Need to Harness Our Competitive Advantages

Continued deterioration of the social fabric is no doubt a setback to business and economic growth in our country. The same has now put us in the list of the 20 most corrupt countries in the world, a shameful situation indeed. We certainly need to re-think our strategies of weeding out the extensive graft that continues denting our national image.

But, as we chart the way forward, we need to learn from Mahatma Gandhi who advocated that “you are the change that you want the world to be.” Effectively, any desired change needs to start with an individual. Why? Many individuals make a team; many teams make an organization whereas many organizations make a nation. We may also need to realize that change starting from individuals could eventually lead to a revolution, whereas that from the top is associated time consuming transformation.

Further, reflecting on some lessons from the Bible or Quran may also be helpful. One particular section in the Bible describes the plight of a disabled man who needed to get cured. He kept going to certain pools, which were believed to have curative qualities, for those unwell and able to dive into the pools, whenever the water was stirred.  This disabled man had been going to the pools for a whole 38 years, but could never experience the desired healing. As soon as the water was stirred, the man was always beaten into the pools by others, as he struggled to have his way.

Apparently, nobody ever bothered to help the man dive into the pools for the desired healing to take place.  Sadly, people had already been used to his disabled situation and treated the same as the norm. Most likely, everybody was passing by, saying hello to the disabled man and proceeding to the pools, without the slightest consideration of sparing some thoughts on his plight.

Actually, the experiences of this disabled man are comparable with our own situations. At work, there are people who never progress, no matter how much effort they continue putting in and for how long. Everybody becomes used to the status of such people. Others will be jobless for years on end, without anybody volunteering to help them out of their predicaments. We still have others who struggle conducting businesses that are unlikely to get beyond the day to day struggles, if at all they continue surviving. Obviously, we can’t all be endowed with equal opportunities.

Nonetheless, we are all gifted differently and may only be required to synergize, so that we can each achieve our desires in life. So, why is it that we keep struggling overwhelmingly without acquiring what we feel deserving, whether as individuals or businesses? Do those struggles not lead most people into negativity that yields graft and other social evils?

In a highly competitive and disruptive 21st Century, we all need to realign our strategies. We need to clearly understand what we expect to achieve and exactly what it takes. This will not happen unless we clearly recognize our unique abilities. Aristotle the Greek philosopher once said that ‘knowing thyself is the beginning of all wisdom.’ It may therefore be risky for us, should we continue pursuing life without first understanding exactly who we are, as well as our unique capabilities.

In this regard, we could benefit from great lessons arising from the wildebeest migration that happens in the month of August, every year. These animals crisscross to and from the Masai Mara and Serengeti national parks that are situated in Kenya and Tanzania respectively. During the migration, some of the weak animals are trampled to death or incapacitation by the strong ones.

Conversely, the migrating animals become easy prey for the carnivores, which numerously assemble along the migration route. The carnivores are obviously not attracted to watch the migration, the same way as the tourists, who flock from all corners of the globe. Rather, lions, hyenas, leopards and crocodiles amongst others are attracted by the convenience of easily striking on their prey, without expending too much energy.

Similarly, we become victims of the forces of change when we disregard or ignore our personalized orientations and end up doing the same things and in the same ways as everybody else. We choose to learn the same things in school, and eventually pursue the same degree courses. Thereafter, we conduct the same businesses amongst numerous other inclinations. In other words, we tend to be guided by the environment around us and our peers too, as we continue making fundamental choices in our lives.

Further, we tend to misinterpret the concept of benchmarking, which is a measurement of the quality of our policies, products, programs and strategies amongst other attributes. This is especially so when compared with the standard measurements, or similar measurements of our peers. We apply this to not only our individual, but also organizational situations.

Ideally, the objectives of benchmarking include determining what and where improvements are needed and to analyze how other competitors achieve their high performance levels. The main aim is to set standards of improvement, but not to duplicate the attributes of the competition as such.

In a highly competitive and disruptive 21st Century; we have no choice but to find ways and means of taking full advantage of our unique abilities, if we expect to successively achieve our desires. We all need to clearly understand what we are each excellent in, when compared to others. As depicted in the narrative of the disabled man, the society can be not only unkind, but also uncompromising. People may find strugglers to be disruptions in their lives, therefore leaving them alone to continue with their tribulations.

Likewise, we may end up becoming victims of the forces of change should we tend to follow the beaten paths, as noted in the case of the wildebeest migration. Therefore, we undoubtedly need to harness our competitive advantages, for us to continually survive the ever advancing technology and other forces of change. Actually, we need to re-align ourselves appropriately, if we expect to conduct businesses that are sustainable into the future. Most importantly, this empowerment from the bottom is likely to lead to much needed social transformation.

How Else Can You Benefit From Us?

INITIAL EMPOWERMENT SOLUTIONS

  1. An absolutely FREE 15-minute insightful presentation (in Nairobi only) on

(i)The prevailing national and organizational challenges

(ii)The genesis of the challenges and

(Iii) Impact of the challenges

(iv) The respective solutions

The focus of this solution is to introduce (during organizational meetings) the life changing strategy guide titled “Career Dynamics in the 21st Century,” now approved for the school system by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.

2) A Two Hour seminar titled “Unleashing the Human Performance Potential,” based on the principles advocated in “Career Dynamics in the 21st Century” This is conducted for all employees without any limitation of numbers (fees depends on location). The seminar is already enormously popular in mainstream Churches and learning institutions.

3) A full day seminar titled “Maximum Performance Strategy.” This involves application of the principals advocated in “Career Dynamics in the 21st Century,” through an experiential learning process. The seminar accommodates 20 participants per session ((fees depends on location).

WELCOME FOR YOUR DESIRED SOLUTION

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