Strange Drivers

There is a strange phenomenon I have observed over the years. Whereas there are vehicle drivers and drivers of vehicles, there seems to be some drivers who are driven by their vehicles and others who drive their vehicles. Those who are driven by their vehicles are usually overly eager, anxious and erratic. They also appear to have no regard for their own safety. Rather than control the vehicle power, the power of the vehicle controls them. These drivers blame their vehicles for a puncture or for a faulty fuel pump. It is a strange phenomenon, but you may be able to identify with what I am talking about. Those who drive vehicles are for the most part calm, confident and considerate of their own and others safety and comfort. There is a subtle difference between those who are driven and those who drive. That difference emerges in the cost of maintenance.

Allan Bukusi

Family ties

The most challenging aspect of family life is not that it may be dysfunctional; rather it is that you watch it grow, disperse and disintegrate before your very eyes.

Allan Bukusi

When was your last defining moment?

In the humdrum pedestrian nature of life there are moments that do not qualify as normal. There are times when circumstances conspire to create a new reality that demands your undivided attention and deep reflection.  I am not talking of birthdays, holidays or even a pay rise. It is certainly not an aha moment. Defining moments crystallize all you have come to believe and all that you have accumulated thus far. These moments test your mettle when nature conspires for you a life lesson. This is not the time to make off the cuff decisions. The decision you make in that moment maps out your future and defines your destiny. These moments often emerge in crisis, conflict or competition. They can be termed as a nasty experience or may also appear with all the effects of joy and triumph. Yet these moments define you. However the decisions you make in these moments liberate you and free you from prisons that you have built around you. These moments call us to a new level of existence far beyond the comfort of success. These moments are not always shrouded in excitement and can be of excruciating pain and solitary refinement. Nevertheless the great mystery is that we cannot tell in that moment that it is a defining moment. Many of us will miss these moments in our lives and thus, alas, from these moments, we notice nothing and gain nothing more.

Allan Bukusi

The story of the servant and two rivers

Some time ago there was a businessman who owned two donkeys and a water cart. He had tried, as many businessmen do to get a faithful servant to manage his water distribution business. Each of the hands he hired would, in turn, run away after three days or get tired of the work and resign. One enterprising chap actually made off with all the water containers and left the empty cart in the village square.

As it turned out the businessman did manage to hire an excellent worker. Some people say that every cloud has a silver lining and indeed the businessman was glad that his luck had turned for the good. The hardworking servant would come in early in the morning, untie the donkeys rub them down and load them up with empty water cans to fetch water from the river, sell the water on his way back home and give the money earned to the businessman by 2.PM. This happy collabo went on for some time until the businessman started to boast about how proud he was of his dedicated and hardworking employee who came in early and always returned on time in the village.

After some time he started noticing that the villagers were looking at him a little strangely after all nobody else boasted about their hired hands. Some laughed quietly as he passed by. One day he was shocked when he overheard one woman whispering to another in the market, “it is better to leave him in his ignorance”.

The next day the businessman disguised himself and followed his employee to the river. To his dismay the servant crossed the river and continued on his way. As the businessman wondered where the servant was going, the servant was happily greeting everyone along the way. Later they came upon another river where the servant loaded up the cart with water and started the journey back home. 

The businessman thought for a while and said to himself, perhaps there is better water in the second river than the first. But to his dismay the servant began to sell the water along the way. By the time they reached the first river the water cart was empty. The servant then proceeded to load up another full cart of water and continued on his return trip. This time the servant sold the water to the people the businessman knew.

The businessman rushed home as he knew what was about to happen. When the servant reached the house the businessman he gave him the earnings from the first river. However, when the servant came for the donkey cart early the next morning the Businessman asked him casually, “to which river are you going today, the first or the second?”

Allan Bukusi

Ito Leadership

I never met Mr. Ito personally, but I did work in the company at the time. Things were not bad, but profitability was getting out of hand.  In case you are wondering about the photograph, that is me on the far right. I was the staff development manager. The only person who was legitimately in the picture is the man on the far left. The man in blue. You have to look carefully because you might miss him. You be forgiven is you think we were the fire brigade with our bright new overalls. However, our duty had nothing to do with fire. Our job was to sweep and clean the factory!

Rational thinking corporate executives do not sweep and clean factory floors.  They sit in offices and make phone calls. The only reason we found ourselves in this bright red position because Mr. Ito asked one question – What is our business? Apparently “tires” was the correct answer. He then said, “shouldn’t we be paying more attention to where those tires are coming from?”. Apparently the correct answer to the second question was the red brigade in that picture. In between those two questions the life of the entire management team changed forever. Led by Mr. Ito we all trooped to the factory.

Our job was to clean the machine that produces the value. It was to look after the goose that lays the golden eggs. Our roles changed from papers, printers and setting prices to helping the people who produce the gold do the best they could. What happened next was amazing. The workers in the mine began to smile. They felt appreciated. We got to know them and they got to talk to us. We became a factory and in a few months production surpassed the limitations of the engineering department specifications. I do not know why it happened. But just for the record let’s call it Ito Leadership!

Allan Bukusi

So - How do you train your leaders?

Place them in a position of challenge, responsibility and achievement. Build in them the spirit of success and teamwork. Affirm their self-respect and let them know you treasure their success. Make them champions of hope, dignity and character. Teach them never be ashamed to stand up in a crowd. Ignite their dreams and enroll them in the leadership academy. 

Allan Bukusi

Burning schools, burning education

The rising trend of “burning schools” reported in the media in the East African nation of Kenya has drawn attention to government inquiry. However, apart from the massive loss of millions of shilling worth of property lost in bonfires of books and beds there is a disturbingly loud silence of millions of parents with children in schools. Despite the fact that parents are called upon to pay for damaged property, they seem just as wretched as their children in these circumstances. Parents are bewildered as to what to do with their children. Since sending a child to school is, one if not, the most responsible and loving things a parent can do for a child, parents will pay for the rebuilding of the school. However, rebuilding school property will neither prevent them from being burned again nor inspire in a child a new desire to pursue an education. In effect it is not the school that has been set on fire, it is the desire for education that has been burned. While burning school property is an economic question, burning education is a social catastrophe. A book published by this author provides some hard-hitting insight on the relationship between education and leadership, he points out that…

Education systems remove individuals from social responsibility, isolates them in institutions, raises their ambitions and expectations to unrealistic levels, then channels them back into society 20 years later hoping that they will make a healthy social adjustment and take up leadership roles. This does not happen with satisfactory frequency. Perhaps education systems could integrate social responsibility into school programs (rather than complete isolation) to help developing leadership keep in touch with social reality and begin developing solutions (during their education) to address surrounding social needs. This approach would not only ensure that education becomes a social enterprise that continuously interacts and positively impacts the environment, but would also prepare leadership to practically address social concerns and take initiative to make a social contribution upon completion of education. Education is currently institutionalized it perhaps needs to be socialized. – THINKING LEADERSHIP IN AFRICA, 2004

Education is the seedbed of a nations’ leadership quotient. If the tree of education is burned at the roots it is only a matter of time before the fruits of leadership become embers. Schools are merely vehicles that supply leaders and facilitate the establishment of a society. However an education system that does not serve the interests of society will be as useless as an eyesore of the charred remains of a burned school.

Allan Bukusi