Now I understand Leverage

Yesterday I learned the principle of leverage. I’d like to think I knew the concept, but I did not understand it because I have not used it much. The principle is very simple. We were taught it many years ago in primary school. But the idea that you could use it to get the most out of life was not in the curriculum. The syllabus said it would help you open a bottle or enjoy a seesaw.

The principle as I said is very simple. Do the least to get the most or use what you have to your greatest advantage. What will give you your greatest return and what action will advance you the furthest. Sometimes we are taught to prioritize, but that is not quite the same thing. Priorities are elementary compared to leverage! Priorities means you put all your energies on the most important things, leverage says to use the least energy to get the most important things so that you can do more things.

By concentrating on some specific and often simple initiatives leverage says your achievements will multiply themselves. With a little focus and determination you can improve yourself from a small position to one of greatness. That is easier said than done. What that little focus and determination requires is a great deal of patience, diligence, courage, unwavering will and dogged resolve to succeed – that is part of leverage. Most of us know it but are not willing to follow through with it. Working hard is a good discipline, but working hard and honest labor without leverage is very noble, but wearisome and can be exasperating because everything depends on your effort. Leverage on the other hand shares and spreads the risk along the lever and takes advantage of available synergy to benefit everyone amplify, magnify and multiply returns everyone can enjoy. Leverage takes work, but leverage is much more important than hard work!

Allan Bukusi

Life is a stream

Life is a stream. We pass this way only once.

Allan Bukusi

Do you have a passion statement?

PASSION STATEMENT

You have heard and are familiar with vision and mission statements. These are good. Visions excite you and missions give you something you can commit to, but none of these things really drives you. A passion statement is the sum of your dreams and desires that inspires you and energizes you to pursue a vision and commit to your mission. In this sense a passion statement of what you are willing to commit yourself to bring about is perhaps the most compelling statement of achievement. It may be “I want to improve myself” or as complex as “ I would like to see this place turned green”. In both statements any incremental progress towards these desires inspires a new surge of energy. In this regard, your passion statement makes you courageous, resurgent and energetic when you make progress, but also bold and positive when you face challenges.  Make such a passion statement as to empower any move you make towards your goals as well as harness and inspire new vigor, energy and drive to achieve it.

When working with directors and boards during strategy planning sessions, before into developing or interrogating Vision, Mission and Values statements I take some time to assess the passion in the room. How much emotional energy have the directors committed to the organization success? How much energy are the directors willing to invest in the business? This may sound simplistic, but when you compare the summary statement of the hopes, dreams and desires of everyone in the room and compare it with the vision, mission and values statements it will give you a very good idea if you have the right people in the room, what direction the business is receiving and/or if the organization is on the right track. Simply put the directors will naturally place their energies where their passion is and if that passion is not aligned or does not drive the vision and mission the business, serious questions need to be answered.

A passion statement drives vision and provides the get-up-and-go of the mission. The heart desire for a free South Africa of Nelson Mandela and millions of Africans drove the vision of freedom. The passion of entrepreneurs is what drives a business, vision alone is not enough. Would be successful organizations flounder the CEO has a clear vision but no passion to get the work done. Indeed finding a passionate (rather than visionary) successor after the founding CEO is the greatest challenge of successful enterprises. You don’t just need people who can do; you need people who believe in what you do! A passion statement is as powerful in personal life as it is to a corporation. A life with no passion is merely a passage of time. A life with passion does not have to live a long time.    

Allan Bukusi

Are you missiing out on life?

If you can’t make your bed and wash dishes, you are missing out on life because life is about getting up and preparing the next meal.

Allan Bukusi

Unless the heart is moved....

Unless the heart is moved, the mouth will not speak.

Allan Bukusi

A mind shifted by degree...

There is no telling what a mind shifted by degree can achieve or where it will end up ten miles from here. Too often we make judgment based on the facts of what we see now rather than what will be. Don’t be fooled by the moment of transition it is only a sign. No sign giving direction is ever found at the destination. Minor shifts in perspective have established nations, scaled mountains and spawned inventions all because one eye saw things differently. A shift in focus and commitment to purpose changes the final result. A change of heart will change your situation. One new idea changes the outcome and one bold move will change your destiny.

Allan Bukusi

When a man must have faith!

There comes a time when a man must have faith; when there is nothing else to hold on to, when the tears are dry and all opportunity past, when regret no longer pains and joy leaves a dull ache, when the only thing you can give up is hope, when you have tried your best and your best is not enough, when you wish that there would be no tomorrow - but tomorrow does come. When what you used to do with joy is now a burden to imagine, when there is nothing left within you to go on and the body died long before you woke up, when things are bad and then get worse, when feelings are numb and words of comfort slide off your heart like water off a rock. When the spirit departs and all you have left is fate. When the last friend departs like the last bus that would take you home. When you have no more reason to believe that anything is worth the effort, then look up and read the sign that says, “faith” and wait.

Allan Bukusi