By Jonah Nyoni
Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. WE indeed live in interesting and intriguing times.
Why am I saying this? It is because change is so fast.
Change is moving at a breakneck speed.
Not only in our country, Zimbabwe, but across Africa, and the world as a whole.
So what does it take to be a real leader in such times?
Rapid shift
What is causing this change?
Artificial intelligence is currently the leading factor.
I still remember in my younger years, we used cassettes or vinyl to play music.
Then there was an immediate transition to CDs.
When CDs came on board, everyone seemed to say, “No, I don’t think this will last. I don’t think this is the real deal. I don’t think I will live long enough. I don’t think this is quality enough.”
Until we realised something: manufacturers no longer saw the need to produce radios that used cassettes or vinyl.
The manufacturer pushed change. The consumer also consumed change.
What happened? Those who did not understand how CDs or DVDs worked were stuck with their old equipment.
It was strong, but irrelevant.
They were left in the dark with music that could not be played on new gadgets.
Then came memory sticks and bluetooth.
You did not need a CD to play music anymore.
You just needed someone with a gadget and you could send music to your car radio or speaker wirelessly.
Now, things have changed.
We no longer need bigger gadgets to store music, we can access it on virtual platforms.
What are the lessons we are learning as individuals and Zimbabwe?
lThings are changing around us and you would not want to be caught flatfooted.
lIf you do not change, change will catch up with you.
Create an environment that quickly looks for agile means to adapt and adopt change.
lIt’s better to kill (or self-cannibalise) what you created, than allow change to be the one to do so.
lAs a leader, you cannot win in a fast changing environment if you don’t want to learn fast.
lIf you don’t change you will be left with big machines that do not serve the purpose of the day.
lWhat was efficient in the past, will not last forever.
lThe only thing that is permanent is change itself. We need to be constantly and intentionally evolving.
Learning agility
So what do we need to catch up with change?
We need learning agility.
The faster you learn, the better you are.
Zimbabwe, in the book Why Leaders Can’t Lead, said opposing change is like trying to oppose the weather. It’s fruitless or futile.
The weather will not stop for you and so is change.
It will not bend to your wills.
It will continue — whether it’s cold or hot; not according to your will, but according to the change the weather brings.
So you need to learn very fast. And you need to be intentional.
Intentional growth
Let’s talk about intentionality. People who are winning in this world are very intentional.
You need to be intentional in picking a book, whilst everyone is getting entertained by social media.
That takes discipline. Is that easy? Not at all. Is that beneficial? Yes.
You need to be intentional in watching a proper video that will propel your mind, change your mind, stretch your mind, empower your mind, and enthuse your mind with inspiration.
Very important: you need to listen to audios from people who will take you to a new level.
I listen to the gurus of the past such as Les Brown, Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Bob Proctor, just to mention a few.
These people constantly feed the psychology of winning into my mind. And tell you what? I’m constantly growing and improving.
Personal wiring
Another thing you need to understand about yourself is your psychology, your DNA, your intelligence, your cognition.
I’m currently reading a book by Howard Gardner where he talks about multiple intelligences. We are wired with different intelligences.
That means you are wired for specific things.
Some people are created to be musicians; you are musically wired.
Some are wired to be writers; you are linguistically wired.
Some are good in mathematics; you are mathematically wired. So at times, you need to find your zone.
You need to understand yourself. Where will you operate effectively?
Cultivate your personal being without trying to copy others.
Remember: by copying others, you only become a second-rate version of the person you’re trying to imitate.
Discover yourself. Develop yourself. Deploy yourself.
Source: NewsDay
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