Shrewdness 101

We’re learning how to CREATE and we want to look at the second obstacle… poor systems. Does the bible really have something to say about systems? The answer is yes! Read Exodus 18:13-27

This passage speaks about the importance of good systems. Moses had started something huge. With God’s help, he had rescued a group of slaves from Egypt and was turning them into a fearless nation that God would use to change the whole world. But all his efforts were about to be doomed – because of inadequate systems. As a result, doing someone else’s job, dying on the job, neglecting his family and ineffective in his work. This is a valuable lesson for us today. We may desire to be the people who create solutions for Africa. But if we lack systems, then our solutions will always be small and unsustainable. They will never grow beyond us. This is true for you regardless of if you’re an entrepreneur running a business, a professional working for a firm, a student in college or a mom running a home …Your solution is only as effective as your systems.

Inadequate systems means inadequate solutions.

Why do we find it so difficult in Africa to create good systems? Several reasons…

We don’t know better – One of our greatest strengths as Africans is that we can live with a high level of ambiguity/discomfort. When things get tough, we adapt. If your road gets potholes and it’s raining, you buy gumboots and pray for the day you’ll own a car! But this adaptability can also be a weakness. We haven’t learnt to constantly question our reality. To realize that every problem is an opportunity for a solution!

We’re too busy –Like Moses, we are busy people, working hard to cope with the demands of our various roles on our time. Our response when someone points to a need for better systems in our homes, at work or in our business is to say we just don’t have the time. Having good systems ensures that I am not just working hard but that I am working effectively.

We’re too gifted – Many of us are victims of our own giftedness. Like Moses, if we just apply ourselves, we can get by, we can manage. Moses may have reasoned ‘after all, I’m the one who speaks to God face to face; I have the connections and the gifting to get the job done’. Like most of us, he probably enjoyed hearing ‘well done! We couldn’t survive around here without you!’ But that’s a sure way to keep your vision small! Having good systems ensures that what we start will outlive us.

The reality is that putting in systems is hard work and often cumbersome. It can also reduce your chance to shine! When you write down your current job into manuals so that anyone can do it, people may no longer think you’re a genius! If you train others to run the company, people might no longer think you’re indispensable!

Joram Mwinamu CEO of Wylde International, a training & consulting firm that helps set up systems for large firms and SMEs, spoke at Mavuno. He explained how we often create solutions in a very informal way; and yet the world doesn’t work that way! For example the research done on prostitutes in Majengo to come up with a drug for HIV which was patented by UK  scientists; Kyondos are patented by Japan; Kenya is trademarked as the name of a Barbie doll.

We need to;

1. Understand the systems – Most of us don’t understand the systems that govern us and so we can’t use them to our advantage. For example, many students don’t understand school systems and policy and so don’t know how to take advantage of opportunities on campus. How much CDF money has been allocated for their constituency? How to access the youth fund or women’s fund to finance a business idea. At work, many don’t know terms of their contract, amount of pension contributions + where invested. In addition, many refuse to learn any other skills apart from those of the department they’re working for. And yet it’s important that you understand how your whole industry works. This not only makes you more valuable to your company but also helps you become a better investor. Business people need to understand marketing, have a distribution system, have proper financial systems, have a good HR system and protect your intellectual property through the legal system.
2. Set up systems in whatever we’re doing – Document what you do in manuals, train other capable people in the areas you are responsible. Make it possible for things to continue even when you’re not around.

Invitation to ‘The Successful Entrepreneur’ workshop

Joram and the Agenda team will be offering a workshop called ‘The Successful Entrepreneur’ right here at the dome, this coming Saturday from 9-1pm. Apart from discussing some of the issues from this series, Mr Palmer Thambu will be talking about ‘Investing In The Future’ and you’ll also get a chance to hear from some innovative Kenyan blacksmiths. There’ll be an opportunity for a Q&A as well.

Edit: Pastor M recommended the best book he’s read on systems… read about it here

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03 Shrewdness 101 (Create) from Mavuno Church on Vimeo.