Before You Sleep Tonight

Look at your cell phone; it could be a smart phone or an ordinary phone. Whichever make it is or functionalities it has, it once was just an idea. Today you enjoy the convenience of using it because the idea was made a reality. Fifteen years ago, few would have fathomed that they can access the internet 'on the go' using a handheld gadget as opposed to walking into a cyber café. I dare to say that very soon websites as we know them today will be obsolete! I believe they will be replaced by phone apps! It sounds improbable, but if telephone land lines are getting obsolete, websites will soon be a thing of the past!

Website developers reading this will fight my idea. Business owners considering getting their website rolled out may dismiss the thought. We however cannot ignore the fact that in today's world people are churning out inventions faster than the world can keep up. As a leader in your organisation you ought to constantly ask yourself, "What is the solution of the future?" This question should keep you wide awake at night! You are designed to guide others into new horizons, not limiting them to grounds already discovered.  Adopt the Blue Ocean strategy - keep moving, keep reinventing yourself, your products and your organisation into uncharted waters. Leverage on first-mover advantage in the market and you will not have to fight for a dwindling market share.

In order to lead, you must read constantly. You must feed your mind with information especially relating to or affecting your business. I have met individuals who couldn't relate how the dollar rate fluctuation or the central bank lending rate affects the way they do business. Some do not understand why the world was closely following the Arab revolution, the US elections or the pirate activities in the East African coast. A leader with a vision to move the organisation to a prosperous future must invest in getting themselves educated - at all cost! This doesn't necessarily mean going back to school, but you can read books, read newspapers, surf the net or get a business mentor. Grow your mental capacity to lead your organisation into new horizons.

Yesterday's excellence is today's mediocrity. What was state-of-the-art yesterday grows obsolete today. A leader must never lose sight of this fact. Many people are frightened by new ideas. As a leader you should be frightened when people keep suggesting the same old ones! You must have the discernment to know when today's ideas need a replacement. You must know your business' industry by understanding how it has evolved over time. What are the current trends? Gather this intelligence and allow yourself to imagine what the future should be. A great leader arms himself with this information and prepares to reposition accordingly when the season changes.

Is your organisation ready to embrace the future? Do you have the right information and the right tools to maintain a competitive advantage in your industry? If your answer to these two questions is a resounding 'No', then you cannot afford to sleep tonight!

Going to the Polls

When General Elections are round the corner in my home country, Kenya, I ask my fellow citizens, "Are you a registered voter?”. Often times some will shrug their shoulders indicating that voting is not an important process deserving their attention. Another group will register as voters, but fail to show up at the polling station. Let us talk about why we should take the voting process seriously in a democratic state.

What is a Vote?

This word comes from the root word 'Votum' in latin which translates to an aspiration, prayer, wish, solemn promise, vow, desire or hope. You give your vote to someone with the expectation that they give back to you something (mostly their ideas or campaign promises). A vote can also be viewed as a covenant relationship between two parties. This means your vote is 'sacred', it is something precious to you.

Voting therefore is giving support to an idea in the expectation that the idea will benefit you - you get into a covenant with what you have voted for (the idea). It is the act of giving power to someone to act on your behalf. You give your vote with the expectation to get something in return. 

In an election, you vote for or against something - a concept, philosophy or ideology. There must be something on the table for your consideration to vote for or against. You must consider what each aspirant is vowing to give you in exchange for your vote. It should not be an emotional process, you must think about what they are promising before you trade in your vote!

Sovereignty in a Democracy

You have heard declarations that a certain nation is a sovereign state - what does this actually mean? Let's eliminate assumption and talk about sovereignty. Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political authority over a geographic region or group of people. It is the authority of a state to govern itself - you are who you are by yourself. Sovereignty is where the power of the state rests.

There are various forms of government. In biblical days, there was theocracy and monarchies.  In a theocracy the will of God rules. God ruled through priests. It did not matter whether the priest was popular, it only mattered that he was chosen by God. In a monarchy the will of the King (or Queen, or Emperor) rules. He has the ultimate power over his kingdom and his will rules.

In today's world, a majority of the governments are democratic. In a true democracy, sovereignty resides with the individual citizens of that state. The power over the state is with the person who is a citizen of that state. You however cannot have each of the citizens ruling the people all at the same time! This is where thre voting process comes in!

 The voting process is an exchange process - the citizens give up their sovereignty to an individual! If someone has to be the president, each one of the citizens must surrender their sovereignty and give it to him or her through the voting process. No citizen can govern a state (or other citizens) unless the people surrender their sovereignty to him or her.

The sovereignty or power of a theocracy is with God. In a monarchy it lies with the King. The power in a democracy is with the People! This is the reason why you must take the voting process seriously. You are exchanging your sovereignty for an idea presented by a presidential aspirant! Do not despise the value of your vote by sitting back and saying "well, the bad leaders always go through…".  It is your responsibility to make sure you exchange your sovereignty with that leader that you consider has your best interest at heart, whose values resonate with yours.  You should aim at maintaining a clean conscience after the voting process regardless of who wins the election by exercising your voting rights.

The first thing you MUST do is to register as a voter, then show up to cast your vote on the elections day. Before then, I urge that you ask yourself, does this presidential aspirant deserve my sovereignty? Don't sell it cheap!