To Get More We May Need To Avoid Enslavement to Money

While internalizing lessons from the tough, but very interesting subject of philosophy, a requirement of  international business studies; I came across one famous European philosopher. He is credited with influencing the view about Africans, but rather despicably. Lucien Levvy-Bruhil never impressed me initially.  This philosopher intimated that Africans are illogical thinkers; they believe in occult and magic.  Really?

If we can for now put the occult and magic aside, how would we view the illogical thinking aspect? Personally, I am no longer at war with Lucien Levvy-Bruhil, especially after continually studying our prevailing trends in the society as well as organizations. I have in other words come to terms with some of his propositions. Why?

Listen to every TV channel at 9.00 pm news or the numerous FM radio stations; read the daily newspapers and so on, and you will notice two words that are a common denominator – pesa mashinani (money in the grassroots). Go to organizations and ask why people are not working as efficiently as they are supposed to. The answer will most likely be that they need more money. Go to our Parliament and Senate and try to find out what is uppermost in their minds.

You will realize that they are crafting ways and means of squeezing more and more money from public coffers. Go to schools and universities and find out why students are learning. Many will admit that they are only doing it, aiming to get certificates, which will enable them to acquire well paying jobs – acquiring knowledge and skills may not be anywhere in the agenda. Conduct employee satisfaction surveys and you will find that the issue of money is sometimes overemphasized. Why has everybody decided that money is the alfa and omega of our lives?

This money itself is nonetheless not bad in any way. It is good because it enables us to pay our bills; we enjoy good living when we have money.  Actually, we get the best of what we anticipate in life. The question is; how do we focus on this money making process? Are the strategies sustainable throughout our lives?  Are they legally and morally acceptable? If yes is your answer to these last two questions, congratulations and keep it up. If not, all is not lost, because the situation can be transformed for the better even now.

In the recent years, I have written numerous published articles that are directly related to this obsession with money.  I have trained many individuals and organizations on how to change focus and eventually get all the money that we would want in life – it is a strategic process though. The truth is that there has been very positive feedback on the matter, which I have variously discussed in some published articles.

Meanwhile, I have one major issue with PESA MASHINANI CAMPAIGN. I personally think it is a very RAW deal for taxpayers. Why? A few weeks ago, I met an old friend who had been transferred from national to county government management. But, after agonizing for 7 months, the guy could not tolerate the workings of the county governments any more.

He has been used to working in orderly civil service with checks and balances in almost every corner. That is not to say that there are no challenges. Nevertheless, the guy had a few lessons to share about the occurrences in the counties. The first one is that there are no management systems in the counties whatsoever.

The collections through licenses, parking and other fees are accounted for only to the tune of 30%. The balance of 70% presumably ends up in mysterious pockets of some gun trotting county stakeholders. Who can touch such people if the Makueni County debacle is anything to go by? Further, who can doubt the gentleman’s insinuations given the public outcries by the auditor general as well as our senators, on financial affairs in the counties?

Secondly, there are no systems worth any consideration. If say the governor wants a new car or anything else for that matter, he calls for the item to be delivered instantly. Payment is also effected immediately. The buying procedures follow thereafter only for compliance purposes, if at all.

Thirdly, if you are in business and want to transact with counties, why bother struggling if you can access the county leaders. Sort each other out and you are in big-time business. Fourthly, if county systems are nonexistent or messy, how are the funds from the national government expected to be safe in the same entities?

Actually, how will the national government ditch out more of our money to systems and leadership/management processes that know no accountability? Further, what comes first, the money or the systems? Worse still, how will the government continue remitting more and more funds to seemingly personalized entities?

Let adequate accountability systems be put in place before people’s personal appetite for our money can be satisfied through the so called Pesa Mashinani. County governments MUST embrace reliable management information and accountability systems, just like any business or organization.

In the meantime, how does this lust for money and more money in the national leadership structures affect our business organizations and other national institutions? It is said that behavior breeds behavior. More still, our national leaders are treated as role models. What they do constitutes  behavioral leadership, one of the most dynamic of the various styles. Their behavior is taken up by the followers, who work in various organizations. Let me not analyze or contemplate the organizational and national directions under such circumstances.

In this era of performance management nonetheless, everybody and every organization needs to put the focus on money where it rightfully belongs – the result of focused work effort and not the means. In fact, the right focus yields more and more money for all of us, as individuals, organizations and governments too. Most importantly, our organizations need to safeguard their performance culture from the influences of the volatile political world.

Finally, “whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income,” Ecclesiastes 5:10. Seemingly, enslavement to money has no blessings.

Meanwhile,

• If you wanted to holistically and strategically transform the fortunes of your organization, where would you start?
• Did you ever know that we can help your organization to completely transform direction for the better in only 2 – 3 days?
• Did you also know that we extend PERSONALIZED and MONEY BACK GUARANTEES on the respective solutions?
• How about starting with a non committal, one on one discussion on how the transformation can be achieved?

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