Mind your own business

Mind your own business

 

I learnt to believe in her before she proved herself

When we started our company sometime back I used to do the crucial negotiations for my wife or I would go with her for the important meetings and interviews. With time I would go with her but just keep quiet as she does the negotiations and discussions. Eventually she was doing all the important negotiations and contracts without me. I am really amazed at how she has developed the tenacity and business acumen over time and has surpassed me. She recently has been sharing with me how she has also been slowly letting go of one of her managers’ hand to allow him to start learning to swim in the deep-end. You can never unleash the potential in your protégés (the people you are mentoring) unless you learn to let go of your hand from them; unless you learn to believe in them before they prove themselves. For you to have succeeded in any one area of your life it took somebody to trusted you enough and believe in you before you proved yourself. They gave you the steering wheel before they had ever seen you drive.

 

Don’t dress in borrowed robes

I used to get impatient as I sat besides my wife listening to her negotiate or discuss a business deal. I wanted her to do it the way I do it; but she would do it her way.  I wanted her to use my strategies; but she would use hers. I believed that I had the success formulae; but however, each time she did it in my absence she would always bring success stories. Her way was working for her! I realized that I was trying to dress her up in borrowed robes. Never try to be like your mentor nor should you ever try to make your protégé like you. Don’t dress up in borrowed robes! David tried to confront Goliath in Saul’s armour but he soon discovered that it wouldn’t work. ‘And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him’ (1 Samuel 17 v 38 – 39). You can’t go to battle with somebody else’s ammunition. The sons of Sceva learnt it the hard way. They wanted to use Paul’s success formula to confront the devils and they were made a public spectacle. (Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, we adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded – Acts 19 v 13 – 16). Learn from others but don’t try to be like them. Be yourself; develop your own style and strategy and perfect it. It works. Your effectiveness is only sustainable if its supported by your unique and personal qualities.

 

Mind your own business

Her confidence grew exponentially when I let go completely. She developed her ways and her success formulae. Stars shine brightest when the sun goes down! In the year that king Uzziah died Isaiah saw the Lord (Isaiah 6 v 1). Don’t overshadow your protégés. Give them roots to stand and give them wings to fly; and let them mind their own business!  You also must mind your own business. Don’t let the sun overshadow your sparkle. Learn to walk independently and exercise the gift in you.  I am not talking about stubbornness’ or rebellion but I am talking about unleashing the gift in you. Come out of the baby-walker and use your two feet to find your own balance.

 

When you fall, rise up again

When I was a new driver I had a few incidents and accidents. I scratched the gate; I bumped into somebody’s car; I got stuck in the mud; but I never gave up driving. It was all part of the growth process. You can never learn to ride a bicycle unless you fall at least once. If you are not prepared to fall; then you are not prepared for the bike. A fall is not a failure but only another chance for you to start again; this time wiser. When you mind your own business and rise up to reach out to your vision and calling you will stumble and fall on the way; but you must rise up again. ‘A righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again;’ (Proverbs 24 v 16). As my wife took full control of the driving wheel there were a few wrong turns but they all turned out to be great learning points. We recruited a bad employee and she learnt her greatest lesson at the helm; how to feel bad about firing an employee, but do it anyway!  Don’t be scared of wrong turns during you growth process; they will teach you which turns not to make in future. Great men and women don’t always get 100% of their decisions right; but they don’t miss on the great ones!

 

Calvary love 

Peter Mbada

 

You can visit her website www.betach.co.bw and she will be glad to do business with you.

 

For your copy of  'Destined to Succeed: unstoppable and unlimitable'.  Check any online bookstores or contact me directly!

 

Check other articles on: www.pmbada.org  and www.pmbada.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter's wisdom on relationships

Invest in wholesome relationships

 

We make them cry those who care for us

While we cry for those who never care for us

And care for those who will never cry for us

 

Never let someone become a priority in your life

When you are just an option in their life

Relationships work best when they are balanced

 

Be Blessed

 

Peter Mbada

Your success gateway: http://yenchensupport.com/emctemp/mskvEMC2201.htm

 

Identify your gift

Identify you gift

 

There is no one size fits all answer

The past week was one of those that just went by and I found myself busy with work meetings and chasing deadlines. As a result I didn’t manage to post a new article despite having spent lots of hours meditating on it. Earlier I had also had an interesting assignment in which the young people at church invited me to speak to them on how to identify one’s gift. That was an interesting subject because as far as I know there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer to that question; and I am not about to write a book on ‘the 10 steps on how to identify your gift or your purpose’.  However, there are some basic indicators that can help you identify your calling, your gift or your purpose; which I will share with you.

 

Your gift is not meant for the display cabinet

When I was asked to share on this subject I was immediately reminded of something that happened sometime at the beginning of last year. While on one of our overseas trips with my family, we bought our domestic-maid a beautiful pair of shoes. When we got back home and blessed her with the pair of shoes, she was so overwhelmed with joy. She said she had never owned such a beautiful and expensive pair of shoes all her life. She took them and carefully put them away in her closet. The following Sunday she put on her best dress and took out the pair of shoes. She looked at the pair of shoes and she would not imagine stepping on the ground with such ‘expensive’ shoes. She put them away and put on her usual shoes. For the rest of the week she would take out the shoes, admire them and put them away; but she would not put them on. This continued on and on until one day my wife asked her why she was not putting on her new pair of shoes. She admitted that she could not imagine herself making such beautiful shoes dirty by stepping on the ground with them. She was happy to bring them back in exchange for a less expensive, more ordinary pair of shoes that she can make use of. Your gift is not meant to be for the display cabinet; your gift is not just for admiring and tucking away. Don’t just identify the gift in you and keep it unused. Get dirty with it; make use of it. Growth comes through experience and experience comes through practice and action. ‘But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil’ (Hebrews 5 v 14).   

 

1. You have a gift

Before you can begin the journey to identify your gift you need to understand that everyone is endued with a gift. You have a gift. ‘But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk’ (1 Corinthians 7 v 17). You may have failed in school, in music or in sport; but that does not make you a failure; probably you were just misplaced. Don’t be threatened by anybody’s strengths or gifts because you too have a great gift - you just need to identify it and put it to use. You were endued with enough resources within you for you to excel. In primary school I was dismissed from the choir and felt terrible to be told that I sang like a frog; but I have since used the same froggy voice to speak on countless platforms locally and internationally. That only means I was not meant to sing but to speak. What were you meant to do?

 

2. You are wired for the gift

Your gift lies in your area of passion. When God made you, He knew what you were meant to do and to achieve and therefore He wired you for that purpose. ‘The Lord hath called ‘you’ from the womb; from the bowels of ‘your’ mother hath he made mention of ‘your’ name’ (Isaiah 49 v 1b).You were custom-made for your gift; and you were made fit-for-purpose. If you are still searching for your calling and your gift, look around the things that excite you; even if they may not have a biblical title among the nine gifts. You are wired for your gift. You and your gift are compatible.

 

3. Your gift brings effectiveness

Your gifting lies in the area of your life where you tend to find yourself very effective. I know of old classmates that could play the whole day and do very little studying but still got straight passes; while some spent sleepless nights studying just to get a bare pass-mark. The gifts were different. If you are still searching for your gift, search in the area of your life where you tend to be effective with minimal effort. If you can be effective with minimal effort how much more will you achieve with more diligence and commitment. Cultivate the seed in that area and work hard to grow and develop your gift.

 

4. Your gift cannot be hidden. 

‘A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men’ (Proverbs 18 v 16). Your gift cannot be hidden from the people around you even if you don’t know it. If you are still searching for your gift or calling look around the things which you normally receive positive affirmation or complements when you have done. I am not suggesting that you should have approval-addiction nor that you should depend on what people say for you to define who you are or what your calling is. I am aware that sometimes when you are still developing, you may perform badly in your area of calling and people can discourage you by their comments. Even if they discourage you, if your system is telling you that that’s the area of your gifting; don’t back up. You are not defined by what people say of you but by what God says of you and what you think of yourself. 

 

Even if you have not yet identified what your area of gifting is, just rise up do something; and if you know your gift, let it not limit you in what you can do with your life.

 

Maximise your life

 

Calvary love 

Peter Mbada

 

For your copy of  'Destined to Succeed: unstoppable and unlimitable'.  Check any online bookstores or contact me directly!

 

Check other articles on: www.pmbada.org  and www.pmbada.blogspot.com

 

Betach website: www.betach.co.bw

 

 

 

 

 

Peter on Rules of Life

 

( from cherie carter-scott's rules of life)

 
Rule One - You will receive a body. Whether you love it or hate it, it's yours for life, so accept it. What counts is what's inside.

Rule Two - You will be presented with lessons. Life is a constant learning experience, which every day provides opportunities for you to learn more. These lessons specific to you, and learning them 'is the key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and relevance of your own life'.

Rule Three - There are no mistakes, only lessons. Your development towards wisdom is a process of experimentation, trial and error, so it's inevitable things will not always go to plan or turn out how you'd want. Compassion is the remedy for harsh judgement - of ourselves and others. Forgiveness is not only divine - it's also 'the act of erasing an emotional debt'. Behaving ethically, with integrity, and with humour - especially the ability to laugh at yourself and your own mishaps - are central to the perspective that 'mistakes' are simply lessons we must learn.

Rule Four - The lesson is repeated until learned. Lessons repeat until learned. What manifest as problems and challenges, irritations and frustrations are more lessons - they will repeat until you see them as such and learn from them. Your own awareness and your ability to change are requisites of executing this rule. Also fundamental is the acceptance that you are not a victim of fate or circumstance - 'causality' must be acknowledged; that is to say: things happen to you because of how you are and what you do. To blame anyone or anything else for your misfortunes is an escape and a denial; you yourself are responsible for you, and what happens to you. Patience is required - change doesn't happen overnight, so give change time to happen.

Rule Five - Learning does not end. While you are alive there are always lessons to be learned. Surrender to the 'rhythm of life', don't struggle against it. Commit to the process of constant learning and change - be humble enough to always acknowledge your own weaknesses, and be flexible enough to adapt from what you may be accustomed to, because rigidity will deny you the freedom of new possibilities.

Rule Six - "There" is no better than "here". The other side of the hill may be greener than your own, but being there is not the key to endless happiness. Be grateful for and enjoy what you have, and where you are on your journey. Appreciate the abundance of what's good in your life, rather than measure and amass things that do not actually lead to happiness. Living in the present helps you attain peace.

Rule Seven - Others are only mirrors of you. You love or hate something about another person according to what love or hate about yourself. Be tolerant; accept others as they are, and strive for clarity of self-awareness; strive to truly understand and have an objective perception of your own self, your thoughts and feelings. Negative experiences are opportunities to heal the wounds that you carry. Support others, and by doing so you support yourself. Where you are unable to support others it is a sign that you are not adequately attending to your own needs.

Rule Eight - What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. Take responsibility for yourself. Learn to let go when you cannot change things. Don't get angry about things - bitter memories clutter your mind. Courage resides in all of us - use it when you need to do what's right for you. We all possess a strong natural power and adventurous spirit, which you should draw on to embrace what lies ahead.

Rule Nine -Your answers lie inside of you. Trust your instincts and your innermost feelings, whether you hear them as a little voice or a flash of inspiration. Listen to feelings as well as sounds. Look, listen, and trust. Draw on your natural inspiration.

Rule Ten -You will forget all this at birth. We are all born with all of these capabilities - our early experiences lead us into a physical world, away from our spiritual selves, so that we become doubtful, cynical and lacking belief and confidence. The ten Rules are not commandments, they are universal truths that apply to us all. When you lose your way, call upon them. Have faith in the strength of your spirit. Aspire to be wise - wisdom the ultimate path of your life, and it knows no limits other than those you impose on yourself.

 

Be Blessed

 

 Peter Mbada
 

 

Keeping Your People Pumped; Beyond the obvious incentives: Four smart ways to light a fire

Keeping Your People Pumped; Beyond the obvious incentives: Four smart ways to light a fire

In our business, the biggest challenge we have today is motivating our people. What's the best way to do that? -- Vijay Naik, Gaborone, Botswana

Besides money, you mean? We assume you do, because as a boss, you surely have seen how effective money is in lighting a motivational fire -- even in employees who claim money doesn't matter to them. Indeed, money's power to energize people is so tried and true we won't dwell on it. Nor will we talk about two other no-brainers: interesting work and enjoyable co-workers. You already know how effective they are in getting people to invest heart and soul in their jobs.

So what else can you do? Plenty. Here are four more motivational tools -- all nonmonetary and each effective.

The first is easy: recognition. When an individual or a team does something notable, make a big deal of it. Announce it publicly, talk about it at every opportunity. Hand out awards.

When we suggest that to business groups, almost inevitably someone expresses concern about the people not being recognized: They might be hurt or de-motivated. This nonsense indulges the wrong crowd! If you have the right people -- competitive, upbeat, team players -- public recognition only raises the bar for everyone.

One more note on recognition, in particular when it's in the form of engraved doodads: They can never be given in lieu of money. They are an addendum. Plaques gather dust. Checks can be cashed. And employees know the difference in their bones.

The second tool, celebration, should be easy but isn't. We often ask audiences if they think their companies celebrate success enough, and typically no more than 10% of the crowd says yes. What a lost opportunity. Celebrating victories along the way is an amazingly effective way to keep people engaged on the whole journey. And we're not talking about celebrating just the big wins. We mean marking milestones such as an important order or a new way to increase productivity. Such small successes are chances to congratulate the team and boost spirits for the challenges ahead.

Celebrations don't need to be fancy. They're really just another form of recognition, but with more fun involved. Like rolling out a surprise keg one afternoon, tickets to a ball game, or sending a couple of high performers and their families to Disney World (DIS). Whatever turns their crank.

Which brings us to what celebration is not. It's not dinner with you. Almost nothing strikes terror into the hearts of employees more than a boss saying: "Great job! I'm taking everyone to Mama Maria's tonight." Look, your people spend all day with you, and while they may like you, it's not motivating to be rewarded with a forced march to an eatery, no matter how great the meatballs.

The next motivational tool is really powerful, but it can only be used if you're absolutely clear about your mission. Now, you may be thinking: "Aren't all bosses clear about the mission?" Alas, too often they're not. In the course of our travels, we've discovered that many leaders are so busy with the daily grind that their missions fall by the wayside.

To move forward, a team has to understand and buy into where it's going. It needs a collective sense of purpose. And that's exactly what a great mission gives you, a bold, inspirational creed. A mission allows bosses to say: "There's the hill, let's take it together." Now, that's motivation.

The final motivational tool is probably the most difficult to implement. Yes, many great leaders have it, but for the less seasoned, it's hard to get just right. We're talking about balancing achievement and challenge. People are motivated when they feel as if they are at the top of the mountain and as if they are still climbing it. Simply put, bosses who create jobs with just the right push-and-pull have a real competitive advantage.

Now, back to money.Of course, some people aren't moved by financial rewards, but they rarely gravitate toward business. That's why when you think about motivation, you need to think about money first. It's not always how much you give people, though. Sometimes it's how much you give them relative to their peers. We recently asked an investment banker we know well how his year went. While he was pleased with his bonus, he was just as excited by how it measured up to the other top rainmakers in his firm. Money is a way of keeping score.

That said, even investment bankers -- at least, some of them -- care about more than money. In fact, very few good people will stay in a job just for the payback. They also need to feel that they matter and that what they do for eight hours a day or more means something. You can fulfill those needs with open appreciation, a sense of fun, an exciting shared goal, and individual attention to the challenge of each job. It's a tall order for any boss, but the returns are incalculable.

 

 Peter Mbada
 Divisional Engineer - Mechanical Services
 Debswana - Orapa and Letlhakane Mines
 Tel:       +267 2904036
 Mobile: +267 71315823
 Fax:      +267 2904904
 Email:       PMbada@debswana.bw
 Website:  www.debswana.com