Vindu Vichenja'nga!

 

Vindu Vichenja'nga!

Vindu vichenja'nga - Is tongue-in-cheek idiomatic phrase was coined during the 2022 general elections in Kenya to explain the changing political landscape. It captured the accompanying uncertainty among voters about which candidates would be elected to office by an electorate whose loyalty seemed to be constantly shifting. In English the phrase roughly means “things change… and then keep changing”. Puny as it may seem, the phrase does capture the essence, dynamics and nature of the global and local socio-economic turbulence being experienced in our world today. Business men and women set out to achieve clearly crafted visions with accompanying strategic plans to support their intentions. However, the next morning the government introduces a substantive new tax that in effect wipes away 50% of the companies’ anticipated profits over a five-year plan period. Simply put, in spite of the surprise, standard strategic planning tools do not allow for disruptive environmental change. nonetheless, the term “dynamic strategy” does obtain both context and meaning in a world that is constantly changing.  

Vindu vichenja'nga - reminds us that change is not static and that change in and of itself keeps changing inspiring further change. You can’t get too comfortable with where you are if you want to get through to the future. A leader must look for a transcendent vantage point, like an eagle rising above a storm to surmount and survive the turbulence in the market place.  There is a saying, “You cannot see the picture if you are in the frame”. Sitting in the frame only adds confusion to the complexity of whatever challenge it is you are facing.  Since ancient times, army generals first worked to capture high ground from which they could strategically direct the war efforts taking place in the valley below. Similarly, leaders, in exercising that ancient wisdom, need to seek out vantage points that allow them to tactically direct operations on the ground and ensure their businesses survive and thrive in today’s turbulent world. 

Vindu vichenja'nga, also presents us with a major challenge to lead changing change! We are urged to not just observe change or lead through change, but change ourselves to transcend environmental change. In other words, while things will always keep changing, we must find a way to arrive at our desired goals in spite of those changes. We cannot use change as an excuse for failure. Thus, even when the weather changes or market conditions shift and a new president is elected, we must find a way to get the children through school! But we also find this powerful change metaphor in the transcendent leadership of the founding fathers of modern African nations. They looked beyond the conundrum of colonialism to create a new moral state of existence for generations to come. 

Preview excerpt from

Leading Transcendent Change 

Scheduled for March 2024

Let me know your thoughts....