me” in team. Embrace your team and lift it to a higher level!

Circumstances do not determine our destiny

Herman Jumba Najoli — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 06:37:25 +0000

Here’s an interesting bit of statistic: “75% of world class leaders were either born in poverty, had a serious disability or were abused as children.” Wow! And to think that they still pulled through and became who they are today! This shows that it’s not what happens to you that matters but how you handle it that makes the diference.

Isn’t it true that so many people live under the circumstances when they could be living above their circumstances? We were designed for accomplishment and engineered for greatness. Circumstances should never govern our existence. Living above the circumstances means having a proper attitude about everything that happens. It means having a bigger picture of our situations.