DROUGHT, POLITICS & STRIKING WORKERS

The current predicament prevailing in Kenya is one that does warrant some scrutiny in detail. The trend of conditions indicate that though several players are pushing their interests and trying to create the advantage for themselves, the outcomes are really beyond all of them. The current global mood of intolerance does not favor strong international relations. In this environment every country is to fend for itself as everyone concentrates on their own business. In these circumstances I strongly recommend that we re-examine our national values and the spirit of our personal commitments to the land God has entrusted to us.

We know that drought is an (unfortunate) environmental phenomenon that man may bring about, but is certainly not in control of. Only God can right that wrong. Man is not in control of the elements and therefore his destiny is in the hands of God. Indeed, there are areas with no water; no crops and animals are dying in the fields. The people affected in these areas cannot vote in a government that will produce rain, nor will the award of higher rewards for striking workers produce crops in the fields.

There is a misplaced belief that politicians have the answer to the nation’s problems, but any set of politicians that will inherit leadership will be saddled with a government and a country to lead. I would be very careful in these circumstances and consider the fact that leadership at this time in the nation’s destiny would require divine intervention.  

The case of striking workers is one which entrepreneurs look on in pure wonder and amazement! No entrepreneur can go on strike. His or her livelihood depends solely on his or her own initiative. Save for the grace of God the entrepreneur has no recourse to his future. Employees, for some strange reason, entertain the privilege of unconditionally determining their pay. This is a most unfortunate circumstance in which no one benefits, people die, industry suffers and workers compromise their personal integrity.  Whether it is drought, politics, strikes or corruption the victims are the people. To my mind, these set of circumstances cannot be solved by any one man or even group of women. I beg you my people that it is time to seek the face of God.

Allan Bukusi is a leadership consultant and author of several eBooks

Thinking Leadership in Africa

How to Prosper in employment

Transforming Africa

The Master Trainer

The Strategic Business Forum

I have just worked through the essentials of the Strategic Business Forum with Harris. A Strategic Business Forum (SBF) is not a board, a stakeholders meeting or a think tank. Though it may appear to have similarities to all those institutions, the SBF has a core focus and specific purpose – to chart out a strategic path for businesses within a market. Those businesses may a) be facing a specific challenge within a market, b) wish to benefit from perspectives of other businesses under the same market conditions. c) SBFs can also be used to create industry direction and focus for the greater good (i.e. corporate success and survival rather than individual success). The motivation for participating in an SBF is in engineering the greater good rather than financial success.

FORM

The SBF is made up of entrepreneurs in the same market, but not the same industry who gather together to analyze and interpret global and macro environmental trends that affect and impact the  operations of their individual business(sectors) and try to determine a strategic framework that will ensure the survival and success of the (represented businesses) into the future.

KEY QUESTIONS

SBFs ask themselves several key questions that result in a strategic development framework for a business to craft a plan for its future survival and success;

1.  How have we survived so far? What have we done right in our businesses, what have we learned to do, what systems structures have we put in place that have enabled us to survive. (Do we have good products; do we have competitive systems, people, or just opportunities? Or are we just favored by fate?...)

2.  What are the global trends that could lead to the butterfly effect and impact us directly as a market?

3.  What are the current macro Social, Economic and Environmental (SEE) conditions that have immediate short or medium term impact on our operations as a business in this market?   

4.  Given the global trends and macro market conditions, what are the best and worst case scenarios that could emerge the medium term given these conditions.

5.    Given all the above; how can we position our businesses for survival and success in the prevailing environment and future environment. How can we proactively influence that future environment by creating models, designs and concepts that will mitigate the adverse effects of that future and advance positive survival in that environment.

6.   Finally, what strategic operational framework will enable businesses represented in the SBF to succeed and excel in future, by implementing those principles today?

From the outcomes of the six discussion guidelines above it should be clear that this forum cannot go on forever, unless it turns into a think tank with an unlimited range. It should also be clear that this discussion can be held without individual businesses fearing loss of their trade secrets to competitors and simply draws on the master mind that drives business in the market. Neither does the SBF guarantee specific outcomes. All the SBF does is to benefit from the multiple perspectives of common challenges faced by entrepreneurs within a market, industry, sub-sector, street or building. Nevertheless, it does give instrumental direction to (business) communities within a market, industry or social interest groups.  

DISRUPTION

The objectives of an SBF can be achieved in one meeting or in three or four meetings spread out over a few months. SBF members need to maintain the flexibility to engage and pursue their own business interest in order to generate value at the forum. However, since SBFs are not boards they can be “banded” and “disbanded” without any feelings of disloyalty. Indeed. If SBFs stay together for too long or meet too frequently they will begin to develop “constructive” rather than “disruptive” thinking and become convergent thinkers that will no longer benefit from divergence of their experience.

The SBFs harness concrete business sense and because the wisdom generated at the forum is from real players (entrepreneurs) and not market observers. Nonetheless, SBFs can benefit from perceptive consultants who can trigger insight on wider and “bigger” picture issues and complex considerations - You cannot see the full picture when you are in the frame.  

The SBF does not develop micro-operational plans for businesses, but it does provide food for individual business boards and senior managers to create specific action plans and policy framework to ensure the future survival of the business in the short to medium term. This means boards and senior management teams must ask themselves the transformational 7^th question – How does all of this apply to us and what are we going to do about it?

CONCLUSION

The SBF is a powerful market intelligence instrument and can serve to raise the success levels of businesses present by enabling entrepreneurs and senior managers to take strategic decisions with respect to market trends. Indeed effective SBFs in a given market can also influence the short and medium term direction of that market. The other benefits of SBFs include the development of strategic and problem solving industry skills and market mechanisms.    

Finally, the selection of persons making up an SBF is of great import in terms of the nature, quality and outcomes of the forum. The selection should be careful to harness diversity of thought experience, exposure, education and expertise. Nonetheless, this forum will benefit more from entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial mindset than seasoned leaders, managers or administrators. The process skill sets of an SBF are more or less the same as those of an effective brainstorming exercise documenting specific outcomes under each key question. An SBF can create a sound foundation for transformative action, a movement, community action or social commitment program.

Allan Bukusi is a leadership consultant and the author of the following eBooks

Thinking Leadership in Africa

How to Prosper in employment

Transforming Africa

The Master Trainer

Never say never!

I never thought I would ever want to be on a golf course for any reason. I thought that the concept of swinging a “bat” and searching tall grass for a “lost ball” was something that only people with nothing to do could spend time doing. But lo and behold – I am in! When I took my first swing at the club, I felt that I should have started this a long time ago. It was enjoyable and challenging at the same time. And of course, just like any other sport requires skill and a good sense of discipline.  Was I surprised? – Yes! Should I have been surprised?– Well no! Standing in the way for my opportunities was an attitude block. My misplaced assumptions about golf have kept me away from a chance to swing the club for 50 years! Save for the gentle nudging of David, It would never have happened. Sometimes you need friends like that. They don’t force you. They just let you try what you can do and what is good for you.

 Allan Bukusi is the author of the following eBooks

Thinking Leadership in Africa

How to Prosper in employment

Transforming Africa

The Master Trainer

The spirit of Entitlement

Of the all the spirits that affect the human condition the spirit of entitlement is the most dissident. Its disabling, dishonoring and demeaning of the capacity of humanity for greatness knows no bounds. This spirits’ ability to draw attention away from the substantive and attend to the ignoble is incorrigible. The spirit, once accepted is intransigent, demanding and inconsolable and will choke the carrier of life to misery and death. Not that it must be, but the spirit of entitlement makes you feel it is best.

Allan Bukusi is the author is the following eBooks

Thinking Leadership in Africa

How to Prosper in employment

Transforming Africa

The Master Trainer

You just might be illiterate

In my father’s generation literacy consisted of the “Three Rs” . There was Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic. I have capitalized the ‘R’s so that you would not have to struggle like I did to make a proper acronym of the words. However the pun on words has turned out to be somewhat prophetic and is no longer a practical joke. Somehow in my generation literacy was reduced to “reading and writing” . Though this reduced the burden of becoming a literate person by conveniently removing that troublesome last R, arithmetic is essential for the creation, interpretation and operation in a digital world. The lack of capacity to handle the last R has left many countries in Africa groping in darkness and gasping for air after nations that are leading the technology revolution. By discarding arithmetic we are subject to advanced loan calculations we do not know how to compute!

One would be forgiven for thinking that by teaching people to read, they will automatically know how to write. When people actually used to write letters and compositions that may have been the case, nevertheless a cursory glance at the bulk of text messages exchanged across the globe, it would not be wrong to assume that people have NOT forgotten, rather they have NEVER learned to write! This may sound alarmist, but no new literature books of have emerged in Africa since the 1960’s. Africans don’t read African literature, to the extent that writers no longer write.  There are not only No developers of technology emerging in Africa, but there is a catastrophic drought of African writers. However, while the trend that writers do not write is disturbing, the indication that people do not read at all is disheartening!

This may seem a small matter to you, but though there is “plethora” of information on the internet, the uptake of reading of books, eBooks or anything that demands reading has been replaced by audio-visuals is changing the literacy agenda.  The next generation really does not need to read. The three Rs have been replaced by watching, hearing and talking (Three "As"). The three Rs engaged the brain and facilitated understanding. This latter form of literacy lets people know a lot of things, but does not enable them to understand much of it. We have lost a great deal of ground in throwing out the three Rs. A very sad moment for me was when the last real book shop that stocked all kinds of books (not just school texts) in the capital closed down last year. On the main street in the capital there is no bookshop. However, every building has a restaurant and several eating places. The shift of emphasis from the head, past the heart to the stomach is a sure sign of the loss of brain-fed literacy.

Allan Bukusi is a the author of the following eBooks

Thinking Leadership in Africa

How to Prosper in employment

TransformingAfrica

The Master Trainer

Leadership is the ability to...

Leadership is the ability to initiate, activate, implement and accomplish a vision.

Allan Bukusi is the author of the following eBooks

Thinking Leadership in Africa

How to Prosper in employment

TransformingAfrica

The Master Trainer

The difference between leading Leaders and Sheep!

There is a difference between leading sheep and leading leaders. If you take a break from leading sheep you will find them exactly where you left them. When you take a break from leading leaders you will find that they have moved on ahead. In order to turn followers into leaders, give them responsibility, train them to take initiative and solve problems. Challenge them to do the right thing as a good example for others to follow. And let them know that it is okay to stand out, to be different – to make the world a better place for everyone.

Allan Bukusi is the author of the following eBooks

Thinking Leadership in Africa

How to Prosper in employment

Transforming Africa

The Master Trainer

THE MASTER TRAINER IS FINALLY HERE !

The Master Trainer is written to develop and empower professional trainers covering the principles, process and effective practice of corporate training. It is an essential text for business, career executives and experts in various fields who periodically find themselves saddled with training roles as part of their job. The Master Trainer is also an excellent primer for Business & Human Resources Development students and new entrants to the training profession.

Top of Form

Written from a practical process point of view by an experienced professional trainer, will be very useful for Training Administrators, Business Executives, Corporate Trainers, Training Managers, Training Consultants, and Training Directors of corporate organizations.

Anyone who wants to know how to go about the business of training corporate organizations, creating a training program and making effective presentations will find this book a great place to start. The capacity and competence to administer effective training and training events takes training skills that are a valuable competence for any professional, business executive, group leader or anyone charged with strategic organization development. Your training ability to inspire, influence and empower others will mark you out as a leader in society. Practicing and aspiring independent training consultants will find this book particularly useful as a guide to successful professional practice.

Also see

Aligning Staff Behaviour

Proudest moments

The Master Trainer is finally here

Applied Academics

Train, Train and Train some more

The Keys To Prosperity

After thousands of years of the desperate search for personal wealth in human labor and employment, how can it be that so few of us have found the key? One might say that wealth and prosperity is limited to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. While I might agree that entrepreneurs mount a spirited and determined campaign to achieve prosperity far beyond the average citizen, employers shelter and enable the dreams of employees. The keys to prosperity are not hidden from employees. For a start both employers and employees depend on enterprise – employees could employ more of the same (enterprise) in their personal lives. While employers seek capital to grow the business, employees could use their salaries more productively. While employers work hard to keep enterprises going, employees could engage a little more personal initiative to secure their jobs. While profit does not guarantee happiness, employees would be happier with a little more pay. While employers pursue a vision with passion, it might be useful for more employees to set personal financial goals. The keys to prosperity are not limited to entrepreneurs or employers. If the keys to enterprise are mastered by employees, we can have an economic revolution in less than one generation – Get the keys to your own prosperity – Buy it, sell it not!

Allan Bukusi 

is the author of the ebook – How to prosper in employment – download your copy for only $3.50+     

Stewardship is the first and last step of management

Stewardship is the first and last step of management. In the start it is given in the end it is taken away. In between is its nature. It does not matter that it is the repair of an old shoe or the trust of a life. Stewardship is in the character of the person not the nature of the item. The principle of stewardship is the same; in much as in little.

You can tell who will make a good manager by his or her stewardship of themselves and their life. A young student who makes a point of being neat, clean and well kempt is taking care of themselves. A student who takes care of school books and takes care of things placed in their care may not be the brightest student, but they will be reliable, consistent and dependable. They will also inspire and win confidence and trust of others. People study to apply the principles and functions of management; planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Yet, stewardship is the mark of excellence that separates the successful from success, responsible from response and trustworthy from trusted.  

Allan Bukusi

Have you been to the university of Enterprise?

Employment is the University of Enterprise; however, many employees have no clue that they are in college.

Allan Bukusi

Transforming Africa - The Book

This was a vision that resurrected old dreams for the continent that had been dashed in the aftermath of independence – a vision dedicated to transforming Africa into a place where all people can achieve their aspirations. A future of peace and stability through institutions of good governance, respect for human rights; responsible accountable leadership; and, above all, the rule of law. - Kofi Annan

When thinking of Africa in the 21^st century, one must think beyond the self and current reality. The danger with looking too closely at the present is to see traditions and stereotypes and to be satisfied and justified with findings to the extent that those findings replace the future. Nonetheless, futures are created by minds that have a clear vision of another day, another time and another place that has never been. This is why transforming Africa is such a critical text for readers because while it acknowledges facts and data, it also examines possibility and the ethos of practical future thinkers. Leaders must be people willing to lay foundations for new beginnings and brave enough to suggest processes that will recreate and transform what is to what can be. Africa’s 21^st Century leaders will lead a renewed continent with a cultural paradigm significantly removed from the present. This book lays the foundations a transformational mindset that looks at the future from a future point of view and only considers the present as a key to that future.

Allan Bukusi

FIVE REASONS WHY EMPLOYEES IN AFRICA WILL NEVER PROGRESS!

This article is intentionally provocative in the hope that it will draw attention to the urgent need for employees to create personal wealth and prod them to make proper use of employment opportunity.

The five reasons why employees in Africa will never progress are simple enough. In fact they are not based on any complex economic formula. Rather, they are as a result of what employees erroneously believe about employment. On the main, employees have;

1.  A convoluted impression of the purpose of income.
2.  No idea what money is or what money is for.
3.  No knowledge of how to create wealth.
4.  Misunderstood the concept of a career development.
5. A deep seated hatred for work.

While these reasons may appear straightforward, it is amazing how ignorance of these basic truths maintains millions of employees in poverty throughout and even after their employment careers. Some people would like to use these five reasons as a check off list to evaluate their personal progress, but these five reasons are integrated (not separate), interwoven and feed off each other. A person with a convoluted sense of income will not make progress for ALL the other four reasons as well.  To make progress is to have a progressive perspective in ALL five elements. Unfortunately, this lack of understanding ensures that one generation of employees hands over substantial poverty to the next generation of employees.

INCOME

While people the world over make it top priority to secure themselves a job and are under the impression the purpose of employment is to earn a living. In other words, the purpose of employment is to get an income to supply the necessities of living. On the surface this seems reasonable, but it does not stretch the imagination of the employee to become self-reliant which is the basis of ALL progress! Employees only seek an income in order to eat, thus instead of becoming independent, employees become dependent on their income. Neither does it help that employees define income as money and thus are unable to access and make use of all the other lifetime benefits that employment provides. Employees, of their own accord, scale down their own sum total income from employment.

Employees have no understanding of employment, income or enterprise, to employees, employment is an occupation – no more, no less. Nevertheless, an occupation is no more meaningful than a pastime, a hobby, social obligation or an engagement that enables a person to while away any time they may have on their hands. Employment therefore has no significant purpose! Since employees have nothing to do, they seek employment to assist them use their time meaningfully and live life purposefully. While this is not a bad thing, it does mean that without employment, employees are prone to doing no-thing!  Income is all that comes to you and is made available to you by virtue of your employment - that income is so vast it is unquantifiable!

Employees mistakenly think that a job is a source of wealth. However, a job does not guarantee income. At best it is an opportunity to work and create in. Employees can only appreciate income if they understand the purpose of employment. The purpose of employment is to 1) teach you how to work, 2) show you how to create wealth and 3) give you the keys to enterprise. Of the three, enterprise is the most powerful yet most despised and ignored of all three. It is also the main reason why former employees are unproductive and unable to take care of themselves after employment! If there is one thing I would pray that employees learn during employment it is enterprise. However, employees remain so blinkered on salary payments that they never see the value of the total income they have access to.

MONEY

Employees have no clue what to do with their money, leave alone understand what it is. Employees treat money as a prize they have won for persevering through a period of contracted labor and therefore feel justified to consume it all on their upkeep in anticipation of the next prize. It hardly occurs to them that it is capital they have earned for their personal development! While money itself does not discriminate into whose hands it falls, an entrepreneurial mind will see it as capital to create wealth, the ignorant employee mind will find ways to dispense of it as quickly as possible. One mind thinks of multiplying it, the other thinks of throwing it away. One mind will invest; the other will relieve the mind of stress by dispensing with it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, Employees have no idea why it is necessary to save invest and build up personal capital. There is a characteristic difference between the way entrepreneurs and employees use money. However, there is no difference in the texture of the money handles by the two groups.

Unfortunately, employees view the purpose of money as the permission to enjoy life rather than plan their lives. When it dawns on a person that the absolute value of money is ZERO (nothing) and that money is purely a convenient means of exchange, then progressive employee will use that money to create wealth. The quality of ones’ life is related to the quality of the use of resources at hand, including money. It is not the amount of money you spend that creates wealth, but what you spend your money on. Eating (expensive) cakes every day will not yield the same results as eating (low cost) vegetables. Wealth does not come with how much money you earn, but with what you do with what you earn.

Unknown to employees, employment gives them unconditional access to development capital. When an enterprise needs to grow the business, banks provide capital (cash) at high interest rates and stringent repayment conditions. Yet employees have unfettered access to capital with every pay check. However, rather than grow themselves, employees who lack business sense freely consume it all in the stupid assurance that they will get a pay check next month.

WEALTH

Evidence that each generation retiring to poverty (and handing over poverty to the next generation) after many years of employment confirms that generation had no thought of creating wealth. It confirms that the previous generation handed over no clue as to what the next generation should do in order to create wealth.  Work is the ability to create wealth. The ability to work is the capacity (read capital) to create wealth! This truth is lost on too many employees who have no clue that they are creating wealth for others, but worse, still refuse to create wealth for themselves. Leave alone the fact the employees will only work if they are paid and therefore diminish and dismiss their own capacity to create wealth!

The fact that professors are looking for jobs is testimony to the fact that they would rather earn an income than exercise skills to create wealth. Employees in Africa are employed for their qualifications and have no clue that their skills are what create wealth. Unfortunately, employees live their entire careers without understanding the difference between qualifications and skills! Wealth is not how much you earn it is the substance that you accumulate and sustainably generate from your income. Wealth is the substance (property, assets, resources) you gather and the industry you control to grow and sustain that substance.  

CAREER

Employees believe that a career is a series of promotions in status or income. However, this great folly only comes to light when an employee is fired, retired or loses a job for one reason or the other. Only then do employees reflect on the opportunity lost! In this hopeless condition, employees admit that if they were given their jobs again they would save more, learn more and develop themselves more for the day they will leave employment!

There is a myth that many employees play hide and seek with in employment it goes by the name career. Employees pursue it all their lives and never actually live it. It is a constant daily hunt for fulfillment that they believe is in the control of their employer and employment. Employees work as if they are rehearsing for a play. Life has no rehearsals what you do is what life is. In other words employees fail to realize that they are in control of their own destiny, satisfaction and fulfillment. A career is the way you choose to live your life. If you choose to hate your work you have just made a career out of it. Your career is how you choose to spend your life! Make a career more to create wealth.

A person with a progressive, wealth creating mindset with take control of their destiny by sitting down and analyzing what resources they have in their hands, what opportunities they have and work out their own success in full cognizance of the circumstances they are in and perhaps want to work themselves out of! A career is the path one chooses and uses to make progress in life. Not all employees start at the same place or same level in life. However, every employee is personally responsible for their own progress in life. Unfortunately, I often hear it said, “I earn to little to save”, those people who say that are not aware that there are those who earn so much that they see no need to save – both those people end up with nothing to show for all the effort spent in a career. A career is not an acquisition of certificates; however, a career is an accumulation and utilization of skills and competencies in one’s personal life (first) and professional work (next).   

WORK

There is no doubt that employees work hard, are hard workers and work long hours. However, this does not translate into wealth, despite the fact that the ability to work is the capacity to create wealth. Employees are endowed with an invaluable gift of capital that they somehow manage to despise. Employees hate work and therefore remain blind to its transformational power. My Physics teacher taught me that Work=Effort X Distance. Nonetheless, the painful reality is that employees put in a great deal of effort yet take no steps to create wealth in their lives.

Instead of working towards creating wealth, employees occupy themselves with activities such as looking for a better paying job in that hope that such a job will make them rich. He who is faithful with little is faithful with much, but he who cannot manage little cannot manage much. A better paying job is not a source of wealth. A better paying job is only an opportunity to work for a little more money. If you did not benefit from working in a little job, your work habits will NOT change in the “big” job. The result will be exactly the same – both result in the inability to create wealth!

Employees hate their jobs, employment and their employers so much that they cannot benefit from this love hate relationship- Hate the work, Love the Money. Employees put more energy into looking for the next gold mine rather than making use of the Gold that has been provided them.

CONCLUSION

For employees in Africa to make progress, create wealth and eliminate poverty, it will take a change in employee belief systems. There must be a change of attitude and commitment to personal development. There must be an ownership of one generation to pass on the knowledge of wealth creation to the next generation. There needs to be a transformational mind shift in the collective wisdom of employees.

Many years ago, on my first job I met an elderly man named Akhwale. After watching me spend all my salary on useless things for a few months, Akhwale brought me forms to fill to join the cooperative society and stood by as I filled them. I was amused by his initiative, but I did not wish to disappoint him so I duly filled the forms. When I left the company 18 months later, the money I had saved in the cooperative was ALL and the ONLY money I left the company with. I had nothing else to show that I had worked in the company for more than a year! What do you have to show for all your years in employment!

All this does not have to be! What is required is not resources and technology, All that is required to make a progressive employee is a mind shift a change in attitude and a personal commitment to gratefully make use of the opportunity provided by employment to change ones fortune! However, this wisdom is not a function of status. Highly paid senior staff enjoy life in total ignorance of these truths and suffer the same fate a not so well paid employees who lack the principles of employment wisdom.

The Bible records that a wise man leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren. It seems that there is a derth of wise men in Africa. However, a negative, nonchalant, non-progressive or unwholesome attitude towards wealth creation will ensure that every successive generation of employees in Africa will not create wealth and thus end up with less wealth than they started with. Poverty is not a state of being, it is a condition of losing the wealth you have and wasting the opportunity you had to create it.   

Allan Bukusi is the author of the following ebooks

Thinking Leadership in Africa

How to Prosper in employment

Transforming Africa

The Master Trainer

WHAT IS "MANAGEMENT"?

WHAT IS MANAGEMENT

Management is that group of people who keep organizations running effectively and efficiently. They are not appreciated as much for their technical knowledge as much as for their indispensable coordinative skills. A manager is a person who sits down to plan and organize for activities, tells people what to do, implements agreed programs and controls them against a goal, a schedule and budget. Managers are concerned with the acquisition, gainful use and purposeful deployment of all resources. Managers are more concerned with conserving, stretching and maximizing those resources than spend money (resources) to acquire dud assets. Managers are hired to guarantee profit. Unfortunately, this group is often misinterpreted as being bossy, overbearing and inconsiderate by those who may not fully comprehend the importance of this supposedly simple task.

Allan Bukusi

THE MILLENNIALS & THE 2017 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN KENYA

One would be hard pressed to predict the outcome of the 2017 General Elections in Kenya given the twists and turns of political innuendo at the beginning of the year. While the 2002 elections were about the re-introduction of the multiparty democratic process, the 2007 elections were marred by ethnic violence. The 2012/13 elections were about devolution and constructional transition, the dominant agenda in the 2017 elections will be about “corruption” and character - without factoring in the voice of the millennial generation. We need to look around the globe to appreciate the accruing evidence that the outcomes of the 2017 General Elections will be far from the traditional form.

The millennials are a global citizenry of young people tied together by a common upbringing facilitated by tap water, color television, child rights, cell phones and all the Apps on the internet super highway. They are the “instant” – you want it you got it generation. The millenials were born and grew up into a near perfect world in terms of food, shelter, education, water and human comforts that were a high society privileges less than a decade before the year 2000. Kofi Annan’s MDGs have a lot to do with forming this generation. This generation did not want for anything neither do they want anything. Anything will do. However, the millennials are no longer children they are adults, have joined the workforce and have families that now dictate the sentiments of the largest bloc in national populations. The millennials command attention in alarming ways. 

In 2008 the pre-millennial voted in Obama and later tipped the scales on the adoption of the new constitution in Kenya. They were also credited for what was labeled the Arab Spring. Eight years later In 2016 the millennials in full control of the voting bloc led the exit or Brexit of the British from the EU. It was a trending topic, not to mention that it was so sassy “brexit”. The Millennials went on to other remarkable upsets including voting in Trump as the president of the worlds most powerful nation. On the face of it there does not seem to be much going on here. However, once you look past the face of these events and the irrational decisions that fly in the face of conventional wisdom, you come face to face with the millennial culture. The millennial culture is characterized by instant joy and short term gratification and “I will do it just because I can”. The millennial culture feeds of what’s trending, the insta-gram, texting and plugged-in. To be friended or to be unfriended is an instant traumatic decision that is more important than long term happiness. The millennium culture does not need to be rational, moral or even have reason to act, it just depends on what is trending. It is not conservative nor loyal to any value or virtue system or even itself. The millennium culture baffles conventional wisdom, defies logic and confounds pollsters’ right off the bat.

Many political candidates will be spending millions of shillings buying voter loyalty, drawing up posters, dishing out election promises, castigating their enemies and extolling their own virtues. Nonetheless, one viral tweet will destroy hopes and dreams of many candidates on the eve of the elections and bring into office a surprising mix of leaders who will ask themselves “how did we get here?” The successful candidates will be more surprised that their voters who will promptly unfriend them within 24 hours and leave the nation saddled with a new leadership challenge. The losers will miserably claim ethnic loyalty, rigging and produce pre-election polls data to support their claims. The electoral administration will be under siege to explain the faults of whatever voting technology will be in use, but there will be nothing technically wrong with the system. However, this is not the only surprise that the millennials will present the nation. In a few short years they will form the backbone of the nations workforce and take over leadership of the economy. With the millennials in charge it can only be surprising!

Allan Bukusi is the author of the following eBooks

Thinking Leadership in Africa

How to Prosper in employment

Transforming Africa

The Master Trainer

THE MILLENNIALS ON LEADERSHIP!

Millennials are a bright, young and wide eyed, eager for instant success generation that grew up in times around the turn of the millennium (the year 2000). However, the majority are laid back, work phobic individuals content to follow anything that is trending. While millennial adore celebrities, the millennial culture can hardly be described as “go getting” even though they are awed by innovations and new releases of old products. The millennials grew up in a world of high provision and have managed to globalize and make normal a culture of what used to be for “spoilt rich kids”. But why must we even consider millennial attitudes on leadership. The truth is the millennial generation will soon be occupying both local and global leadership positions and therefore we must be prepared for a change of guard in leadership styles, approaches and principles in this generation. The challenge with millennials is not that they can’t be led, it is that that they do not know what they want. The millennial culture considers achievement or success without application of effort as legitimate and something to be emulated.

While the age old virtues of leadership like character, discipline, hard work, ethics, sacrifice determination, responsibility, teamwork and integrity and other like values have been pre-requisites for the identification, selection and appointment of leaders and leadership assignment, the millennial culture of individualism, instant-self-gratification and moral indifference does not make for the effective development of traditional leaders. Indeed anyone that practices traditional virtues may be shunned if not looked down upon by a fun loving crowd. This would mean that either a new type of depraved leadership would emerge to satisfy the needs of filial millennial followers.  Or that the role of leadership will be reassigned to the lowly less fortunate in society who cannot afford to participate in the millennial culture. Nonetheless, the apathy of the millennial culture towards leadership has so challenged the values and principles of hard work, ethics, social order and governance that perhaps for the first time in the history of the world the offices of leadership will pass from the rich to the poor, from the knowledgeable to the ignorant and from the moral to the depraved in one generation! Simply because millennials would not care less who does leadership for them so long as they are able to continue having fun. This generation will redefine leadership in ways we can only imagine.

One could say that Millennials present a leadership challenge or that they are providing leadership, but then perhaps it is time we reviewed what we need in our leaders quite apart from what we want from them. Popular sentiments are hardly the way to define the character of leadership because popular sentiments change all the time. Is there a leadership core that is immutable or leadership simply a tool of him or her who has it? These are questions the millennial generation poses to leadership everywhere.  

Allan Bukusi

The Millennials are here to stay!

THE MILLENNIALS ARE HERE TO STAY!

The “Millennials” are a population bubble that and grew up around the turn of the year 2000. This special group of global citizens share a remarkably similar cross-cutting, inter-ethnic, inter-racial community culture despite their dispersed location in every nation around the globe. Apart from the fact that they are young, non energetic and laid back denizens who do fun for a living, they can easily be described by the “insta” of instagram that delivers immediate, ecstatic freedom and unsustainable joy. Millennials characteristically lack drive for anything that resembles labor especially if that labor does not facilitate immediate fame or viral recognition.

Before you cast off, dismiss or shun this special group of citizens who make up a complete epoch in the destiny of humanity, it would be very important to examine the environment into which they were born. Just like it is virtually impossible for you to imagine what the world was like before you were born, millennials’s cannot imagine a world without tap water, color television, internet, cell phones, facebook and earphones! millennials grew up in the most empowered of times when the world was at its most educated, children’s rights most feted and 911 a global standard. Instead of teaching this generation to work we sent them to school, where we withdrew the power of teachers to discipline, for sixteen years and told them they could do anything they wanted. The only work they do is for charity. Because their parents grew up in lack they made sure the children would never be in want. The only word we taught them was Yes you can! This generation does not understand the word No. Morals are not a priority.  Millennials present a special challenge in the work place. They watch their dreams on flat screens. That makes it pretty hard for them to be motivated or remain inspired by anything. Their aspirations are sustained by what is current, cutting edge and trending.

Because the Millennials grew up without want they really don’t want anything. Neither do they have a natural desire to pursue, achieve or complete anything. Millennials aspire for good jobs but are just as ready to resign by sending a text message the morning after! Such are their relationships too; fickle, faint and based on imaging. Behaving like you are rich is considered the same as being rich. Trust is something you do when you want something back, while courtesy is reserved for friends who can be unfriended with a swipe of a finger. The social additions of alcohol, smoking and drugs have been replaced with texting, plugging-in and tuning out your neighbor.

Is there something wrong with millennials? Not really. This generation must find their lot in this segment of history, find a way to make a success of it and keep humanity alive for another generation. They simply unprecedentedly present the conflict of the ages where the values of the previous generation are denigrated, trashed as old fashioned - as a mark of progress. It happened and has been happening long before the days of the hippies. The millennials have an unmistakable culture. They are young, loyal to no one, not even themselves, they cannot deal face to face but crave instant gratification as the measure of success. Like every generation before it, the millennials are here to stay.

Allan Bukusi

To be king is all that matters

A King must have something for the people to do in order to rule them.  The pharaohs of ancient Egypt ruled their people by occupying them with building Pyramids to what end? To be buried in. The Kings of Europe occupied their people building palaces and castles for them to live in. These rulers somehow convinced the people that these were not just noble causes but causes worth working, living and dying for. The leaders of political states occupy the people with dreams of freedom, development and economic growth. Somehow we believe these dreams are worth working, living and dying for. It seems that to successfully engage people in a cause they are willing to work, live and die for is to succeed in politics. The people are the instrument; the cause is a decoy and the king the beneficiary. Try as I might I don’t see how this situation can be reversed.  Unless the cause benefits the people, perhaps to be king is all that matters.

Allan Bukusi

ONE EMPLOYEE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The power of one mind set to do all they can to do the best they can in the circumstances they are in is a remarkable demonstration of will power against wont power! Some people call it an attitude of gratitude, others call it appreciation of opportunity, and others call it making a date with destiny. These descriptions do not fully add up to the hearts quest to be the best they can be in every situation. Yet in every case of success you will find this streak of unique sober application to achieve what is achievable and walk away with the prize that others initially despise. The truth is that time and chance happen to us all. However only the wise among us see opportunity for what it is. So why am I talking about employees? It is because every day each of us gets a chance to change the world their circumstances and themselves. How many of us understand the power of that opportunity?

Allan Bukusi

Happy New Year - 2017!

Happy New Year - 2017

Warm greetings from this part of the world - January 1 2017. What comes to mind as I think about this year is “New beginnings”. It may sound obvious that a new year should mark a new beginning, but many people will continues as they have done for the past year save the change of date. It is only those who make a deliberate choice to use the opportunities that this year presents that will enjoy a new beginning.

As an individual, I must examine my circumstances and identify where a new beginning is necessary in order to conserve and focus my energies and attention on those things that I want to make a difference in. There are those that I work and live with and can significantly influence. but much as I may want to change their world, they must take the initiative - I can only encourage and help them achieve their new beginning. Then there are new beginnings that I am part of and have very little influence over such as the National General Election in Kenya.  If I do nothing the outcome will affect me. If I do something the outcome will still affect me though I can influence a small change. However, since I have purposed to take advantage of opportunity then the National Elections present me an opportunity to add my voice to the voice of the people for a better future. So you will read a number of political articles in this blog while the season (read opportunity) lasts.

I have already wished you a happy new year. Nonetheless, the last paragraph sound like a challenge. I guess that is what a new year does. It gives you a chance to change, begin again, but an option to continue to do the things you normally do (and this may not be a bad thing). The season of good will, forgiveness and acceptance and resolution remains in the air for but a short season. You need to make your choices today quickly because in less than a week or two the season will and form many it will be business as usual – thus the opportunity for a new beginning will be under seal for another 364 days.

Allan Bukusi

  

Running a business is mountain sense

Running a business is like climbing a mountain. There are rocks, boulders, brick sand, bush and thorn scrub. Sometimes you are on your feet at other times you are on your hands and knees. That is not sometimes, it is all the way up to the top. You really must want to do this. There are no short cuts.

Allan Bukusi,