DARE TO TRY By Ronald Bukusi

DARE TO TRY

by Ronald Bukusi

The book provides a scoped overview of global sporting as a context to understanding the competence of “winning”. Winning is a super-stride skill essential to survival, personal achievement and overcoming real life challenges. In his book Ronald presents Winning as a functional competence that can be developed, adopted and taught at all ages without gender, social or philosophical barriers. The book could be subtitled, “the Art of winning” aligning it with “the Art of war” and Robert Greene’s “mastery texts”. This will place the book into a larger readership space and allow it to be a comfortable reference away from its strong rugby title. Its principles are universal with sport simply providing a framework for discussion. The author takes the reader on a global tour from New Zealand to the heartland of Chicago Sirens. He travels with us on sports trips from the Home of Champions in Kenya to Malaysia, Wales and Argentina to traverse the Olympics, World Cups and enjoy dinners in corporate boardrooms of winning strategy formulation around the world. It is well worth the trip. If you are a player, coach, mentor or just sliding through life - get yourself a copy of this book! 

Messaging

There are five ideal places to quit; before the race, at the beginning of the race, in the middle of the race, at the end of the race and after the race. However, Winners never quit, they keep coming back - This statement summarizes the books message. Its global referencing is used to bring home this point time and again. The second message is “There are no short cuts to winning… Being a winner takes time and by that I mean years!”. The winning time frame in the book is called out in years, decades and in one case almost a century. Third, winning is about both process and practice. The emphasis on technical process is not passed over, but registers as core to the winning psyche. You’ve got to look at the numbers (stats) to measure performance and progress in order to get better at what you do and succeed. The only person who can write off a winner is the winner. Winning is a game of life. Paradoxical as it may seem, we all determine how we want to turnout in life. Don’t worry. You will be broad-sided by economic down turn, COVID, sickness... you name it! It will come some day… The way I see it, you have two choices; back off, back down and give up or back up, dust yourself off, retool and reboot your engines! Simply put there are no guarantees for anything you do. In life failure is an option and mistakes are part of the journey, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying. Just keep doing what you need to do to get better and up your game. The book provides a blueprint for organization, order, growth, development, change and challenge in all spheres of life.

Critique

I would have liked to hear a little bit more about professionalism and the sports ecosystem as environmental support structures to managing success and winning. There are also a few “repeat passages” that might have been competently dealt with in one section. Some concepts like “fundamentals”, “functionality” and “does pay equal performance?” probably deserved more acreage. The interviews are great and inclusive, but we would have liked to hear more of the authors understanding, trials and interpretations. Some passages need reference listing like Donald Rumsfeld’s unknown unknowns. Nonetheless, with 100 pages to deliver the message of winning, one may not have done better. The back cover needs some glinting. It is too local for the books global appeal. The authors picture could be more charismatic. The front cover should be about getting attention the first time it is lifted off the shelf. The back cover should not let a reader put the book down.

 

A brilliant capture and synopsis of a three decades’ career!    

Available globally on AMAZON

Hardcopies available at

The Writers Centre - Bookshop, 

Ground Floor Hazina Towers, Utalii Lane, Nairobi  

What KIND of political leader will you elect?

 

Do you ever wonder why so many popularly elected leaders turn out to be an outstanding disappointment during their parliamentary term? Many serve their time in the august house without contributing to any meaningful debate, leave alone speaking about the issues that concern their people. These leaders represent a wasted five years of your political life pursuing interests that have left you stunted and scandalized. But, perhaps the problem is you, rather than them. You may have elected whom you wanted, but did you get what you wanted? Before you renew your political vows with your parliamentary representative for tribal, filial or other non-sense reasons, it may be useful to reflect on whether your proposed political representative or governor has the capacity to fulfill your expectations.

The answer to the above distress is self-evident. Politics is not popularity. Popularity can be used to herd cows out of town or attract people to a social gathering. It is next to useless when it comes to skills required to make good laws or introducing and implementing policy that makes the people’s lives better. Before we describe the kind of political leader you may be looking for we need to appreciate that politics is not leadership and leadership is not politics. Politics is a discipline like football, engineering or military science. Each of these disciplines needs effective leadership to succeed in their respective endeavors. While all leaders draw from a general pool of leadership theory, military leaders must have an understanding of the chain of command, security and the art of war. Political leaders must have a minimum understanding of representation, governance and the rule of law.

Human resource experts tell us that in order to identify a suitable person for a job, you need to examine the job to understand its demands and dimensions before looking for the kind of person to match its tasks. Successful leaders not only have the will to succeed, but also have the skills necessary to succeed in following through with the requirements of political office. For example, the skill of debate is essential. If you cannot debate, your points will not cross the floor of the house. However, to debate is not shouting, it is crafting and articulating a logical argument with an astute amount of emotional intelligence to convincingly communicate your core message on the collective way forward. There are two sets of skills a political leader needs - politics and governance.

A political leader clearly articulates and interprets the national dream. Political leaders are charged with moving the nation from one level of glory to the next. They must therefore be familiar with the nations aspirations and articulate the dreams and wishes of the people in that context. This calls for an aptitude for public service and stewardship of resources. Being a political leader is not a job in a private company where the benefits are paid to the individual. In public service, the benefits must pass on to the electorate. The astute political leader must understand the principles of representation. The politician carries forward the aspirations of the people and presents them in the august house for resolution on behalf of the people. Like an ambassador who holds brief on behalf of his home government, the politician is accountable to the electorate who will judge his performance based on their expectations.   

Governance requires a thorough understanding and continuous development of technical competencies to manage the execution of the political process. Examples can be drawn from governors who have achieved above average value for their constituents. In all cases these governors have a superior competence and understanding of the process of governance, policy design, law making and community empowerment. These governors are well versed in the mechanics of wealth creation, resources management, economics and the rule of law. Politicians find it a popular gimmick to tell a crowd that they will reduce taxes. But the governors tell the people what they will do with the money they take from the public. Government cannot run without tax. Good governors understand finances and develop sound economic plans to utilize resources for the benefit of the people. Clearly governors require an ethical personality, have a heavy public calling on their lives and need to be not just astute leaders, but readers of documents, interpreters and implementers of policy as custodians of national strategy and the peoples dreams. If you want effective representation, then political skills may suffice for your choice of a leader. However, if you want to see a change in your circumstance and environment, then look for a leader who understands governance.

 

Allan Bukusi is an adjunct lecturer teaching leadership at Ashesi University, Ghana

WHY YOU MUST VOTE IN AN AFRICAN DEMOCRACY

 

The period preceding, and after, general elections in African countries is accompanied by a heightened sense of political excitement, social tension, personal insecurity and depressed economic activity. During these times citizens anxiously wonder, “What will happen this time round?”. While the voting season presents an opportunity to register a vote for social change, many people would wish that the season passes quickly so that they can get back to “normal” life. The big concerns are for peace, security, civility and hopefully the emergence of competent leadership after the ordeal. Curiously, not many citizens anticipate or even look forward to any real change in their lifestyle, yet the power to determine these very outcomes is given to each registered voter. Some people become so disappointed with previous election experiences that they vow never to vote again. Nonetheless, global statistics show that up to 25% of all eligible voters fail to cast their vote at the ballot box in a general election. Unfortunately, voter apathy in Africa casts a long, dark shadow of political uncertainty, social insecurity, civil unrest, poor governance and corrupt resource management in the aftermath of election outcomes. This post, summarized from the journal article WHY YOU MUST VOTE IN AN AFRICAN DEMOCRACY, outlines eight reasons why every eligible voter in Africa must cast their ballot in a general election. 

First, Your vote is not your own. It does not belong to you. It is held in trust. It is your ethical duty to vote for the wellbeing of your family, under age children, the sick, dying, ill-treated, uneducated and the disenfranchised in society as well as for those who, for one reason or another, will not vote. Those with interests in the country, but cannot vote, depend on you to vote wisely. The generations that established the nation before you prayed that you would realize the dreams they had for you. Similarly, they hoped that you too would help shape the dreams of the generations that come after you. It is your ethical responsibility to honor the trust bestowed upon you and pass on a blessing to the next generation.

Second, Democracy does not work by itself, it needs your vote to direct it. In 1948 The National Party of South Africa was voted into government by a slim 31 seat majority in a 150-member house. Before the election, the National Party’s apartheid agenda was derided in the press locally and around the world. Everyone knew it was a bad idea and "could not possibly work" in government. But that year the electorate did not come out to vote for the good idea. So the National Party took power and apartheid took root for nearly fifty years until Nelson Mandela was released from prison. Democracy does not work by itself. It can pass bad ideas into law. It needs your vote to make sure that good choices are made. Democracy is not perfect, it needs your vote to perfect it.

Third, Voter apathy leads to contested elections. The post-election violence in the 2007 general election in Kenya resulted in the loss of over 1000 lives, the displacement of thousands of others and the loss of property worth millions of dollars. The contested vote was 0.16% of the ballots cast for the presidency. However, what is not always fully appreciated is that 30% of the registered voters in that election did not vote!  The voice of the people would have been much clearer if the apathetic 30% had cast their ballot and saved the country immeasurable loss!

Fourth, The vote gives voice to the minority and the marginalized. In 2006 the people of Liberia voted in Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the first woman president in Africa in modern times. Four years earlier, Leymah Gbowee and others, tired of years of civil war in their country, mobilized the women vote in the markets, churches, mosques and homes to put an end to the violence. They added their voice to the national debate in the name of peace for their nation and prosperity for their children. If you do not vote, your voice is irrelevant in national affairs.

Fifth, In a democracy, the people hold political leaders and government officials to account for their actions. This privilege is not offered in dictatorships, autocratic forms of government and military rule.  A 100% voter turnout gives full voice to the mosaic expression of the will of the people, their needs, their representation and what they expect of government. If you don't vote, elected leaders are free to make assumptions about what you want and how you want to be ruled. If you don’t vote, you still come under the same rule, but do not really have anything to complain about.

Sixth, There is a lie that is pedaled by well-meaning unschooled leaders and sly politicians alike that says, “politics does not put food on your table”. The consumers of this lie see no need to vote or engage in the democratic process of selecting suitable leadership for society. However, politics determines whether 1) you have the opportunity to look for food, 2) enjoy the security to eat it, and 3) have the freedom to own a table. Ignorance of the power a vote places in the hands of voters to determine their future has led to the loss of personal freedoms in weak democracies. It behooves each of us to use our votes wisely to choose leaders who will guard our democratic freedoms?

Seven, Religion in Africa is big! There is a myth that religion and politics are separate. However, both have an important role in the welfare and maintenance of the state and accountability of government. While some might argue that religion is a personal and private affair, members of religious communities have a critical role to play in the identification, selection and election of values oriented leaders for society. Denying society the vote of your virtuous wisdom, is to endure the trials of pedestrian deception.

Eight, If the world is ruled by mankind, should not men and women determine who should rule? In this matter there are only two options; the vote or violence. Much violence and civil disorder addressed by the United Nations in African countries, has been resolved by the restoration of the vote. There is no need to lose something to know the pain of retrieving it. If that be so, then it is both urgent and important that you vote to improve the state of your nation and shape the development of democracy in Africa for the benefit of generations to come.

Allan Bukusi is an adjunct lecturer teaching leadership at Ashesi University in Ghana.