Your business is as big as your vision - Happy New year!!!

Your business is as big as your vision. If all you want is a job then that is all you will get in 2019. Expand your vision, trust God and rule the universe He wants you to oversee. And a Happy New Year to you!

Do things well

Do things well, above board, respectfully and with due regard to all and you will have no need of culture. For culture itself upholds these things.

A house, a spouse and a cow will change your life.

I met you in March 2015 when I came to Kenya as an AWARD Fellow Mentee for my Mentoring Orientation Workshop. Your gift to every participant was a copy of your book 'How to prosper in Employment' The concept of 'A House, Spouse and a Cow' changed my perspective about employment and the potential of creating wealth as an employee. I read the book while flying back to Nigeria and a second time after some months later.  I will read the book over and over again. Due to the wisdom I gleaned from the book, I gave it to my friends and unfortunately, it wasn't returned.  I hope to read more of your books. They reflect your wealth of wisdom and experience.  I also look forward to meeting you again.   Thank you for giving to the world. Best Regards.

Thank you Ibukunlowa - May you indeed prosper immensely and inspire many more to think more purposefully about employment opportunity - Allan

 PS - I warned you the book will not be returned. let’s work on getting you another copy!

The Entrepreneurial Employee

THE entrepreneurial EMPLOYEE

Last weekend I had the privilege of speaking at the Parklands Young Professionals’ Business Expo. 20% of the participants were running their own business while 80% of the professionals present were employed. Many of those present were thinking about opening a business of their own in due time. So I guess they had come to find out a few tips from those of us in the field. As we discussed the “ups and downs” as well as the “ins and outs” of business it became quite clear that ALL of us are in enterprise. All of us are entrepreneurs (at different levels). All of us in a business are entrepreneurs, but only the owners will admit it. Though there is a traditional distinction made between entrepreneurs and employees, in reality we are all in enterprise hence the need for entrepreneurial thinking among everyone working in an enterprise. While the qualities of an entrepreneur are often listed as focused, hardworking and visionary there is no reason why an employee should not develop these same qualities. However, any employee wishing to walk away with the full benefits of working in an enterprise must develop the distinct qualities of an entrepreneurial employee.

Uncompromising work ethic (value creation)

While many employees come to work because they need a job or want the money, the entrepreneurial employee is focused on value creation. The entrepreneurial employee adds specific and quantifiable value to the business each day. This entrepreneurial employee sees himself as a stakeholder in the success of the business. A person with an uncompromising work ethic is self-driven, intrinsically motivated, forward looking and results oriented. They address work problems not as personal challenges, but opportunities to unlock valuable outcomes for the business. Entrepreneurial employees are proud of their contribution and accomplishments to the business success. The matter of productivity, output and quality of work for an entrepreneurial employee is a matter of personal pride, self-esteem satisfaction, fulfillment, integrity, dignity and honor. Such a person will make an excellent entrepreneur but they will also be a most valued employee.

Profit oriented (Capitalist)

While entrepreneurs are said to be profit oriented, employees live for salaries. Nonetheless, the entrepreneurial employee understands the value of capital. The entrepreneurial employee sees his or her job as a business. A business that must return a profit on the investment (money, time and energy) he puts into it. While the regular employee waits to be paid a salary at the end of the month, the entrepreneurial employee understands that he has put in 30 days of his own capital to earn a return in terms of a salary. The entrepreneurial employee thinks very differently from the regular employee. While the regular employee prepares a budget to consume all his income on rent, food and lifestyle expenses under the illusion that he will receive another salary next month, the entrepreneurial employee takes stock of what he has spent and calculates how much profit he has made that month. The entrepreneurial employee will then reinvest his capital (earnings) in savings, a cooperative or projects that will yield further profits for him in future. Such an employee will make an excellent entrepreneur.

Personal development (Curious)

The third quality of an entrepreneurial employee is an overt display of a desire for personal development and growth. While most employees are satisfied to do the job they do every day, learn nothing new and wait to be surprised by promotion, the entrepreneurial employee recognizes that to be employed is to be enrolled in the university of enterprise. Entrepreneurial employees are curious about how the business works. Such an employee may be employed as a clerk in a bank, but they will take an interest to learn about marketing and exchange rates and how the banking process works. They will study industry statistics and will take every opportunity to obtain exposure to departments and business activities not necessarily for promotion, but for personal preparation and development as an entrepreneur. The entrepreneurial employee will take every opportunity and look forward to being exposed to multiple aspects of a business. All too often employees work in a company for many years and come away with no clue of how the enterprise works. The entrepreneurial employee is forever grateful for the head-start, jump-start and mentorship employers give them in business.  

Wealth creation (entrepreneurship)

Regular employees believe they are paid by the employer for their qualifications. Entrepreneurial employees understand that they are paid from the wealth created by the business. While competence and capability are important, no business can reward its employees without accomplishing its contractual agreements to its clients. In this regard, the entrepreneurial employee secures his own income by partnering with the employer to create wealth for society. 

  

If you are thinking of starting your own business someday it may be useful to postpone your resignation and become and entrepreneurial employee first.

Also see

Employment and enterprise are the same thing

The five laws of successful employment

Employment is a business

How to start a business without capital

The age of the employee has come to an end

The Economic Empowerment Mindset

The 33 Laws of Self Employment

# CELEBRATING ONE MILLION HITS !

If you could speak to a million people what would you say?

I enjoy the privilege of sharing my thoughts with the world and I look forward to celebrating one million hits on this page in the coming days. My work is to shift paradigms, adjust individual perspectives and develop people for life. It is my job is to train people, but my goal is to transform lives. 

I have trained a thousand executives and spoken openly to the people around me in the hope that I may influence them for a better future. I have written from my head and from my heart. And, I have been touched and left speechless by the testimonies of lives transformed by the reading of words from my mouth. These stories make life worth living. 

Words have power. If I could speak to a million people I would tell them to make a difference in the world they live in. If you could speak to a million people what would you say?

Celebrating AWARD@10

AWARD, African Women in Agricultural Research & Development, is celebrates a decade (2008-2018) of advancing inclusive agricultural research on the continent! The occasion was graced by her excellency Dr Ameenah Gurib-Fakim the Sixth President of Mauritius. AWARD promotes the advancement of women scientists across Africa enhancing the visibility of their work for the benefit of humanity and the development of competencies that will enable women to advance to senior positions of leadership in the World of Science. I have the privilege of working with the training team that supports this noble endeavor. Congratulations to the AWARD Team and well done everyone for AWARD@10. Continue raising the standards of leadership around the world.   

PARKLANDS BUSINESS FORUM

NEXT ASSIGNMENT -  AN OPEN INVITATION TO ASPIRING BUSINESS PERSONS AND EMPLOYEES ALIKE ... 

MY TAKE IS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE IN BUSINESS TO THINK LIKE AN ENTREPRENEUR. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS EVENT, IT MAY CHANGE YOUR CAREER. 

Learn to accept feedback. It will make you a changeable person.

The Economic Empowerment Mindset

Here is the full text of my speech at the Rotary Club Today.

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK: IT IS HOW YOU THINK!

There is a story told about 40 young engineering students attending their first campus lecture that goes like this….

The Professor walked into the room and asked the class “ If you were to build a road from here to the highway across that field, how would you go about it?” one student immediately answered “ I would draw a detailed plan and hire a contractor to build the road” another said “ I would obtain capital from the World Bank and get the latest technology from China to put in place a state-of-the-art tunnel meeting global environmental standards at half the cost of a tarmac road. A third student raised his hand and said “ I would go home get a Slasher and cut the grass between here and there…. The class went silent for a moment then burst into laughter… After the laughter had died down the Professor asked the young man who had made the last remark to see him after class.

The young man timidly went to see the lecturer after class and was surprised when the good professor asked him to join his research team. When the student asked why he had been chosen the professor said. “Son, in four years’ time the University will graduate 40 engineers, but only one of them will be able to build a road”.  

Many people think that economic empowerment is about having a good job, having a talent, or having access to capital. We believe that having any one or all of these things will lead to economic empowerment... By that we mean having enough money to live above the poverty line.

• Perhaps you have also heard of the story where donors provided resources for a well to be dug in a local market. The women in the community would no longer have to walk six miles in the opposite direction before returning to the market to buy food in the evening. Then you heard the second part of the story where the pump broke down a year later and could not be repaired because of lack of donor funds. Apparently the donors left without leaving the community economically empowered.
• Or maybe you’ve heard of the story of the poor happily married couple that lived in a one roomed slum house and won a three bed-roomed town house in a newspaper lottery. Six months later they were contemplating divorce and sold the house because they could not agree on how to manage it.
• Maybe you remember the neighbor who had a great job, drove fast cars, wore designer clothes and lived in a posh house for so many years until he lost his job. Then he suddenly had no money. You were terribly disappointed because you could not explain how someone who had handled so much money for so many years could have so little economic sense.

On the surface these stories may appear to be very different, but none of them resulted in economic empowerment: what happened? What went wrong? If economic empowerment is not about giving donations, acquiring material possessions, having a job or enjoying life above the poverty line then what is it? Well I suggest that economic empowerment is about three things;

First; Purpose is more important than passion

A poor woman from any village in any part of the world who sets a purpose to bring up her children will get up every morning and look for bread not knowing where she will find it. As day follows night she will go to the farm, till the ground, go to the market, fetch water and find a way to feed her children. The poor woman has a very clear purpose. A purpose that keeps her alive.  A purpose that will utilize all the resources she has, all the resources she gets and all the resources she creates.  But you don’t have to be poor to have a purpose.

Many of our young people have great passions about many things, but are not willing to commit themselves to anything. The village woman is willing to do what it takes to fulfill a purpose in life. A purpose not only attracts attention it activates resources. Passion, on the other hand, generates a lot of excitement and debate. It also consumes resources.

The second is the ability to recognize and utilize available opportunities to create value and turn a profit in spite of education, talent or capital.

Perhaps we should start by appreciating that not enough people understand the word “profit”. There are two kinds of people in the world; those who consume profit and those who create it. Those who understand profit create value. Those who do not understand it consume it.

However, value not profit is the key to economic sustainability.  Entrepreneurs are economically empowered because they are able to recognize and utilize available opportunities to turn a profit. Entrepreneurs see opportunities where consumers see products.  To be economically empowered requires you to adopt a particular state of mind. An enterprising state of mind that creates value.

The ability to recognize and profitably utilize employment opportunity is perhaps the biggest challenge to the economic wellbeing of our society today. While all employees earn an income, not all employees return a profit on the money they earn.

If more employees recognized that wages are capital and not just money earned, they might think a little more like entrepreneurs instead of consumers. If employees would consider their earning as a means to empower themselves economically, they might create a little more wealth. The millions of employees living above the poverty line without turning a mentionable profit year in year out gives you an indication of the magnitude of the real problem of “economic DIS-empowerment”.

The Third is Patience

You may be familiar with the fact that 8 out of 10 businesses fail in their first year and another 80% of those that survive the first year will fail within the second year. Why does this happen despite the fact that these businesses may have been very well capitalized in the first place. The key to success in a business is to develop the ability to sustain an enterprise through successive business cycles. This takes patience, courage, learning and mastery of the process.

While there are multiple reasons why businesses fail, the character of the entrepreneur plays a huge role in the survival and eventual success of a business. One of the primary competencies of any successful entrepreneur is patience. Many people want instant success and do not have the patience to till the ground, plant the seed, tend the field, harvest the crop and then get ready for the next season to repeat the cycle. For most of us the sacrifice and effort required over that waiting period is just too much work.

Successful entrepreneurs will tell you that economic empowerment is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Turning a profit is made by accumulating resources slowly, surely and carefully. As you accumulate profit slowly, surely and carefully you also learn to value it, multiply it and keep it securely.

No corporate executive is entrusted with company resources without proof of years of education, experience and training. Family businesses that survive generations apprentice their children starting from the lowest jobs and slowly moving them to higher positions of responsibility as they are schooled in the patience and skills of economic empowerment. On the other hand a family business collapses within one generation when impatient children sell off their parent’s lifetime investment to the fastest bidder.

So if I was to give you a definition of economic empowerment I would say it is the ability to commit to a purpose, use available resources to you to turn a profit and create value for the next generation.

It is my considered opinion that such a person will be successful at whatever they do in life.  Like the young engineer they will not look at what they don’t have, but use what they have to make a difference in the world.

It is my hope that as you go out to empower our people and particularly the youth that you will not only give loans and gifts like donors or offer them jobs and educational opportunities, but that you will also challenge young people to find a purpose in life, share with them the truth about the economic realities of your life’s journey and challenge them to take responsibility to ensure the survival and success of the next generation. When talking to young people we need to be careful to let them know that economic empowerment is not the goal of life but a means to a goal. I suggest we urge our young people to do the following to attain economic empowerment:

• Teach them to commit to a purpose and develop the ability to handle responsibility.
• Teach them that it is more important to do what needs to be done than what you want to do.
• Teach them never to despise opportunity and mine every opportunity for everything it is worth.
• Teach them that the lack of financial resources have never stopped anyone from achieving a dream, then let them know that
• Hardships, challenges and opportunity are the schools of life to which they must apply purpose, talent, and basic abilities to survive and thrive.
• Tell them to find a way to make humanity richer before they leave earth.  
• Teach them to be good stewards of the time, talent and treasure and never give an excuse for non-achievement because of what they don’t have.

So why are our young people not able to achieve economic empowerment? – It’s because we are teaching them all the untruths about life. We are telling them you can have anything you want – then we give it to them.  We give them everything then wonder why they depend on us.

We blame them for being irresponsible, but are not willing to hold them accountable for what they do. We are willing to pay for good grades and hide the fact that failure is part of life on the journey to success. We encourage them to be active, but never require them to be productive. We tell them that they are special then wonder where they get their sense of entitlement. We tell them that they mean the world to us then wonder why they are so self-centered.

The Economic Empowerment Mindset is much more than giving people education, money, material resources or jobs. It is about equipping people with a mindset to turn a profit, solve problems by creating valuable solutions. It is about developing the character to commit to a purpose and see it through to the very end. 

God Bless Kenya

Allan Bukusi, November 2018

Other reading

Employment and enterprise are the same thing

The five laws of successful employment

Employment is a business

The entrepreneurial employee

How to start a business without capital

The age of the employee has come to an end

The 33 Laws of Self Employment

Economic empowerment is not what you think, it is how you think

Speaking assignment on Wednesday

Goals are what you want. Results are what you get!

Distinctions are not given they are awarded. Success is not achieved it is accomplished. Goals are what you want, results are what you get. There is no substitute for focus. Clearly define what you want out of whatever situation you are in. Make no bones about what it will take to get it and start working on it today.

Also see

The Road to Destiny; The Psychology of Growing up

When a Teacher does not teach

Potential is more than profit

How to Get Past “No”!

Do you have a passion statement?

Go Against the Tide

Taking Action

Get your first 100 days to work for you

One employee can make a difference

The Seven laws of creation

Determined to fail

Strive to know the purpose of a thing

Realize Your Full Potential

You can't pass on a dream, not even to the one you love

One of the most difficult things you can do is try to find someone to inherit or take over your dream.  What I find amazing is that every single person has their OWN dream. Even if the other person cannot quantify their dream they will see no reason to take on yours.

Dreams are individual possessions like the heart, soul and mind. Many a (rich) parent has big dreams for their children. Alas, much of the time the children sell the dreams of the previous generation to enjoy their own dream. If they do carry on the dream, it must meet the conditions of their own dreams - that too is a gamble. The dreams you have are yours and are only valid in your lifetime. Every dream is set in a time, a place and cannot be replaced.

So what must you do with your dream? You must live it because only you can. Be bold, be brave, be strong. Determine to leave your dreams on earth and not in some cold dark dingy grave.  A dream has only one lifetime - Yours.

A life well lived

Why don't your dreams become a reality?

Also see

The Road to Destiny; The Psychology of Growing up

When a Teacher does not teach

Potential is more than profit

How to Get Past “No”!

Do you have a passion statement?

Go Against the Tide

Taking Action

Get your first 100 days to work for you

One employee can make a difference

The Seven laws of creation

Determined to fail

Strive to know the purpose of a thing

Realize Your Full Potential

Do not let you stop you.

If you won't keep time.

If you wont keep time, you will lose many opportunities in life.

There is always work to be done...

There is always work to be done; it is just that workers are hard to find.

Entrepreneur & Employee

What you cannot demand from yourself as an entrepreneur you will not get from your employee!

Life will hand you a starting block, but only you can run the race to win!

Life will hand you a starting block, but only you can run the race to win!

Employ yourself first

To be an entrepreneur you must learn to be a good employee, because you will have to employ yourself first.

Yesterday is the last day.

This day I make a commitment to no more entertain negative attitudes, naysayers or gossips. Gossip is talk that does not advance my neighbor. To expect this of myself is not to entertain it in others. Thus parasites, leeches and those encumbered by the victim mentality that have prayed on my sympathy have had their say. The price I have paid to these luminaries has kept me from my goals. Yesterday is the last day they earned any pay. From today they must all give way.

Dreams don't need talent!

I am not gifted nor very talented. Neither am I brave or very strong. But one thing I do without fail -I take every opportunity I get to move my dreams ahead.

Between aspiration and motivation, choose to aspire!

There is a difference between motivation and aspiration. Motivation is limited to short term reward. Aspiration is to reach for greater things, to develop yourself to be and become better at what you do. It is to be patient, deliberate and purposeful in life! Motivation says; pay me for the work you want done. Aspiration says; I am willing to work for my pay. To aspire is greater than all the motivation you desire. Motivation may help you achieve something in life, but to aspire will enable you to make something of life.

The head or the heart?

While it may be true that the head must rule over the heart, it seems to me that if you do not make room for the heart you will have a very unhappy life.

Problems have brothers and sisters

Problems have brothers and sisters. When you find a problem look for the possibilities and consider the opportunities they come with. 

A LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF KENYA

A LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF KENYA

Whereas it is lawyers who write constitutions, it is the people who live them. Whereas it is politicians who debate issues it is the people who vote on them. Whereas it is governments that run a country it is the people that fund them. It seems to me that any document that does not house the security, welfare and happiness of its people does not qualify as an acceptable tool of governance. While it is necessary to have a commonly agreed framework to house national aspirations, we must not allow the process to be hijacked by those we give the stewardship of authority and power to make decisions on behalf of the people.

The new Kenya Constitution (2012) was voted in to replace the old constitution and hailed as one of the most modern documents of its kind in the world. Ostensibly the hope was to right the wrongs of the previous constitution and ensure the equity, equality and security of the people of Kenya. Nonetheless while the previous constitution housed national life for over 50 years, the current constitution has not lasted a decade before calls for a major overhaul are in the offing. And it is not hard to see why.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the complexity of the new constitution led to the first disqualification of a head of state after an election by universal suffrage. The new constitution has embedded tribolic arguments in government fiscal policy encapsulated in regionalism and raised the cost of government to the extent that in less than five years the country is facing an unprecedented debt crisis. Indeed, there are calls for a referendum that suggest that the current situation is untenable. These seemingly isolated events point to foundational flaws in the construction of the national enterprise.    

While a competent qualitative and quantitative review of the current constitution should be conducted to identify the key issues that are the heartbeat of the Kenyan people in order to anchor their corporate destiny in freedom, justice and truth, there must be sufficient guarantees provided and expounded for the health, wellbeing, happiness and fiscal success of its living, dead and unborn citizens within the global context of nationhood. The former are superficial if the latter benefits are not availed to the people.

The constitution is not a document; the constitution is the design, architecture, framework and infrastructure on which a nation is built and secured for generations. Its construction cannot be superficial it must be of sound ethical and moral socio-economic foundations that withstand the test of time and deliver the dreams of one generation to another. It must deliver the desires of a good parent to their grandchildren. Visionaries who designed the construction of the railway in 1905 put in place a framework for commerce, advanced the basis of nationhood, benefits of education and supported the development of region and international engagement for 100 years! Constitution makers need to be visionaries charged with exercising the privilege to create a future for a people centuries ahead of their lifetime.    

It is arguable that constitutions can be used to entrench governments in power, used to settle political scores, advance tribal conflict, balkanize national resources, secure riches of the privileged, and impoverish and make slaves of citizens. Nonetheless, these purposes say more of the designers than the constitution itself. A constitution achieves as much as the objects it sets out to create. A code among thieves, the ethics of a profession and policies of a government can deliver no more than such norms determine to accomplish.

People of Kenya, we enjoy the privileges of earth but for a season. Select from among us men and women of vision able to articulate and document such knowledge as will bequeath our country 200 years of ethical economic advancement and guarantee our social success in athletics, agriculture and aeronautics. Select men and women among us to impart wisdom to coming generations and speak on behalf of the living, the dead and the unborn. Let these men and women study the times and the future with strategic insight as is humanly possible. Let them ask the God of all creation for Solomonic wisdom in gifting this nation with documentation that will create years of unparalleled peace and prosperity. Select men and women who understand that we, this generation, are but custodians of the past and stewards of the nation’s future. This is our lot and the die is cast. It is our duty to lay the foundations and framework in our time to secure the destiny of not just ourselves, but all the humanity that is the franchise of the people of Kenya. To such and to such only should we entrust our common future.   

God Bless Kenya!

Allan Bukusi

Employment is a Business!

Search for the man within...

THE SEARCH FOR THE MAN WITHIN

Search for the man within

The man that you were meant to be

Make him be, and

You will truly be free!

Search within and never doubt

Even though promotions come without

And temptations set your eyes aglow

Never stop that search within

Till you be at peace Him

For you are not what the world applauds

No matter what they see!

Only you can be the judge

The judge of what you were meant to be

So search, I say, search within and let that man be!  

Allan Bukusi

Life will give you another chance, but is very unforgiving about wasted opportunity!

Life will give you another chance, but is very unforgiving about wasted opportunity!

you can spend money you don't have, but it is harder not to spend money you have earned.

It is a funny thing about life; you can spend money you don't have, but is harder not to spend money you have earned.

Power without control is like talent without discipline.

Power without control is like Talent without discipline

Do you have eyes for work?

Macho ya Kazi was not very clever nor was he strong, but he had more wisdom than most people do. People wondered why he was able to keep a job for so long and be such a blessing to his family and community yet many strong and educated people found it difficult to sustain their families. Somehow they could never keep a job for more than a few days. The secret of His success he said, was in his name. His friends went to the city every day to look for work, while he only worked where he found it.

In the nearby city there was a business man who needed many workers. He needed one to cut the grass, another to rake the grass and another to burn the grass. He needed another to cut the trees, sweep the leaves and plant more trees. He needed another to tend the flower beds, cultivate the garden and prune the flowers. Before Macho ya Kazi went to work for this man the business man hired between 3 and 5 people every day, but usually complained loudly about how difficult it was to find good and faithful workers. All the people he hired were satisfied with pay for the day!

Macho ya Kazi was hired by the business man to cut grass on Monday. At the end of the day he said to the man, “Sir, do not pay me today, I need to come and rake up the grass tomorrow”. The next day, after raking up the grass, Macho Ya kazi said, “do not pay me today the grass needs to be burned and the trees cut tomorrow”. At the end of the third day he said to the business man. “Please do not pay me today for I need to cultivate the garden and trim the bushes tomorrow”. On the fifth day the Business man was ready to pay for the work macho ya kazi had done for the week and let him go. Macho Ya Kazi took the money and thanked the business man for the opportunity to work for him. But as the rich man turned to go, Macho ya kazi said “Sir, thank you for the pay, but the grass will have grown by Monday, can I come and cut it?”  

Many people know how to work and can be very good at it, but not enough people know how to keep a job. They do not have “eyes for work”. They walk all over it, go looking for it, but never see it even when they find it and thus keep moving from one job to anther in search of work. In doing so they leave a lot of money on the table.

“Macho Ya Kazi”  means “eyes for work” in the Swahili language.

Allan Bukusi

True education is achieved one child at a time!

Last week I attended an ACE educator’s convention in Nairobi. It is always fascinating to me that when we talk of educators we think of teachers, much as that is a very narrow understanding of the word. The theme of the convention revolved around “a new vision for growth in student numbers and raised standards in education”. After considering a review of education systems across USA, Finland and our very own national system … It seems to me that it matters less what is taught than how it is taught. It seems to me that the subject matter is not as important as the person teaching it. It seems to me we should be paying more attention to who is teaching our kids than what they are learning. I love to read history today, but back in 8^th and 9^th grade, history was a nightmare. My favorite subjects, in which I excelled, were taught by my favorite teachers! A teacher without a heart for education, delays, negates and discourages the expression of gifts, abilities, interests and talents in a child. The opposite, a teacher with a heart, despite their “educational” qualifications nurtures and guides them to investigate, develop and exploit their natural abilities and realize their full potential. That is what parents do. Children simply follow the lead… I believe that national transformation will not come from increased enrollment in schools, expansion of classroom facilities or adjustment of curricula and education systems, but by the quality of those we call educators in our society. The transformation of a society has taken but one Thomas Edison, one Abraham Lincoln, one Billy Graham, one William Wilberforce, one Mother Teresa, one Mahatma Ghandi and one Nelson Mandela. The transformation of a nation is not in the numbers receiving an education, but in the creation of the ideal. That can only be achieved one child at a time.

Allan Bukusi, March 2018

Why every employee in Africa should read this book and what I learned from it

We asked  readers to let us know what they think of the book and here is what they said....

click to download App

This read could in the long run impact the continents economy by reducing the after retirements dependency levels. Employees will have an investment mindset as opposed to current trends of retiring with no on job in investments.

The Africa working population will begin to appreciate the ignorance there is in the comfort of employment. The words in this book are truly deep, ruthless and convicting. It will be a wake-up call to a lead of wealth creation, personal development and appreciation of our gifts, abilities interests and talents. 

-GATWIRI.

Many books have been written on the subject of prosperity. A fair amount of those books focus on entrepreneurship as a tool for wealth creation and self actualization. The book “How to prosper in employment” by Allan Bukusi captures a modern African mindset on what employment, and offers a contrary view.

As we grow up, many of us are made to understand that jobs exist for us to create wealth for the already wealthy. That it’s a routine that leads to a paycheck that can barely sustain us. Allan Bukusi challenges  the perspective that  a job is a life sucking routine meant to frustrate us  and shows that with the right attitude we can excel and create wealth within employment.    

Africa still wallows in the mentality that only high paying jobs offer opportunity. We give more credit to those who are number one or to a CEO than we do others. So we fight for the few positions at the top. Our focus on competition blinds us from the opportunities for self improvement at our workplaces. The book shifts emphasis from the positions held within organizations to what else can do for ourselves within those positions. There is a lot of disregard for the way in which we can use the same skills we offer employees to take a step up in our own personal lives. This book offers an insightful look at our attitude towards employment and how we can milk the opportunities we have. 

-BEATRICE

***

Traditionally, Africans have the mentality that the role of employment is to get money to meet daily needs. People have the tendency to work like robots without trying to be better themselves in any way. The book ‘How to prosper in employment’ will be essential to employees in Africa in that it will be eye opening. Employees, especially young people beginning employment will not make the same mistakes their predecessors did in employment (gained nothing more than a salary). Employees will discover the power they have on their hands and the salary, skills, knowledge and connections from employment will be used better.

I felt the book resonated well with my current state in life. I learnt that while in employment, I should learn to pursue excellence and let success follow automatically. Employment is an underrated gift and can be a key to success in life. While in employment, I should give it my all, learn as much as possible and become the best I can be. I also learnt that it is good to plan for retirement early and should have a plan for it. In addition, I learnt that it is good to start investment early in my career and create wealth.

-  FRIDA

ETHEL

***

‘How to Prosper In Employment’ is an eye opener full of insights for each and every employee which goes more beyond the workplace life. The book clearly highlights where we go astray at a tender age. From the book, one is able to get a different view of work i.e. not as a routine but as a source of income. Income does not just include the money we earn but also the experience, knowledge and skills we acquire from the job. A job is a gateway to opportunities inaccessible if we did not have work to do. This means employment drives enterprise, prosperity and wealth creation. Each employee should get the maximum ‘income’, the focus being the life after employment. It equips on the goal setting not as fashion but function. It changes the mindset from the norm to having an investor futuristic mind.

Personally I am challenged by the book as my mentality was far off the reality. As I kick start my career I’ve learnt the importance of having a vision and living the vision now. Going beyond my duties will not only propel my growth in employment but also add my value. There’s a lot gained from the book and I am willing to implement.

-KELVIN

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The book ‘How to prosper in Employment’ by Allan Bukusi, is a motivational book to individual who are beginning their career or they are already in their respective careers. It offers tips on how to enjoy a fulfilling career, realize personal development and creating wealth during employment.

A job is supposed to be a learning experience and not merely based on getting money. One should be well conversant with their duties as they work but not driven by money. It should also enable an employee to gain new skills and techniques while performing the job. At the end of every single day a person spend in the job, he/she should be an expert in ding their job.

We work while thinking about our future and prosperity on the job. We should consider that in order to prosper, it is not how much you earn that makes you rich but what you do with what you earn that makes you rich. After one has retired, that doesn’t mean that it is the end of the career but rather a chance for personal development.

The most important lesson that I have learnt is that in order to succeed, one needs discipline and hard work. With these two tools, one can be able to come up with SMART goals that in the end will be achieved successfully. 

-RITA

***

I count myself blessed to have had the chance to read this book at this particular time as it is just the perfect time to have this information. I am at the beginning of my first job and therefore my career journey and from the book, I now have a clear picture of the kind of thinking I should apply so as to make the most of my employment.

Some of the most interesting things I have grasped from the book was that a job has so much value to add to me other than money. I should make use of the opportunity I get to gain exposure and sharpen skills that will help me in my career and life generally. The riddle about a house, spouse and a cow was also thought provoking and this is all about priorities. I will also now begin planning for my retirement as soon as I get my first paycheck. I want to reap the fruits of my labor now and when am old.

Every employee in Africa should get a copy of this book so they can realize the ways in which they can maximize their potential in employment and also develop themselves through proper management of their finances. If there is an opportunity to learn from the experiences of others, both good and bad, we should all go for it. Thanks for the free copy. It is an honor that I do not take for granted.

- Caroline

This book has a very personalized touch to the African working environment.  Reading it, I came across real life experiences I have been through albeit my very short employment history.  The continuous postponement of having a savings culture and lack of a clear working career plan particularly hit close home. Having a close family member who had nothing to show for having a long prestigious working career even makes it more surreal.

The lessons in here are meant to be learnt from others as experiencing them personally will be quite costly.  Employees in Africa must learn how to manage and get the most out of their careers and be ready for retirement as it is inevitable. The approach used is very simplistic and anyone in whichever occupation can be able to understand the advice given therein.I have learnt to have a clear plan on managing my finances, prioritize and learn as much as I can in any role that I find myself in. Going the extra mile will also not go unrewarded.

I have realized the important of owning my career journey and treating each level as a learning and growth opportunity instead of waiting to get higher in my career which is the mindset I had before.  I also will be owning my choices and realizing that I determine my future.This book came at the right time and I will forever be indebted.

- Emily

Prosper in employment is a book that guides you from the point of job entry to the exit. It explains the basic thing we need to understand while in the job, actions we need to take to maximize our stay in the employment. It starts by bring out the purpose of employment. The author argues that money as valuable as we may perceive it, is not the reason for working. He says if money if as important as we purport, why then do we spend it all? He argues that there is more to employment than the income we receive. He says that what we believe about our work affects our attitude to work. In employment we should learn how to work, the keys to enterprise and how to prosper and create wealth. We need to project our future life after employment, perhaps after retirement. We should use our income to create wealth.

I have learnt that we mature through five stages or levels in life. Dependence level, independence, dependable, developers and donors.  He argues that we should be able to understand and act our levels. At dependable level, people rely on you and therefore one should be consistent in all that he or she does. In this stage we are role models.

Finally I learnt that in marriage as opposed to my earlier perception of liability, it is point of unity and boosts your ability to achieve goals and make decision. This is because two are better than one. I also learnt that paying rent is not an investment rather is an expense, owning a house will help you channel the money that you would have otherwise paid as rent to investment.

-Kelvin KK

It is very important to place the copy of ‘How to prosper in employment’ in the hands of employee because it will help them to know why they are working, what they need to do with the income, how to spend, save and invest, how to manage their jobs carefully to achieve their life goals, how to plan for their lives while at work and not to wait until they are sent home in order to plan for their retirement..

People have different views and ideas on jobs, work and employment. The book has very important advises and good examples and tackles many things people leave out when telling their employment history, life goals and achievements. It gives an insight into the mind of employer, employee, trainee and potential job seekers like (Mary and John).The book also teaches us to love our job and have positive attitude every day given by the example of the TRENCH.

I have personally learned a lot from this book apart from being motivated and educated, I have learned to have a positive attitude towards my job and that a job is not necessarily a career and that it’s a platform for greater things. I have learned also on the need to do investments and plan for the future as early as possible and to advance my career as well as live in my own house as illustrate in the story of the house, spouse and a cow. I also realized that people miss opportunities not because of not having all what it takes, but not opening their thinking capability. I also learned that people are tied to jobs in a way that they can’t think outside that job. In conclusion, every employee should have a copy of this inspiring, uplifting and motivational book.

-Norah

This read could in the long run impact the continents economy by reducing the after retirements dependency levels. Employees will have an investment mindset as opposed to current trends of retiring with no on job in investments. The Africa working population will begin to appreciate the ignorance there is in the comfort of employment. The words in this book are truly deep, ruthless and convicting. It will be a wakeup call to a lead of wealth creation, personal development and appreciation of our gifts, abilities interests and talents.

MY LESSONS:  My financial behaviors have to change has got to be implemented immediately am on the job, Having a mentor to keep me in check with my plans and progress will be crucial to attainment of my plans and goals, My employment should not be a routine and I should equally build a fulfilling life outside my career. My retirement strategies should kick in immediately am on the job. Understanding my emotions and those of others will make me an all-round competent person. As a youngster, financial freedom should come with intelligence and discipline. Profession progress requires patience and hard work.

-Gatwiri

Many books have been written on the subject of prosperity. A fair amount of those books focus on entrepreneurship as a tool for wealth creation and self actualization. The book “How to prosper in employment” by Allan Bukusi captures a modern African mindset on what employment, and offers a contrary view.

A change in mindset: As we grow up, many of us are made to understand that jobs exist for us to creat wealth for the already wealthy. That it’s a routine that leads to a paycheck that can barely sustain us. Allan Bukusi challenges  the perspective that  a job is a life sucking routine meant to frustrate us  and shows that with the right attitude we can excel and create wealth within employment.   

 It is no longer about being number one: Africa still wallows in the mentality that only high paying jobs offer opportunity. We give more credit to those who are number one or to a CEO than we do others. So we fight for the few positions at the top. Our focus on competition blinds us from the opportunities for self improvement at our workplaces. The book shifts emphasis from the positions held within organizations to what else can do for ourselves within those positions. There is a lot of disregard for the way in which we can use the same skills we offer employees to take a step up in our own personal lives. This book offers an insightful look at our attitude towards employment and how we can milk the opportunities we have.

-Beatrice

It is necessary to place a copy of the above named book in the hands of every employee in Africa because this book is a powerful guide for employees, in early and mid-career, to enjoy a fulfilling life, realize personal development and create wealth during employment so that they finish well. I learned a lot from this book. First, whatever kind of job we are doing we must realize the purpose is to help us prosper. To prosper means you are able to realize your full potential, develop yourself and create your own wealth.

Second, the income we get from a job is not wealth. If you are able to save and invest your income, you are making profit. Only then can you create wealth. When investing you should do it wisely, buy items of long-term value, say land. Do not put your money in risky ventures such as gambling and pyramids. A wise investment can take care of your family for many years. Also, do not wait for retirement to invest. By this time it will be almost too late and you may not have sufficient funds. The best time to invest is while you are still receiving your pay checks, especially early in your career.

Lastly, to succeed we need to plan. We cannot just work aimlessly and hope one day to wake up to success. We need to come up with some personal goals that will motivate us and steer us towards success. These goals will also help us identify our financial priorities since we cannot spend money on every item, only those items that lead to our goals.

-Eddy

How to prosper in Employment is an amazing and eye opening book for professionals who are young in their career. It gives an open minded view to employment and how one can enjoy a fulfilling career, realize self-development and reap full benefits from employment which is very important for all employees.

It teaches employees that they can still develop themselves and live a fulfilling life while still being effective in their work and still give their employers results. It emphasizes on setting individual priorities and goals and working hard to achieve these throughout our employment in order to leave a good legacy for the generations to come. It highlights how it is important for employees to cooperate with their employers in order to get the best from the mutual beneficial relationship.  

The book encourages employees to have a plan while pursuing success in their careers hence creating wealth for themselves using the same skills they use to grow and progress in their career. If employees are able to save and invest their income, they will be making profits hence creating wealth for themselves. The only way this will happen is if we embrace a positive attitude and learn to milk the opportunities   that we have however small.  I believe this book is a game changer for employees and I am glad I got the chance to read it this early in my career!

-Eunice

The book “How to prosper in employment” by Allan Bukusi is a must have for all employees in Africa. The author uses rich empirical observation and simplicity to convey deep wisdom to his audience to help them understand the dynamics of employment in a new light. From it I have learnt the following that all employees would find pertinent:

The purpose of work is to help us prosper. Prosperity is a function of daily growth. Growth is reflected not only in promotions, but also in efficiency in using all available opportunities. Our self-worth should not be tied to our jobs otherwise it would be lost if we lost these jobs. Employments are an opportunity to learn lessons which we reapply to build our own wealth.

Employees who learn from the mistakes of their employers should be able to prosper faster. Planning, investing and saving are disciplines that are learnt with time. People who integrate such disciplines in their lives do better in life than others given the same opportunities. Investments should be done using goals that give us satisfaction, to motivate success, early enough before commitments sets in. Money from employment should be used to fund these dreams. Despite the many challenges in employment, they are a learning opportunity that makes it possible to create wealth.

Focusing on the top jobs make people forget what really matters. Employment should prepare us for financial freedom. There is seldom a chance to live the same twice, each opportunity should be used wisely.

-James

The book cites real life employment experiences in Africa, from graduation ceremonies to celebrations, to job searching for independence and believe of a successful career. Many African graduates yearn to leave home, earn an income with no plans or realistic goals. More often than not, graduates wait for long to get jobs, work hard to be successful and concentrate on employment routine rather than personal development. Surviving from pay check to pay check is common and after years in employment, dreams to work fade and search to do something different begins. In Africa, employees hope to better their lives, this book give lessons on how to avoid anger and frustrations. It teaches the need to cooperate with employer for mutual benefit and need to prosper in all we do. I learnt that a job is an opportunity to realize potential and build a better future, we need to leave work with knowledge of the enterprise, avoid debts to generate ownership. I have learnt not to pursue my career but enjoy it. As we consume our income, we should also generate/ create wealth. Each capital I earn, I should make it work for me, get profit, grow and develop skills to manage money from medium and long term goals. Setting my priorities right will help me plan my time, actions and spending money. It has instilled in me how to be a smart employees through expertise, hard work, enterprises and wealth creation as a personal responsibility. I should further my growth inside and outside work. This book is important for all people in various levels of their careers. If I do not understand what colleagues in other departments do, I may start to build walls, more often than not, it takes major change of pace to break those walls. People change, cultures change, markets change, but “How to proper in Employment”, is a book that shall stand the test of time.    

-Karen

It is necessary to place a copy of How to Prosper in Employment in the hands of every employee in Africa because it is time Africa did things differently. It is about time for all employees to realize that income is more than the money one earns from the job; it also includes the experience we earn from the job which no one can take away from you no matter where you go. The book also helps us realize that employment is not a mere rat race to the top but it is about being excellent in whatever field you are in.

Understanding that we need to turn what we earn into capital is also a key point to note from the book. We need to do this if we are to become developers- people who enrich the world around them, which is something Africa really needs right now. If we are also to become donors and empower developers, we need to turn our salaries into capital.

Having said this, I have also learnt from this book that saving without a goal is like putting money aside just postponing its use. Setting clear goals, both short term and long term enables one to put their savings into proper use thus creating a “cash cow.” Having acquired this knowledge, I hope that I will not be … as sad as a person who can and will not …or as mad as a man who could but does not (pg. 94).

-Linet

Majority of the young people graduate from campus thinking they’ll get jobs paying Kes. 60,000 and above, and that life is pretty simple. This book, in my opinion, suits them best. The book uses vivid examples that I can personally relate to. This helps in having a picture of how the employment life is, and have guidelines on how to prosper in employment. It therefore prepares them for their employment life, and thus avoid disappointments when they land at jobs with minimal salaries or none at all.

My personal take home from the book is that: I need to use my employment to create wealth not only for the bank but also for myself. This is so that I can have something to go to after retirement; I need to have functional goals that act as a guide in my career advancement;  This will help me work harder in order to achieve them and therefore lead me to success; I need to put in a lot of effort to ensure that am an expert at what I do; For me to invest, (buy a cow), I’ll need to be able to do personal financial management for it to be possible, Lastly, I should strive to do above and beyond what is expected of me.

-Malot

Why is it necessary?

The book entitled, ‘How to Prosper In Employment’ is important for every employee for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the book shows the importance of understanding that the purpose of employment is not to live by hoping from salary to salary but to look into the future of your life and those around you. That is, that we should stop seeing employment as an end but a means to an end. Furthermore, with its tag line: A house, a spouse, a cow, it is tailor made for the African society. It is also necessary because it opens the eyes of a regular employee to the hurdles that the future in employment holds.

What do I learn from it?

I have learnt a lot from the book. First off, I have learnt to manage my expectations of the workplace. By this I mean that I should not be naïve and expect everything to go as I would like. There will be as many challenges as there are opportunities and progress is made through hard work. Secondly, I’ve learnt on how to save while looking towards my future instead of immediate gratification and satisfaction of my wants and needs. I have also learnt to never forget my God in all undertakings.

-Mark

Allan has written a very powerful book that cuts across generations of people in the labour market. He looks at the lives of employed people as well as job seekers in order to help us avoid traps and pitfalls that may hinder a successful career. This book goes beyond motivational books as it speaks in a practical language that I found easy to relate to and understand. Therefore, this book should be placed in the hands of every employee in Africa so that its power can transform their lives. The book is thought provoking and will definitely help many people at various stages of employment especially because we are never really prepared for life before, during and after employment.

                
I learnt the meaning of employment. A job is not simply a source for my next pay check. This book has taught me to look at employment as a platform with limitless opportunities for personal development and wealth creation, for example, my job should enable me fulfil my life’s mission completely by the time am retiring from my own business long after leaving formal employment. Furthermore, I feel empowered after reading this book because it teaches how I should open my eyes while in employment so that I do not lose my years just repeating one year experience, for example, I will try to identify opportunities that are provided by employment.

-Kelvin KN

The book How to prosper in Employment is very important for every employee, in whatever stage of their career. Most people go into employment blindly; they do not understand what they want out of employment. Society expects people to live in a certain way, when thy have been employed for a period of time. In Kenya, you expect one should be driving, living in a fully furnished house in the posh areas of Nairobi and probably hanging out in the most “happening” entertainment joints in the city.

Most youth in Africa believe that they need to be employed to work. They tie their self-worth to the job they have and seem to be helpless when they do not have a job. The book is a handbook on getting the most out of one’s employment life which could span anywhere between 25-30 years. A tragedy would be to work half of your adult life and have nothing to show for it at retirement; or worse leaving ones family paying loans you could have avoided.

The greatest lesson I got from the book is that employment is a personal journey. The messenger had gained financial freedom working what many would regard as a small job. He knew what he wanted to achieve from the job and took it to his advantage. I saw employment as a means to finance one’s dreams. The network made at work is essential to fulfill my own goals. Employees in Africa should aim to be business owners, as well as develop their careers.

-Cinday

Everyone looking for a job fails to understand what the job is for. To them, a job should help them solve their problems through the salary they receive. What they forget is the main purpose of the job. The job is only there to help us prosper in life. The book takes an interesting approach by taking the reader through stages in life that are common to all. From graduating to landing their first job and to progress in the work place.

Employees need to understand that the job is not an asset and therefore, it will come a time when they will have to pass it over to (the) someone else. But the beauty of it all is that Africa is blessed with so many natural resources and labour such that, while on the job, the employees should be able to create wealth from their income in order to exploit the resources available to us rather than relying heavily on a job as the only source of income. A great problem amongst Africans is that they cash the income they receive. In no matter how small the amount may be. Africans need to appreciate that Rome was not built in one day. Therefore no matter how small the pay check may be, following it through diligently can help one create wealth from it.

One of the biggest problems in Africa today is the increase in the number of borrowers. We rely so much on debt in order to create and maintain a certain lifestyle. Therefore, it is important for Africans to get hold of this book in order to understand that ones’s income can be their capital in something that will create wealth for them and enable them purchase these items debt free.

It is therefore necessary to ensure that every African employee grows, develops and gains expertise in their job and from this create wealth for themselves by understanding that their income is not wealth and use their job to prosper in life. The concept is well grasped in the book “How to prosper in employment: and therefore every employee should get a copy of this.

I have taken with me more than I can put down. But for now, I will try and put it to summary. The very first lesson is that my job is here to make me prosper. In as far as my education is concerned, it is an enterprise. We are taught how to do things and, on the job, we gain experience and expertise with which I can take away with me. I should be able to take full advantage of the job and gain even new skills and use the skills and exposure to develop myself.

Another valuable lesson is that, from the income I receive, I can choose to either spend in totality to satisfy my behaviors or invest it somewhere to create wealth therefore turning it into capital or to collect it and save it or cash it. From every salary, I should make a profit from it. I should aim to earn more, but still spend the same amount. This “excess cash” I should use to create my very own cash cow. An investment that generates enough to sustain me and my family and itself.

Especially at mu young age, I have the ability to rescue my future. I need to take charge of my career development and prosperity in my job. I should be able to create wealth from my expertise while still employed such that if I were to retire today. I would be able to live the same life as I did on the job and even open up more exciting doors for myself.

In as much as I may want to progress in my career, I should not allow myself to get caught up in attractions such as titles, money and promotion that would make me forget the benefits of employment. But I should do my job, take pride in it and gain expertise on it because my work reflects who I am. With set goals and a plan, I can be able to develop my career and learn along the way.

Needless to say, the book is very informative and challenging to any employee in todays world. I would encourage others to read the book as well.

-Cynthia

How to prosper in employment is necessary for all employees in Africa since it educates job seekers, employees and retirees. Having this book will change the way you view employment. For example many people view experience as the number of years of employment, but experience is more than the time spent at work or in the office. It is the total value of the knowledge, exposure and confidence on the job, it is the skill you gain to know how to manage attractions that cause us to neglect the benefits of employment ie title, identity, money and promotion. We also have to learn how our work earns money since it makes use of our skills. Employers use these same skills to create wealth for the business. African employees should learn to milk the opportunity since many people want good jobs yet those who have them do not make use of them. In addition to that we should mature through the 5 level knowing there are no specific timelines for each stage. Interestingly, when one fails to achieve their career goals we always say that it because we were not meant to be, but the truth is that we are not ambitious and also we do not take stock of just how much work is needed to achieve goals.  The secret of income: we should know is that income is more than money and to get all the income on hand you may need to do more than your assigned job, taking interest to learn about things beyond your normal scope of work. The route to success involves having priorities right a) determine what you will not do, b) decide where you spend your time and c) dictate how you use your money.

-Cyrus

This book is an eye opener and has completely changes my view on employment. I only viewed employment as a source of income that would finance my livelihood, but after reading the book I have realized employment can be a perfect platform for an individual to improve their competence in a wide variety of fields – not only their area of specialization – and most importantly to create wealth. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is seeking employment or is in employment. The following were my major take outs from the text. They include; 1) in order to prosper in employment, I need wisdom, understanding and no little skill, 2) My job is not just career but a platform for achieving greater things in life, 3) the experience I will gain during employment should not just be the time I will send in the work environment but rather the total value of knowledge, exposure and expertise that I will develop on the job. 4) In order to prosper in my work, I will need to have a clear definition of what the job I will be engaging in has to offer to my career. This will enable me to be able to manage the attractions that may cause me to lose focus on the merits of my employment venture, 5) the best way to retire is to give all the best to my job and to ensure that I engage in the process of creating wealth while I am employed. This will enable me to venture into my own initiatives once I lead the job in the near future.

- Steve

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