Complacency Leads to Decay
Dear Dalitso,
Today is a great day to change the world. This was always my mantra for close to three years. I then changed. I don’t know why. I got used to the idea that my work contributes to changing the world. I did not check myself or even doubt that I was on mission. I just assumed I was doing the right thing. Didn’t need to check with anyone. I had it covered. Truth is, I got lost.
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October 11, 2023
Letter #17
10 000hours Rule vs Range
Dear Dali,
One day they will tell you about the 10000hrs rule made popular by Malcolm Gladwell. It is argued that for one to be a specialist/master in any field they should spend at least 10 000hrs perfecting their craft. When I learnt about this rule- i jumped at it and thought this would be the best way to propel myself ahead. But I was not sure what to focus on. I have never been a one thing person. And I bet there are many of us like that. We do a lot more than research for instance. What should I let go off to do that one thing which will propel me to mastery?
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October 9, 2023
Letter #16
Not another Zombie: Building a High Performance Organization
Dear Dali,
I learnt about zombie organisations recently. They look and behave like vibrant organisations. They have structures, an office, people, receive funding but have little impact and at times produce close to nothing. Their primary purpose is the survival of the organisation. Achievement of mission is secondary. Their cost structure is skewed. Is there a theory for a high performing organisation? I am a huge fan of Peter Drucker, the godfather of modern management science. He dabbled into the management of nonprofits. Very helpful material- but at times the context maybe different for some of us.
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October 6, 2023
Letter #15
Go Get Coffee
Dear Dali,
I think there is a relationship between coffee consumption and productivity. This could be at an individual level or even national level. I have been meaning to carry out a study focused on high performing cultures and their levels of coffee consumption. Is there a relationship at all. Most of us in Zimbabwe don’t drink coffee- there is a herbal tea which most of us prefer. Could that explain some of our performance challenges. It could also help explain why we score very low on the happiness index. Others think that we are unhappy because of our economic circumstances. Agreed. But there are many drivers of happiness. Coffee consumption is one of them.
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October 4, 2023
Letter #14
Running on Fumes
Dear Dali,
One of the most important lessons in life is to pace yourself. Know when to run, to walk and to rest. I love running as a sport and it has kept me going. My attitude towards life has been to ‘push’ until something happens. There are many reasons for this- but I suppose the biggest has to do with the fear of failure. Fear is never a good reason but at times it is a great fuel. It will push you to overwork, hoard/save for the future and at times to be super competitive. These may sound good, but they don’t come from a good place. They may lead to high levels of stress, anxiety and at times anger. Avoid them please.
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October 2, 2023
Letter #13
Entitlement and Complacency
Dear Dali,
No one owes us anything. This is one of my constant refrains to myself and the team at SIVIO. As a nonprofit we run the risk of assuming that we are owed resources by donors. During bad patches we can easily be disappointed by the behaviour of donors. We don’t always quickly regroup to deal with negative energy- which ends up harming us.
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September 22, 2023
Letter #12
Just Do It
Dear Dali,
Over the years I have learnt the importance of being a doer rather than collecting and refining an idea. There is no perfect idea. The test is in the doing. I must appreciate the importance of testing the idea, learning as we implement and to quickly make corrections. The clock is ticking, and it never stops- a fresh idea or organization maybe old and dated tomorrow. Keep going.
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September 20, 2023
Letter #11
Are we there yet?
Dear Dali,
This was a constant question that you used to ask whenever we embarked on a road trip. I think as human beings we are at times more focused on getting there (destination) and little interest in the actual journey. I am the same. Impatient. The first three years of SIVIO Institute also coincided with the building of our family home as well. It wasn’t easy. It stretched my patience. But it taught me the importance of initially enduring the journey to eventually the enjoying the whole process.
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September 18, 2023
Letter #10
Intolerance
Dear Dali,
I have heard it said that corruption is a cancer destroying our moral compass and creating decay in society. Agreed. Have we looked at intolerance? It is potentially a more debilitating threat to attempts of nation building and consolidating democracy.
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September 14, 2023
Letter #9
Zimbabwe will Humble You
Dear Dali,
I believe it was Prince Metternich of Austria who said ‘ I once ruled Europe but never Austria’ in reference to his regional influence and overseeing what is usually referred to as the ‘ Age of Metternich’.
From the time we started our work in Zimbabwe in 2018 me and my colleagues have been invited to maybe 5 events speaker, a couple as part of an audience and very few radios appearance thanks to Tafara of Classic263 who developed a liking to me- probably because I was always eager to participate. Our work has not been widely cited. I still have to introduce SIVIO Institute. We are not a known brand. However, I have been all over the world during the same period.
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September 12, 2023
Letter #8