HAVE YOU CHANGED

HAVE YOU CHANGED

Change is the difference between where you are and where you have come from. The difference between where you are and where you want to go is imagination.

Allan

WHY I NEED TEN THOUSAND IDEAS

WHY I NEED TEN THOUSAND IDEAS

Only one in ten of my ideas ever get off the ground. Only one in a hundred gets established. However, maybe one in a thousand ever earns a profit. Logic tells me that I should give up. On the contrary, I think up thousands of ideas to increase my chances of success.

Allan

The DREAM TEAM

The DREAM TEAM

A man who keeps his word and a woman of virtue make a great team.

Allan

 

JUST START AGAIN

JUST START AGAIN

I don't know if you have ever felt the frustration of trying to correct something that began on the wrong foot. Deep down you know that the beginning was poor, but you secretly keep hoping that things will work out, and that someone else will correct the problem. You spend a great deal of energy working on repairs, fire fighting and unclogging systems blocks. You pay penalties for inefficiency and have to do something over several times before it comes out the way you want. But even then, you know it is not the best. This can go on for years and decades and in some countries for centuries. Deep down you know what you should do. You should start again. You should start again and lay a new foundation for the future you want to build. It does not matter how long this has been going on, nothing will change until you start again. I know because I have had to start again in one department after fifteen years. Don't let yours get this bad.

Allan

 

TRANSFORMATION IS A GERM

TRANSFORMATION IS A GERM

Transformation begins with a germ of an idea that is sustained by values until the environment changes.

Allan

I can do all things...

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

TIME IN AFRICA

TIME IN AFRICA

Many people find it hard to understand time keeping in Africa. And I do agree that Africans are blessed with more time than the west could ever hope for. However, I have observed two things that may ease the burden of some, and quicken the success of others. If the event is focused and of great enough value, there will be no issue with managing time. But if the event is not focused and punitive, keeping time will remain a serious challenge.

Allan

WHY YOU NEED TO BE INSPIRED

 TO BE INSPIRED

Inspired is when you do what you could not do without it.

Allan

FROM NIGHT TO LIGHT

FROM NIGHT TO LIGHT

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep. That deep is the deep inside us. We know it is there. We so much want to yank it out, draw it out and lure it out. We want to turn the night into light. That is how it is with our potential. It is damp, dark and formless. Until it emerges in our gifting, talent, interest and abilities that propel us into the light. Only then does our night turn to light. But someone has to say it; Let there be light!

Allan

FRUIT & TREES

FRUIT & TREES

We planted some fruit trees more than five years ago. We have not eaten from the pear tree, but I have eaten from the apricot, the golden apple, the guava and loquat tree. My children have no idea of the effort that went into planting, watering and so on. They just love the fruit. All the fruit taste different and come in different seasons so we find ourselves rotating from tree to tree every other month. And I forgot, we also have plum trees, oranges and papaya.  I am still waiting for the pears to give us something but I often wonder about how I am doing with bearing fruit. Is someone waiting for me like I am waiting for the pear tree or are they enjoying the fruit from me. Planting trees is hard work, but the real value of a tree is its fruit – so my children tell me.

Allan

LIVE WHAT IS TRUE

LIVE WHAT IS TRUE

Living a virtue in today's glitter and glow is a challenge for a man or woman who would be true. But perhaps there is not greater victory in this life than to live what you believe and is true.

Allan

 

JUST FOR THAT ONE DAY

THAT ONE DAY

Some days are cold and dark. Some days are dank and dry. Some days are drawn out and most days don't make sense. Then there comes that one day. That one day when the dawn rays cut through the clouds and for a moment you doubt what you see. You don't believe the joy you want to feel and you think that today is just another dream. But the sun is determined to come out, shine for you, and ray your faith, hope and joy. And for once, the day turns out to be all you want it to be. You don't have to grope around. It is light and the night has taken flight. It is the day you live for and the day that many die for. It is the end of the trial, the end of the war and the end of the fight. It is the day we long for. The end of the struggle, the study and the sweat. On that one day, we will be freed, redeemed, believed. On that one day.

Allan

DO MORE

DO MORE

Do not just do enough to get by. Do more than is enough to get ahead.

Allan

BETWEEN BELIEFS & BEHAVIOUR

BETWEEN BELIEFS & BEHAVIOR

The space between beliefs and behavior is filled by values.

Allan

THE MEASURE OF VALUE

THE MEASURE OF VALUE

To test the value of a thing, measure its virtue.

Allan

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE AND WHAT DO YOU VALUE

BELIEFS AND VALUES

You believe what you think. You do what you value. What you believe influences your thoughts.  Your values dictate your actions.  Beliefs help you argue, values help you behave. Beliefs are outside you. Values come from inside you. The two are very close together but what you believe, you probably learned, and what you value, you most likely earned.

Allan

THE POWER OF VALUES

THE POWER OF VALUES

When values are compared with results, method, any form of achievement or anything else; they qualify everything else as worthwhile or worthless, useful or useless and either good or bad.

Allan

TRANSFORMING ORGANIZATIONS

TRANSFORMING ORGANIZATIONS

To transform an organization, find out what the people value and you will get all the support you need to drive the agenda.

Allan

THE MEASURE OF INTEGRITY

THE MEASURE OF INTEGRITY

All true religion is good, upright and disciplined. It seeks after God.  Religion does not define you; your lifestyle that tells me who you are. Religion and values are not the same. Religion is what you believe. Values are what you live. Your words fool no one if your life speaks differently. If the two are one, you have a chance at integrity.

Allan

 

LEAD FOR JUST ONE DAY

LEAD FOR JUST ONE DAY

Leadership is more than giving instructions; it is doing what you instruct. Leadership is more than giving directions; it is guiding along the way. Leadership is the art of bringing everyone else to where you are. Leadership is not what you give; it is what you take. If you are not changing them, you are entertaining them. It is not easy but it is worth every bit of effort when you touch one life and make it better even just for one day.

Allan

 

MY TRUE LOVE

TO A WAYWARD CHILD AND A WICKED FRIEND

When you grow up to be big and strong and face the truth of all you had to say today. And when you can do it all on your own and need nobody to show you the way…

When you have a home and car of your own. And recall how you forced your way with rights not your own. Or when you finally stop to think of how freely you spent money that was really on loan…

When you remember that, you had more time for foes and less for friends. And sense that, you may have caused just a little pain…

Then, when you find out who funded your great escapades…  And even if I am dead and gone when it dawns on you that I am not the enemy, it will be good for you to know that I forgave you long, long, long ago.

Allan

IT IS A RULE OF LIFE

An acquaintance of mine makes it his mission in life tell me when the job is too hard, the study too much, and the work too...that! And the food too little. I don't really enjoy his visits. He is mystified by my unwillingness to agree with him that life should be easier. I don't believe that life should be unduly harsh, but I have never seen a person who is afraid of work advance in life - at least not on earth. Never be afraid of work. It is a rule of the road and a rule of life. Nothing comes to you without it, and if it does, you don't deserve it and can never preserve it. 

 

Allan

PROFIT IS WHAT YOU TAKE FROM OTHERS

PROFIT IS WHAT YOU TAKE FROM OTHERS

An organization that creates value will outlive any business that focuses on profit. Organizations that focus on value create wealth. Those that focus on profit shift wealth. Wealth is what you make for others. Profit is what you take from them.

Allan

THE PURPOSE OF BUSINESS

THE PURPOSE OF BUSINESS

The purpose of business is not profit but to create wealth. The purpose of business is not to beat competition, but to create value. The purpose of any organization is to edify both you and me. Any business that does not do this robs both you and me. The only reason you can boast in business is that you have made this world a better place by creating value for all. Do not celebrate huge profits you take from your customers without creating value. Neither should customers consume value without creating wealth for the business; for nature, as surely as there is gravity, will right the balance. You cannot reap and keep what you have not sown. Celebrate the value you have created for all and you will have no fear of natures wrath. Robbing the poor and giving to the rich is no virtue. Nor is giving to the poor and robbing the rich anything but theft. By creating value that benefits all, you create wealth for us all. Get rid of the myth that wealth is limited and that you must compete for it or that to get rich you must beat someone else, or that in this world you must be either rich or poor. Wealth is created value. Create value and make us all rich.

Allan

TRAINING IS NOT ABOUT YOU

Training is not about what you know, it is about what the others understand.

 

Allan

TRAIN SOMEONE ELSE

Today I worked with a group of people I believe will become excellent trainers. I worked with people who I believe will have the power to transform the world around them. I worked with people who will take the words to the nations. Most of all I worked on me. I trained somebody to do what I could never do in one lifetime. I trained somebody else. I trained someone else. That is how I intend to reach the world. It did not start and neither will it end with me. All I did was share a part of me.

 Allan

WHERE TO LEARN PATIENCE

The best place to learn patience is in the family. Knowing that you can’t hire them, get rid of them, fire them or sack them, forces you to work with them. In the process, they work on you. You learn from your spouse and you learn from your children. Boys give you a different lesson from Girls. Study a man who claims to be impatient. You may find he (or she) has no time for family; else he would have learned these lessons long ago.

Allan

SUCH IS THE POWER OF LOVE

SUCH IS THE POWER OF LOVE

Love conquers the strongest among us; and makes us acknowledge the weakest around us. Such is the power of love.

Allan

FREE ADVICE

FREE ADVICE

Most of the free advice you get in life is useless. It is what you pay for that you work with.

Allan

WHEN TO QUIT

WHEN TO QUIT

Most people struggle with "when to quit" until retirement. And then never quit. And then just sort of die on the job. So when my friend Anthony said he was throwing in the towel, I congratulated him and asked him about his plans. Apart from letting him know that he was one of the bravest men I know, I asked him what his family made of his decision. When he told me that his family was in agreement, I knew for a fact, that he was on to something.  I then asked him if he was ready to go. He said he had been planning the move for several years and it was time to go. He had saved up enough money to keep his family alive for a year. I then asked him what he wanted to do. He said he would do what he had always wanted to do "write and speak".  When I asked him why he was quitting such a well paying job, he said, "I got what I came for, time is up, I need to go". Most of us never get to quit because we don't have a plan, a purpose or a project for life. We don't even know why we have a job.  When you have an answer for these four questions, it will be time to quit!

Allan

KEEP LEARNING

Learning never ends. Keep learning, growing and knowing more. It makes you a better leader- Any day!

Allan