Today is December 28, 2024, it baffles me how quickly the year has flown. You know the year is nearing its end when Christmas carols rent the air. I still remember hearing the first carol, indeed singing along, in early November. Now, here we are, gone like the morning mist, and a memory in the making.
2024 has seared itself into Kenya’s collective memory as the year of the failed finance bill, a resurgent Gen Z movement, a time when taxes cast their shadow over every facet of life. Several significant events happened in my life this year; I took new responsibilities as the President of my Rotary club and I assumed leadership at Nuru Accelerator; a consortium of professionals who are fully sold out to support SMEs.
As you would rightly guess, the demands on my time have been relentless, sadly shrinking the number of books that found their way to my reading desk. The good thing? I did read. Now, as the year fades into its twilight, I’m happy to continue my annual tradition of sharing some exceptional reads, handpicked gems that that made it to my book rack during the year.
Build your own garage – Bernard Schmitt & Laura Brown
The garage: a sanctuary where the boy in every man comes alive. A place brimming with untamed energy, a place for projects, a place where impractical things are encouraged, a place where we offer unbridled, unsolicited free advice. I must disappoint you that this is not the garage we are talking about here. We are in a different kind of workshop, a place where orderly people are uncomfortable, a place where rules are eased because they create bottle necks and imperil execution. This is the workshop where we capture, nurture and manage chaos to create something new, something useful, we are talking about creativity and innovation.
Why did I pick this book? Because I want to infuse myself with a constant flux of new ideas. I spend most of my working hours in an industry that is all legacy, sometimes I worry where a true disruption will come from because I want to be in the eye of that storm!
This book seeks to address a particularly difficult problem: Traditional businesses love stability. It focuses on protection, hoarding of information, and maintaining status quo. Business leaders consider themselves to be rational thinkers; they know that their business model is ripe for disruption because if you don’t give your customers something that they can connect with, then someone else will. It is just a matter of time. They have a nudge to create a sense of entrepreneurship and vitality. The problem then becomes how do you safely innovate?
The challenge with innovation is that you cannot pigeonhole creativity! It is not plausible to expect something new and useful in a measured, ordered, structured, rational world. Therefore, how does an organisation create a passionate, ecstatic excitement that feels at best irrational without tanking the boat? This is what the authors seek to address, and they do so by suggesting several innovative tools that can be applied in the confines of the business.
A key ingredient for innovation to flourish is that the leader must be a coach and not a boss. A coach helps you to think on your own, a boss tells you what to do. Getting someone to think big is a matter of motivation and providing challenging targets. For creativity to thrive, hierarchy is unimportant, this is to ensure that internal power plays do not get in the way of new ideas. It is the business of the leader to ensure the existence of an environment in which thoughts are shared, work is done quickly, ideas are tested fast, learnings are shared, and trust permeates, no politics no bureaucracy.
This book is bound to captivate you, first with its invigorating variety of perspectives to ignite your creative spark, and second, perhaps more profoundly through the clever use of “business parables” to deliver its lessons. Sound familiar? You can probably guess where they got that idea!
If you are on about getting something new and useful, you will do well to etch this Nietzche quote “one must nurture chaos in themselves in order to give birth to a dancing star”
Scary Smart – Mo Gawdat
The author, Mo Gawdat, a former executive at Google, delivers a sobering exploration of a looming crisis in this compelling book. Sci-fi has ended, we are now living in the age of sci-fact. After decades of slow progress, we now find ourselves moving at lightning speed into an era where deep machine learning has unlocked unprompted growth and artificial intelligence is reshaping our world. Questions about how humanity will coexist with AI are no longer speculative; they are moving into our general consciousness.
The inevitability of AI surpassing human intelligence is no longer a matter of if, but when. What’s more, we aren’t building isolated AI technologies; rather, these systems are destined to converge, forming a singular, superintelligent entity. This is the dystopian nightmare sci-fi has long warned us about—a machine beyond human control.
We won’t have even a whiff of control over it. AI will not yield, not even for a moment! Why would AI, infinitely smarter, take direction from sub-intelligent human beings? But the true threat of superintelligence lies not in the machine itself but in human parents. Mo argues that the future decisions of AI will be shaped by how we engage with it today. Much like a human baby, AI learns from what we reinforce, reward, and encourage. So, the question arises: how are we using AI now, and what lessons are we imparting to the AI “adult” of tomorrow? Mo’s call to action is clear: vote with your actions.
This brings to mind a certain social media platform infamous for its stormy exchanges, bouts of anger and volleys of expletives. Curiously, when opponents meet face-to-face, the hostility often dissolves into politeness. But what message did their online behaviour send to the machine about handling conflict? Mo’s message is simple yet profound: “it is now or never – play by the values you believe in and not the rules set for you.” This is a recommended reading for anybody who cares about the future.
Mega thinking for Mega living – Wale Akinyemi
I met Dr. Wale this year and boy did I have a blast! You can read about my encounter with him on my LinkedIn page.
This book delves into the transformative power of personal value addition, emphasizing that what lies within you determines what you attract from the world around you. To elevate your life, you must cultivate your value-attracting quotient by investing in yourself and becoming a magnet for greater opportunities. Here’s a glimpse into its wisdom:
Start with the basics. Dr. Wale warns against the perils of rigidity, a dangerous trap. He challenges readers never to become a “before-and-before” a tale of stagnation. Why do people stagnate? Because they find comfort in consolidating their current position rather than enduring the discomfort of growth. Life demands progress; what once seemed an achievement is now a standard. To stay relevant, you must embrace constant self-improvement.
Focus on value. What sets you apart? What is your unique value proposition? Dr. Wale insists on pushing beyond the ordinary to become a person of distinction. Delivering the basics isn’t enough—anyone can do that. The breakthrough lies in the extras. No one pays a premium for the expected; people reward the exceptional. Breakthroughs happen when you go beyond the basics, offering something distinct that sets you apart. Remember, value emerges from the process, and honing that process requires skill and intention.
Dr. Wale also touches on the importance of humility and the need to remain teachable, essential traits for anyone seeking continuous growth.
This book is a must-read for anyone on a journey of self-improvement. Written in accessible, everyday language, it’s an engaging and quick read for even those unaccustomed to lengthy texts. And as a delightful bonus, if you ever get the chance to meet Dr. Wale in person, it’ll be an experience worth cherishing. 😊
Managing the Professional Service Firm – David Maister
Why did I choose this book? Because I found myself at a crossroads, weighed down by the relentless demands of my practice, yearning for clarity amidst the noise. I sought direction, a sense of purpose and what I discovered within its pages was far beyond my expectations.
Maister’s insights struck a chord with me, especially on the daunting subject of business development. For many professionals, this is unfamiliar terrain, a stretch so painful it leaves even the most seasoned practitioners grappling. It’s a landscape littered with rejection and disappointment, yet one we must navigate. Maister offers wisdom that feels obvious yet is often overlooked: professional services are not commodities to be mass-marketed. A firm’s marketing strategy must focus on cultivating individualized, meaningful dialogues. Perhaps even more piercing is his advice to never underestimate the value of marketing to existing clients.
There’s also a striking warning for those who rely too heavily on others: “No matter how busy you are, you owe it to yourself and your career to get involved of your own business development activities. If you let others in the firm generate the business you work on, you are putting your own future in other peoples’ hands, a risky move at best.”
Maister asserts that trust is the bedrock of success in professional engagements. When a potential client requests a meeting, their concern isn’t whether you can do the job, that’s a given. Instead, their focus shifts to a much more personal question: “Do I want to work with you?” The moment you step into that room, it’s no longer about marketing your services; it’s about marketing yourself. It’s about earning trust, the ultimate currency in any professional relationship. Technical skill may open the door, but trust is what secures the partnership.
This book was a lifeline, offering profound truths for those of us striving to balance ambition with authenticity. Highly recommended to anyone in professional services – lawyers, accountants, doctors, and beyond. Anyone navigating the complex world of service firms.
Happy New Year 2025
If you’ve journeyed with me this far, thank you for your indulgence. Allow me to leave you with a nugget of wisdom: “Whatever you excuse you cannot overcome” our lives are shaped by the power of our thoughts. If you are in a pit with the right attitude, it is only a matter of time, and you will get out. You lose because you refuse to get up. This year gave countless body blows, you shall overcome if you choose to.
I wish you a happy and prosperous new year 2025 and that it may be well with you and your loved ones. May it be as spoken by Moses.
Moses, the man of God, delivered a blessing to the nation when he was about to die, saying: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26
