Do you have a career or calling...

A calling is what calls you. A career is what you carry along with you. Some people ignore what they are called to and would rather carry around what they really should not be. A calling opens doors to destiny. Careers keep you busy doing something useful. If you can combine the two many people would like to be you.

Allan Bukusi

My 2015 wish for you is worth 600,000!

I started this year with 20,000 hits on this blog. I said I would be satisfied if I managed to get another 20,000 hits by the end of the year. 100% growth would be ok for me. I never really thought that anyone would be interested to read what I wrote. You can imagine my pleasure to close the year having touched lives 600,000 times around the world of people I will never know! Now I don’t know much about you, but there is something that you do that you don’t think much of. Maybe it’s your smile. Maybe it’s the way you do things. Maybe it is your work or maybe it is just praying for other folks. Whatever it is I urge you to keep doing it. You never know who needs it. But that is not my wish for you next year. My wish for you in 2015 is that you would grow to know that you are worth far much more than you think of yourself. Happy New Year!

Allan Bukusi

The only sure way to change your circumstances...

The only sure way to change your circumstances, permanently improve your position and create future opportunities, options and openings is to develop yourself.

Allan Bukusi

48 Hours to Christmas

It is 48 Hours to Christmas. What will make this Christmas different from the last – will you avoid the standard last minute rush? Will you get presents for everyone and get everyone on your Santa list?  I don’t know if that will make a difference, but here is what I would like you to do. Stop and think for a moment about what Christmas means to you. Think about what Christmas would be without you. Then think of all the moments, the hours and days as presents you can thank God for since last Christmas – then do what you have to do – And a Merry Christmas to you!

Allan Bukusi   

Wealth & Power

If you can handle wealth then you can handle power. If you cannot handle wealth, then power will delude you.

Allan Bukusi

Leadership is an organization competence

 I have just completed a refreshing training program for managers who had never seen leadership as an organization competence; that ensures the efficiency, effectiveness and future of a business organization. We often assume that everyone knows this, but the sad thing is that we hardly act according to our beliefs. In fact, many organizations actually act contrary to the efforts of acquiring good leaders by not developing them once they are hired. These leaders are run down and decline in senior positions in the sincere belief that they know all there is to know about leadership. Many businesses grow their leaders by “experience”. If you use this non-challenging method as the only method of leadership development, you may develop passive or leaders who become loyal adherents to poor methods and then wonder why things never seem to change.

Allan Bukusi

Freedom without wealth is voiceless

Freedom without wealth is voiceless.

Allan Bukusi

The difference between qualifications and competence is training

The difference between qualifications and competence is training.

Allan Bukusi

East leads to West

East certainly leads to West. It is just that it takes a long time. It is much easier to turn around.

Allan Bukusi

The Spirit of Service

The Spirit of service is a very tired Spirit. Not because of the work,  but because of the great distance it has to cover to find a place to serve. There are thousands of needs the Spirit sees, but does not find a soul to meet the need. And so the Spirit travels thousands of miles, valleys homes and offices in search of a work. The Spirit does not even choose the work, but resides anywhere where the soul decides. The Spirit powers the soul of anyone who will offer a place to live and a job to do. But to find such a place the Spirit must travel far and wide in the hope that someone will open the door. The Spirit of service has one great fear that for all the years it has been here, there will be very little for heaven to hear of the service that has actually been done here.

Allan Bukusi

My friend likes to argue, but does not listen to reason.

My friend likes to argue, but does not listen to reason. He makes many points, but does advance his position.  He has much knowledge, but lacks wisdom. He knows what he wants, but cannot get it because he will not use what he has. Does this sound like me?

Allan Bukusi

There is no greater honor

I can think of no greater honor, on earth, than to be a signpost pointing the next generation in the right direction.

Allan Bukusi

General Kyles Toughest Assignment

General Kyle’s Toughest Assignment

General Kyle was a very successful intergalactic warrior. His job was to conquer worlds and bring them under the rule of good. He did this by infiltrating planets all over the galaxy and planting service agents in positions of authority. In doing so, he took over control of the administration of these kingdoms. He had done this for a thousand years and was making good progress. His approach was to enter planets using their ports of entry and exit. Some planets had open airports, others required impersonation or mere impressions of identity. Once his agents were on the planet, General Kyle was able to communicate with them and teach them to do good. In this way he restored nature and order across the universe. This approach worked splendidly except for one little planet on the edge of the universe called Earth.

Earths entry and exit port was labelled; birth and death. Kyle had been able to send in thousands of agents but, only a few were active. The active agents were getting old and unable to work as quickly as they used to. The problem was that the entry portal to earth had one condition. Entrants to earth immediately lost all memory, knowledge and understanding of their past. All entrants to Earth had to start life as infants not immigrants. On other planets, they could immediately begin work. But on Earth, they had to find out who they were before they could become effective. This meant that there was a period of waiting, intense confusion and growing up before agents found out their calling. Many agents died before they found out their true identity. The old teachers were getting frustrated with their wards who had no clue of their Earth mission. The work of good was slowing down and evil seemed to be gaining ground. Time was running out. Now the General had to decide whether to go to earth himself or sacrifice the little kingdom; let it burn and destroy itself. What would you do?

Myles Munroe

Myles has done his miles and now he too belongs to the ages. I have five of Munroe’s books on my desk. They have been and still are good tires to use on life’s road. The principles and the power of vision inducted me into leadership at the beginning of my journey. By the time I read the spirit of leadership, I was convinced that I had found my calling.

It was not easy in those early days, so becoming a leader helped tremendously. I wrote to Myles and – wonder of wonders – he replied!  He sent me a  kind note encouraging me to, “serve your way to greatness”. I still keep that email. I pasted it on his book. By the time I was studying for a master’s degree in leadership, I gained invaluable insights from the principles and benefits of change. However, now that I lead several organizations, the one I like most and I believe to be his best is God’s Big Idea!

It has been eleven years since I was introduced to him, but the journey has been worth every mile. Now like a true leader he has gone on ahead. I don’t know how many miles I have left, but Ii know he gave me his best and perhaps it is good for him to rest. Goodbye Myles. I pray that I too will pass the test. Goodbye Myles and enjoy Gods pleasant rest.

Allan Bukusi

 

Skill without enterprise is a useless education.

Skill without enterprise is a useless education.

Allan Bukusi

Committees...

Committees are not about minutes. They are about ideas, concepts, actions and agreement. You don't need many or long meetings to accomplish these things.

Allan Bukusi

 

You are not paid to work!

You are not paid to work. You work to be paid. All work is voluntary. Work is first volunteered and then rewarded.

Allan Bukusi

The Prince

Long ago in a traditional Kingdom the King sent his son to study overseas. The king could see that the world was changing and wanted the prince to study how to preserve his homeland. The King soon died and the Prince came back home. The Prince excitedly began to implement changes to preserve his people. He built schools and hospitals and waited for the village to change. However, those who went to school left the village and only those who were sick went to hospital, but the village remained the same. He then built roads to open up the land bring people to the village. But though many people passed through the village, none of them stayed The village remained the same.

Finally, he called investors to come and teach the people how to do business.  However, while the investors got rich, the people in the village began to complain because for the first time they realized they were poor. The village remained the same. Frustrated, he turned to his grandmother and said, “I have tried everything what else can I do?”  His grandmother told him, “No you have tried everything except the things that the people value. To change what our people value, you must begin with the young ones.  Nevertheless, I must warn you that if you change our values both you and they will never be the same again”.

Allan Bukusi

To have or to be

To have or to be; the difference between the rich and the great. For most of us it is to have that is great.

Allan Bukusi

The End of Life

Sometimes the things I never did make me wonder if I could ever have done them. The things I could have done make think about whether I should have done them. However, the things I did always make me consider how well I did them. What I did not do, I can do nothing about. What I could have done is only a matter of doubt. But what I did do is what life is about.

Allan Bukusi

Strategy is a system of success

Strategy is a system of success.

Allan Bukusi

You can lead no further than your values will permit.

You can lead no further than your values will permit.

Allan Bukusi

 

 

Three Boys & an Angel

Three boys were walking to school loudly discussing things that boys usually talk about on their way to school. Suddenly an Angel appeared from nowhere and stood in the middle of the path. The boys stood stock still. They were so scared they could not move, run or hide. The Angel looked down at them and with a stern discerning voice said, "This is your last day on earth, do what you must, for today at noon you shall surely die".

The first boy ran back home and turned on the TV and began to flip through all one the thousand channels to catch the last episodes of all the shows he hadn't watched.  The second boy ran home, took his father's wallet and ran down to the Fast Food store. He ordered the largest pizza, largest hamburger and all the largest foods in the restaurant. Then he sat down to eat and eat and eat. The third boy stood still for a long while and then slowly walked to school.

At noon, the Angel appeared again - in the classroom. The third boy bowed his head and waited for the end. Then the Angel said, "You have chosen well son. You have chosen the path to life. Unfortunately, your friends have also made their choice. Be careful what you chose to do in life it will always lead to the end.

Allan Bukusi

Multidimensional Strategy

There is something called a multilevel, multi-angled strategy with a single focus to achieve a specific outcome. While the focus can be worked out in a boardroom or better still management forum, the actual strategy must be worked out on implementation.

Allan Bukusi

Do you want more money...

Before you ask God for more money, collect what he has already given you.

Allan Bukusi

Never give up the chance to create something anew.

Never give up the chance to create something anew.

Allan Bukusi

 

To get the best, be the leader.

To get the best, be the leader.

Allan Bukusi

Do you oppose leadership?

There will always be those opposed, against and resistant to leadership - no matter how good it is. Others just don't know how to respond to leadership. I don't know which of the two is better, but there are also those who believe they know what the leader should do.

Allan Bukusi

Knowledge that does not transform you is merely information

Knowledge that does not transform you is merely information

Allan Bukusi

What are your chances in business?

Statistics show that eight out of every ten businesses fail in the first 2 years. If you manage to get past three years, you are probably doing something right. All you may need is proper management.

Allan Bukusi

Congratulations PTAK!

Congratulations to the outgoing Professional Trainers Association of Kenya leadership team for the work they have done to launch the association, recruit nationwide membership and establish PTAK as a brand in the market today. Being an entrepreneur, I know that is no mean feat. We fully appreciate the sacrifice, initiative and commitment of those who have made efforts to bring PTAK to where it is today.

Statistics indicate that 80% of new organizations fail within the first two years. If a business is able to survive for three years it is doing something right and, with good management, has the potential to last forever. By the grace of God, PTAK in four years, has surpassed all these hurdles and is on a path to a bright future. However, the national context, in which PTAK was born, has changed significantly and offers dramatic new opportunities for the professional growth, engagement and impact of the association in national affairs.

As we put together a new visionary leadership team on the 20^th of November 2014 to take PTAK to the next level, we will be standing on the shoulders and riding the tide of those who have labored hard and long to lay a strong foundation. Congratulations all PTAK members and congratulations once again Mr. Njoroge Kagwe (Chairman) and your entire outgoing team for the good work you have done.

Asante, God bless you and God Bless Kenya!

Allan Bukusi, is the author of Training for Transformation and will be standing for the position of Chairman in the upcoming PTAK elections.  

Leaders, Managers & Supervisors

A supervisor's job is to ensure production. A manager's job is to solve problems. A leader's job is to give direction.

Allan Bukusi

Business Ecosystems

Every business  exists in an ecosystem of customers, suppliers, cultures and weather patterns. It is a microcosm of systems, structures and synergy that need to work in harmony with the outside world if it is to succeed. To succeed in business, you must study the business and live in the environment in order to understand the relationships, interaction and innovation that are needed to make it successful.

Allan Bukusi

I have seen The New Africa!

Yesterday I had the unique opportunity to train a group 30 young people from Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. I have seen The New Africa; it is bold, it is fresh, it is formidable.  We spoke about leadership and Teamwork. In the young people's language – "it was awesome!" They had the energy, the wit and the will to make a difference in a world of broken dreams. In those youthful faces, I saw the future of the region; no, I saw the future of Africa.  The future of Africa is in a determined new start, a great new beginning that promises nothing of the past. In that room, perhaps for the first time in a long time, I saw the hope of a generation - one people, one country – one Africa. That Africa resides in the hearts of people who know who they are, who harbor no bitterness and all they want is a chance to make a difference. That Africa lies in the innocent belief that, "if I work hard enough and be the best I can be, I will become all that I was meant to be and be a blessing to all the world". I could not see color or country in that room. Yet in that space was character, competence and courage to change Africa -indeed courage to change the world! It made me wish I was young again, but again I am thankful that God gave me a chance to see the future established by a great new team of managers at GT.

Allan Bukusi

Enterprise

Enterprise; make something that will attract its own finance.

Allan Bukusi

When you get rich

When you get rich or get an education, you see things differently.

Allan Bukusi

LETS CHANGE THE MESSAGING OF AFRICA

I have begun reading yet another book about Africa and I am struck by the urgency of the need to change the messaging of the continent to one that is forward looking, empowering and God-full. We need to change the message from poverty to prosperity, from potential to productivity and from hope to harvest.

Indeed, we must be sensitive to the sufferings of our people in the past and to the present needs on continent, but at the same time, we must accept the responsibility to work out solutions to overcome the situations we face.  We must work out our own salvation to guarantee this nation a.future. If we do not do this, others will come and plague, pillage and plunder us again and again - even as we call for "help".

Rebrand your mind and let not the slavery, colonialism, despotism  and the poverty of the past define you. Rise up by the renewing of your mind, the salvation of the heart and redemption of your soul. In this condition you will raise up children who are born free and empower men and women to think well of themselves, do no evil to others and advance the nation of Africa. Then perhaps we will understand that Africa is not a God forsaken land, but a land that God will not forsake.

Allan Bukusi     

Feedback & vision

Feedback may damage your ego; but a vision affirms your soul.

Allan Bukusi

Trees that bloom come from seeds. Seeds that grow into trees never move from place to place.

Trees that bloom come from seeds. Seeds that grow into trees never move from place to place.

Allan Bukusi

 

Opportunity is shrouded by problems

Opportunity is shrouded by problems

Allan Bukusi

CBLC, transforming Industry

On the 10^th of September 2014 PAC University signed a collaboration agreement with MANAGEMENT DECISION INFORMATION, MDI to establish the Corporate Business Leadership Centre, CBLC. This new venture will open up a new market for PAC University to transform the corporate world through leadership & skill development programs and engage society and the economy at an unprecedented level And makes PAC University a first mover in terms of innovative leadership programs to serve a hungry market.

The strength of this partnership draws on PAC University capacity and resources base as an institution of higher learning to deliver superior globally accredited qualifications and MDI competence and experience as a Management Training and Consultancy service provider to large and medium size corporate clients over the past two decades. The collaboration will serve to bridge the gap between Academics and Industry through the provision of empowering short training programs and consultancy assignments.

Some people have expressed surprise that PAC University has the capacity and competence to deliver transformative programs to the business world. Indeed the university has strong historic Bible and theological roots – this is a big plus for the university in terms of training society on values and integrity. However, PAC University also has vibrant undergraduate and postgraduate business classes that send out Business graduates into the market every year. CBLC is an important indicator of PAC University's commitment to serve the whole man and play a responsible role in the economy and in transforming society.

CBLC responds to the need described by a director of the vision 2030 secretariat in the Nation Newspaper of 8^th September 2014 titled, "To achieve Vision 2030, we must align manpower training and industry needs". The article points out the gap in the market between industry needs and what educational institutions are supplying to the market, but it also points out the grave inadequacies in skill competencies that lead to performance gaps and productivity shortfalls in the economy.  CBLC sets out to close this gap and empower all types of organizations and institutions in society to achieve not only vision 2030, but also transform society to realize its full potential.

CBLC has a very clear mission; to research, design, develop and deliver training and consultancy programs to transform the market. The aim is to harness the universities intellectual capital to help resolve industry needs and challenges as well as create wealth through the use of knowledge to create value in the economy.

 CBLC will be headed by Allan Bukusi as its CEO. He is also the MD of MDI and formerly the founding CEO of the Professional Trainers Association of Kenya, PTAK. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Human Resources Management, IHRM and has over two decades experience training and empowering leadership teams of large and medium size corporate organizations in the economy in leadership, performance management and strategy development. Allan has written several books on leadership and personal development including How To Lead Corporate Transformation, Training for Transformation, Family Strategy, Management, Managing Time, Managing Money and his bestselling employee development classic – How To Prosper in Employment;  a House, a Spouse & a Cow. As the Chief Trainer, Allan is responsible for Research, design, developing and delivering transformative programs to industry. Allan holds a BSc, PGDE and MA in Leadership & Enterprise.

 

Choice is not freedom if you have no capacity to handle the options.

Choice is not freedom if you have no capacity to handle the options.

Allan Bukusi

The Law has never changed anyone;

The law has never changed anyone. Only the heart can do that. The law in a book is useful, but the law of the heart is fruitful.

Allan Bukusi

At the Core of Creation is an Idea

The core of creation is an idea. The core of leadership is thinking. Leaders think of ideas which they use to create reality.

Allan Bukusi

CBLC, Corporate Business Leadership Centre

PAC University VC, Prof. Margaret Muthwii & Mdi MD. Allan Bukusi, exchange agreement documents.  

10^th of September 2014 saw the realization of a long-standing dream. The signing of an agreement to operationalize the PAC University Corporate Business Leadership Centre or PAC University CBLC. The significant ceremony reflects the commitment of PAC University to provide services that respond to Kenya’s and Africa’s socio-economic needs and spearhead the transformation of Africa through leadership development programs. The brief ceremony was witnessed by University HODs and the MANAGEMENT DECISION INFORMATION training and business consulting team. The mission of the new unit is to research, develop, design and deliver training and consultancy programs to transform industry. Zachariah says do not despise the day of small things – we look forwards to the great things the grace of God will permit us to do for our Country Kenya and Africa.

To achieve Vision 2030, we must align manpower training and industry needs

On the 8^th of September, the Daily Nation carried an article by Dr. Omar Mohammed on its opinion page (13), that perhaps for the first time signified the realization at higher levels of government that there is need for specific training interventions in the Kenyan economy to realize Vision 2030. The article clearly outlined the glaring skill gaps and suggested that the achievement of Vision 2030 is impossible unless these gaps are closed. Dr. Omar Mohammed, who is director of the economic pillar, Vision 2030 Delivery secretariat, may have been outlining his job description, but he did make it clear that he is calling on other institutions to refocus their business processes and activity designs to help close the yawning gaps in the economy to help realize the Vision 2030 dream. He decried the lack of a, “well thought-out framework that should connect the curriculum of the learning institutions and the practicalities of the workplace”.  Exactly two days later on 10^th September 2014, PAC University and MANAGEMENT DECISION INFORMATION, a management training & consultancy firm, signed an agreement to open the Corporate Business Leadership Centre, CBLC whose mission is to research, develop, design, and deliver training and consultancy programs to transform industry. As if reading from the exact same script this new body will address to itself to the specific challenges outlined by Dr. Omar Mohammed to realize vision 2030. We wish CBLC every success in this initiative.

    

Leadership is meaningless if life has no purpose.

Leadership is meaningless if life has no purpose. If leadership has no purpose then life is meaningless.

Allan Bukusi

 

Humanity has the capacity to exercise free will, but does not have the ability to handle it.

Humanity has the capacity to exercise free will, but does not have the ability to handle it.

Allan Bukusi

The biggest favor you can do for everyone, including you, is develop yourself.

The biggest favor you can do for everyone, including you, is develop yourself.

Strive to be King!

Leadership is ordained of God. Without leadership, man sells his soul and gives up the right and role to rule. A man should strive at all times to exercise leadership for his own betterment and the welfare of those around him as a duty, a task and a responsibility. To give up this role is to give up your soul and lose your identity.

The mantle of leadership s heavy and the calling strong. Many cannot bear the weight because of weakness of character and faintness of soul. Nevertheless, there are those who will take advantage of the death of the spirit to burden the weak and oppress the poor. It behooves us all to recover the post and determine the lot of the few or many even though it may only be at a great personal cost.

Though some would give up leadership or pursue it for fleeting pleasures, leadership is inextricably entwined in a man’s life. Just as man’s work is cast in lot, so is leadership the only hope he has got. To be a leader is noble, to lead is divine. Without leadership, men lose dignity, bearing and all. As one leader to another, we can rule the world, but as follower-to-follower, many go astray and many more are lost. Leadership is to what followers feel entitled, but will only realize if one, steps forward from the crowd. Leadership is a spirit, an attitude a cause and a result.

As leaders, we are kings but as followers, we can be slaves of slaves. Leadership is good; with it, we fight evil, without it, we become evil. Leadership is an investment of soul and the kingship of all. Leadership brings order to a situation, the way a King orders his kingdom. Leadership is what is in you that all men can see, admire, respect and honor. Leadership is the philosophy of Kings – Strive to be King!

-Anonymous

Take your faith to the field

Until you can take your faith to the field, you are still growing, infirm and insecure. When you do take your faith to the field – you will mature.

Allan Bukusi

If you want to live a long time..

If you want to live a long time plant a tree. If you want to live forever, teach the next generation to plant a tree.

Allan Bukusi

If you like what you are...

If you like what you are, look at the company you keep. If you don't like what you have become, consider the books you read.

Allan Bukusi

The Situation

Situations are resolved, problems are solved. Situations require leadership, problems can be dealt with by management. Solutions are short term, resolution is long term. You can cure malaria by taking medication, but it takes vision to eradicate the disease.

Allan Bukusi

From the upcoming book - Understanding Leadership

Mr. President – Please Industrialize Kenya!

Mr. President, with due respect sir, you cannot create 6 million jobs, but you can create an industrial revolution that will supply Kenyans with jobs for a generation. We already have the basic infrastructure in place to ensure that Kenyans can be gainfully employed into the foreseeable future. All we need is a strategy.

Mr. President you are a politician and you need votes to stay in office and so naturally, you make job creation your first priority. I can understand that. But Sir is giving people jobs sustainable? In your letter (The STAR on Monday), you quoted job creation figures that hardly surpassed several thousand. However, as a nation we need millions of Jobs. One version of a Chinese fishing proverb says, "give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, however, if you teach a man to fish and you will feed a family for a lifetime". Give Kenyans jobs and you will feed them for your term in office. However, should you train them to create jobs, they will feed themselves for a generation.

Your Excellency, the government has done a great deal to educate, train and prepare youth for employment. The middle level colleges that used to train youth for enterprise have been turned into universities. Perhaps it is time to review the strategy of preparing the youth for non-existent employment by taking a fresh angle to the challenge. We need a strategy that will embed industrialization into the DNA of the Kenyan economy.  Please allow me to share with you just three strategies that will help create an industrialized nation in just one generation. As you wrote we can learn from others, but our strategy must be unique to our circumstances.

County strategy

We have been gifted with 47 governance zones under a new constitution. These counties can form the basis of industry creation by spreading industries right across the nation. With a "One County, One Product" strategy each county can identify one product they will produce in the county and develop expertise to deliver to the nation and the globe. A national coordination team can be set up to coordinate this initiative so that counties do not engage in destructive competition. Alongside the major county product, each county can select a secondary product with which they can collaborate with another county to develop and market regionally. These industrial zones can reflect kibbutz in Israel. The beauty with this strategy is that each county has a unique profile. In addition industrialization will immediately spread across the whole country and need not be centered in the "industrial areas" of cities. The national office can attach industrial advisors to each county to help steer industrialization initiatives and facilitate global marketing campaigns. The country will have an automatic product portfolio of 47 products.

Turn universities into industries!

There are over 60 universities in our country. Despite the production of high end education graduates, they send out personnel into a non-existent labor market. Instead of sending out unemployable graduates let us turn these universities into industries. Allow me to illustrate my point. The story is told of a chicken thief who did not steal for money or to get rich. He stole because of a craving he had for eating chicken. He engaged in this practice every weekend. On one occasion a friend of his found him eating a chicken and advised the thief to raise his own chicken. The thief told his friend that he had no time to raise chicken, but before his friend let he asked his friend if he knew what the farmers did with those "brown and white" balls that the chicken were always sitting on.

Universities produce employees, but are sitting on huge capacity to produce entrepreneurs. Realizing that potential will require a little creativity, but first we must make sense of the university graduate output. We need to match graduate production to national needs otherwise, we literally aggravate the unemployment situation with every graduation ceremony. Again the national industrialization coordination team can conduct continuous research to advise universities and professional sector graduate production quotas that will drive industrialization.

While universities have proved their competence to produce potential employees, they have been somehow unable to produce research and enterprise value. By attaching each university to a county to aid in productive research for county development and engage both private and public companies to develop products, services, innovations, and provide specialized labor for specific industries universities can become production houses. Unless universities engage with industries, they will remain white elephants. Unfortunately, we have closed down our middle level colleges that used to provide this engagement with industry. Let universities create, invent register and sell patents. Let universities engage industries and actively participate in the  development of this country from developing sidewalks to creating industry software to developing solar panels for energy generation. Nevertheless, to do these things universities may need CEOs who can make money from the knowledge the institutions produce. Just as doctors no longer make the best hospital CEOs.

Kenya School of Industrialization & Enterprise  

The final strategy is a tried and tested approach Kenya has used with to great effect. Open the Kenya Industrialization & Enterprise College. It is no secret that Kenya's achievements in Tourism has been successfully served for a long time by Utalii College. Utalii has provided hands on skills to a generation of hotel industry employees and entrepreneurs.  Graduates leave complete with hotel experience! By opening a college dedicated to Industrialization, we will harness the strategy used by Demming to create an industrial quality revolution in Japan after the second world war that is still serving that country well to date. The school of industrialization will have one mandate - to produce entrepreneurs and  industrialists who will not look for jobs but create jobs! Banks can latch onto this development by developing and availing venture capital products to fund graduating entrepreneurs and found industries.

Allan Bukusi

 

 

 

 

Finding Solutions for Africa

The last few weeks have seen high-powered meetings called to discuss one or other important issue at the national, county and corporate level. One such meeting was called to discuss the funding of Agriculture and attended by the Vice President. These important meetings remind me of a meeting called by the gods.

“Not long ago in the world of spirits, there came about a famine. People were no longer praying to the gods. This caused great consternation to the gods to the extent that they called a meeting to pray about it. At the meeting, each of the gods stood and expressed their concerns over the grave matter. Finally, the great gathering was called to prayer. Suddenly a deep silence settled on the hall as each god considered to whom they should pray. Since they were the normal recipients of prayers, they could not think of anyone to whom they should pray. Eventually since they could not agree to whom they should pray, the meeting ended in disarray. “

This story explains why many meetings called to address pressing issues do not come out with workable resolutions to real problems. Instead of focusing on the solution, meetings are simply called to express the concerns of various parties about the problem. While this may be important, these meetings hardly resolve the issues that require people with the heart to work hard and follow through with a solution. It also begs the question whether the people discussing the problem are competent to resolve the core issue.  Indeed leadership issues are complex, but problems solving cannot take place at a meeting. Steve Jobs, a man who is credited with exceptional leadership ability and resolving major technology challenges in three global industries says, “When you first look at a problem, it seems easy because you don’t know much about it, he said. Then, you get into the problem and you see it’s really complicated and you come up with all these convoluted solutions. Most people stop there. But the key is to keep going, he said, until you find the underlying principle of the problem and sort of come full circle with a beautiful, elegant solution that works.” (Blumenthal)

Obviously, Jobs was a man of superior intellect, but he has left us a code to get a solution that works. The reason Africa’s problems repeat themselves and become the subject of meeting after meeting is that the issue is forgotten, pushed aside immediately after the meeting or may be provided with a “convoluted” solution that does not work.  Nobody follows through. Most of us stop at the resolutions passed by the meeting and fail to “keep going” to find the underlying principle of the problem.

The discussion of funding for agriculture and genetically modified foods reminded me of President Mutharika’s agriculture miracle in Malawi several years ago. In a few short years, he was able to turn the country into a self-sufficient-surplus producing breadbasket. One would have thought that the solution should have been sustainable – not so. The underlying principle of the problem does not seem to have been resolved. We are unable to create a beautiful, elegant solution that works. Many of our solutions are convoluted answers to ostensibly simple questions.

The gods never solved the problem because they did not address the famine. The fact that the people were experiencing a famine was the issue, not prayers. Problems in Africa may persist because no one goes back to the ground to the root of the problem to research, design and actually create a solution that works.

Our significant weakness in addressing national issues in meeting after meeting, is our lack of commitment and courage to do something about it. This is what Adadevoh calls the, “inward flaw that makes many Africans shy away from taking responsibility for changing their situation”. This may sound like a harsh and unfair judgment of Africa’s leadership situation, but evidently, our problems continue to persist predictably in the same form year after year. Many of these problems do not require dramatic intervention to eradicate. But they do require disciplined, dedicated self-sacrificing men and women to create beautiful, elegant solutions that work on the ground. The reason why Nike and Kenyan athletes work together so well is they just do it! However, creating solutions is far beneath the role of gods.

Allan Bukusi

 

Economics and opportunity do not always walk together

Economics and opportunity do not always walk together.

 

Allan Bukusi

DETERMINED TO FAIL!

I never thought it was practical that anyone should determine to fail. But life has proved me wrong enough times to appreciate that some people just will not win, put in effort or work hard. Not only is that true, but some people actually labor to subvert victory, divert success and refuse to learn from failure. I have no clue as to the motive of this suicidal mission apart from the fact that they perhaps do not like themselves or do not like someone else and so set out on a mission to spite that person. You will find these people everywhere among the poor, the rich, the educated and the illiterate. Among them is a cynical spirit that craves attention but is unwilling to take direction. It afflicts drug addicts as much as it does CEOs. It lives among young people and perhaps more so among mature people too. The situation is hopeless because only one person can stop it - and they know it!

Allan Bukusi

Steve Jobs

I have just finished reading a very readable biography of Steve Jobs (Blumenthal). I never met him, but I have met his machines. My art directors will work with nothing else. It is amazing how one life can touch so many and never know their names.

The man was very spiritual. He fasted and walked a lot, Zen and ate vegetables – carrots. I don't know whether that contributed to his intellect, but it certainly made him stand out – odd. His dress covered his body, but that was just about all. Shorts, bare foot and slippers did not interfere with his passions for perfection. Limited education, but unlimited enterprise. It is hard to describe the feisty character that bore out of those blue eyes. But I have seen that fire in at least one other of may adopted heroes.

What do make of him. That is your score. What do you learn from him? He did not like God very much and may have refused to believe in him, but he did talk about him. I love what he says about focus; saying NO to everything else. In addition, I like what he says about simplicity – it is the ultimate sophistication. I wonder who got more out of life Steve or Woz? I don't want to be like Steve Jobs, but I do want to make difference!

Allan Bukusi

Leadership is the first duty of man.

Leadership is the first duty of man. This is not original an original idea (Genesis 1: 26)

Allan Bukusi

Let us Rebuild the Future!

The good old days entice us to look back to the past for answers. We are so captured by ancient beauty that we miss the opportunity to create grand new meaningful change for the future.

Allan Bukusi

When the gods met to pray!?

Some time ago in the world of gods there came a great famine. Prayers from men and women were hard to get, few and far between. People no longer saw the need to pray. The houses of the gods fell into a terrible state of decay. The situation got so bad that they decided to meet and pray about it. The gods met and discussed why people do not pray. "People no longer pray because they don't get answers" said one. "People don't pray because they do not know we are here" said another. "They don't pray because we don't pray" said a third. "So to whom should we pray?". The meeting went on for several hours, but because they were gods and could not agree that they should pray, the meeting ended in disarray.  

Allan Bukusi

Leadership: World Cup 2014: Germany!

Right from the start, my heart was and still is with Argentina, but my head knew from the facts that the Germans had an unmatched technical game. I am a great fan of the “underdog”. I love the “David and Goliath” story and I would love to relive it every day of my life even though I know that won’t do. The tension in the game was not whose side was I on. My battle was who is going to settle the agonizing war between my head and my heart.  When Germany final won, I said to myself, “I knew it”. When Argentina lost – I felt great pain and am tempted to call it unfair! These two teams played a great game and taught us leaders a huge lesson. Congratulations Germany and well-done Argentina!

This heart-wrenching final helped me answer the question my politics professor loves to ask, “Why don’t leaders always make decisions based on what they know to be true?” You have to be a leader to know what is going on here. Do you make decisions based on data or do you make decisions based on what you want to do? Why do we ignore facts and statistics and dare to hope for the best?  As a leader, you must answer these agonizing questions and decide how you want to decide, every time you make a decision.

However, the whole tournament has set the tone and agenda for football, sports and I dare say leadership for the next four years. It has provided a huge feast for leadership gurus and armchair philosophers alike. Everyone can talk about teamwork and name specific matches to illustrate their point.  This is good for sports and this is good for leadership. Here are some of the take-aways; “a competition is a ruthless place to test your level of preparation”, “there is history and there is hope”, “there is a difference between philosophy and competence”, “one goal makes a difference, but one player makes a difference too”. “Number three is a good too! In fact, it is not just good it is great!” – if you want more you have to analyze all 63 games! And all the 32 teams that made the feast possible!

Allan Bukusi

Honesty

Honesty; when your head and your heart agree.

Allan Bukusi

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - in the County

If your county is not already on the road to prosperity, you should be concerned because within the next few years every county in Kenya will come under global scrutiny. Judgment day for non-performing counties will be pretty severe while county residents themselves will be very unforgiving with promise defaulters.

While global institutions will be looking for success models to show of to the rest of the world, citizens will have to decide if the county governments have made them any richer or made them better off in any way. The judgment call for county administration and governors will be, “what prosperity have you brought to us?” The answer to that question will determine who goes home, who stays on and who comes in next. At the very least countians will want to record a specific reduction in poverty levels and improvement in essential services like hospitals and convenient access to public goods such as water and identity cards.

County administrations do not have much time to make these realities real. While county governments can make promises that they expect the executive to deliver, the challenge is that there is both a political and administrative component to this delivery that may not be well coordinated or even fully appreciated. Elected officials may fail to deliver because their administrative teams are ill equipped to deliver or vice versa. Counties that deliver services without conducting a baseline surveys will waste public funds.

County governments need to develop and implement policies that bring prosperity to citizens and not themselves. Administrations would also be wise to develop and implement strategic plans to transform the county, rather than raise funds through toll stations and parking tickets to pay staff. These basic assessments will help countians predict whether their county falls among the good, the bad or the ugly in the country.

Nevertheless, counties that will make the “good” grade will go further to develop available resources to the extent that countians benefit from industry and economic activity brought into existence that improves their way of life. By delivering public goods such as roads, abattoirs and clean markets, counties will create wealth by encouraging entrepreneurial activity within the countydom. Of course, this will require the empowerment of county administrations to deliver services not as a bureaucracy, but as an efficient corporate entity overseeing the transformation of the county from poverty to prosperity. County administrations that do not develop professional teams to deliver efficient services will not be able to transform their counties to any extent. Those that don’t deliver services can only hope to be classed as bad.

If your county has done the basics and settled down to the business of serving countians rather than impeaching each other,  rolling out a strategic plan and focusing on making good laws then there is hope to escape the bad and be classed as good. However, to excel each county will have to think bigger than itself and establish its value contribution to Kenya. In other words, in order to advance the country, county leaders will have to encourage their people to think like citizens and not countians. This may turn out to be a huge challenge for some counties.

For some “unexplainable” reason, our county boundaries closely mirror, ethnic concentrations. These ethnographic counties present us with a “country and county” loyalty paradox. Counties that are open to diversity protect the interests and the right of the minority to own property and participate in county activity. These counties welcome ethnic diversity. However, those counties that pass laws, implement policy and encourage practices that exclude minorities, visitors and investors will automatically fall among the ugly. Ingrown counties can hardly expect to experience growth through new ideas, innovation or enterprise.

The measure of ethnic community acceptance levels is quite visible at weddings and funerals. In closed cultures, these occasions are conducted exclusively in the local dialect despite the presence of friends, workmates as well as both local and international guests. Unfortunately, this practice is both rampant and embarrassing among communities that are insensitive to the participation of outsiders. Though such communities may not be accused of ethnic violence, they will have mastered the crime of “ethnic arrogance”. Victims are reminded by behavior, language and gesture that they are guests at the pleasure of the ethnic majority and not by right of citizenship. We will have to wait to see the county diversity scorecards to judge which is the best county to live and invest in and which county is least tolerant of other communities. Those that consider their county to be an ethnocentric zone will appear ugly in the eyes of the globe.

Allan Bukusi

 

7 Solutions to the Saba Saba debate!

Full Story below - Published in The STAR Newspaper of Monday 7/7/2014 

Saba Saba began as a movement for constitutional reform back in 1990. It heralded the maturing of political expression in the public domain and ushered in the next generation of leaders in Kenya’s history. While the Saba-Saba debate has arrested the attention of the nation, we must not trivialize our response to the major concerns of law, employment and wealth creation the debate raises. This article explains how Kenyans can ensure that the country takes a progressive non-violent path through the Saba-Saba debate drawing insights from economic principles, current global leadership thinking and historical wisdom to achieve national prosperity.

Background

In 2010, a majority public vote at a national referendum gave Kenya a new constitution.  The first government, elected under the new constitution in 2013, has the duty to deal with all the teething problems of power in the new order. The two major challenges of this new order are 1) governance and 2) the distribution of wealth. While devolution has brought administration closer to the people, it has not brought about expected prosperity. Recent terror attacks on innocent citizens have compounded public insecurity, frustration and unhappiness. In this context, the people are looking for salvation and security from anyone who promises peace and prosperity.

On the other hand the national vision promises, “A globally competitive and prosperous nation with a high quality of life by 2030”. But, what is the meaning of “prosperous” and do Kenyans feel they are moving to a higher quality of life? As we respond to the core and contextual issues of the debates, we need to examine how prosperity, politics and power contribute to the current stalemate.

Prosperity

Prosperity is often thought to be the possession of material wealth. However, recent thinking suggests that there is more to prosperity than mere property.  The UN Human Development Index includes the elements such as; security, political and economic freedoms - even happiness to measure prosperity. When these soft factors are included, nations that rank high in GDP (financial wealth) like USA and China drop in world ranking falling behind nations like Norway and Australia. For a nation to enjoy prosperity that prosperity must be available to all citizens and provide opportunity for everyone to escape poverty. However, when the government borrows billions of dollars to build huge projects, this translates into higher taxes on public income. When this happens, national prosperity comes into direct conflict with personal prosperity and makes people unhappy.

Politics

Effective politics requires leaders sensitive to public needs and concerns. Nonetheless, political leaders sometimes lack the wisdom to design or implement policy that generates national prosperity. The tragedy of bad politics is that it creates bad laws that create bad economics that open doors to corruption. Insincere leaders use politics to pass laws that don not result in the public good. For example, it would be interesting to find out how many Kenyans are “happy” with the bill that allows men to marry countless women.  But even “good” policy can have the same effect as bad laws. For example, high tariffs on imported goods such as petroleum in the interest of protecting the local market from low quality items, allows wealthy companies to organize cartels to regulate the trade in those goods. The object of politics should not be good law, but prudent law.

Power

Power is the control of resources, the capacity to enforce law, the guarantor of justice and the patron of privilege. The moment a government turns that force against its citizens it causes anxiety, insecurity and loses legitimacy. Nevertheless, many people seek power to enjoy positions of privilege and exercise the privilege of power. In Kenya’s case, the public may have to bear with the challenges of devolution and jostling for power for some time to come, but must be very keen to differentiate between power hungry wolves and true shepherds of the flock.

Principles of National Prosperity

National prosperity depends on the state of the “politico-socio-economic-stability”. Instability can cause a revolution. The Saba-Saba debate has raised ethnic tensions, but the gap between national and personal prosperity does require urgent attention. So how does a nation with 40% unemployment, 42 million people, 44 ethnic tribes and 47 counties achieve prosperity? The answer requires Solomonic wisdom. Fortunately, the prosperity of Solomon’s kingdom is well documented. It began with a prayer for wisdom. 

The king engaged 1) Wisdom; insight into matters of leadership, justice and statecraft. 2) Divine favor; The King entreated Gods favor. 3) Peace; War of any sort is a drain on a nation’s wealth. The PEV of 2008 is merely a case in point. Violence kills prosperity by diverting resources away from economic activity. 4) Free enterprise; There are in fact three types of enterprise. Productive enterprise is the use of ones God given gifts to create value for others in line with Adam Smith’s model. For this process to yield maximum results, it must be “free” of manipulation. Unfortunately, Kenya’s economic process is flooded with middlemen. Destructive production is theft! Theft deprives one person of their wealth and puts it in the possession of another without adding any value to the economy.  War, political bickering and ethnic violence are all forms of destructive production. Unproductive enterprise is the use of policy to muzzle enterprise in order to protect markets to favor privileged interest groups. Kenyan parliamentarians recently changed the law to increase their own salaries. I am not sure this inspired citizens to pay income tax. 5) Employment; While 40% unemployment is unacceptably high, those with jobs contribute very little wealth to national prosperity. This is the unfortunate tragedy of the Kenyan employee who is unable to create any personal wealth after a lifetime of work. However, unemployment also contributes large populations of idle human capital to roam cities.

Conclusion
In conclusion, we recommend to following economic solutions to the debate;

1.   Select Presidents, Senators, MPs and MCAs and leaders who can entreat the favor of God to bless our nation with wealth.

2.    Employ wise men and women; competent experts and specialists in their own fields to manage national resources.

3.    Unleash the entrepreneur. USA has 6 enterprises for every 100 people, Kenya has only 3 registered enterprises for every 1000 people! Encourage and protect the entrepreneur. Do not burden them with high taxes or administrative legislation that discourages them to take risks and exercise their creative gifting.

4.     Make good laws that ensure prompt justice. Remove bad laws that create fear, insecurity and unhappiness. Weed out poor legislators and teach lawmakers to enact policy that counters corrupt and immoral practices. Repeal laws that protect monopolies, middlemen and rent seekers.

5.     Make government bureaucracy open, transparent, user friendly and available to serve the public without prejudice and ensure that public works do not appear to serve private or sectarian interests. 

6.     Promote peaceful coexistence in families, among neighbors, ethnic groups and pursue peace with all neighboring countries.

 

7.     Teach employees how to create wealth and address the mismatch between educated (schooled) graduates and unemployment in the economy to engage idle human capital in industry

In addition, from all our leaders we will require the added measure of visionary leadership, personal maturity and patriotism.

God Bless Kenya

Allan Bukusi,

 June 2014