Aug - Sept 2007

Entrepreneurship

Investing WiselyHospital Food

Customer RelationsThe headache customer

Human Relations

EsteemedQuality for a Lifetime

The Younger Boss

Success comes to those who are success conscious

Quiet TimeCan’t live without it

Managing Editor Wangari Kimani

Advertising Executives

Frederick Mwarangu

Nahashon Mithanga

Contributors Winnie Mwangi

Design and Photography

Frederick Rukungu

Nahashon Mithanga

Main Story pictures courtesy of: HARPO, Charles Crowell /

Bloomberg News

Distribution & Circulation Eagle Afric Holdings Ltd. Published by: Eagle Afric Holdings Ltd.

P.O. Box 24329, Karen

00502

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Hi,

Welcome to the 3rd edition of Esteemed.

One of our basic tenets of operation is appreciation for good work, constructive

criticism and celebration as and when need be. First we thank those who have

continued to ardently support us. From the depth of our hearts here at Es-

teemed, thank you and continue sharing the good fortunes of Esteemed with us.

For us, it is also a time of celebration. August 2007 marks our 1st Anniversary

since conception. It has been a bumpy, slow, eventful and exhilarating ride to

get us to the third edition and for sure we do not take it for granted, but we at-

tribute it all to God’s grace. Without that grace, our hard work would have been

in vain, our sacrifices would have generated no fruit, the long sleepless nights

and bearing the 4 a.m. cold while working on every edition would have been

useless.

So we ask you to join us in our celebration with a re-commitment to the greater

success of Esteemed.

As a tribute to the journey we have made so far, our first two sections are dedi-

cated to communicate some of the very basic ingredients for success. We have

featured Sir Richard Branson, Mr. Michael Dell and Oprah Winfrey. This is not to

mean that we do not have our own Kenyan entrepreneurs; we share the experi-

ences of these three to show that anybody can be somebody enough for you to

penetrate the very lives of the least fortunate in a very simple way while making

millions of dollars and pounds at the same time. You do not need to have a rich

heritage to become a name on Forbes Magazine, and it doesn’t take magic. You

already have what it takes.

Winnie takes us through the perspective of being and having a young boss. Quiet

time is as always, one that makes us really return to ourselves and work with

God to making us better everyday.

Also take time to visit our virtual club for articles of inspiration, help on your job

and for that simple good read when you want to build your intellect.

Enjoy being Esteemed!

WangariWangariWangariWangari

Contents

Employment vs. Entrepreneurship Page 3

Principles of success Page 4 Investing Wisely Page 6 Perspectives

Human Relations Page 7 Customer Relations Page 9 Quiet Time Page 11

Esteemed Feedback Joe said: Joe said: Joe said: Joe said: Please print this magazine out. The articles are good and worth reading over and over without going back to the net. Esteemed says: Esteemed says: Esteemed says: Esteemed says: Thank you Joe. Plans are in place to have your request met. Let us know where you are so that we can avail the physical copies to you. Watch out for Esteemed at selected newsstands Maria said: Maria said: Maria said: Maria said: Your pictures are not very clear. You need to improve on this. However the content is great Esteemed says: Esteemed says: Esteemed says: Esteemed says: We thank you for the keen eye. We need Esteemed to be exemplary and you noting our areas of improvement is a big boost in achieving this goal. AnonymousAnonymousAnonymousAnonymous: Your content is boring and you need to feature exciting stuff like our musicians, their music and things like these. Esteemed says: Esteemed says: Esteemed says: Esteemed says: Did you know that even the entertainment industry has a serious business angle to it? It is the aspect of business that keeps all of our musicians and entertainers, artists, writers, actors, models and other people going. If you don’t manage the cash flow, and just keep entertaining, guess what will happen? We will soon feature some of your favorite entertainers and then you will get to see why entertainment is not just about looking good and happy on stage!

Challenges along the way: here is a young African-American woman in a predominantly male industry trying to set up her own production com-pany in the vast and highly competitive media industry. In terms of chal-lenges, it will be your pick from a long list. Estimated worth: Billionaire. Highlights from Oprah’s story

� As the older members of our society, the

power of success or failure for our offspring to a great extent lies in our hands. We can influence them to become people of sub-stance in their generation, or we can leave them to become bums that walk around the estates with nothing better to do than watch and plot against self made men and women of success

� Our past is exactly that. Past. Wisdom dictates that you stop living in

the past. Learn from it, and move on otherwise it will be holding you back for ever and you will never really get to what the future and pre-sent have in store for you.

� If you can dream it, you can have it. If Oprah, at 3 years of age, was

performing recitals and a decade later was employed at a radio sta-tion, who says you cannot be the very image of who you dreamed you

would be when you were young of age? Michael Saul Dell

Beginnings: At the age of 15, Dell broke down a brand new Apple II computer for one simple reason. To just see if he could re-build it and this was his first encounter with a computer. Little did he know that years later that same brand would be his biggest competitor. Dell attended university to become a physi-cian but soon gave it up for computers and technology. While at the university he started a company called PC's Limited in his room. He dropped out of college at 19 years to run PC's Limited. This later became Dell Com-

puter Corporation and ultimately Dell Inc. What could have held him back: Dell lost a considerable market after several laptops caught fire in the mid 1990s.

Challenges along the way: These included a public war of words with the CEO of the same Apple brand he had experimented at 15 years old. The Apple CEO (Mr. Steve Jobs) had criticized Dell for making "un-innovative beige boxes" and when asked what he would do with what had been at that time a troubled Apple Computer company, Dell said, "I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.” Estimated Worth: Billions of US Dollars Highlights from Dell’s story

� How you begin your success story may be as troublesome, simple,

accidental and coincidental as they come. However what you make of it and how you sustain it is a different ball game altogether.

� Even on a battlefield, you ought to know when to draw your sword

against the enemy, when to retrace your steps in mock surrender, and when to partner with your enemy to fight a common foe

� Entrepreneurship is not open to lone rangers. You will need family

support, networks with friends, mentors, field veterans and competi-

WWWW hen I look at the profiles of these three entrepreneurs and many others that have been really successful, I realized something very simple – to become a successful entrepreneur you do not need to dream and meditate for hours on end for an idea that is out of this world. You do not need to be another Einstein to theories. All you need is to look around you and grab one of the numerous opportunities, which, if you are keen enough, will be found through your job or your experiences as a consumer or recipient of a ser-vice. Should you need help with the resource material, please get in touch with us.

Entrepreneurship vs. Employment Success comes to those who are success conscious

Sir Richard Branson Beginnings: Sir Branson had his first successful business venture at age 16, when he published a magazine called Student. In 1970, he set up a record mail-order business which was soon followed by the opening of a chain of record stores, popularly known as Virgin Megastores. What could have held him back: Sir Branson suffers a condition known as dyslexia (a type of reading disability usually manifested as a difficulty with written language, especially with reading and spelling). This condition re-sulted in poor academic performance as a student. At 15 years Sir Branson had started two businesses ven-

tures - growing Christmas trees and raising budgerigars. Both failed. Challenges along the way: In 1971, the tax man called on Sir Branson and he was charged with selling records that were supposed to be export commodities. He settled the matter by agreeing to pay all the accumulated taxes and fines, his own mother helped by putting their family home on mortgage, again. In 1992, the virgin label was sold. What most us did not know at that time was the why. 15 years later we have come to understand some that it was sold to keep Virgin Air in the air. Estimated Worth: Billions of British pounds. Highlights from Branson’s story

� Risk is good but be wise - successful entrepreneurs

are not necessarily blind risk-takers. They do their best at managing risk which might mean sometimes outsourcing where they can

� Your ego has got no place in your success as an en-

trepreneur. You may have to sell your heart to your worst competitor to get a new soul for one of your highly priced ventures and the higher the price you pay, the higher the returns.

� As the Bible says, your talent and gifts will make you

sit with Kings. Sir Branson was not born of the Royal family, he was knighted by the Queen of England.

I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul because I have the power to control my

thoughts

Page 3

Oprah Winfrey Beginnings: At 3 years of age while under her grand-mother’s care she was learning how to read aloud and per-forming recitations. At 17 years Oprah was hired by a radio station in Nashville, USA and two years later she signed up as a reporter/anchor on Television station. In January 1984, she left for Chicago to host what was back then a lousy talk show. In less than one year, she turned it into the “talk of the town” and with its success came a renaming - "The Oprah Winfrey Show." In 1986 HARPO Productions, Inc. came to be. What could have held her back: From age 6 to 13, she lived with her mother during which time she suffered mo-lestation. She ran away and was sent to a juvenile home at

13 years, only to be denied admission because all the beds were filled. As a last resort, she was sent to Nashville to live under her father's strict discipline.

Business Principles

What makes a great entrepreneur? Even the best dictionary may not be in a position to capture the entirety of an entrepreneur. So our deliberations within this edition are not exhaustive but we be-lieve it will bring out some important aspects that you need to consider for if you are to be defined as an entrepreneur. From the environment in which we are raised, individual family situation, personal traits, and academic background among others shape every entrepreneur but even then there is a continuous rebirth of this person. About 20 or 25 years ago a successful entrepreneur would have been defined against a list that would cover gender, age, level of education, religious affiliation, birthplace, family heritage, and even when one began venturing into business! Today, however, very few of these factors determine whether an entrepreneur suc-ceeds or fails. Entrepreneurs at heart

Every person has something special to offer this world. Not every person will be a resounding success at business. That’s why some people will be employees of one organization for life (climbing the ladder or in the same position); others will be briefly employed then become self-employed; others will always be job-hoppers – moving from one organization to the next – until retirement; and there are those who will start a business and the only boss they will ever know and answer to is themselves. Whatever the case may be for those who are in there own busi-nesses or are intending to start one, here are six things you can-not afford to do without. (source http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/steps/)

Passion In each of us, there is something that makes us ready to sacrifice all we have got for its own sake. Usually it is that which is most beautiful and sacred to us at a very personal level. When you have passion for what you do, you will defend it, work at it, have sleepless nights over it,

shed tears for it and lay down your life for it. Simply put, passion is what drives you to literally make your dreams come true. Passion will keep you going even when the entire population does not see what you see. Vision We have all had dreams at one time or another. Even while asleep. To develop a vision, be daring enough to see what you want; the men and women who pay millions of dollars to visit the moon did not just wake up one day and decide that they wanted to walk the moon. They dared their future and status quo. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. Vision is that simple. All you need is to focus your sights on what you want in life, and unbelievably, you will find yourself working daily towards that vision.

If the Wright brothers had no vision of men flying like birds, we would be years back in terms of aircrafts! Preparation

It is said failing to plan is planning to fail. I also heard someone say that a lack of planning on your part does not necessarily constitute an emergency on my part. Success is not a matter of luck – it requires practice, study and

strategy. Even God designed and brought the world to be in a par-ticular way following a plan He knew was going to work. Imagine if He had created man first then He separated land and water. Then

after all was done, He saw it best to distinguish between light and darkness. This world would undoubtedly be a con-fused one. But I thank God that the logic of planning and preparation comes from him.

Before you go all out to bring your dreams to reality, learn all you can about your passion. Research, strategize and master every detail, no matter how minute, every possibil-ity, every feature and distinct element of what your eye is set upon. Keep in mind that knowing where you can go starts with

knowing where you are, and where you have been.

Courage According to Gen. H. Norma Schwarzkopf (Commander, Operation Desert Storm) “True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job ANYHOW.” The business world today is no place for the faint hearted. It’s what we call cut-throat competition and if you slack off for only a fraction of a second, you are in trouble.

Foolish courage is the one that makes you pick and fight battles that you can happily afford to live without. Wise courage, and the one we are encouraged to embrace, is that one which has its roots in an impartial self-reality check. You look within yourself and find a mental and moral strength to pursue your dreams despite and in spite of hardship, pain and mortal risk.

Perseverance/ Persistence J. Carter Brown (Director Emeritus, National Gallery of Art) is quoted as saying “It is reward-ing that my former classmates feel I’ve “made it” after having been the class joke” No great achievement comes without obstacles: physical limitations, natural calamities, resis-tance from the outside world, your own thoughts about yourself, other people’s opinions about you and your success, government laws and so much more. It is sometimes good to give ear to words and observe the on goings around you. But don’t you even dare let one of them stop you. They may have some content that will make your walk more prudently, and that is good; but as long as they stop you on your tracks, that is a big no. Take time to read biographies and autobiographies of our achiev-ers in this edition. They sometimes met with failure but they never abandoned their dreams. They, resolutely persevered until they succeeded against the odds and they continue as much even to-day.

Integrity Let us not lie to ourselves. The road to success has no shortcuts and no room for fraudsters or con artists. True achievers and life long wealthy entrepreneurs understand and internalize the fact

that it is important to do the right things most of the time rather than the popular thing. If your personal belief system is one of uncompromising standards and unwaver-ing values then it follows that your accom-plishments will be based on the same. That goes without saying. Unfortunately, wealth that comes from compromised sources never lasts. An oak seed begets an oak tree. A corrupt personality will be very easily transferred

and seen in one’s dealings whether corpo-rate or personal.

Conceive, Believe & Achieve

Page 4

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from or what your past and present look like. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always!

A Rich LandA Rich LandA Rich LandA Rich Land

With Empowered People With Empowered People With Empowered People With Empowered People

A Healthy Nation

Investing Wisely

Page 6

Giving a new reputation to hospital food I was visiting a friend in a private hospital and could not help but notice the food. Granted, the menu is definitely better than what you will find in government hospitals. The patients are given menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. From the menu they choose what they want to eat and so it is served. However, the complaints I heard, left me wondering about our hospitals.

A successful business idea requires you to think outside the box not out of the world. You need to make sure that it serves your targeted clientele and they are willing to pay anything for it. When bottled water was first introduced in Kenya, most of us thought the idea would fall flat on its face. Today, it is a multimillion industry.

A close look at most successful businesspeople will reveal that they don’t sit in the boardroom or at the business table to generate the ideas. They get the ideas as they take the place of the con-sumer or recipient of the service.

In this edition of Investing Wisely, we do not discuss starting a business from scratch par se. It is about taking over the existing and making it better. Running a section of an important business that is outsourced to you. To guide you to this investment idea, consider the following: - Do you have excellent catering skills? - Do you love cooking? - Does it give you pleasure to see people enjoy the food you make? - Do you have management skills or would you rather cook and

leave daily management to someone else? The reason for establishing a hospital with in patient care is to treat and nurse people back to good health with medical technology and knowledge at arm’s length. The two reasons a hospital sets up a kitchen are to ensure its patients (i) are not starved while in their care, and (ii) have a meal that will facilitate the work-ings of the administered drugs. So why not outsource the catering services to a professional? After all, the kitchen is a supportive and not the core function. As the entrepreneur reading this article, why not write a proposal towards this venture. What would you need? Know the hospital you are approaching * Where is it located – can your intended suppliers get to you with ease, do your intended staff have easy access to the place (e.g. if they will be leaving and reporting to work at odd hours)

* What is its status – private, public * Its client base – the very wealthy, middle income earners, the poor who can barley afford a meal

* What is its management like – will they allow you a free hand, will they stress you with dictatorial rules of operation

Understand the modalities of operation * When do patients require their food served * At whose cost will you be operating? Will you settle for giving the hospital a monthly invoice? Will they allow you to also run a visi-tors and nurses cafeteria?

* What is the source of your income? * Is it going to be a 24hrs service in consideration of the emergency room?

Understand your basis of operation * Will you be the sole driver of this business * Do you and your staff have the training required * Are you well versed with the nutritional needs of patients suffer-ing all manner of ailments and conditions?

* Are you well versed with the licenses and authorization required to operate such an entity

* What is your capital source * Are you well versed with the nutritional needs of patients suffer-ing all manner of ailments and conditions?

* Are you well versed with the licenses and authorization required

to operate such an entity

* What is the reasoning behind your taking over a kitchen hospital as opposed to you running a restaurant

* What will keep you going even when busi-ness is not so good

A vision of the future * If you choose to do this, you are going into a field that is possi-bly unexplored by many. Chances are that you will not even have a model business to refer to for ideas. But assuming you still do it and have resounding success with the first hospital: [i] will you approach other hospitals to embrace the same con-

cept? [ii] do you have the manpower to sustain the high quality stan-

dards with increased business? * Would you be willing to diversify to start your own restaurant chain

What every business needs to succeed * A mission, vision and passion * Capital – financial and human resource * A working business plan * Hours of research and planning, board-room meetings, networking, presenta-tions

* Support – from family, divine inter-vention (prayer)

* Knowledge of the basic concepts

Writing a business plan (BP) In the past two editions, we have defined a business plan and dealt with the lay out of your contents. In this edi-tion, we go into more detail of what your business plan should contain. Basic Information about your business The name of your business, contact information, trademarked logo, the owners of the business, the month and year when the plan is made (e.g. June 2007). Statement of purpose/ mission statement This is a summary of your entire plan. It is important to post-pone its writing until you are finished with the entire plan. This will ensure that you cover all the areas of your plan in the two or three paragraphs of your mission statement. The business This is the first major section of your BP and in the opening para-graph you should present a summary of the key elements of your business. The subsequent paragraphs will contain all the information relating to these - Legal structure, Description of the business, Products/ services, Location, Management, Personnel, Record keeping, Security, Insurance Marketing

This is the second major section of your BP. It details how you will sell your company, products/ services to your intended mar-ket – identify your customers and find the means to make your product or service available to them. A good marketing plan is thus essential. Include information about the total market with emphasis on your target market. The guiding question is, “who will purchase your product, who will make use of your service, why will they choose your company and how they will find out about it?” Issues to address include (but are not limited to): target market, competi-tion, distribution, pricing, product positioning, advertising, prod-uct design, entry into the market, operational zones, industry trends Summary: Your content should have a logical flow. Keep your reader in mind. Research and gather knowledge. Time taken to research and plan is not time wasted.

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Perspectives

Page 7

The Younger Boss This could be a diffi-cult thing for a lot of us - to get used to having someone younger than you having the reigns but who needs the job here? I think the first thing that would work when you find out that you have a younger boss or that you have landed a job

where the boss is a whole lot younger than you is to be positive about it. Being posi-tive would mean that you understand that it is qualifications which have put him/her there and not to try and change that. Be agreeable with that fact. Make picking your attitude to appreciate that this young per-son is your boss a part of your daily start-up routine. Remind yourself on how to treat your younger boss with respect every time you go to work. If you choose to feel badly about it, you only have yourself to blame. Everyone also knows that respect goes a long way in getting a lot of things sorted out and we cannot leave it out in the “younger boss” situation. This will definitely start with you (the older one) and remem-ber that you need to learn how to act re-

spectably which will earn you the benefits from either the old or young in the office. Having wealth, clothing, being attractive are not requirements when you are trying to earn respect. Respect is accorded to those who live respectable lives, conduct them-selves with integrity and treat others with high regard. With respect as a weapon for dealing with the young boss: Do not to pre-judge your younger boss thinking that you are better off be-cause of your age. Instead, have class and be civil to him or her, regardless of the age status. Know why you are at the job and stop thinking about the age thing, it will save you much heartache. Needless to say age ain’t nothing but a number. Focus on what you are good at and use it. Treat everyone (including your younger boss) as a customer. Your boss is not your friend, be helpful and show interest and enthusiasm. You could even try to find out what interests him or her, e.g. tidiness, proper and trim layout of business letters, etc. Make a list and listen to what you have in common and things to remember about him or her. However, do not adore and show false interest, it will backfire on you sooner or later because the true colors will come to light. With this age factor you will find that the terms used sometimes are not fa-miliar. Ask questions when unclear with such terms which may not have been there in “your days”. Take note of these terms but it would also be good practice for you and the boss to use common business terms which are understood by everyone;

your young boss will soon follow suit seeing that you are professional and use proper terms. Be professional in every aspect. When age catches up, with time, you find that you are not able to cope with the fast lane boss and especially in terms of time keeping. You may need to be careful here because you do not want your young boss to be thinking “this old guy” and have a different opinion of you. Prove the young tuck wrong and be the first to enroll into gym classes, meet deadlines, dress smart and with the trend, show that you are still with it and basically be ahead of time. This will not only challenge the young boss to be a better leader and it will keep you in check to show your worth despite the age differ-ence. However, even when you

are dressing smart and being the “first”, you need to take into account that you should not try to change how things are done without consid-ering the outcome. If you feel you are more experienced (long with age), talk your concerns with the young boss and be posi-tive, avoiding using yourself in your experi-ences. If you keep referring to your age experiences, it will berate the young boss and guess where you will be going next? I would want to believe that your young boss would appreciate it if you do not talk about his or her age to him or even to others. Avoid phrases like “back then” or “when we were young” unless and only if the boss asks. Keep in touch with the boss. This means you should try not to keep your boss at arms length, but on the other hand, do not be misunderstood when you are being friendly because it can be misinterpreted as social interest. Be friendly in a professional manner without having any insinuations of interest for example, if you are an older man and your young boss is a fine lady, you can be friendly but you need to have learnt as said earlier, the interests of your boss, her terms and work around those and when you become friendly, it will not be mistaken as social interest. Ensure that the boss knows and is comfortable with you working under her. If your boss is incompetent, it will show early. A good thing to note is that if there are other people working with you, they will be on the look out to see how you will deal with your young boss and the pres-sures of answering to a younger incompe-tent boss. When your boss is younger:

∗ Empathize. How you would like to be

treated if you were in that position.

∗ Treat him or her with respect as you

would any other boss.

∗ Look for positives of working under a

young boss, e.g. Dynamism, energy, fresh approach to things, etc.

∗ Focus on your strengths and this will ease

the feeling of insecurity and resentment

∗ Keep your skill up to date. Keep up with

the market trend and technology

∗ Be a mentor and the fantastic fixer! Take

pride in being able to solve problems and keep a scoreboard. Imagine when your boss has to look up to you to give advise, to have a talk on something which should very well be done by him or her but pre-fers when the older one does it? That would be a plus in your career and that would mean that your young boss can rely on you but this is earned with time and respect, positive attitude and skill will be what will win you to be a mentor.

∗ Do not come across as condescending or

intrusive but exercise humility. If you feel discomfort because of the age issue, raise it tactfully and respectfully.

∗ Dress well. Update your style and have a

fashion sense. Try not to copy your boss but be on the look out for what suits you and is in style.

∗ Check on what interests your boss. You

will go a long way in supporting your younger boss when you know his or her likes and dislikes.

∗ Try not to lose sight of the fact that you

need your boss as much as he or she needs you. It will all boil down to the atti-tude you have towards the fact that your boss is younger than you and as you may know, attitude is a matter of choice. Sometimes we blame others for our bad feelings, while the bare minimum fact is that we all choose how we respond to situations.

∗ Search yourself for your own skills that

come with age, e.g. maturity, experience and know how. Use them.

∗ Have a plan B and Plan C so that if it all

falls apart and you have to exit, you will not be walking to an empty sunset.

∗ Finally, thank God that you have a job.

Always thank God for your job and for strength to do it well.

Human Relations by Winnie Mwangi

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An Exquisite Cultural An Exquisite Cultural An Exquisite Cultural An Exquisite Cultural Heritage Heritage Heritage Heritage

Page 9

Headache Customers Admit it, there are customers who cannot be defined as anything else other than be-ing a headache. And we have had them - they will call us at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning as you are going to enter church asking the progress of their order! You go to bed and the first dream you have is of that customer ruining your Monday morn-ing! In the years that I have been employed and continuing now in the man-agement of a company and magazine, two things that have adamantly stood out are that: i) a customer is a customer, no matter their nature, out-ward appearance, complex-ion, appearance, attitude, e.t.c. BUT ii) some customers s are just not worth the hassle - honestly! As an entrepreneur, your biggest and major point of concern is maximizing the returns on your investment and when you come across a customer who aims at sinking the return to levels that are sometimes lower than the investment itself, while simultane-ously maximizing the risk to very uncom-

fortable levels, RUN - drop the deal like a hot potato and run as if your life depends on it. Because it does! Honestly speaking, that deal will haunt you for a pretty long time to come. Let’s take a hypothetical but everyday scenario. Very many households employ the services of a house help, male or female and their services will range from house work, to child care, garden maintenance, family driver and so much more including security. As far as this setting goes, the house help is the service provider and the members of the household are the customers. The lady of the house is always identifying more of the wrongs than the right things done. , there is a crease on the table cloth, you left the bathroom light on, you left the broom lying on the ground in the backyard, ,the top shelf is dirty, you always wake up five minutes after the alarm goes off instead of waking up before it rings, I am paying you 2,500/= and you are eating and sleeping in my house so your services must be the best and nothing less. Frankly speaking, in such a scenario, you would have to be a super-natural human being to stay for more than two month with a customer who gives you this dose daily. Professionally, we know them. “I said I wanted you to fold the letter twice, not once”; “I thought you are a customer minded organization, why is the water dis-penser empty?” When I thought about this I was reminded of a story in the book by Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich. This young girl of

African origin went to face a mean looking

white man on behalf of her mother while asking for a fifty cents that the man owed the lady. The guy looked at her and said he did not have anything so the girl should leave. The little girl said okay, but contin-ued to stand there. Thinking that the small girl had already gone, the guy was pretty surprised and angry to find that she had not left. He even threatened to slap her. So just as he was approaching her with everything about his posture screaming assault on the girl, she stepped forward toward him and screamed with every fibre of her being

about her mother wanting the fifty cents. For a few seconds, I would think in shock and all that, the guy reached into his pocket, got out half a dollar and gave it to the young girl. This story made me realize that even the worst of cus-

tomers can be turned into the best and instead of running, you end up having them eat out of your hand? How, you ask?

Be polite, Firm and Subtle A hard combination to have, but possible to acquire, maintain and reap greatly from it. There are customers who do not really care whether you have to break policy and work guidelines for them to have their way. It is not their biggest concern whether you lose your job in the process of giving them the service. The only time it might hit them that they were asking for too much is if they come around again and you

cannot serve them because you were fired in the process of pleas-ing and meeting their demands. So rather than burn your fingers for people who think the world revolves around them because they are engaging you to serve them is being polite in responding to them. When they scream at you, smile at them and keep quiet. Do not answer their tirade of words, you will only be fuelling it further and it protects you because you do not say things you don’t mean in the heat of the moment. Instead of saying, I am sorry I cannot do this. Just simply say, am sorry sir, but there is no way of going against the laid down procedure without compromising your rela-tions with the company. Get it right the first time so they never have to come back for a repeat job Nothing is as annoying as a repeat job for a difficult customer. You have not only given them a reason to be more difficult. You have also justified their total treatment of you. How often have you had this phrase, “You cannot do anything right unless you

are supervised!” Get it right the firs time, sort out that customer and let them get away from you satisfied and pray that they never have to come back to you again for anything. Read your customer like the back of your hand Every person has their point of weakness. It maybe that a grumpy customer just needs his order taken by a beautiful waitress rather than a male waiter. Others just con-sider a woman in the corporate world as a lost soul. In such a case, instead of having the female folk deal with him much to their own misery, let the customer deal with the gender he is comfortable with. For those who believe in God and know that tempta-tions come in all manner, there are people who are just the personality of the devil incarnate himself sent to torment you. The best thing, especially through the spirit of discernment. Let them be handled by some-body else. Forget the commission involved, if any, just give them a wide berth. Identify only one person to deal with a particular difficult person There are customers who have bestowed upon themselves the dignitary status. Unless they deal with the boss, they will be as difficult as possible. It is important for such customers, if your organization has the man power, to have a number two who can handle them as personally as the boss does. Otherwise, no staff member will be willing to deal with them because they know, it just means trouble! Draw the line - Let the customer know your limits and how far you can be stretched. Every organization has some basic rules of working. The customers should know from the word go, the principles you are working on. If it has to do with timing, let the cus-tomer know that if you say the appointment is set for 2:00 p.m. and he comes through

at 2:30 p.m., he has to rebook because others have to be served. Be in charge from Day 1 Customers can smell a weakling who is easy to manipulate and harass from the word go. Style up yourself and your staff to ensure that they remain in charge of every situa-tion, to avoid manipulation by some cus-tomers. This is your business and the customers are at the centre of it all. But remember if you let them know that you are so flexible for them to bend and shape you in any direc-tion they please, they will be the direct cause of either your downfall or miserable staff.

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A Destination to Cherish A Destination to Cherish A Destination to Cherish A Destination to Cherish

Quiet time by Wangari Kimani

Page 11

WWWW ith all the earthquakes and tremors happening, I have began to seriously wonder and marvel at how miniature we are in God’s eyes. You know that phrase - “sure as the ground you are standing upon”? Now am not so sure that is a viable phrase. In a world of billions upon billions of people, how awesome is it that God knows the number of hair strands on each person’s head? It is said that God holds us and our destinies upon the palm of His hands. Hypo-thetically, if God was to clench a fist, that would be it for mankind. Chapter closed. Knowing our status, it is only logical to ask, so how best do I make the most of every moment that I am alive? By vast reading, I found there was so much but I found it im-portant to share with you only six of them. a) Live by the promises Every person who diligently reads the Bible,

which is the ultimate word of God, will guarantee you of finding a promise of/ from God for every situation, challenge, success or lull in your life. “Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you will find …”; “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thy staff and they rod they comfort me …”; “bring your tithes and offerings to the house of God … and see if I

shall not open the windows and gate…”; “God is not a man that He should lie …”; “though your sins are red as scarlet, I

will cleanse you and you shall be as white as snow …”; “… and the rainbow was a sign of the covenant that God would not destroy the face of the world with floods …”. These are just a few. The beauty about God’s word is that it is Yes and Amen. Whatever He says and sets out to do, no once can stop it. Look at the children of Israel in the wilderness. God gave them numerous promises - what they would get if they obeyed His word and lived according to how He instructed the; and what they would face incase of their disobe-dience. And for sure, God brought it to pass. A look through the Old testament will tell you that God wasn’t joking when He made the promises. From personal experience, standing on God’s promises when everything else seems uncertain is the greatest comfort and sure ground. Your reliance and dependence on the promises is a sure sign of faith. Con-sider Abraham. Straight from his first en-counter with God, he was promised that he would be the father of many nations, yet he never had a child until he got to his old

age; and even that son of the promise, Isaac, God asked for him as a sacrifice from Abraham. That was the ultimate test of faith, but all through the years, God kept reminding Abraham of that one promise. If there are words and promises that can

serve as a bank guarantee, they are those given by God and are contained in the bible. b) Sow, bear and reap the nine fruits The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Every fruit has a seed. If you plant and nur-ture that seed, it grows an bears the fruit. A mango seed will not bear a strawberry. In the same way, there are fruits which we need to cultivate within ourselves so as to form a strong and acceptable character in every sphere of business or social living. The results of these are highly rewarding. Self-control allows you to keep your cool in a room full of flaring tempers. Peace allows you to keep off wars and battles that are just not worth fighting and playing it smart & clean when the fight calls for dirty tricks. Patience allows you to stretch be-

yond your normal limits for the your own good and for others. It also allows you the opportunity to give your enemies enough rope to hang themselves. It gives you the ability to sacrifice momentary gains and pleasures for bigger and more long term successes. Faithfulness is what keeps your hopes up even when everybody and every-thing else has given up. By faith Enoch, the man of God was taken up such that he did not face death because it was credited to him that he pleased God. Faith is the sub-stance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Kindness helps you build a reputation and relationships through em-pathy and sympathy. It allows you to cry when you are supposed to, hold someone’s hand during tough times. Love is said to cover a multitude of sins while joy makes you sing even when buried deep in a mess, otherwise you may die not because of the bad conditions but because of misery. Goodness is the quality of life that allows you the opportunity to be giver; and givers, God has made sure, shall not lack for any-thing. A gentle spirit is what gives you enough dignity and class to dine with kings yet remain humble enough to dance with the pauper. c) Define, work at and live by your defi-

nitions and standards of success There are those who define success by the acres of land they own or head of cattle. Others define it by the amount of money in the bank account, number of friend, aca-demic/ professional excellence and so much more. By defining what success is for you, you give yourself a Service Level Agree-ment by which your actions are judged. If you consider. If you consider the bank ac-

count cash to be your measure of success, then you know that as long as it is at mini-

mum balance, you are not successful. Success is not a destination to be arrived at, rather it is a road to be traveled. Find out

what challenges you? What have you over-come and what did that experience teach you? Have you ever loved so much and it caused you much pain? How much and for what have you made great sacrifices for your future? If your life, as you know it today, were to come tumbling down, would you have a rea-son to stand up, dust off and start from scratch no mat-ter the damage caused? I have heard it said that if you do not know where you are going, any road will lead you there. If you do not know what success is for you, how do you expect to know when you are successful? d) Be the sprinkler and not the soaking

ground A sprinkler’s job is very easy - water comes

into it and it spreads the precious liquid to the thirsty earth from which we harvest crop. When God blesses you with every-thing that you have, it was not His intention for you to keep it for yourself. If it was then He would limit His blessings. You and I are conduits through which god’s blessings are expected to flow to others. I choose to be a pipeline any day through which God blesses other people because every time He uses me as a carrier for someone else’s blessing, I get blessed in the process. e) Fall in love with yourself Being in love with yourself in a genuine and non-sanctimonious way makes you more confident to step out into the crowd and offer your best; it allows you new levels of accountability and responsibility, insight and understanding of your potential and so much more. Genuine love for the self cre-ates a genuine love for you from others and you become like a magnet, attracting oth-ers to yourself because you have so much to offer, and they just can’t help but be attracted to you. This may also not go down very well with those who took advantage of you because of your low self esteem. But hey, its not about them, its about you. HOWEVER, this may create the temptation to be full of airs, contempt for others, self-ishness and a negative pride element. Be careful not to go down this road. f) Find a home at the feet of the Al-

mighty. The most humbling yet highly empowering place to ever find yourself it at the feet of Jesus. And it is a true privilege to be there. At this place you are disciplined, advised, blessed, anointed, forgiven, protected, ful-filled, cautioned, molded, into a very useful vessel and you get to enjoy the peace of God. One visit there and you never want to leave because you do not remain the same. In the bible there is one woman who knew ho precious those feet were. She washed

Jesus feet with the most expensive perfume and used her hair to wipe His feet. All this while everyone around grumbled that it was a waste of a precious commodity. Am sure the blessings that emanated from that ac-tion were more than she had ever dreamed of.

Inspired by the Creator of the

universe Giver of life

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