The Need for Eagles

In order to have epic organizations that contribute vastly to the flow of life, we must have people who live an epic life and are contibuting vastly to the flow of life. Okay, what does that mean? I refer to such kind of people as eagles. Most organizations end up with turkeys instead of eagles. They take whoever shows up. Epic organizations go out and look for eagles because eagles don’t flock. Here are six marks of an eagle:

1. Eagles of catalysts of experiences – Eagles make things happen based on their skills and abilities. They walk the road less traveled, defying models in order to blaze new trails.

2. Eagles Possess great vision and execution – Eagles don’t perch on a tree and wait for manna to fall from heaven. They go out and look for opportunities. They are not risk averse.

3. Eagles are change agents – Eagles influence others in positive ways. They are 360° influencers. Their influence is not restricted by attributes like age or profession.

4. Eagles are multipliers of value – Great organizations have people who bring added value to them but epic organizations have people who bring multiplied value to them. The average organization has people who subtract value while the mediocre organization has people who divide value.

5. Eagles empower eagles to lead – Birds of a feather flock together because only they have the uncanny ability to bring out the best in each other. Eagles don’t hang out with hawks.

6. Eagles are sources of creativity – Eagles hunt for ideas that result in quantum growth for the organization. Because of this, an organization with eagles will always be an epic organization.

Discover the Key to Fulfillment in Life

As a student at the University of Nairobi in Kenya, I invested lots of time in solitude as I pondered about the future and what I wanted it to look like for me. The more I did this, the more it became clearer to me that I wanted to live a better life than what I had experienced up till that time in my life. At that time I had no desire to leave the third world and head for the industrialized West. I loved, and still love my country, but somehow as I began dreaming of a better life and developing my vision for life, it became imperative that I had to leave the country for a while.

Living and experiencing a better life does not necessarily mean that you have to leave your current environment. In some cases a change of location might be in order but it is more a matter of disposition than position. The idea of Better Life Company was conceived after I had altered my disposition, even though I was still in Kenya. I had to change my outlook on life and that elevated my thinking (see my post on Thinking for Engagement) as I began to see myself as a more productive and visionary member of society. My whole purpose in life now is to empower others with knowledge, skills, wisdom and resources that will enlighten, encourage, equip, embolden and enable them to embody the better life. That statement encapsulates the whole key to an EPIC life for me. My vision deep down is a world in which all people are fully empowered with all they need to live a better life. By getting into the FLOW of engaging in society, participating in community, interacting with difference makers and creating initiatives that change lives, I am experiencing fulfillment in my personal life. Have you discovered teh key to true fulfillment in your own life?

A Time for Vibrationary Leadership

We live in epic times. The flow of our times demands leadership that soars above responding to today’s challenges. We need an ability to discern the future so that we can operate in the realm of sensing tomorrow’s challenges. Two critical leadership competencies needed are: vibrationary leadership and visionary leadership. If you’ve seen the movie Click you may be able to discern how we need to go BEYOND today and into tomorrow. Great vision allows us to get into a vibration mode of life. So much has been said and written about visionary leadership but few people understand vibrationary leadership. I’ll focus on vibrationary leadership in this post.

The difference between visionary and vibrationary leadership is that whereas visionary leadership guides and directs by the power of a compelling desire propelled by a glimpse of the future, vibrationary leadership discerns trends, senses opportunities and taps into potentialities. Understanding the heartbeat of the future is more powerful than any vision we could ever have. We learn this easily from the human body. Before thoughts are deposited in the mind, they are birthed in the heart. The heart is therefore the center of life. Out of it flows the issues of life. The seed of vision is always in the heart. That’s why a visionary has passion and fire in his soul. His heart is ablaze. Vibrationary leaders develop the ability to hear the silent beating of coming changes in society and thus strategically position themselves to make the very best of the moment.

If we are going to be precise in the 21st century, we must be visionary leadership but also learn to embrace vibrationary leadership. Otherwise we shall have visions that will stall in the face of rapid societal changes. A New millenium requires a New strategy. Our organizations should be able to vibrate with the beating of society’s heart. Transitioning from vision to vibration is in essence shifting our focus from seeing to hearing. While it is essential that we be able to see what is happening in our environment, it is much more important that our ears be well tuned in order to hear the silent rumblings of change. This means that our ears should be close to society’s heart and needs. Sound is a series of vibrations moving as waves through air. Ringing a bell for example, sets off vibrations in the air. Detection of these vibrations or sound waves is called hearing. It is essential to understand how the ear works. Humans hear by bone conduction or primarily by detecting airborne sound waves, which are collected by the auricles. The auricles help locate the direction of sound. Then one turns to focus on the direction. Therefore hearing comes before seeing. This is very important.

This transition will require a change from structure to rhythm. We should be able to learn the unforced rhythm of guiding our organizations through transitionary moments. This will require a greater degree of sensitivity. It is this sensitivity to society’s needs that will enable us to engage and participate effectively in what’s happening within our communities.