Around 2010, I received an air ticket to travel to Johannesburg for a job interview. I was so excited. I had applied for a job at a regional company. This was a second time, luck was smiling my way. Way back in 2007, a similar opportunity arose and I took it. I failed the interviews. When I send an email asking why I had not to go through the answer was simple: size. The panelists thought that the job needed someone bigger size than I was. This time I worked on my leadership presence – you know trying to command…
Tool 52 of 104 is to anticipate and pass the life exam
“You may cheat your way out in school exams. You may take lifts instead of walking the stairs. You may cheat and do away with it. However, when it comes to the ultimate life exam, there is no shortcut. No lift. You must take the staircase.” Life is so tough that no one ever leaves it alive. That is the ultimate exam: how will you be judged after you die? Will you be judged harshly in your afterlife? Will your soul truly rest in peace or it could continue hovering for unfinished business in which case it becomes restless? In…
The Power of Networks
There is a proverb in some of the East African cultures to the effect that ‘show me your friends, and I will tell you your character’. Others say ‘birds of the same feathers flock together’. So the rich flock with the rich, corporate types flock with corporate types and well, laggards flock with laggards. People tend to identify with those with whom they share the same economic status or better. What is true for folklore is also true for business. The story of many business successes is filled with amazing coincidences and opportunities that entrepreneurs chanced upon and made good.…
Tool #40 of 104 is use the watertight principle for your life’s success
John 16:12-15: Jesus said: ‘I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now… He will glorify me, since all he tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: All he tells you will be taken from what is mine.” The watertight principle applies to your life just as it works for anything that holds water. Be it a jerrycan, bottle or even a boat. The principle states that “however firmly you tighten the lid, if the container has a…
In your life, who are you benchmarking against?
In your life, who are you benchmarking against? Your achievements will be average if you compete against the average. Take an example of marathon runners. To win the run, one must have pace setters strategically positioned within the runners. And they all know each other. You have, A, the key runner (the one who wants to win the race). And you have person B and C, the pace setters. And you have competitors D, E, F, G, H, etc. Only A, B, and C know who is who. The rest of the runners do not know. Runner A will look…
Lessons from Steve Gouves on Living a Happy Life
Steve Gouves dies a billionaire, with a fortune of $ 7 billion, at the age of 56 from pancreatic cancer, and here are some of his last words: In other eyes, my life is the essence of success, but aside from work, I have a little joy, and in the end wealth is just a fact of life to which I am accustomed. At this moment, lying on the bed, sick and remembering all my life, I realize that all my recognition and wealth that I have is meaningless in the face of imminent death. You can hire someone to…
